Chinese Cuisines
Our Favorite Chinese Joints To Celebrate the Lunar New Year
One of the most exciting aspects of living in New York is having access to cuisines from all over the world, from Austrian, Polish and Uzbeki fare to Pakistani, Malaysian and Guyanese. But probably the thing we’re best known for (besides having great pizza, hot dogs and bagels that is), is being a mecca of amazing, regional Chinese food. So whether you’re looking to celebrate the Chinese New Year this Friday (or are merely in search of top notch dumplings and noodles), we’ve got a terrific list of don’t-miss places for you…
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“Maple’s” Mark Cocktail
Sugar is a standard ingredient in cocktails. But now that it’s fall, why not swap out the white stuff for the more nuanced sweetness of maple syrup? It lends body, aroma, and an appealing amber color to almost any drink, along with autumnal flavors like caramel, wood smoke and spice. We’ve highlighted those delightful qualities even further in this indulgent cocktail recipe, with a dash of Vermont Maple Liquor (ask your local store to get it in stock), a hint of nutty Frangelico, and a healthy pour of toasty Maker’s Mark!
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Our Favorite New Fall Cocktails
Okay, so summer is a season better known for its cocktails (the likes of mojitos and daiquiris), but the flavors of fall lend themselves equally well to standout libations, like cinnamon-scented Negronis, maple syrup sweetened Sazeracs, or Brandy infused with fragrant pears or apples.
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Q & A with RedFarm’s Ed Schoenfeld
How does a local, Brooklyn boy, and a Jewish one at that, become a Chinese food expert? Add successful restaurateur and ask the incomparable Ed Schoenfeld, who is currently orchestrating the build out of three exciting restaurants alongside partner, Zach Chodorow. There’s the under-renovations RedFarm in the West Village, his top-rated, modern Chinese eatery that’s expanding to meet a growing demand. There’s Decoy, a Peking Duck spot and cocktail lounge just downstairs, currently operating as a 28-day, pop-up Steakhouse. And then, there’s the spacious new RedFarm on the Upper West Side, which will serve restaurant signatures, like Pastrami Egg Rolls and sculptural Chicken Salad, although Chef Joe Ng’s famous Pac-Man Dumplings will probably be replaced by a new, Hello Kitty version. “The way things have worked out, fortunately or unfortunately, is that everything is coming down at the same time,” Schoenfeld shrugs. “Red Farm UWS took longer and Decoy is coming together quicker, so we’re just rolling with the punches.”
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Restaurant Openings to Look Forward to in 2013
For food writers, each year generally ends with a flurry of restaurant “Best Of” listicles, chronicling the highs and lows of eateries both old and new. But as soon as the calendar reads January 2nd, we hit the reset button, turning our attention towards a brand new crop of impending openings. From Michael White’s eagerly anticipated double header in Manhattan (The Butterfly and Ristorante Morini), to Andy Ricker’s continued expansion of his Pok Pok empire in Brooklyn (Whiskey Soda Lounge), it’s already shaping up to be a banner year for the New York restaurant scene. And who knows? A few of them just might make our “Best Of” lists at the close of 2013.
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Peking Duck House
If you’re an aficionado of Peking Duck, this Chinatown joint is a rite of passage. The gargantuan menu features regional cooking of Shanghai, Szechuan and Peking and there’s plenty worth trying. Their signature dish happens to be a flawless rendition. (Dare we say it’s one of the best in the city?!)
Read MoreWakiya
The dressed-up Chinese at Wakiya gets lost in translation. 2 Lexington Ave., at 21st St. (Gramercy Park Hotel) (212) 995-1330 Dinner: Mon.-Sat., 5:45 p.m.-11 p.m, Sunday, 5:45 p.m.-10 p.m. Cuisine: Contemporary regional Chinese Vibe: Moody Asian den Occasion: Swanky night out Don’t Miss Dish: Shanghai soup dumplings Drink Specialty: Cucumber martini Price: Appetizers, $6-$34; Entrees, $13-$38; Desserts, $9-$14. Reservations: Highly recommended Designer-clad servers amble down a red carpet that streams through Wakiya’s glossy dining room, flourished with floor-to-ceiling red tassels and dark wood tables. “It’slike a catwalk,” Richie Notar, a managing partner of both Wakiya and Nobu restaurants, enthusiastically notes over the phone. “Women love it.” On one visit, I spied Anna Wintour dining front row center. I nearly expected she might pull out a pad and jot down her impressions of Wakiya’s fall food collection. As fashionable as...
Read MoreChinatown Brasserie
380 Lafayette (at Great Jones St.) New York, NY 10003 (212)533-7000 Chinatown Brasserie TYPE: Cantonese-style Chinese VIBE: China chic OCCASION: Any – Besides, dim sum’s the new brunch GO WITH: A date or a group (Chinese is Chinese for sharing) DON’T MISS DISH: Mushroom dumplings with sweet corn DON’T BOTHER DISH: Ginger Dragon cocktail PRICE: $35 & up (Dim sum is less expensive) HOURS: Monday-Friday, lunch 11 AM-5 PM, Dinner 5 PM-1 AM Saturday & Sunday, dim sum, 10 AM-5 PM, dinner 5 PM-1 AM INSIDE SCOOP: Dining lounge open until 2 AM every night RESTAURANT GIRL RATES (1-10): 7 FINAL WORD: Chinese that’s too damn good for a take-out box Nothing like Chinatown, this dramatically vibrant space possesses more opulence than all of the gritty Canal Street haunts stacked together. Set in a generous space (formerly Time Cafe),...
Read MoreMr. Chow – Tribeca
Mr. Chow Tribeca 121 Hudson Street (at North Moore) (212)965-9500 VIBE: Downtown Swank OCCASION: Stargazing GO WITH: A group – Dishes served family style DON’T MISS DISH: Signature Chicken Satay DON’T BOTHER DISH: Beijing Duck PRICE: $ 60 & up (But 10% cheaper than midtown outpost) INSIDE SCOOP: Pricey takeout before 7 pm HOURS: Monday-Sunday, 6-11:30 PM RESTAURANT GIRL RATES (1-10): 5 FINAL WORD: Go for the show, stay for the satay There’s no place like Tribeca for Mr. Chow, the culinary wizard who has managed to open gourmet doors around the world to Chinese food, once not even considered haute cuisine by the dining elite. Having always attracted a fabulous downtown artsy crowd to his 57th street flagship for nearly three decades (from Andy Warhol to Puff Daddy), it would have seemed like a no-brainer to set up...
Read MorePhilippe
Hot on the trail of the opening of Mr. Chow’s Tribeca outpost (I’m still mourning the loss of Danny Meyers and Abrams’ underrated sleeper of an offspring — Pace) comes Philippe, a Chow spinoff from the former executive chef of Mr. Chow, coincidentally also named Mr. Chow (Philippe is his first name). Just as Madonna, Beyonce and Cher once shed their last names in the wake of newfound fame, Philippe has outed himself as a celebrity chef and branded himself the king of Chinese haute cuisine, leaving his sur name behind. From the signage to the dishes, practically everything in this minimalist two-story House of Philippe proudly wears the name of its owner. In the past year, droves of celebrity chefs have been getting bad raps for being...
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