Our new neighborhood is so riddled with crazy inexpensive lunch deals that we've decided to try out as many as we can. Our lunch today could be your lunch tomorrow.

Sitr fried duck with young ginger [Photographs: J. Kenji Lopez-Alt]

We should have known better when the only guests at Canton Kitchen, a run-of-the-mill, linoleum-floored Chinese restaurant on Hester Street, were a group of French tourists, but we sat and ordered anyhow. Stir Fried Sliced Duck with Young Ginger ($15.95) has great, juicy pieces of boneless very duck-y duck with a nice smoky char from both the BBQ-ing and the subsequent stir-frying. The problem is, it comes with a mound of overcooked onion, green peppers, and slices of the ginger that are decidedly long in the tooth, all coated in a gloppy, overly-thickened sauce.

Shanghai Juicy Dumplings ($5.95)

It was also probably an unwise move to order a Shanghai specialty in a Cantonese kitchen, but soup dumplings ($5.95) are something that I rarely pass up when I have the opportunity. These were serviceable at best, with a decent amount of salty broth, and a porky filling. But the skins were more mushy than properly stretchy.

It'd be awesome if every restaurant we look at was worth recommending, but unfortunately it's not always the case.

Has anyone had better experiences here? Perhaps a few specific dish recommendations?

Canton Kitchen

171 Hester Street, New York, NY 10013 (map)
212-343-2623