I went out to the very diverse and colorful Jackson Heights to track down one of the list items with the hopes of having a fun food adventure in Queens. Well, it turned out to be more adventurous than I had anticipated.
Now, as usual, I had a limited time frame since I had to be somewhere in Manhattan later in the day, but I certainly had enough time to sit and enjoy some chow mein at a Tibetan fast food shop.
I admit I usually count on my trusty Iphone and the Maps application to guide me through the neighborhoods that I’m not so familiar with. After plugging in the address and following the directions, we found ourselves on a very residental street in Queens with no sign of any businesses, let alone a food joint.
I soon realized that where Maps sent me was a completely different address than the one I had entered. I have no idea how or why this happened, but time was ticking and we needed to get this chow mein before too long.
So I had to look up at the numbers and make my way to the correct address (just like the old days), which ironically (and frustratingly) was literally just outside the subway station (a different station than the Maps app told us to take). We went on a wild goose chase for nothing.
Thanks to earlier train troubles, we didn’t have time to dine in and had to order our Bengali and Tibetan food to go. I’m glad I noticed that there were two food stands in the Dumpling Palace. I naturally ordered from the first, which is the Bengali restaurant, but toward the back is the unassuming Tibetan stand Tashi Delek Momo and this is where our chow mein was supposed to come from. I confirmed that we would be getting the Tibetan version and the guys were pleasant enough and after waiting a little bit, we had some dishes from both.
We had to eat on the train and I can guarantee that we had the tastiest dish of anybody in that car (unless that homeless guy was eating a filet). The chow mein was tender and chewy and not too greasy. The vegetables were fresh and cooked well. And the dried beef was incredibly interesting. It had a salty smoky flavor that was reminiscent of beef jerky (in a good way).
The chow mein wasn’t anything groundbreaking, but it was a good version of a dish I don’t regularly eat. And it was surprisingly well-prepared and fresh. You never know what you’re going to get in those little food shops in Queens. It’s always a gamble. And so, evidently, is using the google map application. But good thing my sense of direction and street smarts always leads us to deliciousness.
Would Tashi Delek Momo’s chow mein make my Top 100 of the year? It gets a 7 out of 10because it was tasty and fresh with some interesting meaty flavors, but it wasn’t anything mind blowing.
