Whenever I recommend a Chinatown restaurant, I feel obligated to remind the reader that this is C-town so don’t expect good service. The Shanghainese food joint New Green Bo is no exception. In fact, it can even define C-town service. On the other hand, it also epitomizes the typical no nonsense, hole in the wall that serves up delicious food. At first glance of the 100 plus items on the New Green Bo menu is completely overwhelming. Go for what made this joint famous: the steamed dumplings. Many patrons swear by the pork or the crab, but the vegetable ones are just as excellent. An order makes a good appetizer for a large group, but can be an entire meal for a couple. Give the greasy fried scallion pancakes a try as well. If there is still a bit of room left in the stomach, order a plate of mei fun for the table. Stir-fried just right, it’s one of the finer mei fun in all of Chinatown.

New Green Bo, 66 Bayard St, New York, NY 10013
[photo by: The Amateur Gourmet]

Perhaps reeling from the decade plus lame-ization of Chinese New Year celebration, Mayor Mike decided to hold a regulated fireworks display at Columbus Park. The display lasted a mere fifteens minutes, but because it was freezing cold, it felt like much, much, longer. It was a pretty neat show, but I can’t think of what made it particularly Asian-themed.

[photo by: TrekkerPanda/Flickr]

Looks like we’re a step closer to the inevitable robot takeover day. A parking lot that moves vehicles using lasers and all sorts of machinery is set to open next month in Chinatown. This wouldn’t be the first time that the NYC metro area has a opened such a lot. The folks across the Hudson in Hoboken, has already seen the kind of destruction robotic parking has wrought. In 2004, a Cadillac Deville was dropped six floors, and in a Jeep four stories the following year. In 2006, cars were trapped in for 26 hours. Yet, I do admit being intrigued, but at $25 a day, I still won’t be taking the vee-dub to Chinatown for weekend dim sum.