user: Q: Chinese burger chain Uncle Sam’s to open Monday in NYC

Talk about a Red Scare.

A Chinese restaurant chain will open its first U.S. eatery Monday on Fifth Ave., the ultimate symbol of American style and class.

The chain has stolen the name of our national mascot, Uncle Sam. And its slogan, “Fortune Flavors the Bold,” is a foodie pun of the motto one borne by the USS Florida — an American warship.

But that’s nothing compared to this foreign invader’s most aggressive act: It will dare to sell America’s iconic food, the hamburger.

“That’s like me going to China and saying I can be a better Chinese chef,” says Queens construction worker Kevin Thomas, 35.

He doesn’t know how right he is. After all, Uncle Sam’s is owned by Zhiming Bai, who has no background in feeding the masses. Rather, he made his millions in mining, cement manufacturing and real estate.

But lest this burger battle begin a new Cold War, Bai has done his homework. The chain has hired Bellyfull Consulting, helmed by James Beard Award-winning chef Bradford Thompson, to develop the menu and translate Asian flavors for American palates.

And the meat is 100% USDA Prime from none other than celebrity butcher Pat LaFrieda. Even the buns are Martin’s Potato Rolls — diabolical!

“There’s no trickery here,” Thompson says. “We start with really good beef and use an amazing griddle. We use burgers as a vehicle for different flavors and textures, and it works.”

That means topping burgers with kimchi, cooking bacon in Chinese barbecue sauce and making patties out of the shrimp and pork filling of shumai dumplings. Dipping sauces include fermented black-bean mayo and ginger soy.

So the Chinese have built a better burger, eh? Americans are likely to be quite skeptical about this Tiananmen takedown of our dietary staple.

“It’s the quintessential American food. Americans have a deep-seated pride surrounding the hamburger,” says George Motz, who was behind the documentary and book “Hamburger America.” “They are smart to open in the melting pot of the world, but I’m not sure how well it will do outside New York City.”

One food historian points out that turnabout is fair play in the food world.

“We’ve done so much with their food — you’re never going to find General Tso’s chicken in China,” says the victuals scholar, Francine Segan. “It’s time the Chinese did something with the burger.”

In an exclusive preview, the Daily News Taste Kitchen found Uncle Sam’s offerings flavorful, though also quite salty.

The Signature Burger ($8.95) is an umami bomb of flavor, topped with Swiss cheese, green onions and mushrooms sautéed in oyster sauce.

The tell-your-friends creation is the gut-busting 888 Burger ($14.95), a pork and shrimp shumai patty topped with Canadian bacon and crunchy barbecue sauce-coated bacon.

“Maybe the Chinese think of Americans like we’re just bacon-eating slobs,” said one taster. “They’re right ... but who told them?”

Also on the broad menu is the spicy Top Dog ($7.95), a hot dog topped with Sichuan chili, char-siu bacon and pepper jack cheese, which we found a confusing mash of intense flavors. A panko-crusted Beijing Chicken “samwich” evokes the flavors of Peking duck.

The restaurant fits right into the landscape, with 84 seats downstairs and a dining room upstairs. The interior, targeting Shake Shack rather than McDonald’s or Burger King, is futuristic and American, with sleek wooden walls, colorful geometric hanging lamps, and a bar for solo diners, complete with power and USB outlets.

LaFrieda says he was unsure he’d like the fusion food but was convinced at a tasting Tuesday.

“Being able to translate what’s good in one country to what we’re used to here is not so easy, but they have achieved that,” he says.

Uncle Sam’s opens Monday at 307 Fifth Ave., near 32nd St.

Sidebar: Sino-U.S. conflict: A timeline

Relations between the United States and China haven't always been great. In fact, they've rarely been great, as you can see from this handy timeline:

1844: Relations open between the U.S. and China. A Chinese diplomat proclaims America “uncivilized and remote” and its people “ignorant.” Great start.

1850s-60s: Large numbers of Chinese emigrate to the U.S. and are discriminated against.

1882: Congress passes China Exclusion Act, which pretty much speaks for itself.

1899: Anti-Western Chinese start Boxer Rebellion to kick out foreign powers.

1950: North Korea, backed by China, invades South Korea, backed by the United States, beginning the Korean War.

1960s: Vietnam War (see Korean War, above).

1999: U.S. bombs Chinese embassy in Belgrade, Yugoslavia, killing three. Washington claims it was an accident.

2010: A U.S. Navy spy plane collides with a Chinese fighter jet. The crew is held for 10 days.

2014: China holds 8% of America’s debt, the largest share for any foreign country.

2015: Chinese company starts selling hamburgers in New York. Ramification to be determined.

With Gersh Kuntzman, Gianluca Cuestas
What are the most important parts of this text?

A: A Chinese restaurant chain will open its first U.S. eatery on Fifth Ave., the ultimate symbol of American style and class.


Q: Delta wins US antitrust approval for Virgin Atlantic stake

WASHINGTON — Delta Air Lines Inc. Thursday won Justice Department approval of its proposed equity investment in Richard Branson’s Virgin Atlantic Airways Ltd. and of the carriers’ related trans-Atlantic joint venture.

The department’s antitrust division said Thursday it has closed its investigation into the deal, allowing it to proceed. European regulators signed off on the transaction.

Delta, based in Atlanta, agreed on Dec. 11 to buy a 49 percent stake in the British carrier for $360 million to boost its share of the trans-Atlantic travel market. The agreement included a joint venture on 31 daily round-trip flights between North America. Britain’s Virgin Group retains a 51 percent stake.

Delta won European Union approval for the transaction, according to an emailed statement from EU regulators Thursday.

Delta and Virgin Atlantic also have filed an application with the Transportation Department seeking antitrust immunity for their joint venture, according to the Justice Department statement. The antitrust division said it would consult, as appropriate, with that agency as it reviews the immunity request.

The US carrier’s 10 daily nonstop flights to Britain would be added to the 21 that Virgin Atlantic plans to operate under its summer 2013 schedule.

By linking itself with Virgin, Delta is targeting North Atlantic flights that generate about one-quarter of all global revenue from first- and business-class fares — more than twice as much as second-place trans-Pacific routes, according to the International Air Transport Association.
What are the most important parts of this text?

A:

assistant: Delta Air Lines Thursday won Justice Department approval of its proposed equity investment in Richard Branson’s Virgin Atlantic Airways Ltd. and of the carriers’ related trans-Atlantic joint venture. The department’s antitrust division said Thursday it has closed its investigation into the deal, allowing it to proceed. European regulators also have signed off on the transaction. ‘‘The facts and circumstances did not warrant further investigation or action,’’ the Justice Department said in an emailed statement. Delta, based in Atlanta, agreed on Dec. 11 to buy a 49 percent stake in the British carrier for $360 million to boost its share of the trans-Atlantic travel market. The agreement included a joint venture on 31 daily round-trip flights between North America and Britain’s Virgin Group retains a 51 percent stake.