Monday, February 18, 2008

Queens Night Scene

Queens probably offers the ultimate NY experience. They say you go to Queens for the best ethnic food. It’s probably true. After spicing up our stomach with Sripraphai’s Thai food, we roamed around Woodside to find a bar. Prior to the dinner, our friends walked into a sport bar. They said everyone in the bar stopped doing what they were doing and gave them a you-don’t-belong-here look. Ok, not every place is welcoming. It was cold out. The town is pretty slow after 10pm. We decided to try one disco/night club type of place. After passing the security guy who examined male guests body for ‘dangerous objects,’ we were asked to check in our coats. The place was nearly empty. The dance floor was lit in color and the smoker regularly jet off the smog. Same as the first bar, the waitress was not familiar with taking orders in English.

As we tried focusing ourselves in conversation, we noticed ladies dressed up in mini skirts and shiny top. At first, I thought it was just the night style in Queens. One after another, ladies came in wearing a long coast walk straight to the restroom and came out in the sexy attire. It seemed like more and more new ladies came out of the restroom. It took me a while to see the system there. Eventually there were about 20 ladies, most of whom seemed a little too old and unfit to dress up like that. I for one have no-so-fit tummy. But I’ve got no guts to expose the bump(s) in a tight dress or skinny t-shirts. They weren’t even having a drink. Just water. Maybe semi-prostitute, maybe they were paid to entertain and attract male customers. At any rate, it was a very strange scene.

Sripraphai 2

I went back to Sripraphai in Woodside with a group of six. As I wrote about this restaurant in the past, this is a hardcore Thai food place. The wait is long here but the large space serves tables quickly. You get a number, which will be announced on the light board outside. Since it was quite cold and expecting an hour wait, we tucked into a bar next door: A totally mesmerizing environment with fake flowers and valentine decorations hanging from the ceiling. The waitress didn’t even speak much English. Within 20 minutes, our number appeared on the board.

(Below: Pork Chili)
We ordered: Duck Salad, Crispy Chinese Watercress Salad, Minced Pork with Chili and Lime. The watercress salad was my new favorite. Although every review recommended the duck salad, it was not that popular on my table. The minced pork was mainly for my boyfriend who love heat like nobody. Good Start.

(Below: Drunken Noodle)
(Below: Steamed Fish - Trout Fillet)
(Below: Penang Curry)
Then all 6 main dishes lined up on the table. Green Curry (much hotter than other places but really light and flavorful), Drunken Noodle (I personally loved this), Panang Curry (as really spicy as it was, this curry was so rich and similar to Indian food. One of the most popular dishes of the night), Steamed Fish with Ginger and Scallion Sauce (We were too full to finish this dish but very good. No heat at all and light), Mixed Vegetable in Oyster Sauce (I’d recommend this to anyone. Simple yet great compliment to spicy, rich dishes), Crispy Pork in Chili (most of us were too full when this dish appeared). All these food for $22/person. Incredible.

Bridal Shower

I went to a bridal shower for the first time in my life. I didn’t event know what it was all about. Obviously, there’s no theme like lingerie party or anything. So I assumed it would be somehow low-key, held at a restaurant in a charming town in NJ. It turned out to be a HUGE shower, inviting over 100 guests. I can’t even imagine the scale of their wedding…. A huge banquette room decorated with lovely red roses was full of her friends and mainly family.
Nor sure why the shower involves games so much. Perhaps an American thing? Anyways, there were three games. Quiz about the bride and broom. Crossword puzzle about them as well, which was very well made. And bingo, guessing what gifts she would get.

I was wondering if she would actually open all gifts. Yes, she did, thanking each one of the senders. The volume of gifts completely blew my mind. If I got married right now, we wouldn’t even have a space in our tiny apartment kitchen to store all the gadgets. And as a tradition, she wore a hat made of ribbons from the gifts.
It was very good experience.

Roast Chicken

We once in a while get a whole chicken and roast it on a weekend, aiming to bring pieces for lunch the following week. But letting the juicy chicken stay on the counter and get cold is almost a sin, so we usually eat the out-of-oven chicken for the evening meal and use leftovers for the lunch. Our usual recipe is to rub fresh herbs and stuff with herb, garlic and lemon. This time, we made herb butter and rubbed all over chicken before roasting. I didn’t see a major difference from the standard recipe but it was very aromatic for sure. The side is roasted fennel roots, which I loved when my friend who used to live in France served at her home party. It was supposed to be simple but nothing like what she made.

Steak Time

My boyfriend, ex-8yr-vegetarian, loves steak. When I get home late, he almost always cooks steak for himself. While I worry about his health, I indulge myself in his super carnivore pleasure. You can’t go wrong with skirt steak. Easy to cook and tender. But this one time, the dish was superb. Perfectly cooked steak (I hate too chewy) and the sides of grilled asparagus and rosemary potato brought us a French bistro dining experience.