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Dumplings for the New Year

By Vera Haller

5:17 PM EST, February 13, 2007

Dumplings at Rickshaw. (Willie Davis/Veras)

With celebrations of the Asian New Year in full swing this week, what better way to get into the spirit of the holiday than by getting out and taste testing some delicious dumplings. Most New Yorkers have a favorite place they go to for their fix of these tasty meat- or vegetable-filled morsels. Here are a few of ours:

MANHATTAN

Mandoo Bar This Koreatown mainstay often stops pedestrians in their tracks because the big, plate-glass windows offer mesmerizing views of workers rolling out dough and stuffing dumpling after dumpling. Once inside, the dining room is inviting with modern, wooden booths, but it's often crowded. Be sure to try the mool mandoo, filled with pork and vegetables (10 for $6.99). Kids like the baby mandoo, a plate of 16 bite-sized dumplings for $5.99. (2 West 32nd Street; 212-279-3075)

Dumpling House Not much more than a hole in the wall, this establishment on the fringes of the Lower East Side and Chinatown is nonetheless a popular stopping-off point for an inexpensive meal. More often than not, a line of people waiting to order (five dumplings for $1) winds down Eldridge Street. Seating is limited. Most people take their food to go. (118 Eldridge Street; 212-625-8008)

Rickshaw Dumpling Bar This relatively new addition to the dumpling scene fills a void in the Flatiron district. In addition to the usual pork and vegetable variety, Rickshaw also has dumplings filled with Peking duck and Szechuan chicken. They sell six for $4.95 or nine for $6.95. For something sweet, try the chocolate dumplings. (61 West 23rd Street; 212-924-9220 )

Joe's Shanghai This bustling Chinatown restaurant has a following for its so-called soup dumplings. These delicacies which are flavored with crabmeat or pork are the reverse of, say, wonton soup. Instead of serving the dumplings in broth, the broth is cooked inside the dumplings. The soup dumplings sell for eight for $4.65. Joe's Shanghai first opened in Flushing and also has an outpost in midtown. (9 Pell Street; 212-233-8888)

Ollie's Including dim sum in a roundup of dumpling houses may be a bit of a stretch, but it's the only option if the craving hits while you're on the Upper West Side. In addition to other Chinese fare, Ollie's restaurant has a dim sum cart filled with dumplings such as shrimp and pork shu mai (three for $2.75), which can hit the spot after a morning of running errands. (2315 Broadway; 212-362-3111)

QUEENS

Lau Bei Fang Dumpling House This is another a no-frills restaurant, but worth a trip to Elmhurst, Queens. Patrons sit at tables with Formica tops and the dumplings four for $1 here are served in Styrofoam containers if you're eating in or taking out. The fried dumplings juicy and flavorful -- are fished out of a big silver vat and served hot and steaming. Also, try the soups with hand-pulled noodles. (86-08 Whitney Avenue, Elmhurst; 718-639-3996)