eG Foodblog: hzrt8w - A week of Chinese New Year celebration

[Pan]

Gung Hey Fat Choy to one of my favorite eGullet members! (And to everyone else who's celebrating.)

I've hoped for a long time that you'd blog. You're brave to blog during such a busy week! Have fun.

[LindsayAnn]

Please do not refrain from taking ANY pictures Love the pictures.

How about starting with some pictures of the fridge/freezer/pantry? PLEASE!!!!

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Lindsay Ann: Pictures you will find plenty. Ah Leung is nothing is not providing pictures.

But... errr... the fridge... hmmmm... Chinese don't use refrigerators! We cook everything fresh and consume everything cooked in a meal. (Well, typically it is.)

Let me apologize in advance. No shots on my refrigerator or pantry. That's my condition of doing the blog accepted by Susan in FL. But she said "we'll work on that..." Too messy lah!

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Its okay - completely understand (now that you explained...I had no the that Chinese don't use fridge/freezer.....see how much I am already learning from you!!!)

You can make up for it by taking pictures of all of your creations and outings....deal? LOL

Susan in FL....I will help you work on him on the fridge/pantry issue....us ladies can be verrrryyy persuasive when we need to be....hehe

[artisan02]

Ah Leung, from one Sacramenten to another!  Looking forward to seeing where you head off to this week.  I would be totally interested in your opinion of which Asian markets are the best to go to, and what to look for, in terms of seafood, sauces, etc.  I haven't had much experience in hanging out in the local establishments...enjoy your week.

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I am interested too, as I may be returning to that area for a travel nursing contract. I used to live in that area, so a lot of things are still very familiar.

Christine

[hzrt8w]

Date: Feb 17, 2007

Chinese calendar: The "30th" eve, (meaning the 30th of the lunar month December), i.e. New Year Eve

Festivity: Family "gathering" dinner ("tuen neen" in Cantonese - meaning to gather as a family to celebrate the passing of the old year.)

This is THE most important family dinner gathering of the year. The elders of the family will not be very pleased if some of the kids/children-in-laws and grand children are not attending. If you miss, you better have some very convincing excuses.

My wife's family is all here in Sacramento. That makes the gathering much easier to attend. We used to drive >450 miles from Mission Viejo to Sacramento to tend to the occassion. I am happy that now this dinner is only a 10 minute drive away.

Many days leading to this occassion, most families would start the annual house cleaning. In Cantonese we say "Sung Gao Ying Sun" - meaning to bid farewell to the old (year) and to welcome the new (year).

Because most Chinese, especially those who live and work in the "cities" but have families in the rural areas, want to be with their elders for this occassion, 2 to 3 days leading up to Chinese New Year Eve - 1 billion+ people on the move. Airports, train stations, bus terminals, taxi terminals - all jam-packed. This is comparable to the Thanks Giving holiday in the USA. And 1 billion+ people are a LOT OF people! Fortunately, most peasants are living very close to their elders' family and going home may only mean a 1 to 2 hour ride on a bicycle. For those who need to take the trains, it's elbow to elbow.

By mid day, most of the travelers would have arrived their destinations to settle down and get ready to enjoy this dinner.

For me, this family gathering dinner took place at Happy Garden Restaurant along Stockton Blvd, Sacramento, California.

It's always the same restaurant. Happy Garden it is. Oh... I gotta tell you. (Start whispering now): my mother-in-law would not cook anything for over 5 people. We always dine out. And my father-in-law is very picky about Chinese restaurants. Most restaurants would only receive his criticisms. And there is only one in all of Sacramento that passed his measures. So Happy Garden is THE one and only restaurant for our family dinners. For the past 12 years since they opened. (Back to normal voice.)

Anyway, enough historic background. Let the dinner begin!

These banquet style dinners do have certain formats to follow - if we dine in China. But in the USA, most restaurants - except those "high end" ones - would not. They just bring out dishes as they are cooked from the kitchen.

There were 13 people at the dinner. The youngest one, my nephew, is only 2 year old. He didn't eat anything. So you see only 12 bowls on the table.

Shark-fin soup with crab meat and fish maw.

This is my portion. I could barely taste the shark fin in the soup. Oh well... this is... Happy Garden.

Sacramento is not known to have the best Chinese cuisines. In terms of Chinese immigrant population, we are only second to San Francisco. But all the foodies stay in the Bay Area I supposed. The restaurants in Sacramento always seem second-rated to me.

Walnut shrimp. Shrimps coated with, you may not believe it, mayo cooked in Chinese stir-fried style. This is definitely a recent creation in the USA. I have never heard of or tasted Walnut Shrimp until about 10 or so years ago.

Looks familiar? Yes, it is the Cantonese Fried Chicken, "Zha Zhee Gai" in Cantonese. Happy Garden made this dish very well. Except about half the time they serve half-staled shrimp chips. This time it was very good though.

Sauteed shrimp and squid with mixed vegetables (American broccoli, carrots, straw mushrooms, snow peapods.)

Oops... one piece of shrimp chip fell off. Oh well, this one will go to Heaven without being eaten!

Is this what you think it is? It is! Braised abalone slices (in oyster/soy sauce mix) with black mushrooms (shittake) and baby bok choy at the bottom.

Dual lobsters, ginger and scallion style. I saw these poor guys in the water tank only minutes ago!

Sauteed scallops with mixed vegetables: baby corns, snow peapods, celery, carrots, green onions, straw mushrooms.

Deep-fried young pigeons. There are 4 birds packed in there. 1 bird for 3 persons on average. Condiment: salt with ground Sichuan peppercorn - just like the Cantonese Fried Chicken.

The final main entree: Steamed fish (double fish - some kind of bass), topped with shredded green onions, ginger and light soy sauce. Cilantro as decoration.

You MUST have a fish dish in the year end gathering dinner. It is mostly for symbolic reasons. The word "fish" in Chinese (both in Cantonese and Mandarin) sounds the same as another Chinese word that means "extra", or "surplus". "Neen Neen Yau Yu" [Cantonese] - means wishing you have much surplus (successful business) every year. Chinese believe in phonetic associations, play with words that sound the same but mean different things, We typically cook those "good luck charm" dishes as a way of well-wishing.

Fried rice with Chinese bacon ("Laap Yuk" [Cantonese]), baby scallop, beatened eggs and chopped green onions.

This is another symbolic dish: Noodle. (Chow mein). Typically we order the "yee mein", which is a special, light, fluffy and long white noodles. Noodles symbolize "longevity" - because most noodle threads are long. In fact, most chefs know better that they won't cut the noodle. The longer the threads, the better. For practical reasons, the noodles must be broken apart when served. But this is done by customers. Chefs are not liable.

Oh... boy... did I get full yet? Phewwwwwww!

Dessert: Oops. What's that?

Well, Chinese are typically not big on desserts except for the newer generations - especially the ex-patriots who gradually change the nation's attitude. We do have some traditional pastries, sweet soups here and there. By and large, no dessert is not a big deal for us. I, particulary, don't have a sweet tooth.

Instead... we get a few slices of oranges and fortune cookies.

For drinks... well, nobody in this family drink beer or wine. So the drink is the "standard" tea - "Teet Kwun Yam" (a kind of tea leaves) for us.

[dockhl]

I can tell I'm gonna love this blog..............

[hzrt8w]

So... what's next after the family "gathering" dinner?

Well... that depends on how old you are! The teenagers typically would hang out with friends at dancing parties, bowling allies, movie theatres, karaoke bars, etc..

The family couples with young and elders would go home and retire early.

Some would go out to the "Neen Siu See Cheung" (Chinese New Year farmers' markets) to pick up last minute bargains on flowers, plants, candies, toys, etc.. These markets run through the night a few days before the arrival of CNY. And tonight is the climax. Because after the new year arrives, many of the merchandises are like chopped Christmas trees after Dec 25th. So... merchants and customers both play the game of "wait and see". The merchants would see how late the customers can stay up til (most people can't pass 3:00 am). And customers really want to drive some last-minute bargains. The markets open until about 5am or 6am or so. The happy ones may bring home a trig of "mui fa" (plum flower) for 50% off.

I did my "hang out until dawn" annual rituals in the mid 70's. Stayed out all night and went home at 8am on the First of CNY Day. Unfortunately there is no such night CNY Eve market in the USA. Nowhere to hang out. So... what does that lead me? Typing my stories on eGullet!

I have some pictures of today's lunch but I would defer to tomorrow to show. I am dead tired! A day of intensive shopping and rushing that started at 7am.

Good night and... when my eyes open again tomorrow... it will be Year of the Pig!!!

[Pam R]

Happy New Year, Ah Leung!

I'm really looking forward to this week. Like everybody else, I'm amazed and inspired by your cooking demos.

A couple of questions. Do you cook other styles of food - or is it mostly Chinese? Do you get back to Hong Kong often?

I was raised on 'Canadian Chinese' food - and always loved it. But a too brief trip to Hong Kong showed me what I was missing! Hong Kong is one city that I'm desperate to get back to.

[Tepee]

First of all, Ah Leung Gaw, here's my wishes for you. Pix shows a flurry of hands lo-hei-ing in my parent's home yesterday. 3 meals down... lol, living in the future, I'm 2 ahead of you.

Your teun neen meal looks scrumptious, I'm sure each dish has a ho yee tau (good connotation). Yum!

I've tons of pix to process and post at the chinese forum. Will be ding-donging between your blog and there.

[lucylou95816]

so where exactly are these farmer's markets? I've never heard of them....

[MarketStEl]

Let me apologize in advance.  No shots on my refrigerator or pantry.  That's my condition of doing the blog accepted by Susan in FL.  But she said "we'll work on that..."       Too messy lah!

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I'm not gonna let you off that easy!

I keep a disorganized refrigerator and a messy desk, as you may recall from my blogs. If I can post pics, so can you.

As I don't hang out on the China and Chinese Cuisine forum, I can only begin to guess what delights I will encounter on this blog. Though I do have one question regarding this already:

Yes, California has a large Asian-American population representing several nationalities, not just Chinese. But I don't associate this attribute with the state capital. Am I merely misinformed or are the Chinese and other Asian food choices in the Sacramento area less extensive than in, say, the Bay Area downriver?

One more somewhat geekier question that's been burning a hole in my brain for some time:

Whence your handle on eG?

I would parse "rt8w" as "Route 8 West" (you wanna trade geekeries, I'm a roadgeek as well as a railgeek and foodie), and I don't know whether a) there is a California State Route 8 near you (Interstate 8 heads east from San Diego) or b) you had an affinity or an epiphany or an unfortuante accident or an urgent rest stop or a bad meal or a great meal or something on a highway with that number or c) all this is completely off base. And that still doesn't explain the "hz", nor does anything pertaining to your real name.

Care to explain between meals?

Edited February 18, 2007 by MarketStEl (log)

[MarketStEl]

Sacramento is not known to have the best Chinese cuisines.  In terms of Chinese immigrant population, we are only second to San Francisco.  But all the foodies stay in the Bay Area I supposed.  The restaurants in Sacramento always seem second-rated to me.

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Oops! Answered my question before I asked it, though I would appreciate further elaboration on the Chinese and Asian food scene in Sacramento if you would be so kind.

For a few years in the mid-1980s, I joined friends for the annual Chinese New Year banquets sponsored by the Chinese Cultural Center (former Chinatown YMCA) in Philadelphia. The center flew in chefs from Beijing or Guangzhou for the dinners. They were spectacular. I can only begin to imagine what you will dine on this week, but you're off to a good start already, even if the restaurant wasn't all that hot.

[Pontormo]

Ah Leung, thank you for blogging this week! A sinologist friend (not Chinese) now lives in your city, so I hope to learn something I can report. Sorry to read there are no outstanding Chinese restaurants nearby. If you've already listed your favorite local places to shop for ingredients or drive to for meals on special occasions, please point me in the right direction.

So far, I've really enjoyed your demonstration of making soy milk.

I have one question about the big family meal: I was told that dumplings were traditional for New Year's and noodles were more frequently served for birthdays. Is this simply not a set rule and different families and regions pass on different traditions?

Second, are there any convenient outdoor markets worth visiting at this time of year?

[Dejah]

I have one question about the big family meal: I was told that dumplings were traditional for New Year's and noodles were more frequently served for birthdays.  Is this simply not a set rule and different families and regions pass on different traditions?

Second, are there any convenient outdoor markets worth visiting at this time of year?

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If I may, while Ah Leung is sleeping off his sumptuous meal from last night, I will chime in with a Toisanese answer.

Ah leung is from the Canton area as opposed to the more northern areas, so dumplings as most would imagine are not traditional at the CNY family dinner. The only dumplings we have as a CNY meal would be balls of glutinous rice in bowls of rich stock, augmented with shredded daikon, pork, rehydrated baby shrimp or scallops, etc. This is traditional in my Toisanese family, on New Year's eve. We DO make other dumplings, such as ham sui gok, chang tay, etc, but they are eaten at times other than meals.

[hzrt8w]

Good Morning everyone!

恭喜發財!

"Kung Hey Fat Choy" in Cantonese.

"Gong See Fa Cai" in Mandarin.

This is a phrase that you will hear Chinese say all over the world in Chinese New Year, espcially on the first day... which is... today!

Go ahead, surprise your friends and colleages when you see them in restaurants or at work. Say this phrase to them and it will bring a smile on their face. You may just have startled them for a second before they realize what you were saying.

It is a phrase of well-wishing which means "I wish you to be rich".

And... for the readers who can read Chinese:

萬事勝意 心想事成 身體健康!!

Translations:

- Everything is going your way!

- May your wish come true!

- Be healthy!

This is the first day of the year - Year of the Pig! I belong to the year of the pig.

Yike! That really showed my age! Am I:

12?

24?

36?

48?

60?

72?

84?

(Explanations later on Chinese zodiac.)

What about you? Are there other readers who were born in the year of the pig?

Edited: Spelling

Edited February 18, 2007 by hzrt8w (log)

[Abra]

Great blog so far, Ah Leung! The opening post has to be one of my favorites ever. Anytime you can get SQL and dumplings on the same page my hat's off to you.

I'll guess you're 36.

Edited February 18, 2007 by Abra (log)

[hzrt8w]

This morning's liquid breakfast:

Minute Maid orange juice.

I love orange juices of all kinds, especially the fresh squeezed ones I can get from Trader Joe's. But I don't go to Trader Joe's often, so... sometimes the other orange juices in the box. I really like the pulps in the juice. It makes me feel as if I am drinking the "real" orange juice and not artificial ones.

Thank you very much for your kind feedbacks and questions. I promise I will get to answer them. But now... Please excuse me because I need to head out. There is a small farmer's market in Sacramento every Sunday morning underneath the I-80 (Business) freeway. I want to see if I can get a few shots of the market to show you all.

[hzrt8w]

...

Will we be having delicious pastries with you, as well? I hope so, I am missing my New Year's cake. And those myriad sweets that my friend's great grandmother would make, too... Ah, Leung! Thank you!

...

PS: If you really want a treat, get yourself a newspaper grill for those sweet potato chips. It gives a fantastic flavor.

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Thank you Rebecca. I don't have much of a sweet tooth and I shy away from pastries. The only ones I like are the Hong Kong style ones, such as egg tart, curry puff and some buns with savory filling. Sadly I have to go to SF Chinatown to get those (the good ones). The ones made in Sacramento... I wouldn't lay eye on them at all.

A "newspaper grill"? Interesting. You burn newspapers to cook? How is it done? I never not heard of this term.

[onehsancare]

This is the first day of the year - Year of the Pig!  I belong to the year of the pig.

24?

36?

48?

60?

Yike!  That really showed my age! 

What about you?  Are there other readers who were born in the year of the pig?

Edited: Spelling

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I just turned 48 in January. I was thrilled to think that I was born in the year of the pig, but then I realized that I was born the year BEFORE the year of the pig, since my birthday happened before CNY. Right?

What am I?

[hzrt8w]

Ah Leung, from one Sacramenten to another!  Looking forward to seeing where you head off to this week.  I would be totally interested in your opinion of which Asian markets are the best to go to, and what to look for, in terms of seafood, sauces, etc. 

...

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Hi Lucy neighbor! Great to hear from another local!

To do shopping for Asian ingredients, there are more than 1/2 dozen of Asian markets (mostly run by Vietnamese-Chinese) of various sizes along Stockton Blvd, from Fruitridge to Florin. You can drive along Stockton and take a look.

The one that has the best selections and tidiest isles is "SF Supermarket". They have two locations. 1) Where Stockton Blvd crosses 65th Street. 2) On Mack Road, between the 99 freeway and I-5 freeway. Near Franklin Street, I think. I am hoping to show some pictures of SF Supermarket later on. The prices of their goods are slightly higher than the others but SF is more shopper-friendly. It is easier to get storekeepers who speak English to help you than other ones.

[hzrt8w]

A couple of questions. Do you cook other styles of food - or is it mostly Chinese?  Do you get back to Hong Kong often?

I was raised on 'Canadian Chinese' food - and always loved it.  But a too brief trip to Hong Kong showed me what I was missing!  Hong Kong is one city that I'm desperate to get back to.  

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Hi Pam.

I cook Chinese food about 80% of the time. Hey, to us Chinese, "Chinese food" is... Food! LOL!

The other 20% would be a mix of:

Italian (pasta)

Mexican (fajita, burritos, enchilladas, etc.)

Thai (red, yellow and green curry, stir-fries)

Vietnamese (curry, BBQ beef/pork, pho, bahn hoi, egg rolls, etc.)

Japanese (curry, ramen)

Indian (did I mentioned that we like curry?)

Steaks, salads, hamburgers, pizzas, fried chicken just don't interest me. Not that I want to make at home anyway.

Hong Kong is a very unique city because of its history, location and culture. To characterize it in one phrase, I would say it is a "city on the move". Things are very fast-moving. People are always on the run. May be not as fast as in Tokyo, but faster than New York City.

Did I get back to Hong Kong often? Well... I used to fly back every 2 years or so to visit my aging Father and siblings. Father passed away in 1999. That was the last time I was back. It seems as if suddenly there is a void of reasons to go back. My brothers and I remain close. But they understand that we don't need to see each other often to maintain the bond.

I gotta tell you... there is something called "Cultural Shock". Those who had experienced it would know what I am talking about. You grow up in a certain environment, speak a particular language, taking things for granted, doing things automatically. And suddenly you move to a foreign country to live by yourself. You don't speak the language. You can't read their street signs. You don't know how to order a meal in restaurants. You don't know where to shop for groceries. All items and brands look completely foreign to you. That... is cultural shock.

I experienced it a few times. First time was when I came to San Diego for school. In Hong Kong, though English is taught as an official language, it is rarely spoken in daily lives. When I came to USA, from the first moment that I arrived San Francisco International Airport, that's the only language I heard. I tried to pick up a pay phone to call my friend, and I didn't know how to make a call! The operator came on, and I ended up hanging up the phone because I didn't know what to say and what to do.

It takes time to settle in a new environment, living a new life.

And interesting enough... my second cultural shock came when I moved back to Hong Kong and worked there for a few years after I graduated from school. I had already been living in California for six years, getting used to Californian sunshine and the laid-back life style. I didn't know what to do back home. I walked slower than most people on the street. I talked slower. When I shopped in a market, I expected the cashier would place the change on my hand - as they do in the USA. They dropped the change on the counter and looked at me with funny eyes - where did this guy come from? Sticking out his palm?

And needless to say, my third cultural shock came when I immigrated to the USA after that few years I spent in Hong Kong and traveled in Mainland on business. But with each time, though, the degree of impact and enormousity deminish. It takes far less time to adjust.

And... this is home. My chosen country to live - the USA. First generation immigrant, much like my father when he took the train from Canton to Hong Kong many decades ago. My food habits remain those that I acquired grewing up in Hong Kong though. I am fortunate now that I live only minutes away from many Asian markets in the area. When I lived in Mission Viejo, I used to do weekend grocery shopping at 99 Ranch in Irvine once a week. And occassionally went to the San Gabriel Valley to get some "real" stuff.

Edited February 19, 2007 by hzrt8w (log)

[Susan in FL]

Ah Leung, your blog is like an excellent meal -- not just all the obvious of looks-good and tastes-good, but it's heartwarming, too.

You mentioned my remark from some time ago when I was in charge of the foodblogs, that we would work on getting a fridge shot. I'll take it easy on you since I'm not in charge anymore!

I would like say I am taking special pride in this blog; it's the last one in which I had a part in the planning, before my personal circumstances made it necessary for me to give up my volunteer work for the eG Society... A special thanks to you, and Happy New Year.

[Kouign Aman]

Kung Hey Fat Choy!

Thanks for blogging. I am looking forward to more of this.

Geekdom, of any kind, is so much fun. And then there's the food.

[lucylou95816]

Ah Leung, thanks for the suggestions on the markets. What do you think of the farmers markets on Sundays under the freeway? It's the only one that I've been to in this area, with the exception of the on on Thursdays out on Florin Rd, which isn't always convenient. Do you know of better ones in the area?

It's been my understanding that New Canton and Eastern Empire are also top notch Chinese cuisine. Is that your impression?

[Makan King]

I have one question about the big family meal: I was told that dumplings were traditional for New Year's and noodles were more frequently served for birthdays.  Is this simply not a set rule and different families and regions pass on different traditions?

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Dumplings are more of a northen China tradition. In Beijing, for example, families will eat dumplings (or jiaozi) at midnight as the last day of the previous year becomes the first day of the new year.

What about you?  Are there other readers who were born in the year of the pig?

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I'm also born in the year of the pig! So, what element are you? (in a sneaky attempt to discover your age!)

Gongxi Facai! Or Kiong Hee Huat Chye! (in the Hokkien dialect)

[hzrt8w]

Yesterday I mentioned that on this Chinese New Year Eve, we went to a special place for lunch, taking advantage of this holiday weekend before we had the family gathering dinner.

We heard that Koi Palace is opening shop in Thunder Valley Casino. We were very excited because we really like Koi Palace in Daly City.

Thunder Valley Casino is located in Lincoln, about 30 miles NE of downtown Sacramento. It is a mid-size Indian casino with the usual card tables, slot machines and stuff.

Koi Palace is inside the casino. Someone mentioned that this used to be Fat's. The last time I came to Thunder Valley was about a year ago. I didn't notice the restaurant in my last trip.

This Koi Palace is very nicely decorated. The style and material is top-notch. This is a statue of "Kwun Yum" and a small water fountain at the entrance. Kwun Yum is the goddess who blesses the poor and the suffering. (Perhaps gamblers need her blessing?)

The Chinese style cushions at the waiting bench.

Also at the entrance: a very nicely made dragon boat with miniature bamboo plants.

We sat down and ordered our lunch from the menu. They do not have any dim sum cart. One orders it from the menu. It is interesting that most dim sum restaurants in the Bay Area have different prices for small, medium, large and special items. At this Koi Palace, they seem to want to simplify that. Flat one price for all dim sums at US$3.80 each. They do adjust in giving you different quantities to make up for the price differences.

This is the setting. All utensils have their restaurant logo, from tea cups, to plates, to chopsticks, to chopstick holders.

I ordered one of my favorite tea "Teet Kwun Yum", which is named after the goddess who blesses the suffering commons. How appropriate!

The ceramic tea kettle sits on top of a miniature stove with a small candle inside to keep the tea warm.

The food came. Here is the shrimp dumpling "Har Gow". Very tasty. Same quality as their main restaurant in Daly City.

Har Gow is easy to make, but hard to make well. The difference is all in the "kung fu" (the mastery) of the main chef in material selection, marination, dough making, dumpling pleading and the exact timing when steaming the dim sum.

In Hong Kong, people say if you want to know if the dim sum in a particular restaurant is good or not, just taste their har gow. It is sort of a bench mark item.

Next: siu mai (shrimp and ground pork dumpling). This item is not as good as what they make in Daly City unfortunately. It is a little bit dry and dull.

Daikon rice cake "Nor Bak Gou". Shredded daikon cooked with rice flour, seasoned, steamed to form, then cut into slices and slightly fried when served. There are dried shrimp and black mushrooms in the filling typically. This one is not bad though I had better ones.

Fried bean curd rolls with ground shrimp filling, "Har Guon". This is similar to what I made in this pictorial recipe:

Shrimp Paste Wrapped in Bean Curd Sheets (鮮蝦腐皮卷)

Their version is dry and pan-fried. Very tasty.

Steamed bean curd sheets with ground pork filling, "Seen Jok Guon". Very good.

Sticky rice wrapped in lotus leaf.

How it looks when the lotus leaf is unwrapped. They added laap cheung (Chinese sausage), black mushroom (really succulent!), dried shrimp and very finely chopped (but not ground) pork as the filling. This one is very good too.

A trio of light soy sauce, hot sauce and Chinese mustard. Don't underestimate the Chinese mustard. It can clear your sinuses in 5 seconds! Try it on your American hot dog...

Phewww.... that's all we had room for.

After the meal, I walked around the restaurant and took notes of their decorations. Again, really very nicely done. This has been the best decorated Chinese restaurant I have seen in North America.

This is the section where we sat at.

In the main dining room, it is a tall ceiling set up. The center piece is the fire place, chimney and a flat dragon sculpture hung at the center. The fireplace really makes you feel cozy.

I don't know if any of these decorations is inherited from Fat's or they are completely Koi Palace's creation. You can tell that they are designed by some top interior decorators.

A closer look at the black dragon sculture. Looks like it is made of cast iron but I am not sure.

This is what I really like: in the other side of the fireplace they sectioned off what could be used as a private banquet room. On the wall, they hung some old drawings - Chinese women in their traditional Cheung Sam back in the 20's/30's. Make you feel as if you were back to the old Hong Kong and old Shanghai before WWII.

Some pictures of Chinese banquets and just friends getting together for a meal.

Picture of a Chinese woman in the Ching dynasty, and super-size vases at the corner.

More historic pictures of China in the back corner. When I host a small banquet in the future, I would like to book a private room and host it here.

And a traditional stone lion sculpture.

In conclusion: we were very happy with this meal. The service was excellent. They have well-trained staff and very attentive. To my surprise there weren't too many customers at their grand opening. I was expecting more fan fare than what I had seen. But Lincoln is a little out of the way for most people who live in Sacramento. It would be hard to drive for 30 minutes there just to have a meal. But to me, it beats driving for 2 hours to get to their Daly City location.

The price is a little on the high side. Given that you can dine in a nicely decorated restaurant with friendly staff and attentive service, and high food quality (except for one dish that we tried), this is a meal that we would remember. I am not sure how often we will drive to Lincoln to eat at Koi Palace, being that we are not gamblers so we went there really just to eat. I hope that they will stay around for long, as the fact that Fat's is no longer there makes me think this may be a challenge - setting up fine Chinese dining in a casino - for Koi Palace.