Best Fancy-Pants Dumplings in Chelsea

Wandering home from the office yesterday trying to recover my eating equilibrium after 48 hours of dawn to dusk barbecue eating at the BABBP, I decided to flush my system with an order of six ($4.95) pork and chive dumplings at the Rickshaw Dumpling Bar. To please the nutrition gods I was going to order an entree salad with the dumplings, but somehow I forgot. But because my order took longer than usual the friendly counterman at RDB threw in an order of edamame. Take that, nutrition police! The edamame were good (especially after I discovered the little dish in the salt in the edamame box), but the dumplings rocked. Thin, crisp, delicate dumpling wrappers surrounded a flavorful porky filling that could have been a little juicier. I know the romantic dumpling mavens around town think five bucks is too much to pay for six dumplings, but these dumplings are far superior to the leaden, greasy hand grenades that too often pass for dumplings, even in Chinatown. 61 W. 23rd Street (between fifth and sixth avenues). 212-924-9220.

Serious dumpling rating: 92

Other great dumpling spots (non-soup dumplings):

• Sweet-n-Tart Restaurant: {20 Mott Street, NY, NY}
• Chinese American: {106 W. 32nd St., NY, NY}

What are your favorite dumpling spots? Steamed, Boiled or Fried (your choice)

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