September 2004
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Month September 2004

Entries 3 Total

Jing Fong

Sep 9, ’04

20 Elizabeth Street between Canal and Bayard
212/964.5256
about $60 for two, without drinks, without tip
♥ ♥

You can’t miss Jing Fong with its shopping mall-style escalators. Sunday is the best day to go for dim sum to experience just one Chinese tradition in the middle of Elizabeth Street. There’s a lady at the bottom of the escalators who screams into a microphone to call out people’s parties. Upstairs is like a madhouse bingo hall. A true red and gold banquet awaits guests and round tables are shared with strangers. Waiters push rolling food carts around so you can stop them and peek at the small dim sum dishes. A lot of them don’t speak English; they just tell you the Chinese word for a dish over and over, hoping you’d back down and stop asking.

My only advice is to try whatever looks interesting and skip the mixed fried rice you usually end up getting from a Chinese takeout. I never know the names of my favorite dishes but I go for a lot of shumais and dumplings when I’m with friends who just want the familiar, or else I go for chicken feet and snails when I’m with dim sum regulars. There is also a long table up front so you can pick other hot dishes not available in the rolling carts. If you feel more comfortable ordering from an English menu, they have it available for dishes served in larger portions.

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Hanbat

Sep 9, ’04

53 West 35th Street between Fifth and Sixth
212/629.5588
about $30 for two, with two drinks, without tip
♥ ♥ ♥

If you tell any New Yorker Korean that you like Hanbat, they’ll tell you that it’s “peasant food” because their vegetables are traditionally from the mountains of Korea. I love the bibimbap, or mixed meal, which is a large bowl of rice topped with different kinds of root vegetables, shredded beef and fried egg, all brought together with gochujang or chili pepper paste. It can be served either hot or cold. I prefer it hot because I love watching the egg cook on top of the newly-cooked rice. My tongue burns every time I try to eat the first few spoonfuls but I can’t help myself from digging in.

Peasant food has never been this good.

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Lure Fish and Raw Bar

Sep 8, ’04

142 Mercer Street on Prince
212/431.7676
about $150 for two, with two drinks, with tip
♥ ♥ ♥

There are nights in New York City when you become thankful for the people you know. I was very thankful this one summer night when the manager and sommelier of Lure invited a friend of mine to a menu tasting before their grand opening. I was even more thankful when my friend asked me to tag along. Lure is the latest restaurant to occupy the coveted space under the Prada store in SoHo, replacing the mediocre, orange-themed Canteen.

The yacht setting of the restaurant is new and very sleek, even people peeked and waved at us through the portholes from street-level. There are intimate booths with white leather seats and less private tables for smaller groups. The floor is immaculately shiny to mimic a ship’s deck. In the back is the raw and shellfish bar with the freshest sea creatures waiting to be eaten. The design of the space is so well done that even if you do not like maritime decor, you’ll fall in love with Lure. Separate rooms are available to rent if you want to throw a private party.

With a bottle of Burgundy, we had the following:

1. Arctic Char, Trout Roe, Creamy Horseradish and Dill

2. Coho Salmon, Pickled Japanese Cucumbers and Basil-Soy Tea
3. Toro, Fresh Wasabi and Black Olive Oil

4. Sea Scallops, Grated Scallion, Radish and Ginger Marinade

5. Black Sea Bass, Plum Wine Vinegar Gelee, Julienned Ginger and Jicama
6. Fluke, Cherry Tomatoes, Shallot

7. Yellowfin Tuna, Pickled Chilis, Olive Oil Brulee

8. six pieces of Blue Point Oysters
9. six pieces of Malpeque Oysters
10. Clam Chowder with Smoked Bacon
11. Grilled Swordfish, Soy-Ginger Marinade, Tomato Salad

12. Steamed Black Cod, Sake, Miso, Mushrooms

13. Crab Cakes with Mango, Yuzu and Fennel
14. Tempura Shrimp, Preserved Blackbean Mayonnaise and Lime
15. Peach Crisp
16. Warm Chocolate Cake

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