I’ve mentioned Ming’s here before, and even though I used to be pretty much a regular here, I haven’t had a chance to go back since I started this blog. While the draw at Ming’s is siu mei (roasted meats), they have a full menu, including congee (Mandarin: xifan, rice porridge), and excellent vegetable dishes.
One of the better bargains on Buford Highway is the meat and rice dishes here. Soy sauce chicken, green vegetable (yo tsai), and rice for $4.99. I still forget to photograph my food before I eat, so the first picture is well into the carnage (notice that half the quail is already gone as is part of the chicken…).
Roasted quail were beckoning from the case near the door – so we had to order one (I remember pigeon, not quail in Hong Kong, though I guess pigeon is still not widely accepted in the US – perhaps because we look at them as rats).
MIng’s is one of the best places in Atlanta for siu mei – and it’s evidenced in the steady stream of people coming in (lot’s of takeout – this place is small). A couple of caveats when visiting – Ming’s is closed on Tuesdays and many times they run out of siu mei, especially chicken and duck before 7PM.
Ming’s – front counter
Ming’s – Cuttlefish
Ming’s B.B.Q.
Asian Square
5150 Buford Hwy. N.E
Atlanta, GA
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This looks like a great place. I must get there and try it out. One of my favorite little spots is Saigon Cafe. It’s an authentic noodle house located in the publix shopping center at the corner of Old Peachtree & North Brown Rd. in Lawrenceville.
Is that Saigon Cafe related to the one on Jimmy Carter? I’ve been to the one on JCB several times for pho.
Beware that they are CASH ONLY. Great food though.
Ah – this is true. Quite a few of the smaller places (e.g., the Chinatown food court, Quoc Huong, etc.) are cash only. There is an ATM directly across from the parking lot from Ming’s
This is THE place for Duck! Duck on greens is super unless getting half or whole chopped duck . Stay away from standard chinese items on menu or soup. Get whatever is hanging in the window!!!!
OMG!! Do NOT eat here!! News recently reported a health code violation …!! Unless you’re into a alley cat or lost cat taste I would NOT go to Ming’s BBQ!
lnena_d@yahoo.com
68.190.42.73
I’m posting your comment, along with your email and IP address, because YOU, my friend, are a moron. And I felt that should be shared with the world. I want to be sure the spambots have direct access to your email address.
Aside from the fact that you can’t even form a proper sentence (ever hear of the Harbrace Handbook or the MLA?), you obviously haven’t read my blog. What would possess you to think that either me or my readers are such simpletons that we would buy into this line of garbage? You post something as a “fact” but give no citation. You imply they cook cat, yet I doubt you have ever been in their kitchen. Have you in “fact” ever eaten cat? How would you know what it tastes like? I have actually been to a cat restaurant – can you say for a “fact” that you have?
I don’t know your motive – I don’t really care. You might be a racist, you might be a redneck – hell, you might be a competitor. They all equate to the same thing – you’re an idiot. Keep commenting – it gives me something to do in my down time.
Devilishly advocating a bit…
Dekalb has all the health code ratings online. They did get a 59 back in January, but a 96 more recently?
http://atlanta.digitalhealthdepartment.com/_templates/22/Food/_report_full.cfm?fsimID=238100 is the 59.
http://atlanta.digitalhealthdepartment.com/_templates/22/Food/_report_full.cfm?fsimID=238111 is the 96, indicated as a ‘follow-up’ visit in February.
Guess they cleaned up their act!
Nothing about cat anywhere
The funniest thing is that “a health code violation” could be something as innocent as a broom leaning against a wall instead of hanging from a hook on the wall! Quick, call Channel 2!
What is the “most unusual” thing you’ve ever eaten? That is what I wanted to suggest as a topic for you 100th post. Or a list of “unusual” things you’ve eaten. As a non-adventurous eater, I’m fascinated by hints of these things on your blog. I hope you don’t take “unusual” as a negative term. I just mean “out of the ordinary” compared to what the majority of people around you might eat “ordinarily”
I think all restaurants occasionally can get hit with a poor rating. Sometimes it’s timing. Sometimes it’s filth. Delicious soy-based filth. mmmmmmm….filth.
lnena_d@yahoo.com – take a lesson from drzachary here. Insightful, well thought out. Informed references. Nothing to incite my wrath.
I am BuHi. I have spoken.
Exactly.
Most unusual… Perhaps this incredible looking sausage at a night market in Nakon Ratchisima, Thailand. Beautiful deep red casing, skewered in a coil about the size of my hand and grilled. Had the fine, rich flavor (and texture!) of sawdust and bone meal, delicately tossed through with luscious chunks of hard cartilage. Two bites and I had to buy a baggie of Coke (I’ll explain that some other time). Fed the rest to an elephant (I shit you not).
If I remember correctly, I think I fed a cat to that elephant as well….
I knew there were going to be some post about this.
There was not Skinned cat it was a dead one found around the back of the restaurant. Of course the whole world including the sensationalist news decides to not check facts and jump on it saying it was skinned. Probably one of the most ridiculous things i’ve heard in my life
Yes, it is unfortunate. I’m sure they slacked off on they’re cleaning and didn’t manage well – it was close to Chinese New Year and a lot of restaurants try to make as much as possible – not a good time to go there. The restaurant was caught and fined – they have to deal with that and we have to make our decisions as to whether they have changed.
The sensationalist part is more disturbing to me. Finding a dead cat behind a business is not uncommon. Find a dead cat within a mile of Chinese restaurant and the stupid comments start flying. Honestly, this as retarded as the cops finding a watermelon rind on the ground in the 4th Ward and implying that “It must have been those Negros…”. This is obviously the “incident” that fueled Captain Moron (lnena_d@yahoo.com) in the comment above.
Also, note that according to the article, Doraville police now have infrared thermal scanners embedded in their eyes, “We actually looked at a couple of layers on top and saw that they were not the temperature they were supposed to be.” Neat trick.
In the defense of the health department and police, it looks like they slacked off a *lot*. Whether or not the new year festivities led them to overload their kitchen, it’s incredibly bad judgment to leave meat outside- someone could have gotten very sick from that. That’s something that Ming’s is going to need to deal with. Hopefully they can get their act together and restore confidence.
I also agree that the cat skin issue is being sensationalized. But the restaurant left themselves wide open to that- if they had properly handled their supplies and hadn’t been “dumping meat over the fence behind the restaurant”, I don’t think it ever would have been an issue. I also think you’re nitpicking Channel 11′s story- of course they used thermometers to measure the temperature of the meat. The quality of their reporting is bad enough on its own without splitting hairs.
I’ve traveled around the world, and I’ve eaten crazy things in conditions with horrible sanitation. I don’t worry as much as most people about some of the health inspection reports- I ate things in West African shacks that would make a health inspector’s head explode. But I expect more when I go into a restaurant in Atlanta.
Absolutely – I am not excusing the unsanitary conditions that Ming’s created at all. Temperatures got into the 60′s on the day the violation occurred. Keep up your maintenance contracts and the grease trap should never overflow. Throwing meat over the fence is much worse than tossing over the random bad onion. I am hesitant to go to what has been one of my favorite restaurants for years. (BTW, the temperature comment is sarcasm, not nitpicking – and I doubt the Doraville police carry food thermometers with them – but that’s not the point).
Re: travel – same here. I’ve eaten in back alleys in Asia and from roadside grills in Mexico. Years ago I used to eat at a Tex-Mex place in Morningside, where if you put a tortilla chip in just the right place on the floor, the resident mouse would come out and join you for dinner. Me and my tapeworm are best of friends (more sarcasm).
My big issue here, and what unfortunately clouds all of this, is the unnecessary “Chinese restaurants are serving cat to unsuspecting white people”, “Korean restaurants are serving dog”, etc. rhetoric – literal or implied. The cat comment in the article is unnecessary and obviously phrased to be inflammatory – I’m not quite sure how you can say “they left themselves open to that”. If Paschal’s get’s an unsanitary rating, are they “open” to comments about being “obviously too lazy to clean up”? I refuse to participate in a very large, very well known online food community in Atlanta, because every time an Asian restaurant is mentioned/reviewed, here comes the “round-eye/slant-eye” comments.
There are two issues here: Ming’s screwed up – and got hit with a big fine and quite a bit of infamy (I’m sure they will lose quite a few customers – at both locations). WXIA screwed up by crossing the line in their reporting. It’s just unfortunate all the way around.
I don’t want to give it anymore credibility, but in the interest of fairness, this is the article we’re referring to: http://www.11alive.com/rss/rss_story.aspx?storyid=129856
mings is horrible. my friend’s mom actually saw them eating the roasted cat! I’m asian and this offends even myself! i refuse to eat there on moral grounds now. BBQ corner is MUCH better
Ha! I like you. So “your friend’s mom” saw “them” eating “the roasted cat!”? Wow. That’s great. I do have a few questions, though. Tell me more about “the roasted cat”. I don’t recall anyone mentioning a “roasted cat”. (BTW, according to http://catrecipes.com/, it appears that braising is a better preparation). And since I know you’re a regular reader of my blog, you already know – I love me a good braise!
Also, who is “them” (meaning, the “them” doing all this eating)?
You’re Asian. Fair enough, but that is a pretty broad definition of yourself. I happen to be Caucasian (that’s pretty cool – notice that “asian” is part of the word “Caucasian”). Strangely though, I don’t think that my genetics make me a suitable mouthpiece for an entire race – that’s just me though – I’m funny that way. I am curious why you thought your generic “race” is of any relevance here? Do Asians (btw, you should capitalize it – otherwise you run the risk of “offending” other race-baiters) have a higher moral authority to comment and pass judgment on these things?
Oh wait – I just read further “on moral grounds”…. So you make decisions base on your “morals” (which I assume you acquired growing up in Alpharetta – no “offense” intended to Alpharetteans – or whatever you’re called. Admittedly I’m making wild, unfounded assumptions about you based on stuff I found on the Internet and heard from some guy that knew somebody…). Personal tip (this one makes me really popular at parties) – screw morals. Try operating on ethics sometime. People might think you’re a jerk occasionally, but it’s better that being a douchebag….
Uh oh – I’m late for something. Let’s play more later.
Sanitory or not, I’m craving Peking Duck. Anyone had it at Ming’s yet?