where should we go for dinner?
Floor Time
/flôr tīm/
noun
the 15-60 minute time period spent laying on the floor in the middle of the work day, typically as a relief from the soul-sucking reality of corporate America.
Growing up around Oakland, California, going out for Chinese food meant on the low-end, dim sum or an HK-style cafe, and on the high end, a banquet dinner with Peking duck, a fish, a dank ass veg, mock-shark fin soup, etc. When I first moved to New York, I lived off Mott Street in the heart of Chinatown and was delighted to be within walking distance of all my favorite foods. I could peruse my options while listening to the comforting sounds of the neighborhood conversing in my first language. But now, I’ve moved out of my Chinatown apartment and have had to get creative with how I get my comfort food fix (tragically, I am even out of DoorDash range for any of my favorite Chinatown haunts—a true scandal!).
So in recent years, I’ve begun to branch out. I’ve noticed a very distinct trend of East Asian restaurants dipping their toe into a finer dining scene. You won’t see C health ratings at any of these joints (and will that mean worse-tasting food? one wonders…). You decidedly will also not get any of these dishes at Chinatown prices. So I’ve been thinking, what is actually worth the money? What restaurants would have my Asian immigrant parents only half-laughing in my face at the GALL to charge $30 for mapo tofu? Here are my reviews of a handful of new-age Chinese (+adjacent regions) spots that I, a certified Asian, have thoughts about.
Got any recs I’m missing from this list? Tell me about it in the comments! Or respond to this email—I freaking LOVE when ya’ll do that 🤗❤️
Antidote
My Rating: (6/10)
I commonly go to restaurants during their opening week/month because I read so many food blogs, and the people around me (my sister, Eli, etc.) read even more. Antidote is an example of a spot I tried during their opening month. For me, it fell flat. It was nothing to write home about. That said, lately I have heard from many people that they love it, and the prices are low enough (e.g. entrées running in the $20s) that I’d be willing to give it another try. Maybe this is my Ego moment when he spits out his wine, “how could it be popular??” and I go and I’m transported back to homecooked meals made by my mom. Who’s to say!
Birds of a Feather
My Rating: (8.5/10)
I feel like it’s hard to go to this spot without spotting a celebrity or at least someone you know. This Szechuan restaurant is buzzy and the food is high quality. It makes sense why you’d bring out-of-towners here. I will say, though most of the menu caters to the no-spice folk, I once ordered a 3 chili-rated dish and it was SUPERB and also HOT AF. Definitely authentic. Definitely a slay.

Bonnie’s
My Rating: (7/10)
It’s been a year or two since I went to Bonnie’s, and one thing I still struggle to separate from the food is the elitism of their staff. “Oh…you mean you don’t have a reservation? You should probably wear a bag over your head and never show your face east of the 278 again” - their host, probs. Aside from that, I think the standout dishes at Bonnie’s are the seafood and their wontons (which might be seasonal as I don’t see them on the menu at the time of writing). And of course, the cha siu BKrib sandwich that recently made it onto NYT’s best sandwiches list.
I also tried the MSG martini and the fuyu cacio e pepe mein and while they weren’t outright bad, sometimes people should just leave well enough alone, ya feel me?
Nomad Tea Parlour
My Rating: (6/10)
I had long been anticipating the opening of this Cantonese tea room in Nomad, of all places, and it’s the newest spot on this list having opened less than a month ago. While I am not fully on board with having dim sum for dinner (it’s brunch food, people), I was excited to try a new spot and even invited a group to join. This is tough because all in all, it was…fine…but they are so new, and there is some refining that can be done. Not sure anything can be done about the prices (my parents would DEF throw a fit over the prices for these dishes), but the food was authentic and I was impressed by the quality of the har gow, a dim sum I have seen botched at even the oldest of Chinese restaurants. All that said, they royally flubbed my martini order (and before you @ me, yes—I am profoundly aware that this wasn’t the place to order a martini however it’s summer and it was Friday and I was in a MOOD, OKAY!?), did little to remedy it, and the price of their wine was astronomical. I’m not jonesing to go back, but I have hope for them because they made me feel like I was back in Hong Kong. Bonus points to Joan, the host, who told me that I “look stellar in chartreuse.”
Potluck Club
My Rating: (9/10)
If I had to compare and contrast, I’d say Potluck Club is similar to Nomad Tea Parlour but does what they’re trying to do so much better. The portion size for one thing is acceptable, and the vibe also transports you to the hip streets of Hong Kong. Their jellyfish tiger salad and the salt and pepper chicken w/ scallion biscuits slaaap and they serve Young Master, one of my favorite Hong Kong-made beers.
Spicy Moon
My Rating: (8.5/10)
This is my most frequented go-to on the list in that a) it’s the cheapest, b) it’s vegetarian. Admittedly, I’ve only dined in twice, but have DoorDashed this guy so many times over. While their fanciness level may not reach that of others on this list, it is this approachability that makes them the strongest weeknight option.
Tolo
My Rating: (7/10)
Tolo is a small, unassuming restaurant by chef and Hong Kong native, Ron Yan. He was formerly at Parcelle Wine down the road, and Tolo has access to the entire list that Parcelle offers. So you’re getting authentic, affordable Cantonese dishes paired with a wine list that rivals even the finest of French restaurants. Dish-wise, this is one of the most affordable on the list, with the most expensive main, the duck, coming in just over $40. That said, I think their real standouts are found in the starters, and you could get full on those alone.
Wen Wen
My Rating: (9/10)
Not to be confused with Wan Wan, Wen Wen is the Taiwanese spot in Greenpoint that receives a whopping total of FIVE whole BDSM (you heard me) chickens fresh each day1. Devoted Floor Time readers will recount that I am the queen of geriatric dinners, so when I visited, I was first to one of the five. It. Was. Spectacular. And so was every other dish I’ve had. This is one of the places on this list I happily revisit. They can have all my monies and I mean it. My mouth is genuinely watering from reminding myself of their menu. Should I try to go again tonight…
Wan Wan
Not to be confused with Wen Wen—2
Ye’s Apothecary
My Rating: (9/10)
The mistake I made my first time here was going with a group of six people. This spot is a cocktail bar first and a tapas restaurant second. Their plates are small and ideal for groups of 2-3, maaaybe 4. But it was yummy. Their level of Szechuan is definitely a rung below Birds of a Feather (in that, these aren’t spicy). Their drinks are phenomenal and I have stopped in post-dinner especially for one of their baiju cocktails.
886
My Rating: (7.5/10)
From the people who bring you Wen Wen! The vibe of 886 is more chaotic, given that it is in the heart of St Marks's Place. If you dine outside, they’ll seat you in colorful plastic stools and you’ll enjoy your meal the way you might in the streets of Taiwan. And I LOVE it. I think the food here is slightly weaker than Wen Wen (or perhaps it’s just the semi-overstimulating street ambiance that does that) but it’s worth going to for a new-age Taiwanese spot that is moderately authentic but not overly bastardized (aka no cacio e pepe BS to see here…)
Something I Thought of in the Shower
Is JLo poor?
Something Pretty
It’s that time of year when everyone I know is either on a spectacular European vacay, at a wedding, or both. It makes me think back to my first SabbatiCLO3, where I spent some time in Sardinia. I am also not exaggerating when I tell you I think about this opportunity to move to Sardinia REGULARLY. I also just learned that it’s a blue zone, thanks to my friend Jackie, so all in all, it feels like all signs point to Clarice in Sardinia sometime in this life.


Something To Laugh About
Here are this week’s gems:
Well if this isn’t just a universal experience for us gentle readers.
I may never like a pop culture story as much as I liked JT’s interaction with a cop in his pre-frontal cortex development era. Neither will this girl.
You wouldn’t last a minute in this asylum where they raised me [the age of Linsanity in the AAPI community].
Few people know this but one of my life goal’s is to be a ball girl at a Grand Slam. Cut to, the realization that I could be doing this at future Olympics. My new life goal unlocked!!
Not really to laugh about, just something to smile about. I needed the reminder of what this man has found.
Something for Clarice
Hey! This newsletter is free and I intend to keep it that way. That said, if you love it and want to show your appreciation, buy me a coffee :)
By the way…I’m reading this.
The other day I was at Yu & Me Books, my friend Lucy’s incredible bookstore, and saw the third book in the Loveboat series by Abigail Hing Wen. To my luck, there was no wait for it on Libby so I will be devouring this book over the weekend.
Also if you haven’t already, you should watch the movie adaptation of Loveboat, Taipei entitled “Love in Taipei” starring a lot of Asians who are cooler than me.
And I’m watching this.
I am in my “The Summer I Turned Pretty” withdrawal phase (like what do we do in summer if we’re not at Cousins!?). But as you can see, I am filling the void with ample YA content, like the aforementioned read, as well as starting Geek Girl on Netflix which is just so silly-and-unbelievable-and-honestly-kinda-bad-but-absolutely-fun. Can you believe that this is the Queen of the Seven Kingdoms??
Have the best weekend, team! Most importantly, HAPPY PRIDE!!!!!
‘Til next time, femininomenon. Your friend,
Clarice
if you’re curious, you can read more about the chicken here, and I warn you—you’ll literally be drooling after
just kidding Wan Wan is Thai so I will not include it in this list…but I kinda liked it for the bit so we’re leaving it in!
for those who don’t know, SabbatiCLO is the yearly big trip I reward myself because as a freelancer, you don’t get a vacation unless you make yourself take it. And naturally, I gave it the portmanteau to end all portmanteaus.