Poll # 4: Best Chinese food place located within a mile of Davis Square

[anomie666.livejournal.com]

Once again, if I left something out, I apologize. I think this includes everything that was mentioned. Wang's was 1.1 miles from the square so to be consistent in methodology it didn't make the cut.

I'm going to be away from the computer from 9 till around 10:30am.

[Poll #1187659]

Comments

[myselftheliar.livejournal.com]

Wang's on Broadway. >_

[firepail.livejournal.com]

I've never tried Wang's before, but after all the good press these last two days, I am going to give 'em a try. =)

[beowabbit]

Yeah, Wang’s. Sorry I didn’t suggest it on your previous post; I was running late.

[surrealestate.livejournal.com]

I measured, but I don't see a way to make make Wang's a (street) mile away from the center of the Square, so I presume that was why it was left off. A number of folks suggested it.

[klauspood.livejournal.com]

if they deliver to Davis square they should be on the list. Your one mile boundary is meaningless.

[jspazzer.livejournal.com]

Why is a one mile boundary meaningless for a poll called "What is your favorite Chinese food place located within a mile of Davis Square"? You are free to create your own poll called "What is your favorite Chinese food place that delivers to my dawghaus"

[mattdm.livejournal.com]

I don't think it's meaningless. How about "within a reasonably-paced 20-minute walk from Davis Square"?

[thetathx1138.livejournal.com]

I fail to see your logic. It's about Davis Square. Frankly, I don't get delivery Chinese food, because most of it's crap, and if I just want crap Chinese food I'll go to Kee Kar Lau.

[jspazzer.livejournal.com]

The only real Chinese food is found in San Francisco.

[firepail.livejournal.com]

and not in China?

[cold-type.livejournal.com]

I had really good Chinese food in China. Except they didn't call it Chinese food there. Just food.

[insignia11.livejournal.com]

I just wanted to say that Taipei Tokyo has disapointed me with their Chinese food. Their sushi is good though.

Davis Square poll = massive butthurt

[anomie666.livejournal.com]

Every single time we have had these, there has been some butthurt from someone. Either the distance requirements aren't to your liking or else everything sucks in davis square or else nothing compares to the bounty found in New York city.

What would you all have the distance requirements to be? 1.1 miles, 1.2 miles, 3 miles, 5 miles? I could care less! What difference does it make as long as we are consistent about it. We have to limit the number of businesses to poll on and a mile seems like a very reasonable cut off.

If they deliver to Davis Square they should be on the list.

Well, what if they deliver to one part of Davis Square and not the other? What is some people here can get delivery from them and others not? What would you include as the radius that includes "davis square"? This is not that important people!

Re: Davis Square poll = massive butthurt

[jspazzer.livejournal.com]

I gotta agree. I thought these polls would be fun, but it seems not enough people in this community can just vote without bitching, EVEN WHEN THEY ARE GIVEN THE CHANCE THE DAY BEFORE TO PRE-BITCH ALL THEY WANT. Let's just kill the polls and go back to arguing about font size, lj-cut, and burritos.

[talonvaki.livejournal.com]

Zoe's on Beacon Street (http://www.urbanspoon.com/r/4/55050/Somerville/Somerville-restaurants/Zoes-Gourmet-Chinese-Cuisine.html) is the best Chinese restaurant near Davis Square. And they deliver.

[anomie666.livejournal.com]

Unfortunately, they aren't located within a mile as well.

[exsplusohs.livejournal.com]

All the whiners need to get over themselves and just go to East Asia. Manna from heaven people, manna from heaven.

[teko.livejournal.com]

Best tofu I've had in Boston.

[lbmango.livejournal.com]

actually relevant: does anyone know anything about the restaurant on Broadway between Teele and 16? I've only been here for 7 months, and it's been closed that whole time. is it ever coming back? Was it any good when it was here? why is it closed?

Similarly with Wicked coffee next door...

[thetathx1138.livejournal.com]

It lit on fire, is why it closed. Supposedly it was very good, but my skepticism towards "local first" chimps makes me wonder if they only think it was good because they want to shit on OTHER Chinese places.

[kennygster.livejournal.com]

This poll is helpful because we've had a hard time sorting through all of the local Chinese restaurants to find the good ones.

Since I know there are a lot of health-conscious community members, which local Chinese restaurants serve relatively more natural foods(i.e. no MSG, fresher ingredients)? How do the top vote getters (East Asia and QingDao Garden) rate in this regard?

[firepail.livejournal.com]

I don't know how the top two rate, but Thai Mandarin Kitchen uses fresh ingredients and you will sometimes see their staff at the Farmer's Market in the summer. Also, you can watch the cooks at Thai Mandarin Kitchen make your food if you are eating in/waiting for your take-out.

[bombardiette.livejournal.com]

I can't vote since, oddly enough, I've never sampled the cuisine at any one of these places. However, I would just like to thank the members of this community engaged in "debating" the finer nuances of what makes a good restaurant and what constitutes validity in a poll regarding Davis Square.

You have given the davis_snark community a good week's worth of fodder and thus have given me a great deal of entertainment during the brief respites I have each day.

I never realized how very, very serious informal polling, nths of a mile and what constitutes "real" cuisine truly is. Thank you. Thank you so much. My hat's off to you.

[cos]

You left off the "I don't remember its name" option I kinda requested :) It's one of the ones on Broadway, but until I'm physically there and can identify it in person, I won't know. It's on Broadway, and I can tell from Google Maps that none of the three you listed are it. But I'm pretty sure there are two Chinese restaurants on the stretch of Broadway I'm thinking of, both within 1 mile of the center of Davis, that you did not list; my favorite is one of those.

[surrealestate.livejournal.com]

Which stretch of Broadway? Just use Streetview.

[teele-sq.livejournal.com]

I was definitely surprised to see Kee Kar Lau in a list of "Best of" anything, let alone Chinese food. I live a stone's throw from Kee Kar Lau and the only thing I like about it is that the entranceway shelters me from the wind when I'm waiting for the bus. I guess it's nice that it stays open until 3am, so if you want really terrible Chinese food you can get it at unusually hours. I'd much rather walk down to Davis and buy from Taipei Tokyo.

To people who don't like anomie666's polls

[ron_newman]

If you do not like the way he runs these polls, you can either

(a) Get a Paid Account and post your own poll, or
(b) Find a friend who has a Paid Account and ask him/her to post it for you

But please, enough bitching about the rules. Sure, a mile (20 minute walk) is arbitrary, but so is any other criterion. Make the rule too loose, and you get a poll with 35 or 50 or 75 choices -- which will reduce the response rate due to the "tl;dr" factor.

[teko.livejournal.com]

I voted East Asia without hesitation, but I have to say that I want to like Thai Mandarin Kitchen more than I do. Many of my friends swear by it, but they inevitably (a) forget part of my order, (b) wrap the food so badly that there's sauce all over the containers and inside the delivery bag, and/or (c) simply serve really mediocre-to-poor food.

On the other hand, you can order the brilliantly named FISHMAN'S FURY.

[alphacygni]

I would have voted for East Asia, but you specified "Chinese". And I adore East Asia's Thai dishes, but have always found their Chinese dishes a bit off. But the Thai? Yum yum yum

[cold-type.livejournal.com]

I've had mixed experienced with East Asia. I love the tofu. But the last time I ordered a tofu/vegetable dish, they tossed in pork-fried rice without asking. (I don't eat meat.) I can't remember what my partner ordered, but I remember it wasn't fresh. We heard the microwave and it came out only a couple minutes after she ordered it. We were both disappointed.

[sonofabish.livejournal.com]

By only including Chinese food within a 1 mile radius, you're clearly demonstrating yourself to be a locally biased Sino-centric commie bastard. My favorite restaurant is KC's Rib Shack in St Louis. So there. Members of the rabid local PC Police will be kicking in your door at some ungodly hour to drag you off to be reeducated so you will never so grievously err again.

[makoshark.livejournal.com]

IMHO, Chang Sho is the best tasting food. But Yummy Hut has the best name. :)

[firepail.livejournal.com]

I agree!