In an incredible turn of events, I had a PressToast sandwich for dinner tonight!
That's right, thanks to the incredible demand (even from Jesse on the West Coast), the new Creperie that replaced PressToast now serves PressToast classics like the Chicken Avocado and House Special. And you can get a Nutella crepe for dessert. They raised the prices ($6 vs. $4), but the taste was just as good as I remembered it.
"Chicken Lo Mein no vegetables with Egg Drop Soup please."
That was my (boring) order for lunch a couple of days ago at a Chinese restaurant near my house. And before I had broken my chopsticks, a bowl of piping-hot Egg Drop Soup was sitting directly in front of me. Wonderful. But wait, before I could take a second spoonful, a plate of steaming Chicken Lo Mein was sitting right behind my soup. A little troubling. Now I couldn't believe it, as I was half-way done with the soup, I saw the check (with fortune cookie) on the table just beyond my reach. Efficient yes, but proper?
On the plus side, of course, it reminded me of what eating at a restaurant had been like in China! Believe it or not, this experience was a step up in some ways (they left me alone once everything had arrived; on the other hand the food was far worse). Here's a list of some typical experiences/observations:
1. Sit down at a table and get handed a book-like (20 pages) menu. Hope that there are pictures. Have waiter hover over you while you look through every page and debate different options with your friends or yourself. This may take up to five minutes, but the waiter will NOT move. Order.
2. Whichever dish is ready first will come out first. At one (delicious) Peking Duck restaurant, we ordered something like two ducks, two other meat dishes, three vegetable dishes, and one dessert plate. What do you think came first? But if this happens, just tell them to put the dessert aside and they will leave the plate on the bar behind you so you can keep a close eye on it throughout your meal.
3. When it's time to pay, it's really time to pay. Because when that waiter comes over with the check, he's not going anywhere until it's all paid up. There's no leaving the money and saying "xiexie" on your way out the door. And yes, he will wait for you to discuss exactly how to split the check for as long as it takes. And no, he will not receive a tip.
I finally broke down and bought some Lay's Stax Crispy Roasted Chicken Flavor potato chips. And they're actually sort of good. Not, I'll go out of my way to get them good, but they are I will eat them and not throw them away good. However, the Crispy Roasted Chicken Flavor only begins to scratch the surface of the flavored chips market here. There's Fried Prawn (which might be tasty...), Mexican Tomato Chicken, and many more. I'll let you know if I try them. The Chinese have some weird tastes.
In your world, it's almost midnight. In my world it's almost noon. Think of the possibilities.
Last night I tried really hard to find some General Tso's Chicken, but I had to settle for (delicious) Imperial Manchurian food instead. Today, the search for Sweet and Sour Pork!
I chose the restaurant for my going away lunch (don't worry I still have 3 more weeks) and it was a rousing success. This is really all I ask for in life. That and a well-paying job that I enjoy which is based in New York, but has fun business travel locations. Any suggestions?
The restaurant in question was the midtown branch of:
Gyu-Kaku [34 Cooper Sq. (bet. Astor Pl. and 4th St.) 212-475-2989]
A great place for groups, but also somewhere you could dine alone, this outpost of the Gyu-Kaku chain has some of the most delicious BBQ south of 32nd street. The menu has a lot of options for what you can throw on the grill (you have to cook it yourself), but I would recommend sticking mostly to the beef. The best option, of course, is anything Kobe. We had the Kobe Kalbi and it was simply fantastic. Almost as good however, and much cheaper, was the Harami, marinated skirt steak. A third good beef option is the regular Kalbi. Be careful when you are ordering because each portion is not that big and the tally does add up. It's worth it though. And if you can get there early or late, they have happy hour pricing on one meat each day Monday-Thursday.
