A Match Made in Food Heaven: Myers + Chang

By Sara Faith Alterman

Saturday night, date night, Sam and I were in the mood for something different. Even though it’s been open for a while, I had yet to check out Myers + Chang, the culinary lovechild of chefs Joanne Chang (Flour bakery and cafe) and Chris Myers (Via Matta, Great Bay, and Radius). The two chefs have been engaged for awhile, so having a joint venture that involves their other greatest love makes perfect sense.

The restaurant is in kind of an awkward part of Boston; a few blocks from the South End, which is tough to get to on public transportation on the weekends, as there’s no subway close by and the bus doesn’t run very often. Plus, the subway was a giant disaster this weekend, because the city is doing some repairs at one of the stations. So, we ended up taking the subway, then a shuttle bus, then tried to get on the subway again but couldn’t, and ended up walking about 20 minutes. By the time we got to the restaurant, we were starving.

Once we finally got inside, though, things started immediately looking up. The hostess was genuinely lovely (so, so rare in Boston) and we were whisked to a table. The inside looks kind of like a pop-punk Asian diner, with some of the décor looking straight outta Urban Outfitters.

The menu is comprised of various hot and cold small plates, dishes that, at first glance, embody the ingredients and flavors of China, Taiwan, Thailand, Korea, Italy, and France. We ordered a bunch of plates to share. Our first course was the Tiger’s Tears, succulent slices of beef atop a salad of red and green peppers, fresh mint and Thai basil, sprinkled with dried rice powder and fiery chilis. I thought my face was going to melt off, in an entirely good way. Unfortunately, my tongue was still tingling during our next course, the pork and chive dumplings, which, through the lingering burning sensation, were absolutely wonderful. The wrapper was thick and chewy, the filling fragrant and moist.

 

What followed was simply glorious. Tea-smoked pork ribs, which were encrusted with earthy sweetness. Under the initial crunch, the meat slipped off the bone without any effort from my teeth, and practically melted in my mouth. I was literally licking my fingers longingly after I finished my share.

Our final dish was, in comparison, underwhelming, which was too bad. We had chosen the wok-charred udon noodles with chicken, in oyster sauce. The texture and flavor of the noodles was great, but the dish was greatly over-sauced and over-salted. Still, in the wake of an otherwise fantastic meal, we were willing to forgive a culinary wrinkle.

We finished the meal with a tiny, complimentary cup of lemon crème, the perfect end to a mostly perfect meal. It calmed my taste buds, neutralized the salt and spice.

Ultimately, we were so impressed that Sam took his best friend back to Myers + Chang the very next night, for a belated birthday dinner. And frankly, I was a little jealous. I’m salivating just thinking about headed back for more pork dumplings, this time, without the pleasant sting of fresh chilis in my way.