Last year, Money Magazine named Parsippany the best New Jersey town in whichto live. And this happened after the magazine named the sprawling Morris County township one of the best places to residein the nation(No. 26). The reasons for these honors?Good schools, low crime, lots of parks and the sun apparently shines in Parsippany 205 days a year.
However, the magazine overlooked anequally important reason to love Parsippany: good dining, especiallygood Asian eats. You're probably thinking Indian food, sinceIndian-Americans make up the township's largest minority population (17 percent).
But it's a mistake (and a huge disserviceto your palate) to overlook its sizable Chinese population (nearly 7 percent, the highest of any Morris County municipality) — and consequently the town'sfirst-rateChinese restaurants.
Here's where you can feast onauthentic Peking (aka Beijing)duck, hand-pullednoodles, crisped pork pot stickers, tender kung pao chicken,braised tripe, shrimp dumplings, soothing lotus root soup, andspicy steamed fish.
The Chinese-American presence in Parsippany is swelled by the numberof Chinese-American out-of-towners who commutetowork atthe many pharmaceutical, hotel, tech and food companies located in its borders. Among them isDanny Chin, a37-year-old food lover with an active food-centric Instagram account(check out @eatwithdan) who recently guided me on a ChineseFood Crawl in Parsippany.
Chinlives in Wayne but commutes daily to the Parsippany headquarters of Wyndham Worldwide, where he is the manager of global IT operations. He drivesto Parsippany for another reason as well: to eat the foods of his parents' native land.
"I eat pretty much all of my meals out," he said, often gravitating to the foods he grew up eating.
Parsippany doesn't disappoint. The foods ofdifferent culinary Chinese regions — from sauce-centricCantonese to spicy Sichuan to even spicierHunan — can be found in town, mostly along Route46.
As Chin and I feasted on yummy Grand Marniershrimp, succulent roast pork, sublime sauteed string beans, fresh seafood hot pot, and tenderspicy chicken with hand-made noodles, I couldn't help but wonder,"IsParsippany the best dining town in NJ?"
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Shan Shan Noodles
When an experienced chef from China pulls noodles by hand in front of your eyes, you have a right to believe that the noodles in your soup will be good. That the noodles would make you swoon and, still slurping,wonder when you can come back for more, well, that's unexpected. Actually a lot is unexpected at Shan Shan.The joint in a typical strip mall is small, hardly fancy: black lacquered tables, plastic glasses, and for art, blurry photos of some popular dishes.
But you don't go to Shan Shan to be impressed by decor;you go for the hand-pulled noodles.
Nearly every fan knows to order the Hand Pulled Noodle with Spicy Minced Pork soup ($8.50), a bowl of mile-longnoodles bathedin a flavor-packed broth flecked with gently spicy minced pork. Cut those impossiblylong strands (long noodlesrepresent longevity in Chinese culture)with the scissors that the house gives every noodle-eating patron. Very cool. Use them as well to cut the gently fried noodles in the House Special Fried Noodle dish ($9.50) strewn with chunks of delectable beef, protein-rich and fat-poor tripe andthick strips of Napa cabbage.
This five-year-old spot hand pulls a variety of noodle shapes— from skinny to flat to broad (called "belt" noodles). Wonderfully zaftig belt noodles can be found in the hot and spicy chicken ($20), with its intoxicating aroma ofstar anise and a slew of Chinese spices. Also recommended: Chinese (lamb) burger ($4.75) and generously stuffed pork pot stickers ($7.50). Chin says he goes to Shan Shanfor lunch regularly.Lucky fella.
Go: 333 Route46 East, Parsippany; 973-287-7399,shanshannoodles.com.
V-Yan Hot Pot & BBQ
Chinese restaurants are typically just walk ins, Chin noted. Without reservations, don't go to V-Yan Hot Pot & BBQ, aswanky, new, modernspot on Friday or Saturday evenings, unless you're a fan of waiting on long lines. It's not exactly sleepy at lunchtime either. It's oftenfilled with mostly young Asians.
V-Yan has a pretty nifty hot pot lunch deal: $11.99 — and portions are quite generous.The dinnerdeal is pretty amazing:$21.99 — and you can eat as much as you'd like for two hours. Wear loose-fitting clothes.
New to hot pots? It's pretty simple. Choose your soup base (seafood, Chinese herbal, vegetable, spicy or original) and then choose theproteins (seafood, fatty lamb, fatty beef, etc.) and noodles (udon, rice, Shanghai...) you want for that broth. You'll get a big platter of raw veggies: bok choy, mushrooms, Napa cabbage, corn and taro. You can also get noodles.
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You are in charge of cooking the food. With jazzy looking burners, you can warm up your hot pot and cook away. But first, visit the near wall-longsauce bar at the back of the restaurant and get yourself some sauces— or mix a bunch together to make your own. The choices are plenty: garlic, oyster, hoisin, sesame, peanut,scallion, cilantro.The amount of food you can get is nearly obscene, if it weren't for how fresh and even healthy it all is — from mushrooms andbok choy to crabs and flounder to (okay, not so healthy) pork belly and pig liver. It's a fun and delicious way to enjoy an hour or two out of the office.
Go: 796 Route46, Parsippany; 973-299-8666,vhotpot.com.
Noodle Wong Dim Sum Seafood Restaurant
Walk into this airy dim sum spot and you know you're in for a treat. "This is my favorite Cantonese-style food," Chin said. "It's so close to the foods I grew up eating. It reminds me of home."
I did not grow up eating ethereal pork dumplings, barely fried bittermelon balls thatare far from bitter but close to dessert-likecreamy, lightlong noodles served with porkand gobs and gobs of rice.But I am more than willing to make up for lost time.
"In traditional Chinese meals, vegetables and rice are the star players," Chin said. "Protein is a side player."
In case you're wondering how fresh the vegetables are,linger over lunchand look around the corners of the dining room; you'll spotthe kitchen staff cleaning snow peas or bok choy or mushrooms.
Bring along a bunch of friends, grab one of the big round tables with a massive Lazy Susan, and order away. (Dim sum items cost from $2.50 to $4.95).You have 54 choices, plenty of reasons to return.
Go: 770 Route46 West, Parsippany; 873-299-6518noodlewong.com/
Jasper Restaurant & Bar
A nice-lookingbar greets youas you enterthis old-school Cantoneserestaurant with blue columns, floral carpeting and crisp white tablecloths. You can get yourself Polynesian (tiki) co*cktails if you're in the mood. Or the usual drink of choice at Chinese restaurants: tea. To go along with that tea, consider gettingthe Beijing duck ($30.95; it's big, bring friends). Unlike many spots, you don't have to pre-order itbecause the owner also owns an Asian market across the way that sells the ducks.
The duck, its skin as crisp as end-of-season autumn leaves,comes to the table with hoisin sauce, fresh cut cucumbers and buns and crepes. Just stuff as much meat into a bun or crepe (friendships have been lost over which is better), slather some hoisin sauce, a couple of cucumber sticks and munch away.
Your meal will begin with a complimentary traditional Chinese soup of lotus root in beef broth.
If you have a big appetite, don't pass upthe Grand Marnier Shrimp ($19.95),supersized shrimp smothered inaioli (mayonnaise seasoned with garlic) tinged with a fruity flavor and Grand Marnier, crunchy candied walnuts, andperfectly steamedbright green broccoli. You can always finish it at home.
Go: 810 Route46, Parsippany;973-334-6088,jasperchineserestaurant.com.
Cheng Du 23
This popular Sichuan restaurant isnot in Parsippany, but it's fiveminutes from its border in Wayne. And, really,how could you not include it in a great Chinese Food Crawl?
There are plenty of reasons to visit this big expansive spot features a really big menu. We didn'twaste time digginginto the food.
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A massive branzinosmothered in bean paste andchili sauce was perfectly cooked and wonderfully flaky but impossible to finish (bring the whole family; it's market priced). An unfussy dish of crisp and earthy green beans scatteredwith fermented black beans and minced pork was so delicious I think even vegetarians would overlook the pork($12). And a have-water-nearby kung bao chicken ($14) was appropriately tender and should satisfy those who like to have their mouths on fire (it gets only two red peppers on the menu; I'd give it a solid five).
Chin said that the first time he ordered Sichuan food, he didn't know not to eat the red chili peppers so he did. He never made that mistake again.
Plus in Chinese restaurants there's always rice to soak that heat. Ask for extra bowls.
Go:6 Willowbrook Blvd, Wayne; 973-812-2800,chengdu23.com.
More Recommendations for Chinese in and around Parsippany
A few more favorites of Danny Ching, Chinese-American food blogger
Qin Dynasty, 857 Route 46, Parsippany;973-394-9888. What to get: dim sum, pan-dried noodles, lobster Cantonese with ginger and scallions.
Mr Chu,44 Route 10, East Hanover;973-887-7555. What to get: steamed Chilean sea bass in black bean sauce and spicy beef noodle soup.
Chef Jon's, 831 Route 10,Whippany, 973-585-6258;chefjonschinese.com. What to get: Wuxi-style BBQ spare ribs, sweet and sour fish fliet with pine nuts, and Shanghai rice cake with pork.
Bill and Harry's, 319 Route 10, East Hanover;973-887-6001;.billandharryrt10.com. What to get: shrimp with snow peas, pork and pickled cabbage noodle soup and Sichuan beef.
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