Gastro888

Not true. Yes, Chinese people eat everything under the sun and then some. However, there is a great vegetarian/vegan cuisine throughout China because of Buddhism. Go to a temple during the festival holidays and you'll find some wonderful vegetarian/vegan dishes being served there. You wouldn't find a good vegetarian/vegan restaurant in Manhattan proper - go to Flushing and there are some out there. I can't comment on the quality as I don't like to eat vegan/vegetarian items but I know of one off 37th road near Gala Manor that's supposedly quite good.

Picnic Garden is the only place I know (so far) that has the all you can eat meat buffet. Most places it's an ala carte service. There's a 24 hour pho place on Roosevelt Ave that serves Korean style hot pot that's very reasonable. Again, no information handy, will post more when I'm home.

Like where (and do they have the meat buffet)? There's like a 100 places in Flushing alone. http://www.koreanrestaurantguide.com/data/ny/flushing_3.htm ← I don't have the information handy, I'll post when I go home and get it. Mostly I was just suggesting that people go off the beaten path and just walk in and try one of those 100+ restaurants in Flushing. It's a great city to go and eat around for a day.

That's from the intensity of the wok ranges in commerical kitchen. If you've got that plus experience, it's not a problem to have the wok cranked up. If you don't...well... I would say lard is the first choice for oil and then second peanut. Yum, lard!

That's from the intensity of the wok ranges in commerical kitchen. If you've got that plus experience, it's not a problem to have the wok cranked up. If you don't...well... I would say lard is the first choice for oil and then second peanut. Yum, lard!

Wow, Tepee! That was very brave of you! Thank you! I think I would take those skins, roast them with some roasting mix and just eat it over a bowl of rice. YUMMY!

I talked to my father this weekend when I was at home doing the whole CNY thing. So here's what he put in his S&S sauce: -catsup (I remembered incorrectly!) -sugar -vinegar -salt -Worechester sauce (sp) -cornstarch slurry to thicken That's it. Let me think about how to break it down for the home cook. I have to work on the scale and the method. Unless you want to have enough to fill a 3 foot wide wok...

I think he might be asking if he needs to have the flames lapping at the edge of the wok, which you might see in the commerical kitchens of a Chinese restaurant. Yes, that might add a bit of wok hay but follow Ben Sook's advice. Unless you've got access to a commerical kitchen, it's best not to have flames lapping the edge of your frying pan or wok at home.

I think it's a great start but they could've done it better. I think for those who aren't in the know, a BBQ primer would've been helpful. Hmm, you've given me an idea...

Picnic Garden is the place in Flushing you're looking for with the raw meat buffet. For what it's worth, it's a good meal for a buffet. For a stellar meal, try exploring some of the restaurants futher into Flushing.

Gung Hay Fat Choy everyone! No internet access at home so apologies for the late greetings. Hope everyone has a fruitful year.

How about doing the steaming thing in the oven with a roasting pan instead? You could try this: Set the oven on 250. Arrange the cleaned fish on a large platter stuffed & topped with scallions, ginger, soy sauce and sesame seed oil. Find a flat rack that accomdated the platter inside a big roasting pan. Fill the roasting pan 1/3 of way with boiling water. Place rack in the pan loosely cover everything with foil and stick it in the oven to "steam".

At 8 pounds, that's a doozy for a NYC apartment. Wow! I'd suggest doing a squirrel fish but that's going to be hard unless you have a really big wok.

So Megan, where are you going in Chinatown to eat? Have you given it any thoughts? Do tell!

Oh, interesting. I must check this book out. I'm curious to know more. Thanks! PS: I can't wait to see my folks for CNY! We're doing dim sum! Yay!!!

Excuse my ignorance but why is Tropp an authority on Chinese cooking? Can someone fill me in, please?

Rinse. Pat dry. Hack fish into individual portions. Season with salt and white pepper. Get water chestnut flour (or AP flour), dredge and deep fry. Remove and deep dry some minced garlic until light brown. In another pan/wok, heat up a bit of oil and stir fry some garlic, jalapenos and scallions for a minute. Add fish, stir fry for another minute, remove & top with fried garlic and add'l S&P if necessary. This is if you have the necessary ventilation. If you don't, just steam it with soy sauce, ginger, scallion and sesame oil.

What makes you say that, Sneakeater? I'd be curious to know. I can see from a cold business standpoint why restaurants would prefer couples - more money to be made. But it's still unfair.

no. then I just look like I want a coupon or meal. it's not like it can be remedied. ← Then why not write to the NY Times, NY magazine or even Gothamist? I am merely suggesting this as an avenue for you to express your opinion and mistreatment. I hope there's some resolution for you.

Cool, thanks for the clarification. I needed advice like that so I can make my decision. I read on Washingtonpost.com that the DC branch of BLT wet-ages their meat and then cooks it at 1700 degrees. At those prices I don't want to pay for wet-aged meat because I feel that dry-aged is superior but I could be mistaken. Do all BLT's wet-age their meat?

Would you consider writing a letter to Danny Meyer? Considering he is all about hospitality and whatnot maybe this might be a chance for you to voice your opinion and express your disappointment? I'm sorry to hear that happened to you.

Is it worth it to go to BLT to have a steak? Yes, the popovers are a draw but if it's a steak at a BLT Prime/BLT Steak vs. a Peter Lugar steak, which should I choose? My primary concern is quality over atmosphere.

Yeah, most families do the gathering on Chinese New Year's eve. That's the main event. You can also do one on the day of but it's the eve that's the most important. "Chaow neen", something akin to Thanksgiving dinner in America but with alot more significance. Like you'd better be on the other side of the world stranded on a desert island if you can't make it significance.

I'm probably outing myself as a NYC noob by asking this but I was curious to know what exactly the difference is between BLT Steak and BLT Prime. I've never been to either one and would like to try a BLT to see how it is. I just don't know which one to try. (OK, I 'fess...the popovers are a draw, too). If someone could shed some light, it would be much appreciated!

Just wondering, how did you put this menu together? Is this a family tradition? I've not heard of alot of these dishes on the CNY table but then again, I'm Toisanese so maybe it's different in other regions of China.