Dumpy Dumplings
By from July 19, 2004
Update (10/8/2004): Follow-up article here.
If you think about it, a steamed dumpling is nothing more than wet bread.
Or rather, that's the only real way to describe a bad dumpling, which I'm afraid I recently had at Steamers, a new dumpling lunch spot in downtown Portland. I almost couldn't admit that to myself, though, because in spite of everything, the place made me want to like it.
The decor was sort of that pleasantly "corporate edgy"--all molded faux beechwood and metal and burgundy--and they've done their research well. It had no real personality, but it's still too pleasant to bother hating. We went for the rather deluxe "Dim Sum Tasting," with two each of their dumplings and two steamed buns. It came with rice and edamame. This meal cost $6.45, which is a little steep for a downtown lunch, but it was a good amount of food, and presented fairly well.
The first real bad sign was when you had no "for here" option. Everything comes in paper boxes, with plastic forks and disposable cups, so despite the cute presentation you're still eating out of a box. Then there was the sauce bar, which somehow still charms me, but is always a bad sign. (Or am I wrong? Anyone? A good restaurant with a sauce bar? I guess there's always La Cruda, which is fine, but really not special.)
Up until this point, I was still rooting for Steamers. I liked the variety, and the edamame, as well as a lighter lunch than Honkin' Huge Burritos or pizza ("a few carbs with your fat, ma'am?"), as well as fun dipping action. But when we started eating, I realized that my flirtation with Steamers was all over. Three of the four dumplings had meat in them (ginger pork, chicken & shiitake, and tomato beef), and the meat all tasted frighteningly the same, and was in a scary, homogenous pellet surrounded by dough--and for half of the dumplings the dough was falling off the meat pellet. The one vegetarian dumpling was spinach and glass noodle, and tasted of dry, stale frozen spinach.
The slow-roasted hoisin pork steamed bun was sort of fun, like a mini sandwich, but the pork was, once again, a generic meat flavor that really turned me off. The golden curried vegetable steamed bun was truly awful (especially disappointing, since it was one of only two vegetarian options). The vegetables tasted like overcooked frozen vegetables with a dusting of generic supermarket curry powder. The dessert bun of yellow custard was so forgettable I'm afraid I no longer remember enough to comment.
Oh, and not to forget the smorgasbord of sauces...the worst was the tangy lemongrass, which tasted like lemonade concentrate, if not quite as sweet. Stay away at all costs. The ponzu sauce was fine; I've always liked authentic ponzu, which combines soy sauce with a Japanese citrus called yuzu, and though this was just soy sauce with lemon juice, it was still pleasant if unremarkable. I thought the hoisin peanut was good if too sweet, and the chili garlic was slightly too salty but good too. Those two combined together actually made the best sauce, so if you ever are obliged to eat at Steamers, I recommend some wild mixing action to create your own chili hoisin garlic peanut sauce.
So, Steamers, I'm afraid I won't be coming back. True, you have a fun concept, and I suppose you'll be successful just by being downtown. It takes more than concept and location to be a good lunch place, though, and your meat is too mystery-meaty, vegetables not vegetable-y enough, and overall quality just not high enough. If you get a brand new dumpling factory (and no, there was no doubt in my mind that these were not being turned out by some hunched little Chinese grandma in the back room), let me know and I might try you again. But overall, I have to just say no to wet bread. It's back to the burrito stand for me.
<< | Posted on July 19, 2004 at 1:06 PM | >>
I still like Steamers. I will always like it. The food, while not impressive, is fine, and most importantly, it's a fun place to eat! Dumplings and Buns! Many Sauces! Wheeee!
Posted by K5M @ July 20, 2004 9:01 AM
I go to this place a lot for lunch on weekdays - I don't know if it's because you're vegetarian, but the dumplings all have really different flavors to me. I really like the tomato beef one and the edamame. And dumplings are always made with ground meat if you've had them before, so I wasn't surprised by it. I guess under your definition, italian meatballs, hamburgers and sausage pizza also qualify as mystery meat, but I don't think so. It's not the most vegetarian-friendly place in town, but then again, few places are. And I'm also not a fan of the tangy lemongrass, but I usually go for the chili garlic.
Posted by Lynn R. @ August 7, 2004 11:48 AM
Freddy - thanks for the feedback. I must say I completely disagree with you, but of course I would be a little biased since I am one of the co-founders!
Firstly, we are a couple of local guys with a passion for dumplings - not even remotely close to a corporate machine. Not sure if you have had any of the dim sum in town, but that stuff is truly awful. We may have stumbled a little when we first opened, but we have a number of improvements and changes, based largely on customer feedback.
We are constantly making improvements to the menu, service and the packaging and appreciate your comments. Regarding our packaging, when we first opened we started with a great plastic option, but customers voiced their concerns about the amount of trash so we changed. Our small location limits the use of dishware, which is ideal. By the way, a couple of weeks ago we began offering the dumplings on a pulp plate for eat in. We were trying to balance product quality (dumplings dry out quickly) with the boxes, but have improved the quality of the dough, which we make from scratch.
As far as the tastes – are you a vegetarian and/or a chef yourself? The meats, made from high quality ground pork, chicken and beef (we are working on a seafood dumplings), are all DISTICNTLY different in flavor profile. You are correct, Grandma is not rolling the dumplings, but our trained master chef (who is Asian) may be offended a little! We have created a pan-Asian flavoring to them, so while they are not all “traditional” Chinese, it is what we intended. Japanese curry in the curry bun, Malaysian chili in the beef dumpling, etc. - all fresh ingredients, with our own custom recipes with nothing off-the-shelf. Sauces are also our own custom recipes and we intend to rotate them (we have a great Diakon Ginger coming soon).
For $6, I am not sure what you expect in terms of the whole meal experience (by the way, most people feel the sauce bar is fun!). Have you eaten at the delis around us? I have not had a meal under $8 there…we certainly are not street vendors either.
Anyway, drop me a note – I would love to host another tasting for you. Maybe I can change your mind after explaining the food, our ingredients, our process and…our vision.
Best,
Nilesh
Posted by Nilesh Dayal @ August 7, 2004 12:54 PM
Okay... Freddy, Freddy, Freddy...
You clearly take pride in your services as a food critic. Alas, it seems that hypocracy runs rampant in all aspects of a complainer's complaints in this country today.
I, having just visited Steamer's for the first time recently, am severely 'urked' by your continuous criticisms!! And unlike the eloquent and kind words of Nilesh, I feel I must say that I think you have way too much time on your hands, and some unresolved frustrations toward people who are (VERY!) successfully bringing their own style of original flavors to fruition. Did you perhaps fail at opening your own business?
Have you not read the 'ingredients' that go into the tortillas you eat at the burrito stand? And you criticize the most delicious (made from scratch) dumplings I've ever had in Portland? And aside from the tortillas in your beloved burritos, what about the meat? You clearly prefer the taste of freezer-burned bi-products of meat from the nation's worst packing plants.
Okay, okay... I could honestly go on and tear apart every sentence of your 'review' like you've torn apart every aspect of Steamers, but that would not even satisfy me. What DOES satisfy me is the fact that this food is outstanding and you're missing out!! Yaaaaiy!!
People like you clearly belong at the burrito stands. Because the unique and magnificent flavors and textures at my new favorite restaurant are made for people who understand that we truly ARE what we eat.
I'm so glad I found this review!! All who read Freddy, don't be deceived!!! If you are craving a new place with friendly, intelligent faces and made-from-scratch food that will blow your tastebuds, GO TO STEAMERS!
Thank you guys for handling his out-of-place negativity with such grace; I'm sorry I couldn't do the same... but Freddy pissed Briana off. Don't diss the dumplings!
Yumyumyumyumyumyumyum...
Posted by Briana @ August 19, 2004 11:58 AM
Whoa, reign it in Briana!
I brought Freddy to Steamers to write a review because I like the place a lot, and while I too was disappointed with her review, I was there eating with her and it was disappointing.
I think your counter-criticisms are a lot harsher (and very ranting and silly) than Freddy's honest review. And you never actually counter any claim she makes except to say that you like the taste of Steamers and Freddy doesn't. I have heard from a few people who share Freddy's viewpoint on Steamers exactly, so I know it's not just one person's opinion.
Freddy knows more about food than anyone I know, and even though I may disagree with her, I also trust her opinion. I think it's a lot more pleasant to "agree to disagree" than rant about "you people" and call people hypocrites. This is just a small blog run by a few people, it's not the NY Times or Epicurious, so please take a breath and realize that you are dealing with actual people.
Posted by Mikey @ August 19, 2004 2:03 PM
Ha ha ha ha ha ha!
Dudes, she had the experience she had. That's what she wrote about. What else can an intrepid young food reviewer do?
Also, lighten up!
Thank you.
Posted by Josh @ August 19, 2004 2:08 PM
Hey, don't diss Chintos, man!!!! They've got awesome, authentic tortas, the best I've had outside of Mexico, their own homemade salsa cruda, and exceptionally nice owner-employees. Check them out at SW Washington and SW 9th (Park) for a delicious lunch treat.
Posted by freddy @ August 19, 2004 2:45 PM
IMHO, Freddy and Nilesh are both awesome. Freddy for boldly putting herself on the record, and Nilesh for taking the time to find the review and post a thoughtful comment.
But Nilesh, how can you hate on every dim sum place in Portland? Those who know me well know that I seldom induldge in multiple consecutive punctuation marks, however: DIM SUM PLAYAHS REPRESENT!!!
Posted by gene @ August 19, 2004 4:37 PM
why do people keep dissin' on burrito stands?
all this steamer talk has made me hungry. where is steamers?
Posted by curt @ August 20, 2004 9:41 AM
Agree, no hating just love for everyone! Everyone is a connoisseur of food in his or her own right. I just wanted to counter with a few facts about the quality of fresh ingredients and original tastes.
Gene, my team and I did visit most of the dim sum players in town and a few around the country. (Now, if you have eaten at Steamers you will notice that we are really a small sub-set of dim sum; I like to call it “westernized dim sum”) Anyway, we just did not find any local players that we really enjoyed eating, for one reason or another. I won’t mention names, but feel free to drop me a note if there is someone you think is really good and I will check it out again.
Some of the dim sum we tasted truly gave that mystery meat reaction to us, which we really hoped to avoid with our own selections. I agree with Lynn in that any ground meat could be termed mystery meat – only repeated tastes help people associate with the meat. In our case, we are thinking that some people have had that reaction due to the fact that ground chicken (or pork) is just not a very popular meat in the US. For example, in Asia ground chicken is widely accepted and is used in many traditional dishes like lettuce cups. We are using high quality meat, a dark and white meat blend, but I think people are just not very open to it.
BTW, we introduced a new menu of "Signature Salads" and "Signature Dishes" today! Come check us out (again) downtown at 5th & Madison. And, yes, we have removed the ground chicken from most of the items.
Looking forward to meeting you Freddy!
Posted by Nilesh @ August 23, 2004 5:04 PM
Gene, what is the dim sum place you like best? (or places)
Posted by freddy @ August 25, 2004 12:35 PM
Steamers was my first experience with dumplings/dim sum and I am glad to say it was a pleasant experience.
Good food, good atmosphere, and friendly staff!!
I give this restaurant a Portland Plus +
Posted by Niel P @ September 4, 2004 9:00 PM
Note: new review from Shoshanna at Chocolate Cola:
http://www.urbanhonking.com/chocolatecola/archives/2005/03/mall_review.html
Posted by freddy @ March 7, 2005 10:53 AM
Post a comment:
The title says it all. Can't say I'm a fan of mystery ingredients. At the theatre we used to get tarts from the "Savory Tart" on Sandy and you could never tell what was in them--I found them awful regardless of content, although I kept eating them because they were free.
Posted by J_John @ July 19, 2004 1:59 PM