Life Without W

May 16, 2005

And, of course, "W" in this case refers to Wonton soup and how much more barren life would be without this fabulous marmite. I spoke to my daughter, Dani, this morning.

"What are you doing today Daddy?" she wanted to know.

"I'm going to bike into Manhattan and have a bowl of wonton soup, Daughter" I replied.

"Oh. At Wo Hop?"

"No, at Sammy's."

And therein lies the controversy. Where, exactly, can one find the world's greatest wonton soup?

To me there's no controversy.

None. Read on.

I biked into Manhattan using the "commuter's bike path." That is to say, the Manhattan Bridge path. We in New York are now lucky to have three bike paths crossing the East River at the lower end of Manhattan. This is a recent development, as for decades only the Brooklyn Bridge gave access to pedestrians and bikers. But now both the Manhattan Bridge and its somewhat uptown sister, the Williamsburg Bridge, are available and it's a treat. The Brooklyn Bridge path, as I've written about many times, is the tourist's bike path - it attracts people visiting our fair town from all over the country and the world. Add to that, the New Yorkers who use it to get to work and you have one very crowded path.

And so, when you're in a hurry and you don't want the crowds, just steer your bike a bit upriver to the Manhattan Bridge - a practical, utilitarian and fast route that drops you off at Canal Street with quicker access to Soho and the Village.

Even though these bridges are the practical cyclists' route into the city, the views are still awesome. A Q train rumbles by ominously, interspersing itself with flickering views of the grand old Brooklyn Bridge to the south. To the north, despite the DOT's odious chain link fence, built ostensibly to keep us from jumping off the bridge but giving one, instead, the feeling of incarceration, the views of the skyscrapers, in far away midtown, are magnificent.


Biking into Manhattan, I spied this stencil painted on the Manahttan Bridge bike path.


The view from the Manhattan Bridge up busy Forsyth Street - Chrysler and Citicorp buildings visible way uptown.

But I digress, don't I?

Sammy's Noodle Shop on Sixth Avenue and West 11th Street in Greenwich Village is wonton heaven. In a bowl large enough to take a bath in, the most heavenly wontons - delicate and filled with a wonderful stuffing - are swimming in an intensely flavorful broth. This is topped with an entire side of the most magnificent roast pork. Scallions and greens are added to finish off this sublime concoction which is really much more than one person should healthily consume.


Sammy's stupdendous roast pork wonton soup. It's hard to gauge but that bowl is about 7 inches across!

Sammy's was established probably over 10 years ago. Prior to its existence on the west side of Sixth Avenue, the premises was occupied by a venerable (and fancy) grocery -- the Jefferson Market. The latter moved directly across Sixth and in its stead opened my favorite Chinese restaurant. Sammy's was and is Chinatown that has moved uptown. It has the ducks, chickens and roast pork hanging in the window. Peering through the hanging meats you can see an entire crew of workers doing nothing all day but hand-making wontons and dumplings. Fabulous. It's Chinatown "style" but a bit more refined and gentrified for the Village crowd.


Sammy's Noodle Shop - What would life be without it?

Virtually all the food there is great. You can't go wrong. But, as of late, I will head to Sammy's for a fix of wonton soup and their other outstanding contribution -- New York's greatest egg roll. Large and crisp, not soggy and drenched with oil, stuffed with cabbage and shrimp, it's in a class by itself.

That was my day: a delightful bike ride in and out (8 miles each way). And a delicious lunch -- wonton soup and an egg roll. Simple but very substantial and wonderfully satisfying.