We are going to be in Boston next Saturday/Sunday and would like to try Dim Sum for the first time. Is there a special restaurant you could recommend for us?

Thanks so much,
Craig

We very much enjoyed China Pearl (in Chinatown) a few years back. I've heard that Dim Sum Chef is very good, but its not actually in Chinatown -- its somewhere out west of Fenway.

How do you order Dim Sum? There will be 3 of us. Do we pick certain things that look good or do we just get an order???

Thanks about advice for the China Pearl. We have no idea where to go.

They continually roll little carts past your table with little (single-sized) serving dishes of the food. You point to what you want, and indicate how many servings. They keep coming back, so you won't go away hungry.

At the end they total up the dishes stacked on your table to figure out what to charge you (or sometimes they keep a paper with a running total on your table).

You can ask for a menu too, and order from it, but I'm thinking you'll prefer to see everything first.

If this is a first experience, definitely go to Chinatown and stroll around to soak up the atmosphere. Also, be aware that Dim Sum is a weekend morning kind of thing (like brunch) -- They may not serve it every day, or in the evening. Go early to beat the weekend crowds (like before 11 maybe).

Wow, thanks a lot that helps so much. I have heard of this someplace on T.V. maybe but never had it. I was thinking dinner so I'm glad to know it's a brunch type thing.

Craig

Dim Sum is just little plates of different kinds of food, and at most Dim Sum spots the idea is that you share. I agree that Chinatown is the place to go and walk around and pick a spot that looks good. All of the restaurants that offer Dim Sum will have signs in the window. My favorite in the area is just off the highway, but can't remember the name it's been a while, but most of the larger restaurants in the area do Dim Sum, from around 11am to 3pm.

The servers will come around the restaurant with steam carts filled with plates and if something looks good just ask what it is. Also ask for the sweet soy sauce, or the sauce that goes on shrimp noodles, less salty and goes better with everything.

From there walk over to Quincy Market or over to Little Italy for some wonderful pasteries.

Have a great time.

China Pearl was good years ago, but I don't go there anymore.

If you like place that have carts that go around (carts of different dishes of dim sum; they come around to each table and you get to choose), Hei La Moon is not bad. The problem is that some of the cart ladies' knowledge of English isn't that great. They can tell you the general idea of what's in the dish, but don't expect details.

I personally like Winsor Dim Sum cafe. It's a small place where you order the dishes from a menu (in both English & Chinese), and they steam/fry them when ordered. The dishes therefore are much fresher than the cart places, because the dishes are already cooked ahead for the carts and they are kept warm in the carts.

If any of you have any particular type of food avoidance or allergies or if one is a vegetarian, dim sum may not be the best idea for you.

Sunday is the busiest day for dim sum. If you don't want to wait for a table, get there before 11am.

Enjoy!

I you want to China Town adventure I highly recommend a culinary tour with Jim Becker. http://www.northendmarkettours.com/h...chinatown.html The tour is only available on Thurs and Sat and is limited to 10 people. The tour ends with a dim sum meal (included in the tour fee) and Jim explains each of the dishes. Unfortunately, none of us that day were brave enough to try the chicken feet.
The tour includes a visit to different kinds of stores. You will get samples but will not have time to shop.
There is a small inexpensive dim sum guide you might want to get. Unfortunately, I don't remember where it was sold. I had gone to a Boston dim sum restaurant with friends the previous year and was horribly embarassed that they didn't like most of the food and didn't like that the servers didn't speak English. The plates are small, maybe 3 or 4 small portions. I don't think any explanation is going to help you decide whether you will like something or not. Last year I made my husband go on Jim Becker's tour with me. He hates cities. Never wants to drive into Boston, etc but he loved the tour. If you don't particularly like something, it's not a big waste of money. The hard thing is remembering what you ate and liked so you can have it again sometime. You won't find most of these dishes in the average Chinese restaurant. If you don't go on the tour, treat yourself to a visit to one of the China Town bakeries. The sweet buns and pastries are usually less sweet than we are used to.

The primary Boston Chinatown dim sum cart places are China Pearl, Hei La Moon, Emperor's (aka Empire) garden, and Chau Chow City. While these are (for me) listed in descending order, in truth there isn't all that much difference between them in quality -- one can do quite well at any of these.

The description of what to expect at a dim sum place folks are giving above is good.