Famous Spicy Beef Noodles From Island of Taiwan in Bay Ridge
This rich Taiwanese beef soup is No. 32 in our 100 Days/100 Dishes
Chock full of tender marinated beef strips, tofu skin, thick wheat noodles something like Chef Boyardee spaghetti, and flecks of dried red pepper as well as pickled red peppers in a thick broth that verges on being a stew, the "famous spicy beef noodles" are one of the home-style Taiwanese dishes worth savoring at Island of Taiwan.
The soup is a perfect meal in a bowl, and much hotter than you expect it to be, chile-wise. How did the chiles get to Taiwan? Probably not directly from the Portuguese -- though that's where mainland China got them, through the colony of Macao. Since the island has received waves of immigrants from many regions of China over the last few centuries, it's tempting to speculate that Sichuanese or Hunanese brought them. On the other hand, modern Taiwan is fond of kimchee, which can be found accompanying some dishes. So maybe they came from Korea.
Island of Taiwan isn't to be found in Sunset Park's Chinatown. Rather, it's located several blocks south on Eighth Avenue across the street from a Greek restaurant.
Island of Taiwan
6817 Eighth Avenue
Bay Ridge, Brooklyn
718-680-0033
100 Days/100 Dishes is an almost-random alphabetical collection of delicious dishes from around the five boroughs. See the entire series so far.
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