Pinch Chinese

Today, I went to the Whitney Musueum to take a look at the Jasper Johns exhibit. After braving the wrap-around line and crowds to take a look at the American artists work, I had worked up an appetite. I pulled out Resy to take a look at what restaurants near me had reservations open within the next two hours and settled on Pinch Chinese. To be honest, I was already sold by the seven different types of dumplings on the first page of the menu. There was a $105 Peking Duck complete with all the side dishes and noodles with is made to order and takes a whole hour to get to the table. To boot, Pinch's Miguel de Leon was awarded the new Michelin Sommelier award. I headed down the busy streets of the city to Prince St. and found myself in front of an understated restaurant with four or five tables with bright chairs parked on the sidewalk. My reservation was for 5PM at an outdoor table but I requested to be squeezed indoors and the hostess was able to make accommodations for me. Once seated, I had a lovely view of the street and the outdoor dining. Pinch decorated their veranda with some fresh greenery so it was a pleasant sight while munching.

First things first, I had to IMMEDIATELY try the Bacon, Egg and Cheese dumplings. Yes. You heard me correctly! Made with Niman Ranch bacon, New York cheddar and free range eggs and served with a shmear of siracha, these dumpling were so good. The thick and flavorful filling reminded me of a pierogie but there was no potato to be found. The dumpling skin was very lightly fried and not burned at all. It's rare to find a dumpling as well-cooked as the ones I had at Pinch. As I mentioned before, Pinch serves SEVEN different dumpling recipes but this one really is a must try. I would love to head back and try the mushroom dumplings, however, tonight I ended up ordering TWO servings of the BEC. New Yorker to the bone.

The spicy marinated cucumbers were also superb. I typically eat these with Korean cuisine however Pinch DID NOT dissapoint. The chili oil was super light and tasty. The sesame and garlic flavor profiles were not at all overwhelming. Best of all, the cucumber slices were stacked just right for a game of cucumber Jenga!

The star of the show was the Wind Sand Chicken. This dish is made to order and it is noted on the menu that it takes 45 minutes to prepare! The Wind Sand Chicken is a 72-hour marinated whole Lancaster chicken served with fried garlic and bread crumbs. The chicken was SO juicy and the skin was thin and not mushy at all. I was so impressed with the taste of this dish! The serving was quite large and I think you could order this chicken and appetizer for a few people to dine on. If you plan on getting the Wind Sand, stick to a single appetizer. The presentation of the cut chicken was also lovely and just looked so enticing. My mouth was watering before it even hit the table.

Last but not least, the pea shoots were the perfect accompaniment for the WInd Sand Chicken. The veggies were sauteed in with fresh garlic and olive oil. Warm and filling, I ate each bite of the chicken with a mouthful of shoots and almost ascended to heaven. It was my first time ever trying pea shoots and I was a bit reluctant. I was unsure if they were bitter so I was nervous but I love that Pinch introduced me to a new vegetable!

I paired my dinner with a glass of the PINCH branded Riesling wine which was the perfect taste to wash down my delicious dinner. I was estatic about each part of my dinner at Pinch. The environment was trendy and moody. There was alot of eclectic decoration in reds, blacks and brown so I could see this being a hot first date spot. The bathrooms were actually beautiful designed and while they weren't the cleanest (despite me being the literal FIRST guest in the restaurant), they weren't filthy and still retained their aesthetic. Definetely recommend Pinch, but please go with an appetite because you're going to want to try everything.