Tyler Cowen's Ethnic Dining Guide

JonSanders, a loyal MR reader, asks:

I read "Discover Your Inner Economist" (as well as "Create Your Own Economy") and I want a little more help with the Manhattan dining tips you covered. Care to help someone on a serious budget, like say, an undergrad at NYU? Staying off the main avenues is useful, but it is still hard to find dirt cheap authentic food from most cultures. More advice?

I'm was in New York yesterday and I despaired. Short of dropping $50-$70 or more for lunch, it's hard to get a good meal in most of Manhattan. Greenwich Village went mainstream long ago and the overall problems in Manhattan are high rents, rising tourism, and the importation of growing numbers of people from U.S. regions with lesser food taste (can you guess where?). That's a triple whammy. I recommend the following:

1. Eat on the far west or far east side, like 9th Ave. or The Bowery. The East Village hasn't been ruined. The West Village still has some quirky places near The Village Vanguard, usually further west off the main paths. There are good places near Hudson St., the neighborhood Jane Jacobs wrote about.

2. Eat on the way to or from LaGuardia in Flushing, Queens, in superb Chinatown. If you try the Chinatown in Manhattan, go for breakfast -- not dinner -- for the best chance at quality.

3. Look for obscure ethnic places in the mid 30s, on the streets, not the avenues.

4. The best food reviews are in New York magazine, by far.

5. Two of my reliable stand-bys are Ess-a-Bagel and Shun Lee Palace, both in East/Midtown. They're both pretty tired in terms of concept but the quality still is excellent. I enjoy them every time I go. Shun Lee Palace would not count as dirt cheap, however.

6. Get to Brooklyn or Queens. Or (gasp) New Jersey.

What advice can you give this poor fellow?

Originally posted on Marginal Revolution

Franny's on Flatbush Avenue was possibly the best pizza I've had in the U.S., Gala Manor in Flushing was definitely the best dim sum I've eaten in this country.

Franny's, web site, 295 Flatbush Avenue, Park Slope, Brooklyn, NY, 718-230-0221 [NY Mag | MenuPages | insiderpages | Yelp | Slice | NYT]

Gala Manor, 37-02 Main Street, Flushing, NY, 718-888-9232 [Yelp | Eating in Translation | Dudes on Foods]

If you ever fly in or out of LaGuardia, you’ve probably grown to dread the experience; a delay of “only” 60-90 minutes is better than average. But I’ve discovered a new method for enjoying a LaGuardia visit. It’s simple: I leave Manhattan 90 minutes early and I stop in Flushing for a Chinese meal. Flushing has most of the best Chinese food in the city, especially adjusting for price. The trouble has always been getting there and back--but the simple solution is to fly more often. For great Chinese food, no price is too high and otherwise you’re simply not going to go.

The logistics are easy. All the best Chinese places are right off Main Street and even Manhattan cabs know the general area. To continue to the airport after your meal, just have the restaurant call you a ride. Many of the major Chinese places have private limousine connections just for this purpose; I’ve been charged rates ranging from $12 to $14. Conversely, you can arrive in LaGuardia and stop in Flushing before heading to Manhattan or elsewhere.

I went just last Sunday for what is, I believe, my sixth attempt at this strategy (I live in Virginia but I come to New York often). I’ve learned a few things. The Shanghai dumplings are supposed to be so hot they burn your mouth a little bit. Even if you are dining solo, order three dishes and just sample. (You needn’t be a hog, just ask yourself how soon you will get back.) Many of these restaurants post reviews, which usually have good ordering suggestions. If in doubt, it is more fruitful to look at the other tables than to read the menu. Not all these restaurants take reservations, so if you are going at Chinese lunch rush hour (10:30 to noon) leave some extra time. If you don’t have much luggage, Main Street in Flushing is one of the very best walks in all of New York.

The best Chinese places in Flushing change quickly, so one method is to Google “best Chinese restaurants Flushing” in the cab or in advance. At Joe’s Shanghai, get the hot and sour soup (the best I’ve ever had) and the juicy steamed pork buns, which are actually the famous Shanghai dumplings with liquid inside; the raw crab appetizer is a good dish not usually found elsewhere and it makes a nice cool offset to the other flavors. (There is a branch of this restaurant in Manhattan but I don’t think it compares.) At Spicy & Tasty, try the dry-cooked green beans, the dumplings in red chili sauce, the lamb dishes, the potato and green pepper (with vinegar), and the Dan Dan noodles, which I think are the best single dish for judging a Sichuan restaurant. Order fresh greens for relief, you will need it.

Overall the district is strong on Shanghai cuisine, Taiwanese cuisine, Cantonese, and Sichuan. If you’re undecided or can’t get into your favorite place, just walk up and down 37th Ave., near Main Street, and choose from a long row of excellent places. On Main Street you’ll also find delicious Chinese street food, pork buns, and dumplings, not attached to any formal restaurant.

And if you don’t care much for Chinese food, Jackson Heights, with some of New York’s best Indian food, is also only minutes away. Just think how much you are saving: what’s really scarce in life is your time and the mere willingness to get up and go. Just do it.

From "On the Way to the Airport . . ." on Bitten, a NYT blog, March 18, 2008

Joe's Shanghai, web site, 136-21 37th Avenue, Flushing, NY, 718-539-3838 [NYT | Yelp | A Guy In New York | openlist]

Spicy & Tasty, 39-07 Prince Street, Flushing, NY, 718-359-1601 [NYT | NY Mag | A Guy In New York | Yelp]

See also Chinatown Bus.

Sanur Restaurant, 18 Doyers Street, Chinatown, New York, NY, 212-267-0088/0976 [A Guy In New York | MenuPages | Citysearch]

The food was great. My favorite dish was the greens (Ok-Choy) perhaps but everything was a cut above other Malaysian places I have found in this country...

Joe's Shanghai, 13621 37th Avenue, Flushing, Queens, NY, 718-539-3838 [A Guy In New York | NYT | NY Mag | Village Voice | openlist | Gayot | Yelp | Citysearch]

Superb, especially the crab and pork dumplings...one of the best Chinese meals I have had in the US...