Atomic Wings - TriBeCa, NYC

For those of you who knows us personally, I'm sure that you would know that we are big fans of Groupon. Ok ok, I'll admit it. It's not 'us', it's more like 'me'. I'm a huge fan of Groupon! Well, to be fair, it's not just Groupon but other similar companies like Living Social, Yelp Deals and so on. Kevin would always just roll his eyes whenever I tell him that I have found another good deal on Groupon. Hey, you can't blame me. Some deals are just too good to miss out on, right? Now, it is also no secret that the both of us likes wings (this time it's the BOTH of us, not just me :P). You can imagine my excitement when I saw a deal on Groupon for Atomic Wings in the city! I believe it was like $12 for $25 worth of food. I've heard from various people that Atomic Wings makes the best wings in the city, so it was a good chance for us to try it.
When we bought the Groupon, we had to select which location (there are 9 different Atomic Wings outlets located all over the city) we wanted to redeem the Groupon at. After checking out Google Map, we went with the TriBeCa outlet, since it's located within walking distance from our regular PATH station. Little did we know then that the particular outlet wasn't exactly located in the best of areas. We headed out to TriBeCa last Saturday evening and boy, the neighborhood looked kinda shady. Not only did it look deserted, but it was dark and there were lotsa graffiti around. Ahhh well, we must not judge a restaurant by the area it's in. Maybe they have some really good wings in there, right? Well, we'll soon find out!
The entrance leading to Atomic Wings looked somewhat shady too. The restaurant is located below street level and we had to go down this really long and narrow stairway. From the signs outside, it looks like Atomic Wings is not only a wings place but also a so called 'sports bar'. From the moment we walked in, there was this really weird smell (I must say it's not pleasant :P) and the whole vibe of the place felt weird. The whole place looked dark and dingy, even with the bright orange walls. Whole whole back portion of the 'sports bar' was in total darkness, and there was this huge empty space. I assume that there used to be a pool table there, maybe? Apart from us, there was only another table of customers there. We saw a sign up by the counter saying that we could sit anywhere and the waiters will attend to us shortly. Only customers who wanted to take out their wings should order at the counter. So, we went to take a seat and looked at the menu while waiting.
After waiting for what seemed like forever, we finally figured out that the waiters are not coming over to take our order. They were just standing there, behind the counter, staring blankly at us. It was just so weird. If you want us to come up and order at the counter, just say so. You have this big sign saying sit down and we'll come by but you just stand there, without saying anything. We finally gave up and Kevin went up to the counter to order. There is a huge soda fountain by the counter but when we tried to order a fountain drink, they said it wasn't working. Why am I not surprise (rolls eyes). So, we had to order bottled soda instead.
Apart from wings, they also have salads, burgers, sandwiches and wraps on their menu. Since they are famous for their wings, we decided to stick to what they are famous for. We have a choice of either regular or boneless wings (you could also get half and half) and 13 different flavors to choose from. Kevin went with the single serving (10 pieces) of regular medium buffalo wings ($8.99). The wings came with some celery, carrots and blue cheese. When the wings first arrived, we were pretty impressed. They were huge! I guess the reviews were right...the wings from Atomic Wings are huge! I didn't try Kevin's wings but he said that they were nice. Not too spicy, just right.
I ordered a single serving of regular honey mustard wings ($8.99). It also came with celery, carrots and blue cheese. I must admit that yes, they looked really yummy. Did they taste yummy though? Wellllll, in all fairness, I think that the wings from Atomic Wings in general is great. However, this particular branch sucks! The wings were rather cold when it arrived. I really liked the taste of the wings and knew that the wings would be totally awesome if they were served hot (or warm, to say the least). I really don't understand how it could get cold in that short journey between the kitchen to our table when all the wings are supposed to be freshly cooked upon order?
We also shared a combo basket of waffle fries and onion fries ($6.99). When we first saw the price, we were thinking that it was a bit steep, just for a side. When the combo basket arrived, we knew why. It was big enough to feed a family of 6 (maybe even more!)!!! Look at how huge that serving was! I purposely took the picture with Kevin in it, so that you can have a a size reference. Also, check out the wings. Big wings, aren't they?
Our total bill came up to $31. We had the $25 Groupon, so we ended up paying an additional $6. $31 is really not too shabby for so much food. I think there was enough food to feed at least 4-5 people. Would we return to this particular Atomic Wings? Definitely not. However, we will have to visit another Atomic Wings outlet elsewhere to see if the service is any better. I guess it's worth checking out, since their wings are not too bad at all.

Atomic Wings - TriBeCa, NYC
311 Broadway
New York, NY 10007-1153
Tel: (212)571 7667
Web: http://www.atomicwings.com

Grand Sichuan Restaurant - Chinatown, NYC

Boy, this is a long overdue post. I've been meaning to blog about this restaurant for the longest time, but never got around to it. I was going through some photos that we took during Chinese New Year earlier today and that reminded me about this restaurant. After the Firecracker Ceremony at Roosevelt Park, we were freezing and super hungry. So, we decided to walk south, towards Manhattan Bridge, in search of some food.
As we turned onto Canal St (from Chrystie St), I immediately saw huge two words jump out at me. HOT POT! Mind you, we have been standing out in the sub zero temperature for hours, so this was indeed a welcoming sight. Nothing beats some yummy hot pot on a cold winters day. I remember reading some reviews about this restaurant online and it received quite a number of good reviews. Looks like this is one of the few places in Manhattan where one can get some hot pot (most of the hot pot joints are located in Queens). So, we decided to head in and give this place a try.
We were quite surprised that the restaurant was rather empty (only 3 other tables were occupied) when we walked in. I am guessing cos it was a weekday and it was way past lunch time. Since there were so few people in the restaurant, the service was superb! After sitting us down, they brought out some complimentary Chinese tea and asked if we are having the hot pot or if we will be ordering from the regular menu. After telling them that we would be trying their hot pot today, they promptly began setting up the table for it.
Unlike many of the hot pot restaurants in Queens, Grand Sichuan is not a eat-all- you-can restaurant. They offer a variety of ala carte ingredients, ranging from seafood, various types of meat to vegetables and noodles. Most of the items cost between $3.95 to $7.95 per plate. I believe the most expensive item on the menu are crabs, which is $13.95 per plate. The only thing that I do not really like is having to pay $1.95 for a dish of dipping sauce. There are nine different types of dipping sauces available but having to pay $1.95 for sauce is just too much. Oh well, I guess nothing is perfect in this world :P
There are two different types of soups/broths that you choose from for your hot pot. There is the traditional spicy Sichuan flower pepper broth (mala) and the mild non spicy chicken broth. For those of you who cannot make up your mind, you can actually have both. You can opt to have a separator in the middle of your hot pot, thus allowing you to try both soups. Both Kevin and I are not really big on spicy stuff, so we stuck to the chicken broth. I must say that the chicken broth was really flavorful and delicious. There were some slices of tomatoes, spring onions as well as some Chinese herbs in the broth. Very very good.
Here are all the items that we ordered for the hot pot. I knowwww, that's quite a lot for the both of us but we were really really hungry. For the record, we didn't manage to finish everything so, we must really remember to order less the next time we head out to Grand Sichuan. We ordered some pork and beef slices, fish slices, mushrooms, wontons, beancurd skin, spinach, wheat noodles and pig intestines. Yup, you got that right. Pig intestines. In my opinion, it was really good. The intestines were already pre cooked in some soy sauce and then fried, so you just had to cook it for a bit in the hot pot. Really really yummy. Overall, we had a good experience in Grand Sichuan. The hot pot broth was very flavorful, all of the ingredients were fresh and the staff were really friendly. We will most definitely return in the very near future. If only we didn't have to pay $1.95 for a dish of dipping sauce. Ah well, maybe we should just smuggle tiny bottles of soy sauce in our pockets the next time we head over there :P

Grand Sichuan Restaurant
125 Canal St (between Forsyth St & Chrystie St)
New York, NY 10002
Tel: (212) 625-9212

Note: No credit cards, cash only

Chinatown Walkabout - 1st Day of CNY

Is everybody having a good Chinese New Year so far? I know that we are! Of course, it's never the same when you have to spend Chinese New Year in a foreign country, away from all your family, friends and not to mention, yummy home cooked food! However, I'm really grateful that we live in a city that has a relatively large Asian population. That's right, celebrating Chinese New Year in Chinatown is kinda fun, actually. With loud Chinese New Year music playing in the background, red and gold decorations in almost every shop and the smell of Chinese New Year goodies whiffing thru the air....ahhh, for a moment, one would even forget that you are right in the heart of NYC.
Kevin took the day off (since he is now Chinese, he always takes the 1st day of CNY off :P) from work and we headed down to Chinatown for the Annual Firecracker Ceremony at Sara D Roosevelt Park. It was really cold that day, around 22F (-5C) degrees and the ground was all slippery and icy. That didn't stop us (and a whole bunch of other ppl) from heading out to enjoy the festivities. The firecracker ceremony was scheduled to start at 11am but I knew from experience that they NEVER start on time. So, I thought that I was being smart by showing up at around 11:45am. The timing should be just right (and we do not have to stand out the the cold for too long). Well, looks like I was wrong. At noon, they we STILL setting up! :P
After standing out in the cold for what seemed like forever, the firecracker ceremony finally began. There were a few lion dances followed by the singing of the Chinese as well as American national anthem. With that, the countdown began and the firecrackers were lit! We were standing really close to the firecrackers..so yeah, it was LOUD!! :P We even felt a few stray firecrackers being flung our way. A very good show, like always. By the time the ceremony ended, it was way past lunchtime. So, we join the rest of the crowd and headed out to the main part of Chinatown, in search of food and to do a little CNY shopping.
It was so cold out, we were literally frozen, from head to toe. Not only we were super cold, we were super hungry too. We needed something to warm ourselves up and we needed it quick! I remember reading some great reviews about a hot pot (steamboat) restaurant on Canal St, so I suggested that we head there for lunch. Best decision of the day! The hot pot at Grand Sichuan was really really yummy! The ingredients were fresh and the chicken soup was superb. It's so good, I'll have to write a whole separate post, just on that!
After lunch, we were feeling all recharged and warmed up, once again. So, it's time to bundle up and head out to do some CNY shopping. Our first stop was Malaysia Beef Jerky Inc on Elizabeth St. We wanted to buy some bak kwa (pork jerky) and the only place that sells Malaysian/Singaporean style bak kwa is Malaysia Beef Jerky. Kevin loves their bak kwa and I kinda like it too. Of course, it doesn't taste as good as the bak kwa that we can get back home in Malaysia, but in my honest opinion, I think it's as good as it can get. If it wasn't so expensive, I swear Kevin could even finish a 1lb packet in one sitting! :P We initially wanted to buy some CNY cookies from another shop but we saw that Malaysia Beef Jerky sells them too. So, we picked up a few boxes of bee pang siew (bee's nest), pineapple tarts as well as peanut cookies.
Since we have already bought our CNY cookies, we only have one more thing on our shopping list. Yee Sang! We wanted to eat some Yee Sang for dinner that night, so we figured we would buy some home. Since Yee Sang is a Malaysian/Singaporean dish, it's not widely available, even in Chinatown. As far as I know, you can only get it in Nyonya, Penang Restaurant, Jaya, Singapore Cafe and New Malaysia. We tried the Yee Sang from Penang Restaurant two years ago (since we were in Malaysia last CNY, we didnt get a chance to buy any) and it was rather good. We decided to try the Yee Sang from New Malaysia this year. The Yee Sang from New Malaysia is a little bit more expensive but it taste awesome! Will blog more about that later on.
After getting our Yee Sang, we spent the rest of the afternoon walking around the narrow streets of Chinatown. As usual, there were a whole lot of lion dance troupes making their rounds to various shops and businesses. Also, the kids were having a whale of time shooting out confetti cannons as well as throwing those tiny snap rocks. The whole atmosphere around Chinatown was certainly festive. After a long day out in Chinatown, we headed back home to Jersey, with lots of CNY goodies in tow and a big smile plastered on our faces. We returned to Chinatown a couple of days later, for the Annual Lunar New Year Parade...but I will save it for the next post. Stay tuned.

Je'bon Sushi & Noodle House - East Village, NYC

I'm not sure if you noticed, but there is no official Japantown in NYC. Tourist can find Chinatown as well as Koreatown on the map of NYC but Japantown is nowhere to be found. However, if you were to ask somebody relatively familiar with the city, they would tell you that there IS an unofficial Japantown in NYC. It is located in the East Village, between 2nd and 3rd Ave on St Marks Pl (another name for East 8th St). All you need to do is take the 6 Train to Astor Pl and walk along 8th St towards St Marks Pl. You will find all kinds of yakitori houses, sushi restaurants, Japanese grocery stores and quite a few karaoke bars located along that short stretch.
We heard quite a lot about Je'bon and also read quite a number of positive reviews about this place. When we found out that Groupon was running a '$20 for $40 worth of food and drinks' deal a few months ago, we took advantage of that and bought that Groupon. We finally found some time to head out to the East Village a couple of weeks back to use that Groupon as well as to check out Je'bon. The best way to get to Je'bon is by subway. Just take the 6 Train and get off at Astor Pl. There is also street side parking if you choose to drive but just like any other place in the city, parking is really limited.
We arrived at around 3pm, so the place was pretty empty. I was told that it gets really packed during peak hours. The waiters were really friendly and I was pretty impressed with the fast service. I also liked the decor. Exposed brick walls with simple wooden furniture and rather cool lighting. Very very nice. They also have a special room for private parties downstairs. The menu was mainly Japanese but they also have a small selection of Pan Asian food.
After taking our drinks (green tea is on the house) and food order, our server brought out some complimentary miso soup. Nothing really to shout about but I cannot find anything bad to say about it either. Just your regular miso soup. It was nice though, especially on a chilly day.
For our appetizer, we shared a serving of their famous Smiley Buns ($4). It was so so so yummy! A thick slice of stewed pork belly in soy sauce, a slice of cucumber and leek on a Chinese style steamed bun. It came with a small dish of sweet sauce, somewhat similar to the sauce that is usually served with Peking Duck. I kinda regretted that we only ordered one serving, cos it was so good, one piece each just wasn't enough!! :P
Since it's a sushi place, we had to try one of their rolls. There were so many different types of rolls to choose from and everything looked so good. We finally decided to share a Black Dragon Roll ($10). Crab, avocado, cucumber and masago with yummy eel and sesame seeds on top. Mmmm mmmm mmmmmm, it was really good. A nice balance of different textures and the hint of sweetness in the sauce just adds to the entire dish. Out of everything that we ordered, I believe that this was Kevin's favorite.
For my main, I ordered the Salmon Lover Combo ($18). It consist of 3 pieces of salmon sushi, 5 pieces of salmon sashimi and one salmon avocado roll. I am a huge salmon fan, so this was perfect for me! The fish was really fresh and the meat was really firm. Also, the cut of the salmon was really thick (unlike some other places that serves paper thin salmon on their sushi). I must say that it's been a while since I had such yummy and fresh salmon. Two thumbs up.
Kevin ordered the Je'bon Noodle Broth ($14). Fresh homemade fish noodles, fish noodles fish paste, sea scallops, crab, shrimp, mussel, chicken, mushrooms,vegetables and bamboo shoots in a delicious broth. The seafood was really fresh and they were really generous with the portion too! The fresh homemade fish noodles can be a little bit 'fishy' smelling and might need some getting used to (especially if you have never tried it before) but both Kevin and I loved it. Just sprinkle on some chili powder and slurp away. Very yummy dish too. Overall, we both loved the food at Je'bon. It might be a little on the pricey side but trust me, it's worth every penny spent. We will most definitely return in the near future.

Je'bon Sushi & Noodle House - East Village, NYC
15 St Marks Pl,
New York, NY 10003
Tel: (212) 388 1313
Web: http://www.jebonusa.com/

Eat | Drink | Explore Malaysia Kitchen at Grand Central Terminal

We were super excited when we heard about the Eat | Drink | Explore Malaysia Kitchen event that will be held in Grand Central Station's Vanderbilt Hall. It will be a two day event (Nov 5 & 6, 2010) and it's organized by Malaysia Kitchen for the World. The main purpose of this event is to introduce Malaysia (it's sights, sounds and most importantly, food) to NYC. We missed some of the past events organized by Malaysia Kitchen for the World (Night Market in Chelsea, Night Market under the Manhattan Bridge...etc), but we heard that they were awesome. So, we made sure that we would not miss this event, no matter what.
The event is split into two sessions per day. Lunch starts at 11:30am and it goes on til 2:30pm. The vendors then takes a break and the second session resumes at 4:30pm - 7:00pm for dinner. We arrived at Grand Central Station bright and early on Saturday for lunch. We wanted to get there early to avoid the crowds and stuff. We were glad we did cos by the time we left, the whole hall was just packed to the brim!
This is what part of what the hall looked like. With the bright colored umbrellas and stalls, it somewhat reminded me of the pasar malams (night markets) back home in Malaysia. We were also greeted by lovely smell of freshly cooked Malaysian food...ahhhh pure bliss! :D
As we walked around, we noticed that a lot of the popular Malaysian restaurants in Manhattan as well as Queens and Brooklyn turned up in full force. Among some of the participating restaurants were Bentara, Betel, Cafe Asean, Double Crown, Satay,Taste Good and Spot Dessert Bar. Even the big boys like Nyonya and Laut had stalls set up. This is the best thing ever. We had the chance to actually walk around and compare food from various Malaysian restaurants in the Greater NY area without having to actually travel and visit each one separately.
There are three really popular Malaysian grocery stores in NYC (one in Chinatown and two in Queens). Old Town Asia Market is located in Queens and they too set up stall at the event. They were selling all kinds of Malaysian groceries, from Aik Cheong coffee to various curry mixes. I have extra happy to see my favorite snack on sale....MAMEE!! I am a big fan of MAMEE noodles, I literally grew up eating MAMEE :P It's been a while since I ate a pack of MAMEE, so I just HAD to buy a few packs. I believe they were selling 3 packs for $1. Taking a big bite of MAMEE instantly took me back to my primary school days. I still remember smuggling packets of MAMEE in our uniform pockets and secretly nibbling on it during classes. It was like the coolest thing to do back then.
Apart from stalls selling all kinds of food and groceries, they also had entertainment lined up. There were cooking demonstrations by various chefs and Malaysian personalities. We managed to watch a cooking demonstration by Susheela Rhagavan, the author of the ever popular Flavors of Malaysia cookbook. She also had a book signing session later on that day.
Apart from cooking demonstrations, there were also cultural dance performances by the cultural dance troupe. There were too many people in front of me for me to take any decent pictures of the performance but I managed to slip backstage and took this picture when they were posing for official press photos. I just pretended to be part of the press! :P See, the things I do for this blog.
Alright, now it's time for some food!! We really wanted to sample some of the food from Laut. For those of you who don't know, Laut was recently awarded one Michelin star. It is the first Malaysian restaurant in the whole of US to receive that prestigious award. To receive such a huge culinary honor, they must be really good. So yeah, we were pretty stoked to try their food. They were selling Nasi Lemak that afternoon. We could choose between Chicken Curry ($5), Beef Rendang ($5) or both ($6). We tried both. The Chicken Curry and Beef Rendang came with a serving Nasi Lemak (coconut rice), sambal ikan bilis (anchovies in chili paste) and some cucumber. The Nasi Lemak was rather good but truthfully, it wasn't the best. We tried some of the Nasi Lemak from Nyonya and it was way better than Laut's Nasi Lemak.
We also tried some Mamak Mee ($7) from Satay. The reason why we chose to try the food from Satay was because Satay is located in Flushing, Queens. We wanted to know if the food was good or not. It doesn't make sense for us to go all the way to Flushing to check them out, only to find out that they are not that great. I'm glad that we tried their food. You know why? Well, cos the noodles really wasn't all that great :P LOL! It wasn't bad, but it wasn't the best either. The fried noodles came with some vegetable achat and peanuts.
Apart from all the yummy Malaysian food and entertainment, another good thing about such events is that you get to meet a lot of other Malaysians living in NYC. We managed to make quite a lot of new friends that day. It's always good to meet up with fellow Malaysians, especially when you are so far away from home.
Overall, it was an awesome event! Very well planned out and organized. The best thing that we took away from this event was this booklet. A restaurant guide to all the Malaysian restaurants in the NY tri state area! Not only does it list out the restaurants, complete with address and phone numbers but it also comes with reviews of each of those places. Also, they would point out some of the more popular dishes from each restaurant. I did a quick count and there are over 50 restaurants in the tri state area that serves Malaysian and Malaysian inspired food! Looks like we have to work our way down that list and try to visit each and every one :P So yeah, we had a great time at the 2010 Eat | Drink | Explore Malaysia Kitchen and we will definitely look forward to the next event hosted by Malaysia Kitchen!

Papaya Dog - Midtown West, NYC

Remember me blogging about bringing our friend Wendy to the Lindy's opposite Madison Square Garden for some NY cheesecake? After filling our tummies with those delicious cakes, we took her up to the Empire State Building Observation Deck for a bird's eye of view of Manhattan. I will blog about that later on (in our soon to be launched travel blog ;P). We spent quite a long time at the Empire State Building (lining up to get tickets, going through security...etc) and after we were done, it was time for another snack! So far, we have tried NY bagels, NY cheesecake....what's next? New York style hot dogs of course!
We initially wanted to take her to Papaya King (the original founder of NY style hot dogs) but the original branch is located all the way uptown and it's currently undergoing some renovations. Since Papaya Dog is located nearby the Empire State Building, we just decided to take her there. Here's a little bit of hot dog history. Papaya King is the original and in 1973, one of the employees of Papaya King came out and started his own hot dog company (Gray's Papaya). That was the start of the so called hot dog turf war. From Gray's Papaya, other similar hot dog companies emerged. Papaya Dog was one of them. Despite being relatively 'new' in the hot dog business, I can tell you that Papaya Dog is not lacking in the taste department. In fact, many people have commented that their dogs somewhat taste better than Papaya Kings!
Check out their menu. It consist basically of hot dogs, burgers, fries, nachos, knishes and chicken strips. Apart from food, they also offer the ever popular tropical fruit juices, sodas and water too. Just my kind of menu. Simple and delicious food that doesn't burn a hole in your pocket!
Mmm mmm mmmmm, those dogs look so yummy. The standard NY style hot dog uses Sabrett's natural casing all-beef frankfurter. Of course, they also have turkey dogs for those who do not like beef. You can also see their yummy plump corn dog to the left and toppings for the hot dog on the right.
After ordering our hot dogs, we headed over to Greeley Square Park to enjoy our food. Papaya Dog doesn't have any tables or chairs for dine in customers. Most people get their dogs to go. However, if you really want to sit down somewhere to enjoy your meal, table seating is available at Little Italy Pizza (a few doors away) for Papaya Dog customers. Since it was such a nice day, we preferred to eat our dogs out in the park instead of indoors at the pizza shop.
Wendy doesn't eat beef, so she ordered the Turkey Dog ($1.50). A NY style hot dog consist of a grilled frank served on a lightly toasted bun with sauerkraut, brown mustard and the ever popular red onion sauce that is unique to NYC dogs. I believe Wendy had her dog with everything on it.
Kevin and I shared the 2 Hot Dog Special ($3.99). We got two original beef frank hot dogs and a 16 oz Diet Coke. We didn't want any sauerkraut or brown mustard on ours, just the yummy red onion sauce! Mmm mmmm gooood! I am not exactly sure what is the secret recipe for the red onion sauce but I have been told that it's basically a concoction of onions, tomato paste, vinegar and some other secret ingredients. Whatever it is, they got it right. In my opinion, the red onion sauce is what makes the NY style hot dog the best hot dog in the whole country. So, the next time you are in the city, go pick up a hot dog or two. Ask for extra red onion sauce and trust me, that will definitely make your day! :D

Papaya Dog - Midtown West, NYC
33rd and 5th
New York, NY 10016
Tel: (212) 627-9748

Annual Harbor Inspection Dinner Cruise

We were fortunate enough to receive an invitation (Kevin representing APL and I, by default, since I'm his wife :P) from the Sandy Hook Pilots to their Annual Harbor Inspection Dinner Cruise on board Pilot Boat New York. The Harbor Inspection Dinner Cruise is an annual event organized by the Sandy Hook Pilots and it's a much looked forward to event among the people in the maritime industry. Since it's our first time attending this cruise, we really didn't know what to expect. We soon found out that most of the guest were pretty influential people in the maritime industry and have been in this business since forever (we were probably the youngest people on board :P). So, it was quite an honor to be invited for such an event.

We arrived at the Bayonne Passenger Terminal at around 4:30pm. Boarding starts at 4pm and they plan to set sail at 5pm. The security was rather tight. We had to show the security people our IDs and they had to copy down all our information and stuff before letting us into the terminal. This is because officially, you would need a TWIC (Transportation Workers Identification Credential) card before you are allowed inside the port. Since it was a special event, they made an exception (well, Kevin has a TWIC card, so no problems there) and allowed non TWIC card holders (other wives and myself! :P) to enter with just their regular IDs.
While waiting for all the guest to arrive, we helped ourselves to some pre dinner drinks and appetizers on the top deck. There was a rather wide selection of appetizers, from a buffet spread of cold cuts, cheese and breads to a seafood booth with extra large shrimp, clams and other seafood. There were also waiters walking around with trays of hor dourves (crab cakes, rice balls, canapes, meatballs...etc). Yummy stuff! The open bars were also stocked with top shelf liquors. Looks like they are not holding out on anything, nothing but the best :P
We were also told that we have an all access pass to anywhere on the boat. In fact, they encouraged us to explore and walk around. So, we did just that! Kevin took this picture of me from the pilot house. As you can see, we were still docked at that time.
We walked all over the boat, from the pilot house to the lowest deck, from the bow, all the way back to the stern. Here's Kevin checking out one of the rescue boats :P
The first time we went up to the pilot house, it was totally empty. When we realized that they have already pulled away from the dock, we headed up to the pilot house again. This time, we got to see all the radar and other equipment all fired up and also got to watch the crew doing their thing.
Unlike most other commercial harbor cruises, this particular cruise was a little bit different. Most of the tourist/commercial harbor dinner cruises would take you up and down the Hudson and East River, focusing mainly on the NYC skyline, Statue of Liberty and the bridges. This cruise took us around the various container terminals around the New York Harbor first and then it ended with the usual skyline/statue route. It was pretty interesting to see the terminals from a different angle, from the water. We managed to sail by Global, APM, PNCT and Maher Terminals. We also saw NYCT from a distance. Here is a picture of us sailing down Newark Bay, with PNCT Terminal on the right and Maher Terminal on the left.
By then, dinner was being served. So, we headed down below deck with the rest of the guest to the buffet line. Look at all the food! Fillet Mignon, Lamb Chops, Veal, Chicken, Fried Calamari...just to name a few. Yummy! :D
It was such a lovely evening to have dinner out in the open deck. With the beautiful sunset and cool breeze blowing, life couldn't get any better =) Check out the sun setting behind the Bayonne Bridge, with the NYCT Terminal in the background. The sunset was indeed amazing that day.
It started to get more and more chilly as the sun was setting. We decided to head down to the lounge in the lower deck to get some dessert and coffee. There were all kinds of desserts, from cannolis, cookies, cream puffs, danish pastries to brownies and tartlets. However, this cake was the main centerpiece. Check out the highlight of the night. This beautiful cake was made by Carlos, the Cake Boss himself! I was so excited when I found out about the cake. I am a super huge fan of the TV show "Cake Boss" and I have always wanted to try one of his cakes. At last, I had the opportunity to do so. It was a layer of yellow cake and a layer of chocolate cake, with chocolate frosting in the middle. What did it taste like? Well, truthfully...I was pretty disappointed. It was way too sweet and it really wasn't all that good. Oh well, at least it looked nice!
After our dessert, we headed back up to the top deck. I was glad that we did cause we could see that we were already on our way towards Manhattan. We could see the Manhattan skyline in the distance. If you look closely, you can see Lady Liberty on the far left, Jersey City, Lower Manhattan and the Brooklyn Bridge on the far right.
There were also dancing and live music on the top deck. Since dancing is not really our thing, so we chose to just sit back, relax and just take in the beautiful lights and sights of Lower Manhattan. We took this picture while going up the East River. Part of the Financial District, Pier 16 at the South Street Seaport, the Brooklyn Bridge and the Empire State Building in the background. I can never get tired of the beautiful NYC skyline, no matter how many times I look at it. It's just so beautiful.
It was almost 9:30pm when we arrived back at the Bayonne Passenger Terminal. We had an awesome time on the cruise. The beautiful views, yummy food and most of all, getting the opportunity to meet some very interesting people. What a way to spend such a lovely evening. Now, let's keep our fingers crossed that they invite us again next year!!! :D