Chinese food in NYC is very interesting. Ask anyone who lives in the Bronx what Chinese food is, and they will tell you it’s fried chicken and French fries with hot sauce. I'm guessing it's the same in Brooklyn and Queens too. No special Chinese herbs and spices, just regular fried chicken with French fries. It’s as southern as Gladys’s Knight’s Fried Chicken and Waffles (restaurant) in Atlanta. In fact, the only thing Chinese about the fried chicken and French fries is that it’s made and served by Chinese people. They are smart. They know what sells. It tastes good. When I am too lazy to cook, I will get fried chicken, and instead of the French fries, I get rice. There are 8 (yes eight) Chinese takeout places in the 2-block radius from my apartment. None of them are in danger of going out of business even with the bad economy and so much competition being so close. All 8 of them have the exact same menu too. I bet they all go to the same printing company who just changes the name of the restaurant on the top.
There is an episode of Seinfeld (Season 2 Episode 11 called "The Chinese Restaurant") where Jerry and his friends go to a Chinese restaurant. The restaurant is so crowded that they are told there is a wait time for a table (10 minutes). As each new customer comes in, they are taken right away trumping Jerry and his party. The hosts keeps giving them excuses like “these people had a reservation”, or “they are a regular customer”.
A bunch of shenanigans take place, including Elaine going and eating an egg roll off one of the customers tables; and Jerry saying he is the person whose name they have been calling for the last 20 minutes. When Jerry does this, instead of seating him, the hosts says “ah, Mr. so and so… your party has been waiting for you inside at the table for over 20 minutes now!” At the end of the episode, they get tired of waiting and decide to leave. As soon as they are gone, their table is called!
I never imagined back in college (at the University of Hawaii) while watching this show, that I would someday eat at that actual restaurant. It’s Called Hunan Fifth Avenue (it's not on Fifth) It's on 41st street between Madison and Park. In their window, they have a picture of Jerry Seinfeld Displayed saying this is his favorite Chinese restaurant.
Some friends and me (The Hawaii Gang: Wakenda, Johnny, and Ray; the Equity Gang: Gretchen and Cara; and Herbelicious and Ed) decided to eat there after our Bryant Park Ice Skating disaster. We had planned to go ice skating that evening at the ice rink in Bryant Park. But it was such an unusually warm day (Global Warming!) nearly 60 degrees (and in December too!) that there was literally 3 inches of water floating on top of the ice! 
If you fell, you would be soaked. We skated around twice, watched people fall and get laughed at, and decided to go eat as an alternate activity. Since I walk past this place every day on my way to work, I suggested we go eat at the Jerry Seinfeld Chinese place. Everyone thought it was a novel idea.
From the outside, it is the exact restaurant Jerry Seinfeld ate at, on the episode (the inside was probably created in a studio and very different). Unlike the show we had no problems getting a table, even for a party of 8. The place was completely empty (it always looks empty when I walk by).
The attitude of the wait staff though was the same as the show--very nonchalant. We ordered water for everyone (eight people) but only got 6 glasses-- and the Waiter really wasn’t doing anything except standing at his station listening to us talk.
They brought only one small basket of fried won ton strips and dipping sauce, and we had to keep turning the lazy Susan for each person to get some (most authentic Chinese restaurants serve food family style, and each table usually has a giant lazy Susan to make access to the food easier). This place was more authentic than the take out places in the Bronx, but not as authentic as some of the dim sum palaces I have eaten at down in Chinatown (I guess they had to "Americanize" it to appeal to a wider audience).
I ordered a very tasty eggplant dish (it was very good with a smoky flavor!). Herbelicious ordered Moo Shoo Chicken (I didn’t know that Chinese places made Moo Shoo Chicken, only Moo Shoo Pork), and Johnny and Wakenda settled for the Hot and Sour Soup. 
It was all okay, but not anything to really rave about. Ed basically ordered an omelet with shrimp--Not very Chinese, and Gretchen and Cara ordered some vegetarian dishes. For a place that was not busy, the wait staff could have been more attentive.
I guess you have to be Jerry Seinfeld to get good service at this place (or maybe not, maybe that's their angle- to be sucky like the on the show). The prices were okay, but I think you can get much better food for way less in Chinatown. Actually, I think you can get much better food from the take out places in the Bronx for much cheaper.
At least I can say that I ate at Jerry Seinfeld’s favorite Chinese restaurant. Maybe Jerry needs to come out and about with me so I can take him to real Chinese dim sum! Show him what Chinese food is really about.
HAPPY HOLIDAYS!
Email me at outnaboutnewyork@gmail.com
Learn Spanish! El servicio fue malo pero, el alimento estuvo bien
Servicio-service, Malo-Bad, Pero-But Alimento-food, bien-good
1 comment:
The dare was that Elaine had to go to the table, not say a word, grab something from the plate, eat it, finish it and walk away. She chickened out. George said that he would stick his face in a bowl of soup and blow but Costanza is usually all talk and probably would not have done that. haha.
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