In the mood for some Asian?

Steamers: Asian Street Bistro. This little shop opened up sometime last year right next to the SW Madison Street Starbucks. I've passed by several times and never given it a second thought. When I decided to meet a friend downtown for a quick lunch we thought we'd try Steamers.

As we approached we weren't sure if it was open because you couldn't actually see inside. The windows were all steamy. A neat trick given the name :) When we walked in I was instantly excited because I saw steam baskets and bao on the menu. It was a dumpling and tea joint!

My friend picked out the ever classy pad thai noodles. It came in a small bowl enough for one packed with rice noodles with your choice of chicken or tofu. The mild spicy peanut sauce was abundant and it smelled delicious. I ordered the 6 dumplings, 2 of each flavor- ginger pork (classic), szechuan chicken (wrapped in a carrot-juice infused wheat wrapper) and spinach (wrapped in a spinach-infused wheat wrapper), a roasted pork bao and a side of jasmine rice.

I can't speak for the pad thai, but I'm sure it was just like the classic. You can also have your pick of additional sauces- soy ponzu, chili garlic, hoison peanut, sesame ginger and spicy peanut. My dumplings were full of flavor; however, were a bit dry and seemed to have the taste of sitting in a bamboo steamer for a little too long. The ginger pork was yummy and the szechuan chicken was great with the sesame ginger sauce. The spinach was on the stringy side with bean thread noodles and spinach inside and is a great veggie alternative for the dumplings.

The rice was a typical sticky rice and I used the leftovers in a breakfast fried rice later. I was thoroughly disappointed with the bao. My childhood memories of what pork sticky buns are supposed to taste like put a high expectation on every one I try now. This pork is marinated in a sweet and tangy asian barbecue sauce making the bao more of a savory dessert than an entree. And even then the sauce was overpowering and completely turned me off of the bun.

Overall, for the price I paid for all that food was pretty good. It is a good spot for a quick, cheap bite but not if you're looking for quality Asian street food. Filling and satisfying but not my first pick for a quality Asian meal. And I love dumplings.

Tip of the day: Fresh is always better.