Soup Dumplings NW Subs??

Im going to visit NYC in August for the first time and I've been reading about soup dumplings (Joes Shanghai etc). OK come on- there has to be somewhere good around here to get them. I can scratch soup dumplings off my have to try when I go list if I can find them here and see what all the fuss is about. And when I say "here" I'm hoping there is somewhere in the NW suburbs to find them...????

If you can find them (anywhere in Chicago), please let me know.

As far as I know, they do not exist. At least those of the quality of: New Green Bo, Joe's Shanghai, Din Tai Fung, or Shanghai River (BC). You can find them on some menus, and if you have never had a proper one before, it might be good. But they would not be close to representative of what they should be.

sorry...

the legend is that it is so difficult to make these that almost no place can make them well. in a lot of places in asia, soup dumplings are sold in specialty resteraunts.


by the way - Joe's ginger is great, a in green bao.

globetrotter wrote:the legend is that it is so difficult to make these that almost no place can make them well.

Check out this thread for an interesting exploration of what it takes to produce Xiao Long Bao.

Best,
Michael

The only place I've even seen that tries them is Ed's Potsticker, but they're nothing like Joe's Shanghai, so don't even bother. Perhaps Katy's has them - I've never been there myself, though.

jonjonjon wrote:The only place I've even seen that tries them is Ed's Potsticker, but they're nothing like Joe's Shanghai, so don't even bother. Perhaps Katy's has them - I've never been there myself, though.

Further down in this thread is a report about a trip a group of us made to four different places that serve them, including Ed's. There are at least one or two others besides those four.

Best,
Michael

I made a fatal mistake at Joe's trying my first XLB - putting the whole thing in my mouth and just chomping it like a normal dumpling. BAD idea. Imagine your mouth being flooded with boiling hot soup, yet too full to swallow everything in it immediately without having to chew. Painful

The proper technique, which I quickly figured out, was to cradle it in the spoon, bit a hole and suck out the soup to a manageable level - and then pop it in your mouth. A multi-sensory delight (once you get beyond the searing pain)

Well Im shocked and dismayed that our fabulous town cannot match that other large city found on the east coast. I did read the encyclopedic post on dumplings, which was great, and next time Im near Chinatown, I will try one of the mentioned places.

In the meantime I throw down the gauntlet to Asian food locations on the north side/ Northwest Suburbs to show that Chicago can soup dumpling like they can! And when someone does, can you let me know?? !! In the meantime Ill have to rejigger the vacation food schedule to include a stop at Joes or similar