(This venue is closed.) Buffalo, a mild, soft-fleshed fish sometimes lumped together with carp, has never been one of my favorites. For this Haung Chow vinegar fish ($18.25) the bones, which remained intact and easy to identify during portioning, weren't troublesome; I simply prefer a firmer texture. The attraction of this dish, one that grew on me with every bite, was the interplay between the dark, mellow, slightly sweet vinegar and the minced ginger.
Perhaps you've recognized, sooner than I did, that Haung Chow is a poor transliteration for Hangzhou, the capital of Zhejiang Province, some 100 miles to Shanghai's southwest. In Chinese, the menu doesn't refer to the city at all but to its most celebrated attraction: West Lake, a UNESCO world heritage site and the namesake of many Chinese dishes featuring freshwater fish.
For more photos from our group lunch, see the EIT page on Facebook.
Shanghai Cuisine 33
57-33 Main St. (Booth Memorial-58th Aves.), Flushing, Queens
718-353-5791
