It makes perfect sense that a night spot as eclectic as Tubby's — where the music is all over the map in a wonderful way — would open its kitchen to one of planet Earth's most exotic cuisines. The live music dive bar's burgers, tater tots and Frito pie (pretty exotic in its own way) has given way to curry, bao and the dumplings known as momos, all under the direction of a Tibetan-born former Buddhist monk.

From the Himalayas to the Catskills by way of a Washington, D.C., bagel shop, it's a thrillingly global new addition to Midtown Kingston's Restaurant Row.

Dorjee Tsering's odyssey began in deep central Asia, in the Amdo region of northeast Tibet, where elevation averages 13,000 feet above sea level. Home to the wild yak, “wind-swept and tree-less, with much grass” (per Wikipedia), it's the Dalai Lama's birthplace.

Tsering served as a Buddhist monk from age six, working in his monastery's kitchen, an experience he drew on when he fled Tibet for Nepal. He crossed the Himalayas on foot to Nepal, where he registered as a refugee before moving on to India, where he worked as a baker. It’s also where he met and married his current business partner, Amberjade Taylor, an American then working in India's Tibetan refugee community.

The couple left India in 2014 for D.C., where Taylor entered grad school and Tsering turned restaurant nomad, working in several kitchens. Three years on, with the aid of money from Kiva, an online microlending program for underserved communities, their pop-ups began — including a stint within the District's Bullfrog Bagels — to much local acclaim.

Taylor and her partner Casey Seo moved to Kingston in 2020, and Tsering relocated to the Mid-Hudson Valley in 2024. The business partners ventured into local catering and connected with Tubby's.

"We knew of Tubby's as a much-beloved local bar and music venue, but hadn’t been to a show there," Taylor said. "When I noticed their story on Instagram seeking a new kitchen program. I reached out explaining our concept, met Corey and Drew ... We called Dorje and showed him the space and he loved it. There was an instant connection where everything felt aligned, and we all wanted to move ahead."

The food?

Kingston Wire found the momos worthy of comparison to any we've had in the Chinatowns of New York City, with a fine balance of delicacy and substance, chewy not gluey, surrendering to the bite with a small tingle of juices and and spiced beef. We went back to check out other dishes but Tubby's was mobbed and Tsering and company were deep in the weeds attending to a long line of customers and, too soon, sold out. Damnit!

The momos and a creamy and comforting daal are the menu's staples — good winter food for our highland region. Other dishes are offered on a rotating, occasional basis. In D.C., that included coconut butter grilled king mushrooms with leeks and chives, marinated beef with green onion and ginger, amdo paley (traditional Tibetan bread similar to an English muffin) and a roadside pickle plate with star anise-pickled black grapes, chili radishes and miso poppy corn. Excuse us while we salivate.

Open for service at Tubby's Thursday through Saturday, 5-10 p.m., Dorjee's Momos will be offering vegetarian, vegan and gluten-free options. Daily menus posted here: https://order.toasttab.com/online/dorjee-momo-586-broadway