Joe's Shanghai in Flushing, NY

I had dinner at Joe's Shanghai in the huge Chinatown neighborhood located in Flushing, NY based on a recommendation from Tasty Chomps. After reading all of the newspaper clippings hanging on the walls, the restaurant is apparently famous for their soup dumplings. I knew what I'd be getting...

We all shared an order of the pork and crab meat soup dumplings. Served on a bed of cabbage over bamboo steamer, these dumplings were unlike anything I've had. While most dumplings are just filled with meat, these soup dumplings were filled with a delicious broth in addition to the meats. It took a few dumplings to figure out how not to spill the broth all over, but that's all part of the fun. I did notice that the majority of the restaurant patrons were eating only soup dumplings for their entire meal.

I also ordered scallion pancakes, being one of my favorite Chinese food appetizers.

For an entree, everyone also shared an order of chicken and broccoli. It wasn't very exotic, but it was affordable and provided some vegetables. It was pretty average, equivalent to what most Chinese restaurants serve.

For dessert, Joe's Shanghai served a plate of orange slices. Can't go wrong with fresh fruit...

Bayridge Sushi Shrimp Tempura Bento Box

Last time I ate at Bayridge Sushi in Longwood, FL, I ate their Salmon Lunch Bento Box. I returned to the restaurant, and this time I ordered a Shrimp Tempura Lunch Bento Box. Miso soup and salad came out first, both of which were good. The box soon followed and consisted of shrimp and vegetables fried in tempura batter, California Roll, dumplings, rice, pineapple chunks, and a maraschino cherry. The tempura itself tasted okay, but I don't eat deep fried food that often, so fried taste got to be a bit much by the time I finished the shrimp and vegetables. Deep fried broccoli is a bit strange to me though. It kind of defeats the purpose by taking something healthy and sending it to the other side of the healthy spectrum.

Lunch at Fuji Sushi

I ate a lunch bento box from Fuji Sushi in Lake Mary, FL. It started with some miso soup...

The soup was followed by the bento box, filled with Teppan Chicken, cucumber salad, rice, dumplings, a spring roll, and a California Roll. It tasted just fine, but was a bit more expensive when compared to Bayridge Sushi's similar lunch bento boxes.