Stone-Milled Cantonese Rice Rolls on the Upper West Side

Joe's Steam Rice Roll works a narrow Amsterdam Avenue storefront where the rice batter is ground on a stone mill and steamed to order into wide, slippery sheets. The kitchen folds them around shrimp, sliced beef, dried shrimp, or scallion and egg, then cuts each roll into pillowy segments and floods the plate with sweet soy. A rack of squeeze bottles lets you layer chili oil, sesame, and hoisin until every bite carries its own sauce. The sheets stay tender for only a few minutes after steaming, and the counter times each order to your pickup. Vegetarian rolls hold their own beside the meat versions, and a couple of outdoor seats catch the Upper West Side foot traffic. More than 400 diners have left reviews, landing on the same two notes, fast service and low prices. The counter runs daily from 12:00pm to 7:00pm, an easy stop on an Upper West Side afternoon.