Just googled and saw a times article interviewing David Chang about the noodles. They say GNYN squirts some hoisin sauce on it before serving it- I'm sure that's where the sweetness comes from! No need to add other things to the ginger scallion sauce.

Btw, hoisin is considered carcinogenic in England. And people seem to LOVE dipping everything in hoisin-based sauce at Vietnamese & Thai restaurants. Hoisin scares me more that MSG.

Yes, just add a sprinkle of MSG. I think cooks also use chick boullion powder sometimes- basically MSG also.

And there is always a giant tub of chicken bones bubbling in stock at the cooking stations.

Still have yet to try this dish at Noodletown. But my mom makes the same ginger scallion oil at home all the time. And my parent have owned a chinese restaurant for 30yrs (although in the suburbs, so few customers know traditional food, but the chefs make food for their lunches)

We use the oil as a light dip for steamed chicken, this recipe is for a tiny dish of the condiment.
-mix equal parts (maybe 1TB each) minced ginger (by hand) & finely sliced scallions in a small low dish. (my mom's also used one of those ceramic spiked japanese grater dishes, but I feel it mashes up the ginger too much & loses a lot of the flavor)

-slowly heat up corn oil (about 1-1.5 TB) in a shallow pan with a good rim. You want to heat up the oil slowly & gradually, maybe tilt the pot so the oil pools together at one end of the pot. The oil should get to the point where it is smoking & liquid-like in the pan, but don't over heat it.

-pour slowly and carefully over the ginger/scallion mixture. It should make a sizzling noise and 'cook' the ingredients. If it doesn't make noise, then the oil wasn't hot enough.

My mom has said that she's sure that the sauces in Chinatown have MSG in them. Yes, MSG is very standard in households in China. I'd say go ahead and use it, if that's the taste you're after. Just add a dash to the mixture before you add the oil. It's just a salt substance after all.

If you feel it has a sweet taste, I would just try adding white sugar. Or maybe cane sugar. Most chinese restaurants use a basic combination of 3 white powders: salt, sugar, & MSG. I doubt they would go out of their way to use more fancy ingredients or broil the scallions, etc. But I could be wrong.

We also make a ginger/scallion soy sauce to dip chicken in. Just add enough soy sauce (Pearl River Superior Light Soy) to cover the ginger scallion mixture, them pour the hot oil on top. Stir a little.

I think Astoria Queens is definitely worth the trip. It is only a 10-15minute subway ride outside of Manhattan. I live in the neighborhood and have slowly worked my way through many of the popular restaurants. Everything is so fresh and people tell me that the food is very authentic. It is definitely "very Greek" in certain parts (mainly Ditmars, the end of the N/Q line) and seems like a neighborhood stuck in time.

I have a feeling the places in the city are overpriced and the ingredients are not as fresh as these places in Astoria.
Taverna Kyclades
-rated probably one of the best. I think they have the best octopus, lemon potatoes & they give you free galaktoboureko for dessert (but run out of it very quickly in the evening). Whole de-boned fish of the day with lots of lemon.

Agnanti
-right across the street from Astoria Park. If it's nice, there's outdoor seating. It feels like you're a world away from NYC. Great seafood, tzatziki, chicken skewers marinated in yogurt, and giant peasant salads to share.

Uncle George's Greek Tavern
-I hear that this is the typical family tavern/diner. I'm a fan of their lamb leg & potatoes

& go to Artopolis to bring a box of cookies back to Manhattan.

If you take the R/M 15 minutes out of Manhattan to the Steinway station in Astoria, Queens. Villa Brazil Cafe has a great brazilian version, with a hint of coconut. The cake is light, soft, and soaked in tres leches, and the frosting is not heavy and compliments the cake well. They sell out very quickly, I would try to go early or call ahead. Their passion fruit cake is very good also.

Considering that there's many Colombian restaurants and bakeries in the area, I've found that this Brazilian place has the best tres leches. Their hanger steak from the back window is delicious also.

Villa Brazil Cafe
4316 34th Ave
Ste A 2
Astoria, NY 11101
Neighborhood: Astoria
(718) 472-0090

I found the mix at the same Trade Fair. I was told to buy some greek pita, spread some a little good olive oil, sprinkle generously za-atar, and bake directly in the over for a few minutes. Smells great, great with yogurt.

it might be francois payard. what do you think of their goods? ;-)

http://www.fpbnyc.com/locations.htm

I can't find this on google anywhere. Was wondering if anyone has seen a small segment on Ch. 4, NonStopNY, during the Winter. The young woman (can't remember find her name either- brunette/ visits many restaurants in the city, seems very knowledgeable and able cook well), visits a new French Bakery in Downtown Manhattan. I believe it's a bakery originally from abroad or another well-known restaurant.

The bakery just recently opened, She sits with the owner and tears apart and tastes a good 6 or 7 pastries. They looked delicious! At the end of the segment they of course, have to try the macaroons.

I bought za'atar bread from Trade Fair (30th Ave. & 49th St.) in Woodside on a whim. Was skeptical of it and gave some to friends, now I keep craving it. Have gone back 3 times (the employee there said the bakery delivers on Mondays & Thursdays), but they still don't have it and they keep telling me to come back. (Found it in one of the drawers of the fresh bread section next to the Deli, haven't seen it since) Does anyone know where I can find this premade bread in Queens? (My Lebanese co-worker said this version is less oily than the one she gets at a bakery near Queens Blvd.)

I finally found this place! Tried looking for it a few years ago, either it had probably just closed or I was too intimidated to go further into the mall.
Glad to see that they have a new clearly marked location. I even printed out the pic of their old yellow sign. I showed it to the owner, he seemed pretty happy and said Thank You. I think he understood my Cantonese alright, when I told him I had searched for his shop in the mall and online.

I ordered a small lamb noodle soup ($5). From reading the reviews, I guess I had high expectations. At first (am not too familiar with other regional cuisines), the soup had an off smell, kind of briney, not sure what it was coming from. There was some squirt of a yellow oil in the soup (Anyone know what that is?). The fresh noodle was definitely different (chewier than I expected), but later on, absorbed the flavor from the broth and started tasting really good and satisfyingly starchy. There were fresh tree ear mushrooms, vermicellli noodles, creamy yolk quail (I think) eggs, lotus flower knots, and cilantro floating around the soup. The only thing I didn't like where the chunks of lamb, they seemed to be really tough and overcooked. Are they mainly there just for flavor?

The workers seemed pretty nice and the owner told me they moved in a year ago. It's a pretty low budget, simple set-up, made for quick turnover. When I left around 3:30pm, most of the tables were filled up. I would like to try some of their "appetizers" in their deli case: tofu chili dishes, (possibly) pickled vegetables, and they had a basket of white buns on the counter. Anyone have suggestions? (or descriptions of the dishes?)

For whole shrimp dumplings, you might want to try Har Gow. A popular dish for Dim Sum. Many restaurants seem to offer it as an appetizer lately and not just for Dim Sum (or at least asian-fusion sort of restaurants, but you may have a hard time finding it in the local noodle shops since they probably don't have a special dim sum menu). The dumpling skin is made out of rice (I think), it's not like wonton skin, but more crystalline. It's not really meant to be eaten with noodle soups though.