So what did we see during along Hudson River on the 4th of July?

Yes, the 4th of July weekend is over, and it's back to the blog! Let me tell you about how we spent the holiday. :-)
First, we decided to explore another state, and since our car doesn't sound very well lately, we decided to take public transport to the nearest state outside of NY: New Jersey, and specifically Hoboken because we haven't been there before. I was bugging hubby that I was hungry before we even left Manhattan, so we got ourselves an Italian sausage $8 (it's a slice of the coiled one, served with a long bun, peppers and onions) from one of the weekend street market.

We arrive in Hoboken, and here you can see the Hoboken Clock Tower, and that this little city is beside the river. It was 3pm+, and the restaurants were still selling Brunch! So ok, we went into the 3 Forty Grill and had Truffled Eggs "Benedict" $12 - prosciutto di parma, black truffle hollandaise, toasted english muffin is what the menu writes. It was the truffle oils that made it quite nice! And now we know that "Eggs Benedict" is like Half boiled eggs that we enjoy in Singapore. ;-)Hubby ordered a Grilled Hanger Cheesesteak $14 - aged provolone, caramelized sweet onions, wild mushrooms, horseradish mayonnaise, fresh baguette, which turned out to be a tastier version of the Philly Cheesesteak. The provolone cheese really made a difference. We saved some sandwich to be eaten as dinner later around 8pm before the fireworks, and it still tasted good.

We walked as far as we can along the banks of Hoboken towards Washington Bridge, and midway we stopped around 5.30pm and found a place to sit and wait along one of the piers. You can see the skyline of Manhattan across the river.

At 6pm+, Macy's barges start sailing up river, loaded with tons of gunpowder for the fireworks. There they'll stay, floating in the middle of the river in safe distance from the spectators. I think there are 5 barges in all. I used a green arrow to point out the barge in the photo for you. :-)

Later in the evening, perhaps 7pm+, NYC Fireboats paraded near the shoreline. The spew of water is sometimes colored red or blue.
By 8pm plus, the sky finally turns darker, and you can see the Empire State Building highlighted in patriotic colors of red, white and blue. And soon comes the fireworks!
You get elliptical shapes (and smiley faces which we did not catch on camera).

You get outlines of cubes.You get lots of color, and last but not least...

You will get large blossoms of gold chrysanthemums and the Star Spangled Banner's colors of red, white and blue in the sky.
I hope you enjoyed the photo-experience of 4th of July, here with me in NYC. Have a great week!

Waiting for the 4th of July Macy's Fireworks

Hi everyone, it's been a busy week, and finally we get a long weekend (fri,sat+sun) this week because Independance day falls on a saturday, making the eve a holiday too.

By chance, my hubby and I wanted to explore Hoboken this weekend, and found out that the fireworks are gonna be along the hudson river this year, rather than the east river (that's where we caught the fireworks last year)

So we found a front row spot along the river, and have parked our butts here 4 hrs in advance.The fireworks will start at 9.20pm and will last for 26minutes non-stop. I'm posting this from a handphone right now. First time doing that! I would love to show you pictures too, but I don't know how to attach pictures with this phone. :-/! Hehehe

Lobsters in America! Featuring 'Legal Seafood', 'New Star Seafood' and 'Triple Z'

When we think of lobsters (at Jumbo seafood, or in Malaysia/other parts of Asia), what do we think of?
Lobsters from Myanmar Hockee Company LimitedAnd for Americans, when they think of lobsters, what do they think of?
Lobster from Maine's Robinhood Marine CenterThe top lobster with the thorny exoskeleton is known to wikipedia as the spiny lobster, whereas the bottom lobster with the smooth exoskeleton is just known as lobster. I think I have had lobster (the one with the smooth exterior) at some buffet in a Singapore hotel. Although I appreciate their efforts to import these crustaceans to Singapore, I didn't like the taste then. Its flesh was cold and bland, and the tips of the claw meat was extremely salty. Possibly because it was boiled in salt water/ sea water which gathered at the claws, over-marinating it with salt. My mom and aunt used to buy live Spiny Lobsters from the Yishun market (cleaned and toasted/steamed at home with garlic and pepper) and they tasted THE best!

By the way, besides the textural differences in their shells, there is another significant difference between the 2 types of lobsters. These 2 lobsters are actually not closely related.
Can you guess what the big difference between the spiny lobster and the true lobster is?

I combined the spiny lobster's scientific drawing with the true lobster's scientific drawing side by side for you.
Yes you guessed it. The lobster we commonly eat in Asia has no claws! Its geneology is closer to the crayfish than the true lobster! ;-)

Living here, I learned to appreciate the lobster, and it has become one of my American favourites. It tastes better probably because it's caught locally and the lobster did not have to take an airplane to Singapore! lol... And possibly because the lobster was prepared better in America.

This is a good thing because my hubby is an extreme gourmet crustacean lover. Lovingly, I aspire to cook the Singaporean Chilli Crab for his birthday this year, and have bought a Prima Taste pack for the occasion. He loves lobsters, crabs, and prawns, and would eat them everyday if he could. Siren:*Beep! Beep! Cholesterol alert! Wife to moderate husband!*

3 SEAFOOD RESTAURANTS' LOBSTERS WE'VE TRIED AND LIKED

#3 Legal Seafood

Legal seafood has branches in a number of states, and promises quality and freshness. We usually order Lobster, and it is pretty pricey (but that's how restaurants are, right?). I don't remember the exact price, but I am pretty sure that one 2.5lb lobster we ordered is US$60+++.

Another thing we usually go for is the Clam Chowder! I remember reading the Legal Seafood Menu which mentioned that their award winning New England Clam Chowders, made with Cape Cod Clams, were served for every US President Inauguration dinner since the 1980s! And yes, I think they served it this year too, for the Inauguration of US's 44th President, Barack Obama. :-)

Our large 2.5lb lobster, served hot and plain with melted butter on the side as a dip.
Hubby was proud of being able to remove the meat of a whole lobster claw unspoiled. This was a different visit to a Legal Seafood outlet in Washington D.C. This lobster was between 1.5lb-2lb .

#2 New Star Seafood Restaurant
New Star Seafood Restaurant is the largest seafood restaurant along Avenue U of Brooklyn that we know of. They were selling two 1lb lobsters for $27-$30 (They call it the Twin-Lobster Special, and prices may fluctuate) You get to choose how the lobster is prepared. We recommend lobsters stir-fried with spring onions and ginger because it is reaaaally good. The lobsters were pre-friend in a batter, then stir fried with thin slices of ginger, scallions and some slightly thickened soy sauce. Although I ranked it #2, my hubby ranks this restaurant's lobster dish #1 because he likes the added batter. Well too bad hubbs, this is my blog. ;-) Hahaha!

#1 Triple "Z" Chinese Restaurant
Well after eating at New Star Seafood Restaurant, we realised that almost every Chinese restaurant along Avenue U were also selling 'Twin-Lobster Specials'. Could there be some kind of Lobster War going around here?! The cheapest we saw was $19.90 for two lobsters at this restaurant nearest to the Q train station on Avenue U and we decided to have a go.

There are three ways of cooking the two 1lb lobsters. Ginger with Scallions, Fermented Black Beans with Scallions, or Cantonese Style. We went back to this restaurant often and have tried all three styles. So in case you're wondering, Cantonese Style is just minced pork, black beans and scallions stir-fried with 2 Lobsters. Our recommendation is once again Ginger and Scallions, it being the tastiest.

Now, why did I rank Triple "Z"'s Twin-Lobsters as #1 and New Star Seafood's #2? Not because the price of the lobsters are 30% cheaper than New Star's. It is because the lobsters were not covered in batter, and were stir-fried as is! I like it that way. With less flour to your dish, you can taste the freshness, and the sweetness of the lobster meat. I also liked that the ginger slices were thicker, as I love eating the ginger and the scallions although they were usually meant to be accompanying garnishes!

Twin-Lobsters with Ginger and Scallions. Triple "Z" loves to position the 2 lobster heads side by side! This is what Twin-Lobsters Cantonese Style looks like. Lobster heads side by side again.

So yup, that's all for my top 3 recommendations for Lobsters here in America & NYC. I hope you enjoyed knowing more about these crustaceans, and if you are here looking for a value-for-dollar meal for two and have $30+ (just in case the price increases and you need to tip too, remember?), take the Q train down to Avenue U!

For your amusement, I would like to end this post with some interesting Triple "Z" experiences. You will not see this following offer when you get there because this offer was taken down after a few days.

What?! Crabs and rice for US$3.95? Two Lobsters for $19.90 is already a crazy price, and now this?! This is not one, but two crabs for $3.95! Stir-fried with fermented black beans with scallions. This is not the Sri-Lankan Crab that we commonly eat in Singapore. It's more like Flower Crab. Look at that roe! Woohoo!Below is another funny experience on a seperate occasion at Triple "Z". One day, I thought I found half a crab claw almongst our Twin-Lobster dish ... ... My husband was so sure that it is Lobster, and that particular Lobster had a different claw. But it looked so much like part of a Sri-Lankan Crab Claw to me leh... What do you think?