MOSTLY EXCELLENT (Excellent Dumpling House)

SADLY, EXCELLENT DUMPLING HOUSE IS NOW CLOSED.

With fear of exposing myself as a fraud, I realize there’s no way I can eat at every establishment in the city that serves dumplings. In order to come close to completing these searches for the best of a specific dish, I have to set some limits for myself. For instance, I limited my ice cream search to shops that specialize in ice cream – no Italian restaurants that have homemade gelato (sorry, Otto).

I’ve tried to keep the same concept alive with dumplings. I’ve limited it to Chinese influenced potstickers and stuck to the places that are true dumpling shops (usually tiny little dives), at least for the fried and steamed varieties. I’ve allowed a little leeway for soup dumplings, since they’re mostly found at sit-down Shanghainese establishments.

However, I have a bit of a dilemma with Excellent Dumpling House in Chinatown. They’re far from a dive and they’re Cantonese menu is pretty extensive ranging from pork chops to steamed broccoli. Yet it advertises right in their name that they are a house full of excellent dumplings. Or is it dumplings served in an excellent house? Regardless of the meaning of the name, I felt compelled to sit down and try the dumplings and hope for an excellent experience somewhere along the way.

I’ve actually been to Excellent Dumpling House twice in the past and remember enjoying their dumplings. I don’t believe I ordered any other dishes. Would you if they claimed to have excellent dumplings, but didn’t mention anything else?

But for my official search, I returned early on a snowy Friday afternoon. The place was rather quiet although service was still as gruff and impersonal as I’ve come to expect at Chinese restaurants. They have a few dumpling variations, including chicken and shrimp, listed under their Hot Appetizer (Dim Sum) section. But since I was in Chinatown, I stuck to my usual test of trying both the fried and steamed variations of pork and chive (cabbage in this case) dumplings.

These each cost $5 which is a far cry from the usual four for a dollar at most dumpling houses, but remember these are excellent dumplings. You also get seven per order, although I usually leave with 14 dumplings at about $3 and here I paid $10 for the same amount. You do the math.

The dumplings came out very quickly and were delivered with a special dumpling sauce, which I inquired about. I’m not sure if it was the language barrier or a secretive chef, but I wasn’t given much help as to the ingredients.  I was able to pick out soy sauce, sesame oil, sugar, and ginger. I’d probably fail on those Top Chef blind tasting tastes. The sauce worked beautifully with the dumplings and eliminated the need for soy vinegar, which wasn’t on the table in the usual plastic squeeze bottles.

I found these dumplings to be lighter than most and they almost seemed healthier. I can’t imagine that to be true, but I didn’t leave with such a heavy feeling in my stomach (I also didn’t eat all 14). The fried pork dumplings were crunchy and rather greaseless, although the wrapper had a doughy chewy mouthfeel. The steamed versions had a thinner skin and reminded me of wontons. They still had that light, moist sensation when I burst them open. But neither were terribly hot.

Inside, the pork and cabbage mixture was juicy and flavor and I appreciated the lack of grease. In a strange way, these dumplings felt more refined. Maybe that explains the higher price tag.

Contrary to what the name suggests, I don’t believe dumplings are this place’s speciality. They’re light and tasty, but quite different from the more acclaimed ones I’ve been experiencing for half the price. I overheard one of the managers chatting with a nearby table and trying to sell them on one of their special dishes, presumably because all anybody orders are dumplings. May I suggest changing the name to Excellent Chinese Food House?

Does Excellent Dumpling House have the best dumplings in NY? They’re maybe a notch or two below excellent, but garner a 7 out of 10 because while overpriced, they’re flavorful and light.