Valentine's Day 2013

For those of ya'll who don't live under a rock, Valentine's Day was this past Thursday. However, because Angela and I live about an hour apart...not to mention our busy schedules, we decided to celebrate it on February 16, 2013. And boy, was it worth the wait!

I took Angela to a very nice steak house, Club A Steakhouse. And as sad as I am to say it, I believe that New York has the better steaks than Texas. That's like saying that New York has the better high school football competition than Texas. It's unheard of! But unfortunately, it's true...yet this sad piece of news led way to a wonderfully satisfied stomach!

1) Of course, Valentine's Day dinner wouldn't be complete without wine, so that's exactly what Angela and I ordered. I ordered a Merlot, and Angela ordered a Pinot Grigio.

 * Can you tell which wine is which?

2) I forgot to take a picture of my appetizer, but true to my nature, I ordered a Caesar Salad. The dressing was very delicious and garlic-y. Great start to the meal!

3) This steakhouse had an amazing selection from its menu. Amongst the menu items was "Herb Garlic Fries." Can you guess if we ordered that? Also, my steak was cooked perfectly, and the way that my dad likes his steaks prepared: charred on the outside, but juicy on the inside. YUM.

 * My 22 oz. Double Eagle bone in steak, the herb garlic fries, and Angela's steamed bass with veggies and interesting vinaigrette.

4) Chocolate mousse cake. Enough said.

* a picture really is worth a thousand words.

So as you can tell, Angela and I enjoyed quite a dinner. Yay for us

2013 Chinese New Year

Gong Xi Fa Cai...or Gung He Fat Coy for you cantonese folks. In case you've been living under the rock, this past weekend was Chinese New Year. As has been the norm for me the past few weekends, I trekked up to Long Island and spent it with my girlfriend's family...(and her).

So, New York was hit with a pretty horrible blizzard, and so, it was time for me to embark on an ancient tradition shared by many a New Yorkers: It was time for me to shovel snow....for the very first time in my life. Suffice to say, I had no idea what I was in for...however, I discovered I'm a natural snow shoveler and that shoveling snow is a great way to work up one's appetite! I was starving after an hour and a half shoveling snow! 

 * This is Angela's battle garb...she had three layers of clothing just for her head. She looks like a mushroom.

Because of the blizzard that affected New York, our original idea of hot pot went out the window. The plan was for Angela's aunt to celebrate with us and bring all the ingredients necessary for hot pot. Unfortunately, the blizzard made driving conditions a little less than ideal, so luckily, as resourceful Asians do, we went with plan B: GO OUT TO EAT DINNER.

We went to some restaurant I forgot the name to. What I do remember is that it's next to a BJ's warehouse...what an odd name for a store. Anyways, the restaurant is known affectionately by the Lau Family as #3...as in the number 3 ranked Chinese restaurant in their minds.

1) The First course was steamed shrimp.

 * Look at Mrs. Lau's face; I can't tell whether she's happy by the site or apalled!

2) Next was soup...with a bunch of deliciousness used to develop the flavor profile of the dish. It had chicken, chicken feet, veggies...and some other food(s) I can't recall...because I'm old. 

3) PEKING DUCK! That made me very happy when I saw the dish. An added perk was that there was a plethora of scallions at my disposal.

 * I think Mrs. Lau looks happy in this picture

4) Crab with Scallions and Garlic. I don't know how else to describe the dish...all I know is that it was yummy and delicious...and there were lotsa garlic cloves for me to munch on! Yummy for my belly.

 5) Fried Rice. I don't think I need to explain this dish any further. Pretty self explanatory.

So as you can tell, I ate pretty well for Chinese New Year. I wish I had enjoyed some hot pot (especially on a cold day), but I can't complain with how plan B turned out. As Confucious always says: "Plan B is Buddha's Greatest Gift to the world."

SUPER BOWL WEEKEND

Sorry for being M.I.A. for soo long. It's been a very hectic few weeks for me. Ugh, the struggles for a working man.

But fear not! For I have returned to my blogging ways! You can thank the Super Bowl for this one.

Maaan, the Super Bowl was super intense this year! Uuuugh, the Ravens barely beat the 49ers 34-31. Oh well, at least the 49ers will be good for years to come.

Saturday
Angela's grandmother had eye surgery, so she was unavailable to cook. Luckily for me, Angela's mom was more than able to fill in for our injured superhero. Mrs. Lau was the Robin to Grandma Lau's Batman...the superboy to superman....the jelly to the peanut butter!

 * from left to right: veggies with garlic, DUCK with scallions, steamed tilapia, and curried chicken and potatoes. DEEELICIOUS!

Mrs. Lau doesn't give herself enough credit; she's a superstar in the kitchen.

Superbowl Sunday
Holy crap. Super Bowl Sunday was yesterday! Like every good American, the only meal to have for dinner on Super Bowl Sunday is....WINGS. Yay for me, there's a "Buffalo Wild Wings" establishment in Long Island. Boo for me, Buffalo Wild Wings would not take online orders. Instead, customers had to walk-in, order, and wait for about an hour to pick up their wings. I really wish there were times where people didn't have the same thoughts as me.

But hey, I got my wings...and here's the pic:

* that's a full bag of delicious goodness...50 wings, split into four flavors:
Sweet BBQ
Teriyaki
Asian Zing
Spicy Garlic.

Spicy Garlic was clearly the best. It was garlic-y... the secret behind any great dish.

Sorry for the short "zing-er" of a post...but I promise I'll update shortly with a more substantial post.

Au Revoir!