This place is so good I've included a review. Try anything but definitly try the dumplings... ************************************** Deceptive is the word for Yeah Shanghai Deluxe, the two-year old restaurant with the hippest name in Chinatown. Sandwiched in along a row of look-alike, undistinguished eating places the narrow, storefront Yeah Shanghai Deluxe, with its dumpling kitchen in the window, could well be a casual, fast lunch spot or even a carry out. But walk past the steaming, up front action of the dumpling prep area and cross over a charming little bridge to the cave-like rear dining room with its brick walls and Italian wine cellar look. There, is a sight every Chinese food freak searches for, a sea of Asian faces. Not a Caucasian in the crowd. The blackboard specials are in Chinese here (so are the newspapers) and although forks are available everyone seems to be eating with chopsticks. Obviously this is not your fathers Chinese American restaurant serving Egg Foo young, egg rolls and moo goo gai pan (none of which are on the menu). Its a new-fangled Chinese-Chinese restaurant serving the rare-in-New-York specialties of Shanghai. Oh, you can order moo shu pork, scallion pancakes, spring rolls or hot and sour soup, but why do it? Those dishes are available at every cookie cutter, garden variety Chinese eatery. But steamed, juicy pork buns, pork shoulder in honey sauce, chrysanthemum fish, roast chicken Northern China-style and Shanghai dough arent and Yeah Shanghai is a find because of those light, unusual, often exotic dishes. Its beautiful presentations, one-dish-at-a-time service, pleasant staff and agreeable dining room ambiance also enhance the experience. In fact, the only dishes sampled that were just ordinary were two standards: hot and sour soup that needed hot sauce to jack it up and shredded pork in garlic sauce that was no better or worse than it is elsewhere. Instead, start with those steamed, juicy pork buns or soup and meatfilled dumplings, eight of them. Eat each one on a soup spoon slowly sipping out the broth, then, eating the pork, remaining liquid and outer won ton-like shell. They are a mellow delight. Dont depart without trying one or two dim sum. We selected steamed pork and leak dumplings and werent sorry. They offered a welcome taste and texture contrast. Most main courses are attractively encircled by a border of thin, alternating orange and tomato slices and taste as good as they look. Get that whole Northern China-style roast chicken, presented with its head and feet and a clump of tender, moist shredded strands of chicken. Add the accompanying brown sauce replete with minced garlic and youre on your way. The pork shoulder in honey sauce is its equal. The soft, juicy meat, in a coat of fall-away fat, easily separated from the meat, is sinfully delicious and the honey adds a subtle sweet note. Ten lightly breaded, gently cooked Peking-style prawns are another good bet. Finish up with the spongy, steamed thousand pieces cake, an acquired taste to be sure, but like Yeah Shanghai Deluxe itself, one that is not a routine Manhattan eatery. 65 Bayard (@ Mott St.), 212-566-4884. *********************************************** This little place is a must- if you're not hungry just share some dumplings michaelp

Just finished cleaning up. Whew. For a weekday night, this is kind of a late one. I'm ashamed to say that I didn't, ultimately, do anything too exciting. The parents let me know that they ate fish, so I mostly fell back on old standards. I had only about 3 hours to do the shopping and make the meal, and figured better safe than sorry. Here is the "in progress" view. I'm very anal about having all my stuff cut, marinated, and ready before any heat starts. We had chicken and shrimp shao mai and steamed dumplings. Then a vegetarian hot and sour soup. Turns out that batons of pork can be swapped for matchsticks of dried bean curd, and powdered vegetable stock mix does a passable job subbing for chicken stock. I hunted up every variety of dried mushroom in the house - black, shiitake, brown, and some weird chanterelle-like fungus - and made a mushroom stirfry with snap peas coated in honey and tofu soft-cooked in veggie stock. Then a fish - perch maybe? I forget - cleaned, scaled, scored, marinated, and deep fried in the wok, then covered with stewed tofu strips and mushrooms. It was cute. The vegetarians ate it. A little. A chicken and candied-almond dish. Broiled pork spare ribs. Etc. The French girl had been deprived of meat, I think. She filled her plate 3X. I beamed. I felt like a Jewish grandmother. "Eat! Eat!" Thank you all for your ideas and help. I bookmark these threads and come back to them for recipes and inspiration. This thread was particularly rich in dishes and recipes!

Deviled eggs Pinwheels (either tortilla or puff pastry) Hummus and pita chips artichoke and red pepper squares (recipe below) Crispy bread with bruschetta Crispy bread with a smear of goat cheese, a few toasted walnuts, fresh thyme leaves and a drizzle of honey Tapenade on crackers, bread, pita, etc Artichoke Heart and Red Pepper Bites 6 ounces marinated artichoke hearts in oil 6 ounces roasted bell peppers 1 small chopped onion 2 minced cloves garlic 4 eggs 2 cups shredded Cheddar cheese 1/4 cup dry bread crumbs 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley Dash hot pepper sauce Freshly ground black pepper Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and grease an 8 inch baking dish. Drain the artichoke hearts, reserving 2 tablespoons of the oil. Drain the roasted peppers and discard the liquid. Finely chop the artichoke hearts and peppers and set aside. Heat a large skillet over medium heat. Add the reserved oil, onion, and garlic. Cook for five minutes, or until soft and translucent. Remove from the heat and cool slightly. Beat the eggs in a large bowl until thick and lemon colored. Beat in the remaining ingredients along with the artichoke hearts, peppers, and onion mixture. Pour into the prepared pan. Bake for 30 minutes, or until pale golden brown. Cool for 15 minutes, then cut into one inch squares. Tightly wrap and refrigerate for up to 2 days, or freeze for up to a month. Serve cold, at room temperature, or gently reheated in a 300 degree oven for 5-10 minutes. Makes @60 1” bites. Preparation Time: 10 minutes Cooking Time: 35 minutes Cooling Time: 15 minutes Total Time: 1 hour

Glad you like them, CindyMac. Now I "want" one of those portable IWATANI butane cookers. We have smooth top electric, but it heats up quickly and works well. My _problem_ is that, although we have a robust kitchen-stovetop exhaust fan, cooking certain things like a dozen fresh Thai basil leaves makes a fine splattery mess. It's easy to clean up and wipe down the visable or stovetop oil spatter, but there is a lot that gets "around". I was thinking that perhaps the IWATANI butane 35 whatever might help me fry outdoors. But, we are in New England, often have a 30 mph breeze. A friend thinks that it would not have sufficient heat in those conditions. If I used it on en enclosed, unfinished, un insulated and un heated porch just off the kitchen, it would still be chilly while cooking, but as there is NO exhaust fan, would probably GOP that up in short order. For a while (30 minutes) I had visions of my cooking SE Asian noodles and meals at outside summer markets. But New Engand ain't Saigon or even Mexico. Lots of hoops and regulations and Inspections. Yadda yadda. End of that whimsical notion. Not to mention to restricted diets -- no gluten, no peanuts, no this or that. QUESTION- what do the Chinese and Asians do about gluten and gliadin and peanut allergies? Do they have as many picky eaters as we have in the US? What about other places? In my household, we can eat about everything. I have some degree of (age-related) lactose sensitivity. But I just eat aged cheeses or yogurt and restrict the volume of whey, lactose-laden foods. We also get lactase drops for milk.