In the past two weeks, I have had two wildly different experiences at Asian restaurants in Boston: one authentic and one fusion. The first one began as B and I started our quest for the best BROWN (aka peking duck) in Boston. He googled "best brown boston" and a restaurant called King Fung Garden was revealed. We quickly cross-referenced the search result with YELP and saw comments like "best hole in the wall in Chinatown"... even further piquing our interest, we saw on the restaurant's website that you had to order BROWN 24 hours in advance... I mean, the preparation and deliciousness that implied... just epic. We made a reservation for 3 two Saturdays ago and brought along our perennial good sport and fellow foodie, DrS.
As we drove up to the restaurant, trepidation began to mount as the restaurant looked to be half the size of my apartment and was adjacent to a massage parlor providing happy endings. We walked inside and saw that there were only five tables held together by masking tape, two of which were filled with the loudest, trashiest, 22 year olds that I have almost come to blows with over their obnoxiousness. The restaurant was BYOB - so I brought a classy bottle of pinot noir, while B brought 1/4 of a bottle of Johnny Walker Black - not only was the restaurant BYOB, but apparently there was no ice, tap water or real cups as well... hmmm.
We ordered scallion pancakes, dumplings, a pork dish that was recommended by our waiter and, of course, the three course duck. The scallion pancakes were amazing and so was the pork dish; however, the dumplings were mediocre at best. Then, our peking duck arrived. Crisp skin and tender meat, scallions, cucumbers, hoisin sauce and pancakes... mmmm.... magical. After we'd scarfed down all of that food, S asked for the check. "Oh wait," our waiter replied. "There are two more courses of Brown." Well, lo and behold, a duck stirfry dish arried that was strikingly, suspiciously similar to the pork dish, followed by a nice duck soup.
Even though the other clientele and decor left something to be desired, the food was great and the service was attentive. I would give King Fung Garden 7 out of 10 stars.
As the three of us were walking home, we stopped for a drink at Mistral and I mentioned that there was a restaurant that I'd walked by in the area that looked interesting called Red Lantern. B stepped out for a smoke and reported back that behind Mistral and down a shady alley, he had seen a sign for Red Lantern. We left Mistral and discovered a magical Back Bay alley that none of us had ever seen before. A Mexican restaurant, Zocalo, with an outdoor patio full of people drinking margaritas and a trendy Asian fusion restaurant named Red Lantern. Sheer madness that three such hard-core back bay dwellers as ourselves had never even heard of these places!
So, fast forward a week, my friend R and I decided to check out Red Lantern. I stepped inside and looked around: the decor was spectacular and very cool in NYC/Las Vegas/Tao sort of way. Although the crowd at the bar looked suspiciously reminiscent of Post 390, the drink list was amazing. Oh scorpion bowls, how I love thee. R and I ended up sitting at the bar in front of the kitchen and ordered hot and sour soup and singapore street noodles... which were both excellent. Probably the soup was slightly better on the margin than the noodles, but a great meal nonetheless. I would give Red Lantern 8 out of 10 stars and promise to be back soon!
Wednesday, June 29, 2011
Wednesday, June 22, 2011
Is height (or lack thereof) a dealbreaker?
It's been a long time since I've actually felt something resembling "excitement" about any of these dates. But, several weeks ago, I started emailing with a "frog" that for reasons which may later become apparent, I'll call "Frodo." He seemed ideal: very smart, accomplished, funny, nice, etc...he had only posted two pictures, but he seemed attractive. It seemed like we had a lot in common and I was very much looking forward to getting to meet him in person.
Frodo suggested that we meet for drinks at *Mini *Bar (which is not at all/totally hilarious) last Thursday at 8pm. I donned a *short* dress and *low* gold heels and set off to meet him. As I walked into the bar, I looked around for someone who might resemble Frodo and spotted a likely candidate sitting on one of the couches. I walked over and he stood up and I was SIGNIFICANTLY taller than him. My Asian math brain immediately kicked in.... I am 5'2" or maybe 5'3" soaking wet + my heels (2"-3") - my towering over him (approx 2") - my thinking he was probably wearing lifts (1")... compute.... he is somewhere between 5'1" and 5'3"... there is no way he could be the 5'7" he indicated in his profile. OMG, I am on a date with a little person!
Now, I don't mean to denigrate short people in any way, clearly, I myself am short and am sensitive to the fact that it must be quite hard to be a shorter man. However, I am a big believer in being honest in these profiles so you don't waste people's time or set someone up for the cognitive dissonance that will occur when, as a logical progression, you meet them and reality does not match advertising. I also think that it is maybe okay on the margins to lie about an inch... but 4"-6"... that just strikes me as a less-than-ideal foundation on which to start a relationship.
But, I digress... Frodo asked if I wanted to go sit on the couches outside and desperately needing a drink, I agreed. We actually started out having a nice conversation, but then the topic of my job search came up and I mentioned that I was interviewing at a company in the midwest the following day. "No, you can't leave Boston. I won't let you." He repeated this six times throughout the night. Um, psycho much? As he left on a bathroom break, I quickly wikipedia'd the official definition of "dwarf"... phew. Apparently, one needs to be under 4'10" to qualify. Finally, I brought the date to an end and said I needed to call it early since I had an interview the following day.
Sure enough, the following morning, he sent me a long email asking me out for "thursday, friday or saturday" and making it creepily clear that he had somehow google or otherwise stalked me. And, then I had to put on my big girl pants and turn him down (I hate being mean). Did I say no simply because he was short? Am I a mean person? I think if he had been his actual height and hadn't lied or been overly aggressive/stalkerish, I actually would have been interested. I think there might be a lesson in there somewhere. Or something.
On another note, apparently, I have run through all normal sized, honest people in Boston, so maybe a job in NYC or SF would open up a whole new set of possibilities?
Frodo suggested that we meet for drinks at *Mini *Bar (which is not at all/totally hilarious) last Thursday at 8pm. I donned a *short* dress and *low* gold heels and set off to meet him. As I walked into the bar, I looked around for someone who might resemble Frodo and spotted a likely candidate sitting on one of the couches. I walked over and he stood up and I was SIGNIFICANTLY taller than him. My Asian math brain immediately kicked in.... I am 5'2" or maybe 5'3" soaking wet + my heels (2"-3") - my towering over him (approx 2") - my thinking he was probably wearing lifts (1")... compute.... he is somewhere between 5'1" and 5'3"... there is no way he could be the 5'7" he indicated in his profile. OMG, I am on a date with a little person!
Now, I don't mean to denigrate short people in any way, clearly, I myself am short and am sensitive to the fact that it must be quite hard to be a shorter man. However, I am a big believer in being honest in these profiles so you don't waste people's time or set someone up for the cognitive dissonance that will occur when, as a logical progression, you meet them and reality does not match advertising. I also think that it is maybe okay on the margins to lie about an inch... but 4"-6"... that just strikes me as a less-than-ideal foundation on which to start a relationship.
But, I digress... Frodo asked if I wanted to go sit on the couches outside and desperately needing a drink, I agreed. We actually started out having a nice conversation, but then the topic of my job search came up and I mentioned that I was interviewing at a company in the midwest the following day. "No, you can't leave Boston. I won't let you." He repeated this six times throughout the night. Um, psycho much? As he left on a bathroom break, I quickly wikipedia'd the official definition of "dwarf"... phew. Apparently, one needs to be under 4'10" to qualify. Finally, I brought the date to an end and said I needed to call it early since I had an interview the following day.
Sure enough, the following morning, he sent me a long email asking me out for "thursday, friday or saturday" and making it creepily clear that he had somehow google or otherwise stalked me. And, then I had to put on my big girl pants and turn him down (I hate being mean). Did I say no simply because he was short? Am I a mean person? I think if he had been his actual height and hadn't lied or been overly aggressive/stalkerish, I actually would have been interested. I think there might be a lesson in there somewhere. Or something.
On another note, apparently, I have run through all normal sized, honest people in Boston, so maybe a job in NYC or SF would open up a whole new set of possibilities?
Thursday, June 16, 2011
Favorite Things + Unfavorite Things
I apologize for the lengthy delay in posting. Apparently, looking for a job is the approximate equivalent of having a second job, so between actual work and faux work, I've been running around like a crazy person.
Anthony Gizelneck (sp?) once said: "If you spent half as much time reading books as you do chasing skanks, you might not have AIDS." If I spent half as much time doing deals as I do chasing new jobs, I might not have to look! :)
Without further ado, here are my favorite things from the past couple of weeks:
1) Rediscovering some oldies, but goodies...
Sometimes you forget how much you like certain things - summertime, the Olympics, the endless amount of crazy surrounding a presidential election - but then you remember and it's the best thing ever. I recently added a couple: NYC - hello darkness, my old friend, Market by Jean Georges and no-strings attached "relations" with an ex... :)
2) "Be kind, work hard and amazing things will happen." - Conan O'Brien from the 2011 Dartmouth commencement speech.
Perhaps because of my recent job situation and enjoyment of fratboy humor, I really appreciated what he had to say... Check it out:
Anthony Gizelneck (sp?) once said: "If you spent half as much time reading books as you do chasing skanks, you might not have AIDS." If I spent half as much time doing deals as I do chasing new jobs, I might not have to look! :)
Without further ado, here are my favorite things from the past couple of weeks:
1) Rediscovering some oldies, but goodies...
Sometimes you forget how much you like certain things - summertime, the Olympics, the endless amount of crazy surrounding a presidential election - but then you remember and it's the best thing ever. I recently added a couple: NYC - hello darkness, my old friend, Market by Jean Georges and no-strings attached "relations" with an ex... :)
2) "Be kind, work hard and amazing things will happen." - Conan O'Brien from the 2011 Dartmouth commencement speech.
Perhaps because of my recent job situation and enjoyment of fratboy humor, I really appreciated what he had to say... Check it out:
3) Liberty Wharf in Boston
Beautiful floor to ceiling glass windows that open out to the water, stronger than f*k margaritas, real sports bar and great food.... even if it leads to the realization that texting + margaritas + high heels = sprained ankle, it's worth it. I will be going back... often!
4) Brown!
Different from yellow (dim sum), B and I recently discovered a love of brown aka peking duck. After a false start at Hei La Moon, we went to New Jumbo last weekend and the brown was amazing. We just made dinner reservations at "the best hole in the wall in Chinatown" with the duck included (you have to order 24 hours in advance!)... will report back.
5) Interviewing
Initially, I was a bit nervous... after all, I hadn't interviewed for a new job in 6+ years. However, I quickly realized that it was a great excuse to talk about myself for hours on end and put *others* on the spot. I might be addicted!
6) Babies named after 90210 characters
Recently, two of my friends had babies named Dylan. In the span of two days, both babies pooped on me. Am I the new baby laxative? Minus the pooping, they were both legitimately adorable and no, I'm not lying, they do not look like trolls.
In memorium, "may the bridges I burn light the way." - Dylan McKay
7) Singing Adele's Rolling in the Deep at highest decibel in my car...
Bill Simmons, one of my favorite writers in the world, started this website featuring up and coming writers + guys like Chuck Klosterman
9) Mavs win the NBA Championships/Bruins win the Stanley Cup!
Now, I am not a Mavs fan, but I am a fan of anyone who takes down the classless juggernaut aka Dwyane Wade's Miami Heat + random German dudes with a slight hip hop twangs. Dirk, I'm sold, you are one bad Mf*r.
I am also not a hockey fan, but am happy for all of those true Bruins fans who have suffered through some lean years. A late entrant, but nonetheless, welcome to Boston sports dominance, Bruins!
In a semi-related note, please come back football.... we miss you more than words can say.
10) Bridesmaids... hilarious/must see! "hey f*k buddy...." "you are no longer my number 3"
11) Anything at my rooftop pool...
Unfavorite things from the past few weeks:
1) Hangover Part 2
I couldn't believe how unfunny this movie was. I think I laughed once. Also, Thailand is awesome and so are Asiatic people.
2) The Registry of Motor Vehicles
3) Douch-ey cops, you know who you are
4) Airplane acne
5) Pretending to still care about my job/awaiting my Oscar nomination
6) Ashley A-Bear, the self-esteem-less Bachelorette, thanks for ruining our show.
7) Mechanical delays resulting in an unexpected stay at an airport hotel/motel in Houston
8) Inability to resist pasta/bread
9) Not having enough time to post things in my blog!!
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