CHINESE TREAT
Ming Dynasty serves tasty dim sum, traditional menu favorites
Dim sum is a lot like Spanish tapas: small bites with big, concentrated flavors meant to be shared slowly with friends. Ming Dynasty on Eubank NE claims to be the only restaurant in New Mexico serving authentic dim sum, a claim made unverifiable by the ambiguity of the word “authentic,” and even though several other restaurants in the state serve dim sum in the traditional way (in small bamboo or metal canisters, served from roving carts), Ming Dynasty probably has been at it longer than anyone else in town. On a recent weekend visit, during which the restaurant rolls out its traditional dim sum carts, the place was uncharacteristically empty. During evening service, nearly every table fills up; I planned a visit during off-hours, and had nearly the whole restaurant to myself. I tried a couple dim sum items and then ordered something from the menu, and I wasn’t disappointed. In fact, one of the endearing qualities of Chinese cuisine is its consistency of quality: while each restaurant and chef add their own touch, dishes remain fairly traditional and unchanged. The meal started with the classic Cantonese treat, sesame balls ($3.20 for 3), which are large baseball-size sweet rolls with a soft, creamy center and coated in toasted sesame seeds. Ming Dynasty’s aren’t just good; they’re great, and the intense sesame flavor stuck around throughout the rest of the meal. I also tried the vegetable egg rolls (also $3.20 for 3) and couldn’t tell if they were made from scratch by Ming or if they were pre-made and frozen. They were too perfect to be homemade, but they tasted too fresh to be frozen. The main course was also exactly as expected: The sweet-and-sour chicken ($8.25) didn’t disappoint. Big chunks
of dark and white meat are breaded and deepfried, mixed with onions, peppers and pineapples, and served with a bowl of fried rice.
The chicken was perfectly cooked and tender, flavored well, and while I appreciate the carnivore’s tendency to eat the whole animal, I personally would have trimmed more of the fat and connective tissue off the chicken.
The service at Ming is casual but excellent, and the interior is exactly as you’d expect from a long-standing Chinese establishment: gilded wood carvings, landscape photos, Lazy Susans on all the big tables. Parking is generally OK, but during rush hours the lot can fill up. The crowd is mostly locals who live in the area or who have developed a loyalty to the restaurant. Children and picky eaters will find plenty of appealing items on the extensive menu.
For adventurous eaters, the menu has several exotic items you won’t easily find elsewhere in Albuquerque: The dim sum menu features stewed chicken feet, ginger beef tripe and pork “porridge.”
For the full, regal experience of dim sum served in the Cantonese way, plan your visit for a weekend and allow yourself enough time to enjoy the affair. And bring a healthy appetite.