Valentine's Day in NYC is not to be spent at the usual restaurants. This city is amazing for all other holidays… but not this one. Probably because Valentine's was the first one to be incorporated by sleazy restauranteurs to fleece customers of their money, while getting nothing special back. Think about it… you want a ROMANTIC dinner for Valentine's Day. Cozy. Secluded. Intimate. Calm. (until the bedroom, later). Well, think about most of the city's eateries. Instead of what you want, they merely cram you into overcrowded dining rooms--for rushed meals (they often have "seatings" which means that diners must leave within 2 hours). The meals are often a downscaled prix-fixe version of the menu (so you can't even order your favorite dishes--which might be why you went there in the first place)! Undoubtedly, their $80-150per person dinner includes a mere sip of champagne, a fillet mignon or "Surf And Turf", and then a "fructose corn syrup Chocolate" confection. Practically the same as their New Year's Eve menu. Plus, you lose the intimacy of the restaurant (because its packed), and you lose the competency of the waitstaff (because they're understaffed and overworked). But, you're forced to pay the "Holiday pre-included" 20% gratuity.
Not for Lewis and I.
Instead, we decided to go to a neighborhood where Valentine's Day doesn't negatively impact the restaurant scene. We went to Flushing, Queens, and we ate the BEST Taiwanese dinner possible.
Our jaunt included Lewis' school-age chum, Ly (who also lives in Astoria). Despite the lovely snowfall (just like from a Hallmark movie), we embarked on the elevated subway from Astoria to Flushing. The ride still required 30-minutes (on an express train), due to the subway's unaltered slowness since 1925. Arriving in Flushing, I was happily surprised to see that a few parts of the neighborhood improved since I had miserably lived there 5 years ago.
Click here and read "My Life Story" to find out more that:
Thankfully, our spur-of-the-moment travels found those parts. Walking from the Main Street subway terminal, we went one block to Union and discovered "Tous Le Jours" bakery. Not your typical Asian bakery! You'd expect to find this one amongst SoHo's chic shops. Aside from the expected buns and baos, their offering includes non-typical "Asian community" fare: savory soft-boiled Eggs & Ham tarts, French-style Chocolate Croissants, Sausage & Tomato buns, Garlic Bread spears, loaves of bread, and macarons!
As you can see above, they give you wooden trays and tongs to carry your selections to the cashier.
Above, you see Lewis pointing to their Brioche and Curry Doughnuts.
As you browse their stylish shelves (which overlook a handsome seating Café area), you notice that they upstandingly list all their ingredients and calorie counts on EACH ITEM.
From there, we traipsed to a restaurant that Lewis found. He searched through 20 places (via Yelp and Google and memory) to find a Taiwanese restaurant that served the most unique yet traditional dishes. He chose "Red Chopsticks", just off Main Street, before the Carnegie Library. Luckily, we were seated at a booth in the elevated area, so we felt cozily tucked away.
The delightful waitress must've thought Lewis was handsome and gave him her full attention. They chatted happily and joked. We discovered that the chef preferred to serve generous portions. From the online menu, Lewis already copied down everything that he wanted to order for us and simply read it to the server (spoken in Mandarin). Ly understands a marginal portion of Mandarin, but I understood nothing. Regardless, the food arrived promptly and was delicious! Our merry troupe of gentlemen enjoyed everything!
The first dish was a Taiwanese meatball; the skin was a crystal-gelatinous skin filled with diced mushrooms, bamboo, pork, and dried shrimp, served with a sweet chili sauce! Above, bottom right, was a plate of tofu sheets wrapped around chicken. Hidden from view was a wonderfully crispy Salt & Pepper Calamari. Below, "sticky rice" (which was soooo good: a bit sweet but very savory) was steamed in bamboo and softened banana leaves.
As comparison, the boys also ordered sticky rice served in sausage casing. I much preferred the bamboo-imparted flavoring!
Next to arrive at the table was Kidney in spicy Mao Po sauce--so tender and the sauce lingers delightfully on your tongue. The leeks were a perfect pairing for each forkful.
Below, our Oyster Pancake (omelet) had whole oysters atop it and a cornstarch gel to hold it together.
Chunks of sautéd bone-in "Three Glass" chicken (three components: soy sauce, wine and sesame oil), scallion and hot peppers came in a steamy pot… entirely succulent and piquant.
As customary, refilled pots of chrysanthemum tea arrived, and our vegetable platters were lovely. After each "dish" was handsomely consumed, we summoned our waitress for the check ($90 total, including tip) and a plate of sliced orange wedges arrived as our "something sweet" before we departed.
We meandered around the neighborhood, peeking in certain stores and food stalls, before heading to a tea shop that Ly heard about: Teaus. The shop seemed artsy and clever. The girls at the counter were smiley and respectfully friendly.
After perusing their extensive menu (for such a small place), I ordered the Rosemary Green tea (with honey, no milk).
Ly was intrigued with their roasted Oolong milk tea (served in a cork-topped glass bottle). [If your return the bottle, they refund a portion]
Lewis and I arrived home at the respectable hour of 9 o'clock, and we had the rest of the Valentine's evening to savor together!
The next day, we enjoyed the aforementioned baked goods during breakfast, tea time and dinner. $12 got me an almond/pumpkin tart (like Challah bread), a sweet potato bun, a brioche loaf, and a fried ball of red bean paste and glutenous rice.
It was a perfect assortment to nibble on, while watching the movie "Prada to Nada" and sipping Oolong tea that we brought back from Shanghai.
*To see our trip to Shanghai where that happened, please use this link:
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