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Beijing Server in Han Costume with Handheld for Orders |
Our son studied in Beijing during his junior year in college and most recently in Nanjing for the past 2 and a half years.
Food and Good Company in Nanjing
We were in Nanjing at Johns Hopkins Nanjing Center for son B’s graduation from the Master’s Program on June 10th, and this was my fourth trip to China. The food experience in the major cities has provided a mix of Chinese and western food.
After graduation ceremonies at the Center for about 140 Master’s and post-bac, certificate students, graduates and families proceeded to a buffet style sit down dinner—huge assortment of mostly Chinese dishes, and KFC chicken (a favorite here), plus western style desserts like ice cream. Beverages included beer, and the assistant director walked to individual tables to toast graduates. Enoki and tree-ear mushrooms were plentiful in a couple tasty dishes I had.
For lunch yesterday we were at a small local place with plastic chairs called Jin Yin Restaurant (The Gold and Silver Restaurant on the street of the same name). After writing down our order, we set back for the dishes coming our way from the kitchen. We had really good greens and outstanding spicy eggplant—I have had great eggplant on every trip. Last night we went to Pisa Pizza, a place opened by a guy who was a chef for Magic Johnson (see the pic). No dried red pepper, but those who ordered the margharita pizza said it was the best ever had==the swirls of pesto on it certainly made it look appealing. We’ve had croissant and coffee fixes from Skyways German bakery and deli. You have to know these places are goldmines around the international campus housing.
Oh yeah. We had beers and some people had Nanjing/Mexican food at a place called Behind the Wall. Part of our party ate Mexican in the garden, but one other friend went nearby to bring us orders of dumplings.
Our buddy brewer Yan “Master” Gao provides his micro brew there—USA food and beer reviewer Emily Hutto had just come out with an article about his brew in the US, but couldn’t get it to us fast enough to carry it over to him. We are still hoping the PDF makes it his way.
Food and Family in Shanghai
I was the familial newbie to Shanghai, having only been there briefly this past fall. We were at the Holiday Inn in the Pudong district.
We decided to spend our last night together out dining and enjoying the wonderful sites of the modern contrasted with the period architectures of the French Concession. We started in the lobby lounge and had gin tonics (lots of tonic, billed separately from the gin), nuts, finger sandwiches and fries. Sad finger sandwiches. I loved the center piece though—rose petals in bowl w/ a little fish keeping us company as he or she swam around.
Jin Mao: The dining place Cucina is located on the 56th floot of the Lin Jaio building. D’s penne and eggplant was quite tasty, and the expresso was good. What I will tell you about our dish of gnocchi was as if a vodka reduction was made pasty by the starch of the gnocchi water and the sauce had little taste. We who eat little salt opted for salt to give it something. My advice in these situations: if you have a mediocre dish, hope that you have extraordinary company to distract you.
After strolling along the Bund, B decided to take us to a bar called Barbarrosa for a nightcap. Barbarossa is tucked away in a park and surrounded by a moat of lotus—inside, we ordered cocktails—a nice lichee martini, sour lemon drop (we think it was made with lime) and a sour Grand-marnier cocktail called Feng-Shue. I’d vote for the lichee repeat.
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