Uncle Lou 快樂人

Four Restaurants Ushering in a New Chapter for Cantonese Food in NYC | Eater NY

Stepping into Chinatown on a struggling block of Mulberry in December, I found Uncle Lou causing a sensation with long Lunar New Year lines as dragons and drummers cavorted outside; the artsy interior—giant squares of green foliage on bare brick walls and original paintings—felt as much like a trendy bistro as a traditional Chinatown restaurant. The menu’s “low wah kiu” (“the old timers”) section seeks to revive historic Guangdong dishes; highlights I tried include the homestyle chenpi duck ($14.95), which name-checks the dried mandarin orange peel that flavors the sauce, and beef with garlic chives ($26.95), made with premium, well-marbled beef filets cooked medium-rare and an equal quantity of crunchy garlic chives that contribute as much to the dish’s excellence as the succulent meat. - Robert Sietsema