Cheap Eats - Prosperity Dumpling

FIVE DUMPLINS' FOR A MAH-FAH DOLLAR?! Oh, Prosperity Dumpling. How do I love thee? Let me count the ways. This place is simplicity at its finest. Prosperity Dumpling is one of those places of legend that you hear about from your friend's friend, from a haggard old soothsayer outside of a punk club on Rivington or from some guy who comes in from Philly specifically to load up on bags of these tasty little dumplings. So cheap - seriously 5 big, crispy Pork and Chive Fried Dumplings for $1! Quarts of Soup for $2.50! Scallion Pancakes for $1-$2 depending on whether you want to add roasted veggies, chicken, pork, or duck. This place brings ballin' on a budget to a new level. (You can check out some of the silly cheap prices by clicking on the menu board below.)

Let's be real, the place itself isn't much to look at. This dumpling shack at 46 Eldridge on the LES is a hole in the wall (I can't believe they have some semblance of a website). Once you open the door and enter the all of 3 cubic feet of tile floor that the restaurant offers, you will bump into people. People will splash their wonton soup on you. Your presence will offend an old Chinese lady. You may feel a bit uncomfortable, until you see the magic hands of the disgruntled workers behind the counter. What a glorious site to behold! Hundreds of dumplings being carefully hand crafted and added to the flat pan with boiling oil and water. The sizzle is like music to mine ears.

And then you hand them the last $2.25 (cash only) in your wallet and you end up with a man's feast. Today I went for the classic pork and chive fried dumplings (because you pretty much have to) and a pint of the hot and sour soup. The dumplings are perfection, and they come in a variety of meat, seafood and veggie flavors.The dough isn't too thick, the outside is crispy in all of the right places and the pork and chive filling is flavorful, juicy and OMG, so effin' good. My method is to douse these little babies in siriacha, black vinegar and soy sauce. MSG EXPLOSION, Y'ALL! Only your heart will regret your choices. Your soul will be more than satisfied.

The hot and sour soup here is pretty slammin' too. They use a variety of mushrooms instead of sticking with just the regular button 'shrooms that I see utilized at so many other Chinese joints in town. Holy shitake, y'all! They also use wax beans to amp up the flavor. These add a great texture to the rest of the soup. They don't skimp on the tofu, so if you're a lover, be ready to nom nom. For $1.25, this is one of your best best hot and sour soup tickets in town. Hearty, thick and super yummy. And again, after finishing, the salt monster will come to take your first born.

One day I will "splurge" and buy a bag of their frozen dumplings. I believe you can snag 50 of these bad boys for $10.00 or less. WHAT A DEAL, YO! It's so cheap here, you'll have plenty of money left to make bad decisions in the East Village. Remember to remind yourself not to step into Mars Bar, or you might die.

THE DAMAGE: $2.25! WHOOOAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!!