A free lunch really does exist, and I was walking the streets of Flushing, Queens recently, trying to hand it out. But I was having trouble finding any takers.

Allow me to explain. For our Friday series, Lunch at the End of the Line, I’m planning to ride one of the MTA subway trains to an unfamiliar stop and then offer to take a stranger to his or her favorite restaurant. As long as the place they have in mind is within walking distance of the train station and I, a longtime vegetarian, won’t go hungry there, I’ll pay for my lunch and up to ten dollars toward theirs.

But the good people off the Flushing-Main Street stop of the 7 train seemed skeptical. They were full of restaurant suggestions (including Szechwan Garden, a purportedly great place for spicy pork, and Nan Xiang, an excellent dumpling joint that I’ve actually been to before), but when I asked if they would accompany me, they began to avoid my eyes and find excuses.

Qian Qian Hu, who worked in the Mercury home goods store, was no exception (“Must work very hard,” she insisted), but short of accepting the free lunch, she was entirely willing to help. In a flurry of Post-It Notes, she wrote down her favorite lunch spot and its full address in both English and Chinese characters, despite the fact that it was less than two blocks away. She also wrote down the name of her favorite dish, Salted Fish and Eggplant Casserole. “My favorite, her favorite, her favorite,” she said nodding sharply at her co-workers. “Everybody’s favorite.” Her thoroughness impressed me, and I’m a Post-It Note fan myself. I decided to give it a try.

Dong Hu (which apparently translates into English as “The New Imperial Palace Seafood Restaurant”) was not much to look at from the outside. But hidden behind a decorative screen and the front counter, where they were doing a brisk takeout business, was a white-table-clothed and waiters-in-vests kind of place full of Chinese ladies who lunch. The waiter looked a little befuddled by my vegetarian request, but pointed me toward a couple of Chef Specials. I was intrigued by the Bamboo Fungus with Portobello Caps, but the waiter insisted (in a curious accent that sounded as if he’d been taught English by Rocky Balboa), that the Naipon Root and Mixed Mushrooms in Oyster Sauce was the way to go.

I’ll admit I was a little doubtful when the dish arrived. It had a scary shades-of-pale color scheme going on and a gelatinous sauce. Also, it looked like a very worn bed sheet had been cut apart and thrown in. But it had a nice blend of subtle savory flavors and even the bed sheet had a unique mushroomy texture that made me think I might have gotten the bamboo fungus after all. The waiter (“Yo Adriaaaaan…) told me that it was, in fact, a kind of bean curd. And I call myself a tofu fan…

After I finished my meal, I returned with a takeout order of Salted Fish and Eggplant Casserole for my Post-It Note friend, causing her to blush and decide beyond a reasonable doubt that I really was crazy. But next week I’ll be at it again, with the goal of getting someone to actually sit down at the table with me.

The New Imperial Palace Seafood Restaurant. 137-10 37^th Ave, Flushing, Queens. (718) 939-3501

Want me to take you to lunch? Send your End of the Line suggestions to Submissions@Pitchknives.com.