Killer wontons from White Bear
The other night Steph and I had a conversation about just how damn long I've been doing this shit and we couldn't agree on how old it was until I actually went and looked at the archives. It's been just over four years. What's odd is that I keep doing this even though I fill no niche and been supposedly work a non-food related job this entire time. Who the fuck does this to himself? What I want to do is tell people to go eat more things. A good example is wontons from White Bear in Flushing. It might seem far away but if you catch the 7 train after work, you can get the express which makes less stops, thus reducing the amount of time between hunger and pure sweet pleasure. That's the way to do it folks. Authors note: it's about to get real racist up in this shit at the end, so don't none of you pantie bunchers get all up in here. I'm warning you now, if you're a tightward, just leave. Plenty of other (better, and non-racist) blogs out there to read. Last warning, if you're easily offended, go elsewhere.
From the previous visit to wonton heaven, Steph and I knew the wontons with chili oil was a must order. The only decision to make is a matter of quantity. More the merrier I say. We only kept it to twelve because we were going to go eat some soup dumplings at another restaurant. A hungry adult could easily eat twenty of these and be fine. Can one have too much chili oil and garlic and pickled mustard greens with wontons?
There isn't much to look at inside of White Bear, since it's very hole-in-the-wall-ish. The chairs look like they've been around for a while... There's actually a good number of individuals that order Dan Dan mein, although Steph and I had to save room, it did look halfway decent. The folks who work behind the counter are pretty friendly and if you want extra garlic or chili oil on your wontons, they're good about it.
White Bear is one of those restaurants that's so simple and delicious that I wonder why it has to only exist in a place like Flushing. My new hypothesis about the formula which incorporates authenticity and deliciousness is that location matters a great deal. I rarely ever say that some restaurant in Flushing or Chinatown is inauthentic. But if one opens a Chinese restaurant, no matter how good or bad, in Noho, I question it's place in the pantheon of delicious Chinese restaurants versus a restaurant stowed away in a little alley in Flushing. Who goes where matters, and where you open has a great deal on who the patrons end up being... White Bear can kill it in any city in America, in any goddamn neighborhood. I'm glad posers are in West Village or Noho while the real shit is at Flushing. The truth is that refined food can and should more often be located in neighborhoods for the people from which the food is inspired. I'm tired of cracker-backed Chink-chefed restaurants proclaiming to be the best Chinese food in America, all the while making it seem like you can't open the exact same fucking restaurant for cheaper prices in the heart of places like Chinatown or Flushing. Fuuuuck that. Eat real shit folks.
White Bear
135-02 Roosevelt Ave.
Flushing, NY 11354
718-961-2322
(I invite you to follow me on Twitter so you can get more of my non-sense in another medium.)
I think you may want to trademark the phrase "cracker-backed", that's a good one! Especially with the occupy Wall St movement and everything.
FN
October 25, 2011 3:25 am
@FN,
haha yes I should trademark that phrase. It's just so damn catchy.
Danny
October 26, 2011 10:51 am
I always enjoy reading your opinion but man this was tame! You built it up to be super racist and it was just one not even that bad line.. I cringed for nothing :P
SK
October 29, 2011 12:21 pm
that wasn't even really racist. What you said is just true.
Nicholas
October 30, 2011 2:02 am
@SK,
haha next time I'll be sure to really step it up then. Sometimes people complain just about the word 'chink' so I just try to make sure people know what's ahead of them.
@nicholas,
word, that be the truth! guess you and SK are right, it's not super racist. I just want to let the softies know ahead of time you know?
Danny
October 30, 2011 9:45 pm