Deadliest catch

Uncle Lou, Chinatown

RESTAURANTS • First Person

“Lock, it’s Larry!,” said someone calling from inside what sounded like a sold-out Madison Square Garden. I don’t have any friends named Larry.

“Larry! From Uncle Lou!” Ah, yes, that Uncle Lou: the Chinatown restaurant where we had a big birthday dinner planned for my wife the next night. “We’re going to be able to get the Alaskan king crab, if you want to go ahead with it,” he continued. “It’ll be about nine pounds, at a price of $60 per pound.” 

I did the math in my head for our group of nearly 20 people. It sounded like a reasonable investment. “Let’s do it,” I said. 

“We’ll serve it over three courses!” Larry continued. “First, king crab legs!” Great, I said. “Second, fried crab!” Great, I said, more emphatically. “And finally, crab fried rice!” Great! I was screaming now, partly out of my own excitement and partly to make myself heard over the din of dinner hour at Uncle Lou on the other end of the line. After I hung up, I thought to myself: Now that? That was a great phone call. 

The next night, around two round 10-top tables pushed together, our group oohed and ahhed — and in a few cases, recoiled — when our Alaskan king crab, very much alive and writhing, was proffered to us, then placed on the table. One brave soul in our party picked it up by two legs and posed with it in the style of a Deadliest Catch deckhand, before the crab was whisked back to the kitchen for prep. A member of the Uncle Lou team cupped his hand to my ear: “Closer to 10 pounds!” 

Our crew devoured all three crab courses — be sure to mind the shell bits in its fried iteration — along with a feast of plates that kept our twin lazy Susans spinning all night. Special praise to the stuffed eggplants, chilis, and fried tofu; bone-in crispy garlic chicken; and lobster Yee Mein (aka longevity noodles, for a birthday feast, of course).

Uncle Lou, a Cantonese restaurant that opened towards the bottom of Mulberry Street in late 2021, is (like Rolo’s in Ridgewood) another pandemic-era spot that somehow emerged from that era over-delivering, not just on food, but also, the pure fun and joy of dining out. When king crab goes out of season, perhaps a whole roast suckling pig or Dungeness crab feast, each available with three-day notice? Don’t worry, they’ll call to confirm. –Lockhart Steele

→ Uncle Lou (Chinatown) • 73 Mulberry St • Wed-Mon 11a-10p • Reservations for groups of six or more: (212) 966-5538.