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Where To Feast For Chinese New Year
By
Jamie Feldmar
Published Jan 17, 2012
Modified Jan 29, 2012
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By
Jamie Feldmar
Published Jan 17, 2012
Modified Jan 29, 2012
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The Chinese Lunar New Year is almost upon us—it's January 23rd this year, to be exact, and there are all sorts of fun parades and festivals happening in Manhattan's Chinatown and in Flushing. But after you've had your fill of giant dragon puppets, drummers and fireworks, you'll understandably be very hungry. Here's what to do about it.
Most traditional Chinese New Year dishes focus around symbols of luck, happiness and good fortune. Fish is eaten because the Chinese word for fish (yu) is a homophone for "surplus;" fried oil dumplings called jau gok are eaten because they resemble ancient Chinese coin purses; long noodles are served uncut to represent longevity; and a vegetarian stew dubbed "Buddhist's Delight," eaten to honor a Buddhist practice of staying vegetarian for the first five days of the New Year and prepared with fat choy, a vermicelli-like algae whose pronunciation is a homophone for "good luck." Got all that? Good! Now here's where to find it:
Chinese New Year isn't really the time to hit the tiny hole-in-the wall noodle and dumpling shacks we've previously raved about. It's a giant, festive holiday, so go all out at a grand establishment. In Manhattan's Chinatown, old-school, banquet-esque standbys like Oriental Garden and Ping's Seafood will do you right (especially Ping's, where you can pick out your fish while it's still alive); though get there early or be prepared to throw some elbows.
If Chinatown isn't your scene, head to the West Village for Ed Schoenfeld and Joe Ng's trendy, locavore-leaning Chinese joint Red Farm instead. In Sunset Park, head to the ginormous dim sum emporium Pacificana for super-fresh cart offerings. Flushing will be hopping, but do try to snag a spot Imperial Palace for knockout Cantonese fare in the very loud and very festive dining room.
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Chinatown
chinese new year
imperial palace
oriental garden
pacificana
ping's seafood
red farm
Jamie Feldmar
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