Dim Sum Picks at Winsor Cafe

Winsor Dim Sum Café doesn't have the creaky rolling carts that Western dim sum lovers find so charming, but the food is "wow," says a dazzled lipoff. Order the following items off the menu.

• Beef tripe with turnip, "a hearty stew that seemed just right for a cold and rainy morning," says lipoff.

• Nian gao, Shanghai fried rice cakes, "one of the most authentically Shanghai dishes I've had in the U.S.," says lipoff.

• Scallion pancakes and fried stuffed eggplant, "amazing and fresh out of the fat," says nsenada.

• Sesame balls filled with bean paste. "I've only ever had them from bakeries, where they get cold, and the oil is all congealed and nasty. I always wondered what anyone ever saw in them," says nsenada. But served hot and fresh, they're a revelation.

• Crab dumplings, which come in a bit of soup.

• Fried silverfish, a bland but nicely textured fish served on a mixture of chopped chives and jalapeños: "We ate that one down to the bare plate and would have ordered another dish if we weren't already so stuffed," says lipoff.

Winsor Dim Sum Café [Chinatown]
10 Tyler Street, Boston
617-338-1688

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