Like Apple Pie

EATERY:

Wo Hop

LOCATION:

17 Mott St., New York, NY 10002

REVIEWS:

Chinese food is ubiquitous in all 50 states of the United Sates, all the way from bum-fuck nowhere like Lompoc Cal, to New York City. One could say Chinese food is the new apple pie. Egg drop soup, chow mein, egg foo young, is equivalent to hot dogs, burgers, and meat loaf, without it most Jews and poor college students would starve to death. A little dramatic, yes but not an overstatement, and that’s why Wo Hop is an New York institution. Serving up locals and tourist alike since 1938, Wo Hop is located in the basement level right above the “other” Wo Hop. Not to be confused with the ground level Wo Hop, make sure to go downstairs, (usually a line can be found, indicating the original). Catering toward Westerners Wo Hop has an all English only menu while chopsticks are nowhere to be found, instead forks and bottle of Tabasco sauce are on the tables. But if you’re looking a fine dinning experience, or traditional Chinese cuisine, this is not the place to go. Wo Hop covers the basic stuff, like chow main, sweet and sour chicken, fried rice and egg drop soup, things one would find in any generic Chinese restaurant in the middle of Wisconsin. And I think that is the key to their success, the similarities that keep us coming back to this institution. It doesn’t have to be approved by James Beard, or get a thumbs up by the New York Times, it’s the experience of eating in Chinatown, with the foods we all have a fondness for.

RANTS & RAVES:

With that said, do not get the Sweet and Sour Chicken, it was very dry and bland, while the fried rice and beef chow main were good, thought both had a recurring theme of the random brown sauce. Prices $4.25-$18.50

TAGS:

Chinese Chinatown New York noddle