Thanksgiving Without a Turkey

"Who wants beer? Raise your Hand!"

Ordering for a table of 13 people is not an easy feat. Funny enough, me and my friends have this ordering system down pat wherea few people review the menu and other people have this set dish in their head that they will suggest to be ordered. Still others will suggest dishes that sound good on the menu, and I will write the stuff down, so we order everything correctly. Raising your hand for a beer also gets the drink orders moving quite fast.

This is the scene at our Thanksgiving Table. I send out an invite to our friends who don't travel to see their families on this holiday and ask to join our Peking Duck dinner, because what is Thanksgiving without a whole roasted bird?

There's only 12 here. Richard took this photo.

This year, our dinner table sat 13 people, and our food landscape changed every 10 minutes because dishes came and got finished and was going around the lazy susan as if it was the Wheel of (food) Fortune.

Sauteed Baby Shrimps with Cashew 

Sauteed Clams with Black Bean Sauce

Pork Belly with Preserved Vegetables

(These are the best INTESTINE dish I tried in a Chinese Restaurant.
Trust me we ordered something else, and this came out. It was AMAZING.)

Roast Pig

Roast Pig and Roast Pork are two different things.
Roast pig is a WHOLE ROASTED BABY PIG.
Roast Pork is just Roast Pork the one that has a bright red color. 

Pan Fried Noodle with Mixed Seafood

Cantonese Style Lobster (mmm)

I wasnt the only one documenting. That's Jocy. She was the one who asked

"Who wants beer? Raise your hand!"

Wheel of Food Fortune, Scene 1

Salted Fish and Diced Chicken Fried Rice

Breaking Bread (or Peking Duck) at the "United Nations" 

Wheel of Food Fortune, Scene 2

Notice the plate of Braised Noodle with Chinese Mushroom at 7 o'clock,
The Pork Chops at 11 o'clock and MaPo Tofu at 12 o'clock

Braised Noodles With Chinese Mushroom

Peking Style Pork Chops

NOT ONE, BUT TWO ROAST DUCKS!!!!

Wheel of Food Fortune, Scene 3

See the Roast ducks?! The empty spot is the plate of buns

How to eat a Roast Duck... Kinda.

It really was a grand time at our table, and I couldn't and wouldn't ask for a different celebration of Thanksgiving. I am very thankful for the wonderful harvest of friends, experiences, knowledge, love, happiness and health.

I am also very thankful, to Jeff O of Jeffrey Tastes, for all the Jackson Heights Food Groups meetings that he organized. If it weren't for his events, I wouldn't have met half of the people at this table. Thank you, Jeff!

Food and Restaurant Info:

Great House Restaurant

41-13 Kissena Blvd

Flushing NY 11355

718 461 1313

(PS, this Restaurant has changed its before. JUST GO TO THE ADDRESS, it will be the same food.)

We spent $27 per head. that included all drinks and a generous tip. and WE DID NOT CLEAN UP OR DO THE DISHES! WOOHOOO!!!!

The Tasting Menu at Hearth

I must have passed by Hearth a bazillion times walking around the East Village but not paying much attention. I have not heard anything about them (but my husband and his friend Ryan has) and I was mighty pleased to be taken here. After all, my class ended at 9pm that day and I was dead tired and somewhat ravenous.

Hearth's Coaster. So cute and so true.

The restaurant is cozy yet unpretentious and the space is quite palatial considering its location. Upon seating, we were handed our menu. I skimmed the menu without understanding anything (forgive me, my day started at 730am that same day) and found my favorite item listed: Tasting Menu $76.

Amuse Bouche
Bean Soup with Citrus Oil

Arugula and Fennel Salad
White Anchovies, Breadcrumbs, Pickled Cipollini Onion

Smoked Spanish Mackerel
Pine Nuts, Radicchio, Golden Raisin

Canestri
Cauliflower, Black Cabbage, Pecorino, Soffrito, Bread Crumbs

Cacciucco
Manila Clams, Cockles, Mussels, Stone Bass, Head-On Prawns

Roasted Hampshire Pork Chop
Swiss Chard Gnudi, Bacon, Baby Bulb Onion

Concord Grape Sorbet, Lemon Tuile and Yogurt Sorbet

Apple Cider Doughnuts
Apple Compote, Maple Cream

It is quite a rarity to have this much fish and seafood in a tasting menu and I love it! Serving anchovies and head-on shrimp is quite brave, considering that the general American population is averse to peeling their own shrimp and anchovies have a bad reputation. (Truth be told, I ate all the shrimp heads on the table and I enjoyed every bit of it. Mmmm!)

Thank you, Marco Canora, for a very wonderful meal.

*These photos were taken on November 3 2011, the day that i ate and paid for this meal.

Hearth 
403 East 12th St
New York NY 10009
646-602-1300