Peking Duck House

Last month we celebrated my friend Khin's (aka one of my sexiest gf) birthday at Peking Duck House. She was in the mood for Peking duck so she asked me which restaurant I recommend for some good Peking duck. Honestly, I don't think I ever had good Peking duck in New York before because all of them (expensive or cheap) taste the same. It's either with the bun or the pancake (usually the expensive ones are w/ the pancake and cheaper one w/ the buns-I personally like the pancake). Most of the time we order Peking duck from the banquet style Chinese restaurant or at the Chinese buffet. They all taste like regular roasted duck with out the bones and with extra stuff. Once in a while, Andy and I would even have cheap peking duck ($15 for 1/2 duck) for lunch at Chinatown and it taste just like those. So when Khin ask me where to go, I asked her if she's willing to pay more or less for duck. She suggested Peking Duck House since it was suppose to be their "specialty" but I was skeptical about it but I said sure why not!

So what should REAL Peking duck be like? Well it should have thin, crispy skin, with authentic versions of the dish serving mostly the skin and little meat, sliced in front of the diners by the cook. I remember seeing an Iron Chef episode of battle duck, Ming Tsai (against Bobby Flay) prepared a Peking duck the traditional way by separating the skin from the fat by blowing air in the area between them and then baked it. He used a air compressor to do this, before electrical air compressors chefs use to use bicycle pumps and before that they used a wooden straw to blow air into the duck. It was so fascinating seeing him prepare this dish and the most impressive part was he made it within an hour. At the end, he won the iron chef for battle duck.

Okay let see what kind of Peking duck we got from Peking Duck House...

We ordered the banquet menu and added a duck so we had 3 ducks! The banquet menu for 10 people ($280.00) included:

Soup:Hot & Sour Soup
It was way tooo salty. It was the worst hot and sour soup I've ever tasted.
Appetizers:
Shrimp Ball, Spare Ribs with Honey
Nothing special with any of them, the ribs tasted really funky.

Entrees:
Peking Duck (2) + (1)
-crispy skin = yes
-serving mostly the skin and little meat = yes
-sliced in front of the diners by the cook = NO!
I think we totally got riped off of the whole Peking Duck experience because they were slicing it somewhere in the back corner. They ended up bring the tray of the individual wrapped up duck. All of us was expecting to see the cook slice the duck and prepare it in front of us but we were all disappointed. I guess they were so busy they didn't care for the presentation of preparing the dish for us and just wanted to serve it ASAP. Overall the duck tasted good, the skin was quite crispy and meat was juicy so I can't complain too much.

The sauce we used for the different dishes we had:
hosin sauce, duck sauce, muster, hot chilli sauce

Sauteed Prawns w. Ginger & Scallions:
**oops-sorry no pic, imagine prawns saute ginger and scallion**
-it wasn't memorable

Beef Broccoli-
Nothing good or special about this dish, tasted very saucy like any other Chinese take out place.

Crispy Seabass-
I guess since we had more then 10 people they gave us an extra fish dish which was very good! It was topped with sweet and sour sauce and the seabass skin was very crispy. Very tasty, I liked it! Finally something that I liked....

Chicken with Orange Flavor:
I also like this dish, the orange flavor tasted really good and it wasn't too sweet.

Crispy String Beans with Minced Pork
**oops-sorry no pic, imagine string beans w/ some minced pork!**
-it wasn't memorable

Fried Rice-
it was good, tasted like what it should be....nothing special

Dessert: Fried Banana with Walnuts
a little piece of banana fried w/ a little walnut on top. It wasn't satisfying...

Thank goodness we brought our own desert, ube cake:

Ube (or ubi) is the Filipino word for purple yam. It contains pigments that gives its violet color. Isn't it so pretty! It taste like cake with alot of yam favors covered with vanilla icing and bits of yams in the middle. It was my first time trying this cake and it was very yummi. My experience at the Peking Duck house was as expected disappointing. It was exactly what I thought it would be, high priced Chinese food that shouldn't be that expensive. Each of us ended up paying around $50 bucks. I think I might come back just for the duck but not for the other food and especially not for the banquet style menu. Next time I'm taking Khin to eat the cheaper kind and see what she thinks....

Happy Birthday Khin <3
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Peking Duck House
28 Mott St
New York, NY 10013
(212) 227-1810

11th Annual Chocolate Show-Review and Chocolate Porn!

Chocolate, chocolate, chocolate!!! I was so chocolated out but it was a very fun experience at the chocolate show. We got to sample many types of chocolate in different favors, shapes and form, did some shopping, attended a few demonstrations by celebrity chefs which I thought was the best part of the chocolate show and we spotted a celebrity within the crowd. Here are the pics...sorry took so long to post them:

Pier 94: the place was huge and roomy, throughout the day I didn't feel that it was packed or crowded at all. We went around 11am because we were afraid there would be lines and ton of people but we walked right in w/ no problem. People started to come later on the day and there were long lines esp. the bathroom!

Virginie Duroc-Danner; Artiste Chcolatiere: These were one of my favorite pick from the show! Can you guess why I like them? They are freaken adorable! I love all the little details and shapes of the chocolate.


It also came w/ cute and pretty boxes:


Chocolate syrup: dark milk, caramel, white chocolate...


Mary's flower chocolate from Japan. These were filled with ganache blending cream and chocolate together. The chefs demonstrated their skills on painting a flower on each individual chocolate.


a very cool looking budda chocolate:

check out the christmas theme chocolate cards/pictures! great Christmas gift for chocolate lovers:


One of the outfits from the fashion show, the theme was superheroes. Yes, this outfit is made w/ chocolate! I heard from a chef, some parts of the chocolate outfit actually melted off the models while they were walking down the runway!


Celebrity sighting: Lisa Loeb! Thanks to Cecille for recognizing her and to Andy for helping us stalk her and had the courage to go up to her and ask if she's Lisa Loeb! lol =X

Keegan Gerhard, the emcee from Food Network Challenge. He was also the emcee for the chocolate demonstrations:



Jansen Chan from the restaurant Oceana. He was cooking his desert w/ Grand Marnier:


he made this and we all got to sample it:


Zac Young from the restaurant Butter. He was a fun presenter who cracked alot of jokes. He made a frozen white chocolate soufflé w/ Valrhona chocolate.


Frozen white chocolate soufflé:
this is the sample that his interns made for him show as the final product in which Andy shameless asked at the end if he can have! As you can tell by the picture above, the chef obviously said yes! It tasted much better then the sample we had, it was soooo good! We got to keep the cup too! yay..



The sample he gave out to the audience was a bit too salty. He likes to add salts to his sweets.


more chocolate porn.....

emergency chocolate bar cards w/ fun and interesting message on the box:

Bochox:
For relief from the symptoms of wrinkles and crow's feet.

Warning-May cause weight gain if used incorrectly

Directions: Simply break off the desired dosage and consume. You should quickly be overcome by stress-relieving endorphins and no longer conerned in the slightest about your wrinkles.

all different kinds of peanut butter:

chocolate fondue:

Chocolate covered cheerios and corn pops:


We stayed for around 4-5 hours at the chocolate show. We were all tired and sick of chocolate by the end. I wanted to stay for more of the demonstrations but we were hungry and craving for meat, salt, and real food so we left. My first chocolate show was a great experience and I would def. go again.


I <3>

Events: 11th Annual Chocolate Show and Harvest Party at Chelsea Market

11th Annual Chocolate Show at Pier 94:

For all you chocolate lovers out there, the best place to be this weekend is the 11th Annual Chocolate Show where you can satisfy all your chocolate cravings from cakes, brownies, chocolate drinks, truffles to chocolate in savory and sweet dish-all in the name of chocolate!! This delicious event will feature vendors from all over the world, cooking demonstrations, chocolate competition, book signing from renowned chefs, master chocolate makers, writers and fun programs for children.

When: November 7-8, 2008
Thursday, November 6th 6:30-10:30pm-Opening night preview featuring Fashion Show ($250) Friday, November 7: 10am to 8pm
Saturday, November 8: 10am to 8pm
Sunday, November 9: 10am to 7pm

Where: @ Pier 94
711 12th Avenue and 55th Street
Public Transportation: Closest stop is 59th Street/Columbus Circle: A,C,E,B,D,1,9.Approximately 15 minute walk to Pier 94, or transfer to MTA Bus.

How to get tickets:
These tickets are available online (via Ticketmaster.com or calling 212-307-7171), and will also be on sale at the door (cash and checks only at the door) Tickets are valid for 1 day:
Adults: $28
Children under 5: Free
Children, 5 to 12: Free**Limit: 2 children per adult. Each additional child (5-12): $8

For more information:
http://www.chocolateshow.com/home.php?titre=2&id_code=2&Vopen=1

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Edible Manhattan Issue Two Harvest Party at Chelsea Market!

When: November 13, 2008, 6:30 p.m. - 9:30 p.m. (free admission)

Where: Chelsea Market, 95 Ninth Avenue, NY, NY

Who: Edible Manhattan and its sponsors will provide guests with complimentary wine selections from Wolffer Estate, beer from Kelso of Brooklyn and chocolates from Verē. Also, The Green Table will offer farm-to-table complimentary harvest-themed tastings of country cheeses, crusty breads, sausages and more, as well as samplings from numerous Chelsea Market retailers.

Why: Celebration of harvest-fresh ingredients, holiday treats and Chelsea Market's selection of artisanal goods.

How: All event players have come together under the stewardship of Edible Manhattan. Edible Manhattan is bi-monthly and available for $7 at Whole Foods, Barnes & Noble and Borders, free at select restaurants and shops and $35 for a one-year subscription.

Feasting In City Island: Sammy's Shrimp Box

One night Andy and I were watching Alton Brown's show Feasting on Waves, where he travels on a boat to search for the most authentic and traditional foods of the Caribbean. He meets the local cooks from street vendors, farmers, markets and restaurants. He learns the history of the food and the way they cook their regional food. The episode we saw was the Island Bakery Visit, where he visited local bakeries and at the end they had a feast on the beach eating lobsters. After we saw the show we were craving for seafood. Andy decide to search online for a seafood restaurant and remember that City Island has many of them.

We checked out the reviews/ratings online and Sammy's Fish Box has the highest so we decided to check it out. Driving thur City Island we passed by many seafood restaurants that we definitely have to try out some other time. We finally saw a huge Sammy's sign but notice there were 3 Sammy's restaurants: Sammy's Shrimp Box, Sammy's Fish Box and a Sammy's take out on the same block, talk about seafood monopoly!! Each restaurant had a huge parking, so we just drove in one of them and asked the valet guys what's the different between the Sammy's. They said all the Sammy's had identical menu but Shrimp Box has a section of Spanish dishes so we decided to go there! And they also have a sushi bar there too.

The place wasn't pack, we walked right in and got a cozy table in the corner. The waiter was very nice but he sort of forgot about us so most of the night we had to flag someone else to help us. I was so hungry I wanted to eat everything on the menu! We wanted to try a little of every kind of seafood so order a Paella dish for 2 people. We read about the huge portions so we didn't order any appetizers but a soup. Things were pretty pricey, it's not a cheap date place: Starter: Bread With a Wedge of Cheese & Relish Tray Compliments of Sammy's:
Sour veggies on top of ice, I guess to make it look fancy? The veggies tasted kind of funky, not very good. The bread was freshly baked and soft. I was really hungry so I ate like most of the loaf! lol..the corn bread was okay.....
Each entree comes with a salad ( At this point, I was somewhat full from all the bread =O)

Lobster Bisque:
It was only okay....I like my lobster bisque creamy but this one was on the lighter side. Andy thought it was very flavorful and he tasted alot of lobster in it. I didn't think it was all that good, I guess because I only like the one from J&R.

Paella for 2: King crabs legs, snow crab legs, dungeness crabs, lobster, shrimps, mussels and clam on top of a bed of Spanish rice. When I saw the waiter bringing our dish my mouth literally dropped open because it was sooo HUGE!!! It could feed around 4-5 people!! Damn all the bread I ate, what was I thinking?!

I always eat snow crabs at Chinese restaurants or buffets but these are def. very fresh! The meat wasn't mushy and it was very sweet! This is the first time I had dungeness crabs and boy what have I've been missing out! The rice was good and had a garlicy taste but the only thing I didn't like was that there were alot of bits of shell all over the place and I had to carefully eat it which was very annoying. I gave up on eating the rice and went straight to eat only seafood. Omg....I can't believe I was getting full from just seafood. I don't think I've ever eaten so much seafood in one sitting. All the seafood was so good and we had so much of it! We ate all the lobster and crabs but we had to take alot of the rice and some of the mussel and clams to go. I def. want to come back here again but next time bring more people! Sammy's def. statisfy all my seafood cravings!
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Sammy's Shrimp Box
41 City Island AveBronx,
NY 10464
(718) 885-0920
sammysfishbox.com

Free Event: New York Pumpkin Festival in Central Park on Oct.25

Free event: New York Pumpkin Festival in Central Park will take place from 3 to 8 p.m. on Oct. 25 to benefit Camp Sunshine, a retreat for children with life threatening illnesses and their families.
· feature a huge pumpkin tower display with thousands of lit jack-o-lanterns
· a scarecrow competition at Bethesda Fountain
· a bone-chilling haunted house under the Bethesda Terrace Arcade
· pick-your-own-pumpkin patch at Cherry Hill

Check it out: http://www.newsli.com/2008/10/07/new-york-pumpkin-festival-to-feature-huge-pumpkin-tower-display/

http://www.campsunshine.org/pumpkinfestival/n_photos.html

There will be food vendors selling pumpkin pie, pumpkin ice cream, hot dogs and hamburgers, popcorn, and more. Other vendors will also be at the festival selling goods and/or handing out free samples.

(Thanks dork for the event)

Sorry I've been really busy lately and haven't had time to update but I have been eating (alot)! So stay tuned for upcoming posts on:

• Sammy's Shrimp Box (seafood, seafood, seafood....)
• Deserts (cakes, cupcakes and sweets)
• Peking Duck House (banquet style chinese food, lots of duck...)
• Tabla (Iron chef menu-battle snails)
• Recipes (NYCares volunteering and cooking w/ the kiddies)
  

Taste of Korea: Korean Restaurant Week!

Thanks to Deb for the infor!

The first Korean Restaurant Week in New York:

Event Date: September 29-October 4th

Where: Participating restaurant around the city featuring prix fixe bibimbap lunches and dinners

Menu: Lunch and dinner including appetizer and dessert for $15 and Bibimbap alone for $7, is available at lunch only.

Bibimbap Event: On Saturday at 2 p.m., bibimbap, a dish of rice and vegetables, will be served free from a giant pot holding 500 portions at 32nd Street and Broadway.

For more information go to: http://www.koreanculture.org/tasteofkorea2008/index.html

How I Met Your Mother....Best Burger in New York!?

I usually don't have time to watch TV but Andy got me into “How I Met Your Mother” since last summer. It’s a funny sitcom, each episode starts with the character Ted, telling his two children stories of how he met their mother but they keep you guessing who she is. After 4 seasons, we still don’t know who she is. Last night was the “Best Burger in New York” episode, which revolved around Marshall trying to search for the best burger he had 8 years ago.

It flash backed 8 years ago, when Marshall first moved to New York from a suburban area. He was a worried young man; who holds a baseball bat to guard himself in his own apartment from thieves that might break in. He's afraid to leave his apartment because he’s nervous to go onto the streets of New York. His friend Ted, (who he almost attacked with a baseball bat while going into their apartment because he thought he was a burglar) encouraged him to go explore the new neighborhood. After much push and shove from Ted, Marshall decided to take a walk and venture out onto the streets of New York.

Once he was out there he loved it and thought New York wasn’t so bad after all. He then felt hungry and found a hold in the wall burger joint with a green door and red neon sign that says “BURGER”. There he had his first awesome burger but he could never find this place again. After that Marshall and Lilly tried every burger place in town but they couldn’t find it. It was funny because he made fun of a few New York burger joints such as the Corner Bistro and Paul’s Da Burger Joint that actually exist in New York. This episode also guest staring Regis Philbin who was also obsessed with looking for the same burger joint.

By the end of the episode they got clues from different people and searched around the city for this burger joint. They found the burger joint’s address which was 106^th Street and Manhattan Avenue and went there but it became an ATM machine for a bank that Marshall recently accepted a position there. But they ended up paying a guy $100 from a strip club next store to tell them where they moved to. After Marshall had his first bite he knew he found his dream burger! Everyone including Regiis Philbin was happy!
There were many good and funny parts to the show, you just have to watch it!

Funny quotes from the episode (mostly referring to a burger):
Lilly: “I just had my first burgasm!”

Barney: "I love this burger so much I want to sew my ass shut!"

"I want to get this burger pregnant"

Marshall: "I wanna have dibs on those burger babies!"
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So where do you get an awesome burger in New York? I like to eat burgers but to me, a burger is a burger! I haven't taste an "awesome" burger before in New York probably because I usually don't order a burger unless I go to a burger joint. I've been to a few burger place, that to me have okay burgers such as New York Burger Company (how original!):


Johnny Rocket:


And a few other places, which was ehh okay. The most memorable burger I EVER had was the one Andy made me! It was THE burger cake! I can't find the pics but it was awesome and amazing! The burger was HUGE!! He used a big sourdough bread as the bun, it was the size of a round cutting board. The meat was as big as the sourdough bread which was nicely marinated, very tasty and juicy! He topped it with lots of onions, mushrooms and cheese! We both only had a slice (less then 1/4) of this burger cake and we were so stuffed! The special part about this burger cake is that he brought it to my work and ate it with me for dinner! I was soo surprise! It was an amazing burger made with love <3!>

Where did you taste your awesome burger?