Plate Of The Day

Food Blog

Shang Hai Treats At Green Bo Restaurant NY Chinatown

Green Bo Restaurant
66 Bayard Street
New York, NY 10013
212 625 2359

I went out with some co-workers a few weekends ago for ShangHainese Food in New York’s Chinatown. Personally I have to say that it’s always hard to go to Chinatown after returning from China because you’re pretty much always let down. It’s just not as good. Once, after returning from Hong Kong, I could not venture out to have any congee for a whole month. It was a little different this time however because although I was just in ShangHai a few weeks ago, while I was there I was shockingly unsuccessful at locating any street vendors selling xiao long bao. Sure there were fast food places, but that’s crap. We walked 45 mins in the miserable rain and couldn’t locate any Xiao Long Bao vendors and then had to take a plane back to Beijing. I know…it was the worst food karma luck I’ve ever had. We had to settle for some large steamed baozi instead. Therefore as you can see, it was easy for me to try the Xiao Long Bao at Green Bo in NY since I really didn’t have anything to compare it to. And to add, the xiao long bao here are also less expensive than those at Shang Hai Cafe on Mott and Green Bo restaurant is much less crowded and touristy than Joe’s Shanghai .

Besides the Xiao Long Bao, we were also set up with some additional authentic and popular ShangHainese dishes thanks in part to my ShangHaiNese coworker Pavan. On the menu that morning was one of my favorite, Kao Fu 上海考夫 (see photo above), a dish made with braised gluten served in a sweet honey sauce and peanuts. I’ve never tried to make it but just found a recipe here - looks pretty basic. We also tried Bai Jiu Chicken which is made with a Chinese grain alcohol (think Everclear). Not too strong of a taste but the alcohol still packs a nice punch.

Overall I had a great time at Green Bo. The food is good and it’s not as touristy as the photos outside on the window will indicate. (Apparently this Green Bo restaurant in NY Chinatown, and this is so typical of Chinese businesses, has the same name as a very famous restaurant in ShangHai but of course does not have any official affiliation!). Nevertheless, check it out and enjoy!

China Train Travel - Hard Seater Class (Jinan to SuZhou) – It’s not such a pain in the ass afterall….

They say if you really want to experience a culture when traveling, travel like the locals. Take the local trains and buses, hike / backpack on the street, hop on a bike and just explore. That’s exactly what Gisa and I did (although not exactly planned) on our 9 hour train ride from Jinan to SuZhou. Thanks to new advanced train booking systems, you can now book train tickets 10 days in advance in China. This is great if you have the foresight in planning a trip. This absolutely sucks if you are a last minute traveler like me. So all Soft Sleeper (4 beds in a compartment), Hard Sleeper (6 bed in a compartment) and Soft Seater (larger comfortable seats) were all sold out. All that was left was the barebones Hard Seater class. I guess we should have considered ourselves lucky because there’s actually a class of travel that is even more hardcore than the Hard Seater class : the No Seat Class. Essentially this is a ticket to get you on the train but you basically have to fight for whatever horizontal surface you can sit on. I did this once with my friends many many years ago traveling 13 hours from DaTong to Beijing settling on a nice comfortable spot on the floor between the trains next to the WC!

Plate Of The Day To The Rescue!
Should you ever find yourself needing to take a Hard Seater or No Seater Class, here’s some necessary supplies we found extremely useful for the trip:

1. Fang Bian Mian or Instant Noodles – Hot water is readily available for free on the trains so you can make yourself a nice comfortable bowl of noodles whenever you like. The trick is getting through the mobs of people sitting on the floor next to the water machine.
2. Crackers – I’d recommend some good old Chinese digestive crackers to help you stomach the trip.
3. Sunflower Seeds – more for passing the time than for nutritional value. Also it’s bonus points for trying to blend in with the crowd. They are also great for sharing with your fellow travelers and can also be used in general bartering for other goods such as fruit, magazines, and newspapers (Spitting shells on the floor is optional)
4. Peanuts – Same concept as the sunflower seeds. Try to get the unshelled ones for added fun and entertainment. We couldn’t find any that day.
5. Packet of tissues – As you may or may not know, most public toilets in China don’t supply toilet paper. BYOTP yo!
6. Sanitary Wipes – upgrade for the above item. Also a great way to wash your hands since most public sinks don’t provide soap either.
7. Water for obvious reasons
Bonus Items
1. Chocolates
2. Beer (Blend in with the locals)
3. Bai Jiu (Chinese grain alcohol) – blend in with the locals, make friends, pass time, and prepare for a nasty hangover the next day.
4. Playing Cards – careful not to lose all your money to the locals
5. Ipod / MP3 player – the Kenny G soundtrack they loop on the trains gets rather annoying after 10 mins.
Most of the above you can buy from vendors on the train, but you never know. There is also a restaurant car on the train usually but this would involve leaving your valuables unattended so we didn’t get a chance to do this unfortunately. I’ve done this on the Beijing Shanghai ride and the food is awesome. There’s just something about watching the landscape speed by your dining table while chowing down on basic food.

In the end, we were both a little bit disappointed (yet relieved) that the train ride wasn’t as hard core as we had anticipated. I guess times have changed. Smoking was not allowed in the seating area of the train nor was there much spitting in the cars. There was also Air Conditioning and flat screen TVs showing the news and short comedy clips for most of the ride. What an upgrade from what I experienced 5 years ago on the trains! Well I guess it’s all in the name of progress. Every time I visit China I am astounded by how quickly things advance. Did you know that the high speed train that links ShangHai and Beijing features private cabins with your own individual bathroom, TV and high speed internet? They are also building a new high speed rail (300+ Km/hr) that will cut the travel time by half down from Beijing and Shanghai down to 6 hours to be completed by the time of the Olympics. Amazing isn’t it? It still takes me an hour+ to get from JFK to Manhattan on the A train!

Hui Guo Rou (Fatty Boiled Spicy Pork) Shan Hai Guan 山海关 Great Wall

Somewhere in ShanHaiGuan,China

During my visit to China this month, I took a side trip to Shan Hai Guan with my friend Gisa. Shan Hai Guan, located about 3 hours by train & bus from Beijing, is the city where the Great Wal of China meets the ocean. The name ShanHaiGuan literally means “Mountain and Sea Pass”. It’s a pretty awesome sight (depending on how you look at it - more on this later). One of the regional specialties in the area is Hui Guo Rou or “return to pot meat”. Which is I suppose part of the cooking process to gain the flavor of this dish that consists of fatty slices of pork and green peppers mixed in a spicy garlic sauce. Because it has been boiled and cooked for sometime, it’s not as fatty as you would imagine while supplying the added benefit of concentrating the flavor of the meat. It was amazing and would be perfect on a cold winter night with the fatty pork providing a great base in the stomach for those endless shots of Bai Jiu (Chinese grain alcohol).

Going back to the Great Wall at ShanHaiGuan. Be sure to visit the beach from the south side. Our cabbie dropped us off at the North end and it was a pretty sad environmental disaster. We saw overgrown algae (with a small stench), lots of trash and a dead dog. Yes a DEAD dog on the beach with flies!!! It was horrible! The South side of the beach however features clean white sand beaches and magnificent views of the reconstructed Great Wall. I’m slowly learning the ban fa (methodology) of China - if you can create the illusion on one side of the wall, just sweep/leave the dirt and trash on to the other side. What people can’t see won’t hurt them right? That was pretty crazy but almost not as crazy as some biscuits we discovered at a small shop in Bei Dai He (resort beach town 1 hour south of Shan Hai Guan - also the site of the Velodrome for the 2008 Beijing Olympics). On the packaging in Chinese it says Niu Rou Wei or Beef Flavored crackers! Who would have thought about that? Well, I did grow up with Chicken in a Biskit crackers as a kid and like them a lot so I guess Beef isn’t too crazy afterall. Anyways, I tried them out and actually they didn’t taste like beef at all. Just flavorless crackers. Too bad!

Tuk - Thai Restaurant and Cafe Beijing China

Phone: 8580 0568
Westside of Soho Town (next to Annie’s) Dawang Rd

When I lived in Beijing back in 2002, the only really good authentic non-Chinese restaurants were all near the embassies. Now a days you can get great non-Chinese food all over the city (but mostly in the ChaoYang district). Why would you want to eat non-Chinese in China? I’m not really sure but I guess sometimes you just want a variety or in most cases you have visiting friends who are picky eaters. For me, I was just really curious about checking out the new restaurants in the Beijing scene. So, my friend El-mar and I checked out newly opened Tuk, a Thai restaurant located near the SOHO Town towers in ChaoYang. They had a lunch special that included a salad, main course and drink for just 48RMB (a little less than $7 USD). I know that’s a bit pricey considering you can get about 2 or 3 main dishes at a run of the mill Chinese restaurant. Anyhow we sampled several dishes and they were all pretty well done. I particularly liked the green cury chicken and one of their salads that was made with fresh grapefruit with a spicy garlic sauce. Besides the Thai we also checked out a new Sushi Japanese Restaurant where you can get all you can eat for 80RMB ($11). It was ok, actually no it was not really good at all. I guess getting fresh fish in Beijing still isn’t that easy. The sashimi was obviously previously frozen and as a result quite tasteless. The only thing I liked on their menu was the California rolls where they used a lot of the Japanese Kewpie Mayo - YUM! So yes, my heart still burns for the local cuisine first and foremost. You know I wouldn’t go to Paris to have Mexican food right? Why go to China to have Italian? Fusion may be the answer. You figure some Wai Guo Ren come into Beijing with their own ethnic foods mix it up with the local dishes and BAM (as Emerald would say), the rest is history. Asian fusion restaurants are now coming onto the scene now so I am looking forward to trying out these type of restaurants soon.

Eating in China - 老北京

Back in Beijing this past week and enjoying some of the best Chinese food I’ve had in a long time. I have to admit that I’m also very impressed with the many recently opened western restaurants here in Beijing as well - which I’ll also be blogging about 当然! Every time I come back to this city it continues to blow my mind with its rapid modernization. For example Rem Koolhaas’s CCTV Tower is an incredible sight alongside the many other modern skyscrappers in Beijing. Down on the street level, the rapid 24/7 Chinese construction crews have also produced new clubs, bars and restaurants that are opening up for business every single day. Yes, the pollution continues to be a problem but for a city of 13 million plus it’s not as bad as I had imagined. New subway lines are being constructed in preparation for the olympics. As for all the brouhaha about Tibet, well let’s just say that I’ve spoken to many people here in Beijing who were in Tibet when it happened and it’s a much different picture from what the Western media is portraying. Turn off your TV!

Back to the food - This past week I’ve had a chance to sample a lot of the classics such Jiaozi (dumplings), Pai Huang Gua (pickled garlic cucumber), Yu Xiang Rou Si (spicy fish flavored pork), huo guo (Hot Pot), and of course niu rou la mian (hand pulled noodles with beef).

I’m going to be hitting the road to explore some cities outside of Beijing and will be sure to be blogging every memorable meal on the way!

My Feeble Attempts at Chicken Curry / Masala Recipe

I’ve always been fascinated by the complexities of cooking Indian food, and after tasting some really amazing authentic dishes at a coworker’s house party a few months ago, I suddenly got inspired to really dig in and learn how to do it on my own. Just over this past week, Michelle’s been advising/tasting/judging my attempts at Chicken Curry / Masala. Here’s her own recipe and some photos of my last attempt using just curry powder and no masala. (She got me a box of BadShah brand Masala so I’ll be trying that soon!) Also, just to quickly pass on an important lesson I recently learned: be sure to fully carmelize the onions (which I didn’t do as you can see in the photo below) in this recipe to get the full flavor!

Ingredients:
4-5 cloves
About 1 inch of cinnamon (crush it so that they are sticks and its not rolled up)
4-5 green peppercorns
1-2 Bay leaves if you have them.
1 large onion (chopped fine or pureed) (the amount of onion and tomato will decide how much gravy the dish has)
3-4 small green chillies or 2 jalapeno peppers, finely chopped.
2 tsp Ginger garlic paste (either pre-made or crushed/ground)
2 tomatoes (diced or pureed)
2 tsps chicken masala (not heaped)
About 6 chicken drumsticks or equivalent
Garnishing (coriander – optional)

Method:
Stove should be medium high. In about 4 tablespoons oil, fry all of Batch 1, In about a minute, you will smell the aromas, add the onion. Fry for 7-10 mins or until nearly brown. Add chilies and tomatoes – fry for another 7 mins. Add ginger garlic paste. Stir quickly cos this might stick. After one minute, add the chicken masala and stir for another 3-4 mins. At this point, taste the mixture, if you think you can want it more spicy – add more masala. Add the chicken and stir every 5 mins for the next 10 mins. Cover and lower the heat to low-medium flame. Add salt at this point – not much later.
Keep checking on it every 10 mins. Try and avoid adding water, as this dilutes the taste. The chicken should be cooked in about 30 mins.

Enjoy and thanks Michelle!

(Undrunk) Brunch at Scottadito Osteria Toscana Park Slope Brooklyn & Hot Dogs at House Dawgs

Scottadito Osteria Toscana
788a Union Street (between 6th & 7th ave)
718 636 4800
www.scottadito.com

Last weekend we had our 4th drunk brunch event over at Scottadito Osteria Toscana in Park Slope. Like the 3rd brunch event, this one was also planned in sync with a celebratory birthday but as it turned out the meal portion of our event was markedly a little less spontaneous and crazy. No ewok hoodies, hello kitty umbrellas, nor any do-rags. Even though we had just slightly more than ½ the number of attendees this time around, I don’t think the issue was the crowd. We had our usual silliness – Christian, a native from Florence, pointed out that one of the posters across from our table was saying in Italian that we were all sons of bitches. He then proceeded to give us a few lessons on the art of cursing in Italian. Thanks man, now I know how to say so many useful things that I probably shouldn’t say if I want to stay alive. I don’t think it was the food either. It was ok (all of our eggs benedicts were a little overcooked) but to be honest I don’t think anyone ever really cared about the food anyhow. That leaves the last major ingredient of the party which of course is the unlimited alcohol. At Scottadito Osteria Toscana, they offer unlimited mimosas and champagne with your brunch for $12. Call me crazy but I swear the mimosas got weaker and weaker over time. We all switched to champagne but it didn’t seem to do the trick. Finally we just left and walked to the nearest bodega to stock up on sparks and beer.

After party at Martha & Christian’s
We arrived at Martha and Christian’s at about 1pm and after unsuccessfully trying to get guitar hero to work on her PS2 we switched to Karaoke Revolution vols 1-3 and American Idol vol 1. Have you ever tried it? My friend, these games are pure amazing fun. With the combination of the sparks, beer and karaoke we finally ignited the party properly and before we knew it 5 hours quickly flew by. Although we were angry that none of the games had any Journey, we enjoyed some classic 80s tunes like Blondie’s Call Me, A-Ha’s Take On Me, Bowie’s Under Pressure, and the remake of Killing Me Softly.

Hot Dogs @ House Dawgs
351 5th Ave
718 832 2941

We then went out to a bar across the street but before we realized it the negative vibes at the bar sucked all the energy from us. Then, due to some High School level type drama which I don’t really want to get into, the party kind of disbanded. I ended up getting a hot dog from House Dawgs on 5th in the meantime. I tried the ‘Pedigree’ which is an all natural Niman ranch beef for just $3.23. The mustards they had on hand weren’t that spicy however. I heard the ‘Frankie’ was a good choice which includes bacon and caramelized onions on a rye roll.

In our hopes to dispel the drama of the night, the rest of us went back to Martha’s and watched a REALLY REALLY BAD Lindsay Lohan movie (but are there really any good ones?) called “I Know Who Killed Me”. Although the movie was so bad, we couldn’t help laughing at (and appreciating) Lindsay’s deep philosophical side when she said, “People get cut.” That’s life”. My lord, how appropriate in so many ways. I cut out of there around 11pm in the hopes of catching some sleep before running a 10k the next morning. I really need to plan these things better.

Super Brunch @ Supercore Williamsburg Brooklyn NY

305 Bedford Avenue (bet S 1st and S 2nd)
Williamsburg Brooklyn NY
718.302.1629

Hey - did you know that it’s already spring? March 20th was the official day of the Vernal Equinox! Based on the random mix of warm and cold days we’ve had in the past week in NY I know it’s been hard to tell. There was one sign of the start of the spring season that I could not help notice - the back yard space was open at Supercore! That is a great sign too because it now means you can enjoy Supercore’s music (live on Sundays), food, beer/cocktails, and free wireless from their nice relaxing outdoor space.

Much like the mix of music they play, Supercore dishes up a menu with a mix of Japanese and Western roots. Some would classify their food as Japanese Tapas but I’m not sure if I totally agree with this terminology. There are a lot of strictly western dishes, some strictly Japanese dishes and then dishes that feature the best of both worlds. Over the weekend, I checked out brunch with a friend and we tried out the crepes and their famous super omelette. On the menu, the crepes are all listed as dessert crepes but you can custom order and get a savory one with ham and cheese if you so desire. I got the salmon and cheese omelette which comes with a side of potatoes, salad and sliced baguette. The omelette is obscenely huge – I figure at least 6-8 eggs in this at least. I would call this more of a quiche even.

I can’t wait till spring is in full bloom this year so I take advantage of all the great outdoor spaces in Brooklyn. I’m already thinking about the outdoor parties at Water Taxi Beach and the street fairs down in DUMBO. No worries – I will of course be diligently blogging about all of them for you!

Crumbs Cupcakes New York

1371 Third Avenue @78th Street
New York
(Multiple Locations : www.crumbsbakeshop.com

Just a quick post for an awesome cupcake bakery in NY: Crumbs. We had our monthly birthday celebration at work last week and we had about 10 dozen Crumbs cupcakes set up for the office. So many creative varieties to choose from but my favorites were the blueberry (with real filling), Oreo Cupcake (with real oreo crumbs), red velvet (of course), classic strawberry buttercream, twinkie (just like the real deal), and key lime. Best to have a cup of coffee to help you wash down all the heavenly sweetness of these treats! Enjoy!

Las Vegas Restaurants - Late Night/Early Morning Food Specials - Palms Casino, Flamingo, Planet Hollywood

Planet Hollywood Casino Hotel
3667 Las Vegas Blvd South Las Vegas
Las Vegas

A few weeks ago I was out in Las Vegas for a work convention. Didn’t have the opportunity to try out any of the celebrity chef restaurants this time around. But I wanted to take a moment and point out some very peculiar discoveries about early morning food options in Vegas. I live in NY and at most diners you can get breakfast 24/7. In Vegas, it’s a little different and I don’t really know why.

23/7 McDonalds at Palms Casino
Yep, it’s open for 23 hours a day and closes from 5-6AM for who knows what reason. Me and my friends were completely devasted when we arrived at the 24th hour and got denied by McDonalds after winning a bundle at the craps table. I think it’s wrong McDonalds. WTF?? This is VEGAS no?

Chicken & Waffle at Planet Hollywood Casino
So after getting denied at McDonalds at 5AM, we went over to Planet Dailies Cafe at the Planet Hollywood Casino for some breakfast. We were told however that the breakfast menu wouldn’t be available until 6AM. WTF?? After making a big fuss over it, the waiter gave in and gave us a second smaller menu that thankfully included the Chicken and Waffle dish. I got a plate of this and it was pretty good although it took 30 mins to arrive (which by then the normal breakfast options were available) and the chicken was a little on the dry side. At 6AM however, it did the job. Oh and it’s called Chicken and Waffle because they only give you one waffle unlike the normal 2 or 3 you’d get uptown in Harlem NY. Funny isn’t it?

24/7 $8.99 Steak and Eggs Hilton Main Diner at Hilton Flamingo Casino
This is more like Vegas - steak and egss at any hour. It’s more of a locals secret that I learned a few years ago and I don’t think it’s even advertised on the menu. Just to warn you however, you get what you pay for. I asked for medium rare and they gave me more like medium-well done. It was ultra charred and the carbon flakes are not such a great combo with your egg yolks. Anyhow maybe that was just a one off situation for me. Check it out. At least you’ll look cool ordering off the menu.

Good luck and as my friend Martin says, always bet on black.