Flor de Mayo

This picture was taken about eight months ago but I need to give Flor de Mayo it’s due.  I was chatting with a colleague in the break room and we were talking about Chinese food.  Since we work on the Upper West Side, he said, “I was craving Chinese food so I went to Flor de Mayo.”  I knew what he was talking about but it just sounded strange.  I actually have never tried the Chinese food there.  I always opt for the Peruvian side of the menu, the Aji de Gallina-Shredded chcken cooked in special spicy sauce with cheese and walnuts.  I always order the green rice with it.

Aji de Gallina with green rice

Chinese-Korean Zha Jiang Noodles from Hyo Dong Gak

Conversation number one:

Calvin (Chinese):  What’s the Korean word for three?

Abe (Korean):  Sam

Calvin:  That sounds just like the Chinese word for three.

Abe:  That’s the word the Chinese imposed on the Koreans.

Conversation number two:

David (Korean):  Let’s go have Zha Jiang Mian in K-town.

Alicia (Chinese):  Isn’t Zha Jiang Mian a Chinese dish?

David:  It’s a dish that the Chinese Imperialists brought to Korea.

Alicia:  But the Chinese invented it!

David:  The Chinese may have invented it but the Koreans perfected it!

Alicia:  I guess I can live with that.

Hyo Dong Gak is a Chinese-Korean restaurant in Midtown on 35th Street between 5th and 6th.  I had always watched my dad eat Zha Jiang Mian growing up.  We always celebrate birthdays in our family with noodles and my dad’s favorite noodle dish was Zha Jiang Mian.  I never could bring myself to try them because I couldn’t get over the black colored sauce.  Boy, I never knew what I was missing out on until now.  We ordered ggampoongi for the table.  When it arrived I couldn’t help but call it a Korean General Tso’s Chicken.  The irony in that is that General Tso’s Chicken is not a dish that is found in China.  It is a Chinese-American creation.  But I digress.  The Zha Jiang noodles were amazingly delicious.  And the spicy seafood noodles called jjam bong were nicely done, as well.  The bowls are huge so this is a great place to take guys, Chinese or Korean!  Or anyone else, for that matter.  It’s very reasonably priced.

Korean General Tso's

Zha Jiang Noodles

Jjam Bong Noodle Soup

Coupon for UFC (Unidentified Flying Chickens)

There’s a Groupon for UFC (Korean fried chicken) in Jackson Heights.  It’s only available for four more hours.  Their chicken is out of this world.  I went there quite a few months ago with some coworkers to celebrate a promotion.  We ordered a whole chicken and the Soy Garlic drumsticks as well as the Chicken Dukboki (rice noodles with chicken, onion, and spicy sauce).  Seriously delicious and addictive.

Drumsticks and a Whole Chicken

Chicken Dukboki

Chicken n’ Rice- 53rd and 6th

People at work were passionately debating a topic one day.  As I listened, all I could make out was what sounded to me like a compound word, “Chickenrice.”  Back and forth.  ”53rd is a classic.”  ”No, Sammy’s was voted best cart!”  I’ve only eaten from a couple of Halal carts in the city, and neither were 53rd or Sammy’s.  So last night after work we ventured into the city for Chicken n’ Rice at 53rd (and yes, they do actually have a Wikipedia article).  As we drove from Long Island to the city, I came to understand the importance of 53rd.  My coworkers would drive into the city on the weekends just to eat Chicken n’ Rice, and they’d have it multiple days during the weekdays if they were in the city already.  Jonatan said, “My mom always asks me why I need to go all the way into the city to eat.  When I tell her that it’s Chicken n’ Rice she tells me that she’ll make me chicken and rice.  It is not the same, ma!”

We finally made it to the Southwest corner of 53rd and 6th.  My friends were messing with me.  They said, “It’s like the Soup Nazi on Seinfeld.  You can’t say anything to them!  Just kidding.”  We got there somewhat early, around 11pm.  The line was still very short.  $6 got me a large container of rice with chicken and lamb.  It comes also with salad and pita bread.  Sauce is on the side for you to add yourself.  The white sauce went on it without hesitation but I decided not to mess with the hot sauce.  I was warned that it is extremely hot.  It was a hot night, had a long day at work, and the iconic Chicken n’ Rice really hit the spot.

I grew up in California making midnight runs to Little Cesar’s, Taco Bell, and In-N-Out Burger.  If I grew up in New York, you bet I would have made midnight runs to 53rd.  Up next:  Sammy’s in Jackson.  My other co-worker insists on the comparison.  I’m glad he’s coming with me because there are so many Halal carts in Jackson Heights, I can’t tell which one is Sammy’s!

Kyochon is the New KFC

Move over Colonel Sanders!  Korean Fried Chicken is all the rage.  I recently visited two different Kyochons.  As far as I know, Bon Chon in K-town and Flushing started the trend.  There is also UFC (Unidentified Flying Chickens) which is also very popular.  What is so special about Korean Fried Chicken?  I’ll try to explain in words but it really must be experienced for yourself.  Sometime I’ll have a blind taste test to see which one of these would win in a throw down.  Let me know if you want in on the taste test!  Double battered and fried wings and drumsticks with various types of glazes.  Although I am fiercely loyal to New York now, I’m sorry but Buffalo Wings have nothing on the new KFC.  The wings come in a non-spicy glaze but to quote my pastor, “Why would you get chicken that wasn’t spicy?”  He also said that compared to Bon Chon, Kyochon tastes more like something his mother would make.  UFC is excellent as well.  Each one suits a different mood.

At the Kyochon in Flushing we had the whole chicken non-spicy and the drumsticks spicy.  They were Spicy (with a capital S).  We also ordered the dukboki with sauteed chicken and onions, simmered in a spicy red sauce.  Below, at the Kyochon in Korea Town on 32nd Street, we had rice balls, miso soup, and pickled daikon radish to accompany the wings.  This Kyochon is hip indeed.  The second level provides seating with plenty of televisions with a lounge feel to it and a great street view.

Hot wings

Oven used at Kyochon (Manhattan)

Rice Ball and Miso Soup

10¢ Wings at Croxley’s

I don’t normally hang out in Long Island but I decided to join my co-workers for a pre-Thanksgiving Buffalo Wing night at Croxley Ales.  I had been hearing about these famous wing nights and I finally got to experience one.  The evening was preceded by a discussion of the name Buffalo wings.  Without even having any beer the discussion we had was quite ridiculous and I will not recreate it for you here.  I suppose I could Google or Wiki it but perhaps an informed reader can educate me.  Also, I’ve never been to Buffalo so I’ve never had true Buffalo wings, just like I’ve never had a true Philly cheese steak or true Chicago pizza either.   I had a pear cider and then I lost track of the number of wings that I had.  I think I stopped counting on purpose in order to prevent myself from quantifying the guilt!  I loved the hot wings but people ordered mostly mild or medium.  I couldn’t taste the difference between the mild and medium but it didn’t really matter because the bleu cheese sauce prevailed, anyways.  The wings were great, the company was fantastic, and the beers were plentiful.  ’Twas a great night.

Korean BBQ on 35th Street, K-town

I was recently invited to a meal at Madangsui on 35th Street in Midtown.  We sat down to evaluate an event that our team had just executed.  Interestingly enough the event was a discussion around the topic of interracial dating and marriage.  Around the Korean BBQ table we had two Korean-Americans, a Hispanic-American, and a Chinese-American.  Honestly, I thought Chinese-Americans got a hard time from “real Chinese people” for not speaking the language but I discovered that it is even worse for Korean-Americans.  The New York Times recently ran an article about how South Koreans struggle with race.  Abe, who hosted us that night did indeed speak Korean, at least well enough to seemingly win the respect of our waitress.  This is what I love about Chinese and Korean style dining- that family style meal.  The host takes responsibility for ordering for the table.  Needless to say the food was absolutely delicious.  We ordered BBQ chicken with vegetables and Galbi (marinaded short ribs served with onions) with lettuce and sauce to wrap.  They grilled it right at the table for us but luckily I didn’t leave the restaurant smelling like BBQ.  At least I don’t think I did.  We also had fried dumplings, tofu stew and an order of Bibimbop.  They also gave us the ban chan dish of egg in a stone pot (someone please tell me the name of that one!).