Chinese New Year, Jersey style

My friend Rosie celebrates Chinese New Year every year. Friends from all corners of New Jersey, NY and I think even Connecticut show up with a bottle of something something and wearing the one costume requirement: RED. It's a fete in rouge. We order Chinese, that's right order out. It's a hoot. Sweet riblets, dim sum, pot stickers, beef sticks for starters. Then a cornucopia of American Chinese food. The obligatory beef and broccoli, moo shu pork, Kung Pao chicken, garlic shrimp, General Tsos chicken, chicken fried rice, pork fried rice, vegetable rice, lo mein, chow fun. It's a soy fest! I head home overwhelmed with sulfites and drink about a gallon of water. It's a sweet way to bring in the new year ala Chinois. Only as I'm leaving do we realize not one of the guests is Asian.

Valentine's Day is meant for food, right?

A cold Valentines day. I drive into the city to keep a date with my girlfriend Julie. We have an ongoing pact, if not involved with an amour we dine together as only high powered women with a love for exceptional food can. Last year we dined at the Mandarin and allowed a guy to tag alongw ith us. He was doomed the poor sot. I don't recall his name, nor even what he looked like. But he was a self proclaimed millionaire who professed a love for exotic women. Even by high school standards he was cheap - we paid for dinner. Afterwards we danced at the club atop the Essex. I should say Julie and I danced, the guy - let's call him Moe - watched.

So this year Julie and I plan a redux of Valentines day, sans millionaire. We pop into the China Club - packed. We grab a drink hoping the guy to my right gets stood up so we can have 2 seats at the bar. No such luck, she shows - a leggy blonde who appears to be dating down. We can only imagine how much she's going to milk the guy for the honor of a date on Valentines day.

We're sipping our cocktails - a vodka infused ditty, planning our next move when a a man approaches. He's got a great smile, capably chat with both of us and then invites us to share dinner. His name is Johnnie and if there's one thing my chica and I are, it's game. So we pop into his Cadillac CTS and head to the East Village. We slip into a tiny little Italian joint with more wait staff than patrons. We order the Lobster Fra Diavolo, Pasta Carbonara and polish off several bottles of Prosecco. Of course dessert is a must so we order a chocolate torte.

Johnnie looks like he's in the midst of a beautiful dream, all the while smiling. Julie and I are replete, having just reminded ourselves that Valentine's Day is all about food.

Best Meal of 2010, So Far

Good friend Julie is in town from Sweden. As with many of my friends, food plays a primary role in determining our activities. First to 230 5th for cocktails. Quite easily one of the most gorgeous spots in NY for drinks al fresco. But it's 20 degrees with a brisk wind. Most of the southeastern corrider has just been pummeled with some 2 - 3 feet of snow, and Julie just left Sweden for God's sake. So indoors to 230 5th to chat with Steven Greenberg, owner of 230 5th and collaborator with renowned Ian Schrager. A few dirty martinis later accompanied by shrimp chips and we're off to dinner.

She's craving some hip Chino Latino fare so Sushi Samba we hit. But first we hit the smoke shop on Christopher for a dozen packs of Nat Shermans. Julie's mad about them, as are her Swedish pals. Yes, guilty as charged for introducing her to the devilish delights. Sushi Samba's hopping so we sit at the sushi bar, jackets and bags crammed under our feet. Note to management: put handbag hooks in front of ALL the stools, not just the corners.

We start with crispy Yellowtail Taquitos drizzled with spicy Peruvian foam. Scrumptious! Tiny Manila clams floating in hot miso soup helps warm our hands and bellies. Then 4 impeccable slices of yellowtail sashimi soaking in a jalapeno lemongrass bath hold us over till the main course. The deepfried red snapper is impressively semi-deboned, butterflied and set adrift in a sea of sweetly mild red curry coconut milk. Sticky sweet rice topped with crunchy slivers of black confetti, of which I can not identify.

Pale yellow Passionfruit lechi martinis accompany the food but don't slake our ever present thirst for dessert. So Jules orders Mochi - childishly colored icecream filled cakes that she adores. I've been eating all day and it's way past 10, still I'm feeling extragavant so opt for the Valrhona chocolate fondue. And yes, it's as obscene as it sounds. Shot glasses of blackberries, strawberries (pale and tasteless, unfortunatley), diced pineapple, coconut marshmallows, passionfruit cake, rice crispy balls and green tea sorbet await a plunge in the dark fondue. The blackberries and green tea were by far the winners. The rice crispy balls were so hard, my molars could barely crunch through them. I fear dental chippage and the subsequent lawsuit might ensue with that offering. Note: this dessert is a steal at $6.00. Can't go wrong here.


In all, the best meal of 2010. Luckily it's only February.