There’s a breed of independently run Chinese restaurant in New York City, most frequently found in less affluent areas and the outer boroughs, that’s characterized by a fluorescent menu board displaying photos of all the dishes you’d expect—beef with broccoli, General Tso’s chicken. These are, in essence, fast food restaurants that specialize in Chinese takeout, though there’s usually some limited seating if you want to eat there. A lot of them used to have bulletproof glass separating the customers from the cooks, but many removed that protective barrier as the city became safer.
My advice: Get the fried chicken wings, under $5 at most places, even though there’s nothing remotely Chinese about them. This holds true for just about any of these places, since you’d be hard-pressed to find one that doesn’t have a small fried chicken menu, along with other items, like fried plantains, that cater to neighborhood tastes. The wings are invariably jumbo-sized, with a crisp, lightly battered exterior and tender meat. They’re good on their own, but they become superlative when you grab that yellow squeeze bottle of vinegary hot sauce that’s always on the counter and proceed to douse them with it until they’re stained red and dripping.
