Pete Wells Gives A Loving One-Star Review To Dumpling Galaxy

Pete Wells' latest dining column in The New York Times takes us to the land of 100 dumpling varieties: Dumpling Galaxy in Flushing, Queens. In his piece, Wells clearly has a soft spot for both the concept, and the dumpling creations of the proprietor, Helen You, who used to be the chef at Tianjin Dumpling House.Still, he gives the dumpling house one star, despite painting an admiring picture: "pocket the whole thing in your mouth. It won't gush with a waterfall of broth. It will, however, hold a few drops of liquid shed by the filling as the dumpling boiled. Those drops belong to you."

The issue clearly, is that the dumpling varieties are inconsistent, there are the types that "build exhilarating harmonies," and then he commented on his next bite: "I've eaten entire meals that delivered less flavor than a single one of Ms. You's dumplings stuffed with terrific little meatballs of duck and shiitakes."

In conclusion, Pete Wells highly recommended the pork and chive, lamb with green squash dumplings, as well as several other varieties. "You can find these dishes elsewhere, but no other kitchen offers such an embarrassment of dumpling riches, including dessert," he says.  

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Joanna Fantozzi is an Associate Editor with The Daily Meal. Follow her on Twitter @JoannaFantozzi