"Hey dude, I'm totally starved - do you want to get some lunch?"
Originally, we were planning on the Vietnam Cafe on Rainbow and 39th street, but they were closed on Mondays. (Review/blog soon to come on that one!) I was looking on FourSquare on my phone and saw something that rang familiar: Po's Dumpling Bar.
A couple of friends had recommended the place to me at a few points, so I texted Buddha - who was not there yet - that Vietnam Cafe was closed and that Po's was right down the street. He said "Okay, 2 mins."
For those Kansas City locals who do not know, 39th street near Westport is simply an amazing place to find food. Seriously, you walk down the street and places like Anna's Kitchen, Blue Koi, Friend's Sushi Bar and Bento...a whole little avenue of yummy flavors! But I digress.
I got in and immediately loved it. Not only was the smell delicious, but the atmosphere was great. There were neat prints and pictures all over the wall, and it seemed to embody what everybody thinks hip, new food should be.
Buddha and I got in and, of course, we chatted for a little. He had been here before and when I asked what was good, he said it depended on what he was in the mood for. This means just about everything was good.
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these came out and said "Hello! Eat me!" |
When the egg drop soup came, of course I devoured it. Egg drop soup is actually a great way to rate the skill of a Chinese place. It should have a velvety mouth feel with the ribbon of egg white evenly distributed, but not over-cooked. It should not be too salty, and leave you wanting more. Of course it was delicious - the golden color seemed to come alive and say "Happy Chinese New Year."
When the Char Su Bau came(Chinese steamed buns) they were in a beautiful steamer tin. They came, big and beautiful. I wished the plates were black so the pictures were more dynamic. The dough was perfect - I mean REALLY perfect! And I wish there was a little more filling in the buns, but then again I was also famished so perhaps I am not being a fair judge.

Buddha and I continued chatting throughout the meal about this and that. Then he said the magic words:
"You know, they have really good Green Tea ice cream here."
And I was like "whaaaaaaat?"
Hah. Not really.
Well how could I say no? If my readers recall, I did a recent blog all about green tea confections, so I was more than eager to try it. We ordered some after the meal and it came out in the most-adorable little dish. The color was so vibrant and fun. The taste wasn't bitter or terribly sweet, but rather refreshing.
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Look at that color! And the moustache shirt! |
You guys should go try it too. And the rest of 39th street, which is probably where I'll spend half of my Tax Return this year.