Great Escape! Brooklyn's Chinatown

When you’re in the mood for bau, shaomai, congee and other dim sum, why travel into Manhattan’s crowded, touristy Canal Street, when Brooklyn’s Chinatown is just as close?

Hop the N train at Pacific Street and get off about 15 minutes later at the Eighth Avenue station in Sunset Park. You’ll emerge to rows of dim sum restaurants, street food, and grocery stores filled with live frogs, chicken feet, tanks of live fish or lobster.

But best of all, there’s nary a knockoff handbag or so-crowded-you-have-to-walk-in-the-street sidewalk to be seen.

For dim sum, our favorite is the sprawling Pacificana (813 55th St., at 8th Ave., 2nd floor, 718-871-2880.). If you drive, there’s a garage next door that is free during the day when you get the ticket validated.

Inside, the seating is famiy-style tables for about six-to-eight. So if you're with a small group, you'll probably share a table with another family. 

You choose your food by flagging down the women pushing carts around the restaurant and pointing to what you want (unless, of course, if you speak the dialect). Our favorites are the fried eggplant stuffed with shrimp, clams with black bean sauce, steamed sticky rice wrapped in banana leaves, starchy taro cakes topped with soy, hot and ginger sauces (the ginger sauce you have to ask for), and the savory hot rice porridge called conge topped with freshly chopped scallions. But just about everything we’ve had there is good.

If you don’t see what you want on one of the carts, ask for a menu. They’ll be happy to bring you something specially prepared, such as a plate of steamed bok choy or shredded jellyfish. The restaurant is also quite good for lunch and dinner.

Other good places to try are East Harbor Seafood Palace (714 65th St. bet. Seventh and Eighth aves., 718-765-0098) and this place that keeps changing its name on Eighth Avenue at the corner of 61st Street, directly opposite the Hong Kong supermarket.

Speaking of the Hong Kong Supermarket (6023 Eighth Ave between 60th St & 61st St., 718-438-2288), head there to wander off your meal while looking at  such delights as quail and quail eggs, frozen black chicken, chicken feet and frozen dumplings in just about every variety you can imagine.

Then, if you’re not too full, stop by a bakery or dim sum place to pick up some egg tarts or jin deui – a chewy fried dough filled with red bean paste – to go, and enjoy them on the short subway trip home.