Mmmm...Thai Orange Chicken...tasty
I think there was some lemon grass in one of 6 dozen or so of the steamed dumplings I got today for Chinese New Years...I'm sure it was from Empress (regular menu item btw), 'fun gor' (each restaurant will have a different spelling and different ingredients...so YMMV).
Left West LA area (my friend took a whole friggin hour after I called him @8:15AM to finally get dressed and get ready "I work for a living" is what his usual excuse is, to which I say "you party for a living, were out Saturday night clubbing with Paris until 3AM"). Only made it to Monterey Park/Alhambra this time, busier than hell on this weekend. Started in earnest @9:45 at EHS, ordered quickly, walked across the street to Capitol Seafood, ordered some more take out dim sum, told both places we'd be back in a ~hour. Drove to 'The Kitchen' where the only manager that actually comprehends English (the others seem to recognize what you are saying but in the end it doesn't quite register the same with them), was not yet on duty. Ordered, showed them my pix from my tiny 1.5in Oly C50Z PnS digicam of what I wanted, manager said he understood, we would be back in 45min. Went shopping at the local large Chinese super market...too early for hottie Chinese babes to be waken from their blissful slumber, who must have been partying like it was 1999 the Saturday the night before as it hit 83F in Los Angeles Saturday. Bought some water chestnuts, bean sprouts, asparagus, then back to pickup the dim sum from the 3rd place. Arggh, I opened the styro containers only to find the competely wrong items, by which time the only English comprehension manager was there, got our order re-done, said we would be back.
Of to pickup 2 other orders 2mi away at the 1st 2 stops, but then decided to go 1mi south and see what they had at Elite Restaurant. By then it was a zoo @11AM, but we ordered and left, back north to pickup the 1st 2 orders...which we did not check for corrrectness. Further north to the place that screwed up our order, for re-compensation, finally getting what was originally ordered. Back south on Atlantic Blvd, decided to stop by an old institution in Monterey Park, NBC restaurant or 20+yrs. They were open while construction was being done to expand to twice the originial size building (probably be the biggest of them all after expansion, 500+ seating), but parking was impossible to find @11:30AM. But my friend had closed own this place with another wine shop owner who likes to spend $$$$ during the week for dinner. The manager there recognized my friend, and proceeded to quickly personally grab 4 dim sum items off of the carts circulating the big room for us. We asked how much we owed him and he said $15 (kind of steep, but we were in and out like in 10 minutes...preferential treatment while the pions waited their turn
).
Back down to Elite to pick up order there, as it was now 12:30PM. 30 minutes later, back to the westside, and we are steaming in bamboo steamer the dumplings that need reheating via steam, and heating deep-fried items in the toaster oven. 1PM we have 3 bottles wine, including one of 18.2% alc Zinfandel
open. 4PM, polished off 'a few' dim sum items and most of 3 bottles, so we quickly ice bucket chilled a inexpensive French Champagne, 5PM I left for home, completely 'played', stuffed, with alcohol and dim sum. Seeeeeesh, good thing I only do this once a year. Hope I dont have a hangover later, time to watch the Grammy's or fall asleep for a nap. Had my camera set up with tripod for pictures...did not take one picture...
Fin.