Eton Dumplings… Made by Judy

By Liz

Things I love about Brooklyn:

1. Neighborhood shops – grocers, bakers, coffee-roasters, tamale-makers – that do one thing, and do it really well.
2. Eton, the Carroll Gardens cubbyhole that makes nothing but dumplings, noodles, and shaved ice (in the summer).
3. Judy, amidst earning her high-powered law degree, rolling dumplings at Eton several nights a week.

Judy came about this gig in the quintessential Brooklyn way: sitting on her stoop, and chatting with a guy who knew a guy. That guy knew that Eton, the classically-trained chef who fell in love with shaved ice on his honeymoon, was looking for a dumpling-maker.

Judy knew that Eton could use her skills, since she had already given him a Korean kimchee dumpling recipe, which sold out as a special. So she wandered over, was offered a rolling pin and, within minutes, a job.

It’s just one more reason to love the shop and its $3.50 set of five dense, juicy dumplings. The place is not perfect: the sparse shop has all the charm of a college dorm, and the veggie dumplings taste like rabbit food.

But the price is right for the pork, which have become more consistent as the restaurant hits its stride (it opened last summer.) And I still have try the hand-pulled noodles, and hopefully the famous kimchee. 

Judy looking like a badass in the tiny Eton kitchen

Judy's delicious handiwork

Comments

[Susan]

Yum, yum!

[Judy]

I am slightly embarrassed, mostly flattered, and feeling fairly special right now. I'm like a girl in a debutante ball or something!