To Eat with Friends (AmerAsia)

If you're looking for somewhere fun to go for lunch with friends, look no further than the glorious wonder of AmerAsia. Specializing in Dim Sum lunches, AmerAsia has been a family tradition since before I was born. I kid you not, I probably learned my love of scallion pancakes and mu shu in the womb. I will always have a special place in my heart for the Cornell establishment with its rolling lunch carts.

There are now two AmerAsia restaurants, one on Cornell and Lead, and the other on 3rd and Lomas. I still have yet to eat dim sum at the newer location. It shares space with Sumo Sushi (which is good and I will review eventually), but I haven't been in for lunch. Instead, I'm usually on campus around lunch time, meaning the Lead location is closer. Plus, I have a soft spot for the tiny hole-in-the-wall that I've known all my life. I'm pretty sure lunch is served from 11:30-1:30. I hear that dinner is also served now, but isn't dim sum. Therefore, I haven't tried it. Give me a holler if you've done dinner there and it's worth a taste, otherwise, I'll stick with what I know is the best.

Dim sum is basically the Chinese version of tapas. A server will wheel around a small food cart around the restaurant with all of the food on it and you point out what you want to eat. Served on small plates (and by said plates), you get dumplings, pot stickers, etc., and then share the food family-style. This is why it's a good idea to come with a friend- you get to sample more! And since the plates are small, you don't have to feel too guilty. I have heard stories that, back in the day, my parents and a friend liked to go there and try to break their previous records of how many little plates of food they could eat. Considering my father was an ex football player, the plates really stacked up. At the end of your meal, they will come and tally the plates and charge you accordingly.

Here's my list of must-haves:
* Noodle salad- it has carrots, celery and ginger, and is delicious in it's simplicity. I never forgo this.
* Goldens- these have to be ordered specially and made fresh. Just tell the server you want goldens and she'll know what you're talking about. They are sweet fried dumplings filled with a chicken paste...which I know sounds wrong but is amazing. I never miss these either.
* Chicken and peanuts- are sort of like cold pot stickers...but so much better.
* Pork and ginger- a fairly traditional pot sticker that's big on ginger taste.
* Scallion pancakes- pretty straightforward: chinese pancakes with scallions. Yum!
AmerAsia has tons of other offerings that are all good. If five choices aren't enough, add the beef and garlic, the mu shu, the puffy white dumplings called bowsa (sp?), and the spicy rice. There are also some curry dishes, hot spare ribs, noodles, and a few other dumplings.

If you feel that your choices just aren't spicy enough for your liking, every table is equipped with a jar of homemade hot sauce. Warning: this sauce is hotter than hell (even I don't mess with this stuff much)- if you get any on your fingers and then rub your eyes within 48 hours, you are in for a terrible experience. And if that isn't warning enough, consider this- when we used to bring it home to eat with leftovers, it immediately had to be transferred to a glass jar...because if left alone, it burned through the plastic container. No joke.

For dessert, be sure to order a plate of Crispies. They are won ton wrappers covered with powdered sugar. The sugar gets all over everything and they make a fabulous end to lunch.

So if you're looking for a delectable adventure, head over to AmerAsia. And bring me Goldens.