Chinatown Cafe, Boston

A late night in Chinatown, Boston, is about 8:30, if the sidewalks have anything to say about it. We wandered in to the Chinatown Café as they were wiping the restaurant day off of its surfaces. As the staff was putting up chairs and cleaning around us, we ordered off-menu, based on what they had left to make.  The place smelled like cleaning products and fried rice.

We ordered.  She said, “You take out.” Done.

It’s not often I have really good duck, much less end-of-day duck after a hasty yelp find, but there I was, wishing ducks weren’t so cute in life so I wouldn’t have to feel guilty about eating them. My belly, stopped down by the nervous energy that comes with multi-deadline travel across the country for work with a camera crew, ordered a mystery I knew I would eat about a third of. We grabbed our forced take-out and returned to our mid-priced hotel. It was snowing. I was exhausted.

In my unfamiliar, lonely, sterile, room, not unlike my colleague's, we shared fried rice and duck over stories of amateur standup, cancer, and the best ftp upload programs. For a moment, I wasn't worried about the next day's work, making even takeout a comforting meal.

I always wish I had more time to see cities I am working in, but as far as experiencing a slice of something goes, this was a particularly potent memory; comforting, if sparse. 

Chinatown Café

262 Harrison Ave
(between Curve St & Marginal Rd)
Boston, MA 02111
Neighborhood: Chinatown

Price: Under $10 a plate.