vip in the city

Noodle discovery

Tropical storm Hannah blew in late this afternoon, dumping 3-4 inches of rain onto the city in a matter of hours, flooding the streets of Flushing and halting play at the U.S. Tennis Open Tournament nearby.

At the corner of Prince Street and Roosevelt Avenue sits Sifu Chio, an unassuming restaurant which my parents introduced to me as one of the best places in town to get a bowl of authentic Hong Kong-style wonton noodles – a simple thing, done very well. (Chowhounds like the dumplings.)  The restaurant isn’t quite a dive, but the aesthetic is rather plain and utilitarian: open kitchen, florescent lights overhead, menus on the table under glass and every dish served in disposable plasticware. We were the only ones in the shop this evening, probably owing in no small part to the river of wretched rainwater coursing along the sidewalk in front.

What had started out as an order of a few bowls of wonton noodles expanded to include a side of Chinese beef brisket, a dish of Chinese broccoli, a bowl of noodles and fish balls, and a bowl of shrimp watercress dumplings.  As the driving rain pounded against the darkened windows, we eagerly scarfed down every bite.

Hard to pinpoint precisely what sets these noodles apart from the hundreds of other bowls I’ve eaten over the years. Dumplings made to order — delicate, tender skins with deliciously fresh filling — are certainly one factor.  Mostly, I think, it’s the perfectly textured noodles. In Cantonese, the word to describe them is “song,” a wonderful adjective which has no true English equivalent. Song can be used to describe a bitingly crisp wedge of fruit, a firm yet succulent shrimp, or here, snappy, springy noodles.  Al dente in this context comes close, I suppose, but doesn’t quite get to the heart of the irresistibly pleasurable sensation: of tooth meeting initial resistance, then bursting through to tender, juicy center.  “Toothsome” (definition 2) is the best general English translation, though I find it lacking in the poetry of “song“.

Later that night, the second annual Sunnyside Shorts Film Festival, which had been scheduled to take place at The Sunnyside Gardens Park, was driven indoors to the newly inaugurated Sunnyside Senior Center at Sunnyside Community Services  (Note to self: 39th Street — not the same as 39th Place. A girl raised in Queens should know this. I plead temporary rain-blindness.)

We sat at round formica-topped tables to watch the 16 submissions by filmmakers hailing predominantly from New York — among them a few Sunnyside locals — with contributions from Europe and South America.  Several of the short films were set in New York City, and covered an array of genres: animation, documentaries, comedic skits, one painfully earnest teen film student exercise, a sock puppet music video…

Quality varied widely. My favorite was Yolanda Pividal’s 16-minute “Two Dollar Dance” — a poignant examination of the Latino clubs dotted along Roosevelt Avenue in Jackson Heights where a clientele of immigrant men, isolated from mainstream society, gather in the evening to pay for female companionship, if only for the duration of a song — an update of the “dime a dance” girls of the taxi-dance halls of the 20s and 30s. (Unsurprisingly, the workers at these places are often exploited.)

But as credits rolled on the experimental “interpretive dance” short (oof), I discreetly slipped out with SH and AP, in search of the less challenging pleasures of frozen yogurt: green tea and blood orange for me.

Tags: films, Flushing, noodles, Queens, Sunnyside, Sunnyside Film Festival

More fashion, more rock

Fashion Rocks continued…

R&B heartthrob (and boyfriend of Rihanna) Chris Brown sported a retro-looking red blazer for his Sam Cooke tribute on “Cupid“.  Minutes later, he picked up a black fedora and doffed the jacket — the better for showing off some of those famous acrobatic dance movies — for a performance of his hit “Forever.”

Terrence Howard, looking very dapper.  Howard earned an Oscar nomination — and a record deal — for his work in 2005’s Hustle & Flow.  His solo album Shine Through It debuted on Tuesday, but Howard was here tonight as a presenter only.  (Perhaps for the best; early reviews: not so good.)

Justin Timberlake garnered the most enthusiastic applause of the night with his Motown tribute: Marvin Gaye’s “Got to Give It Up,” followed by a duet with Beyoncé on “Ain’t Nothing Like the Real Thing.”

A Timbaland-produced medley (introduced by a heavily made up Tyra Banks) with One Republic, Chris Cornell and the Pussycat Dolls, who performed “When I Grow Up“.  The acts all took the stage for their final bow, joined by Timbaland, who strolled out like a triumphant fashion designer at the end of a successful runway show.

Fergie was less successful in her tribute to punk, despite the assist from 63(!)-year old Deborah Harry on “Call Me.”

Mariah Carey, who this spring surpassed Elvis Presley’s record with her 18th chart-topping single “Touch My Body.”  Only The Beatles, with 20 No. 1 hits, have more.  (To commemorate, NYC lit the Empire State Building in pink and purple in her honor.)

Kid Rock closed out the show with his summer hit “All Summer Long“.  Special guest Lynyrd Skynyrd took the stage to segue off the classic riff and add a chorus of “Sweet Home Alabama,” which brought the star-studded crowd to its feet.

Tags: Beyonce, Blondie, Chris Brown, Fergie, Justin Timberlake, Mariah Carey, Pussycat Dolls, Rihanna, Terrence Howard

Fashion Rocks!

The view from the fifth row at Radio City Music Hall for Fashion Rocks, courtesy of one kind-hearted producer, who upgraded my seat from the upper balcony.  One can never underestimate the importance of being in the right place at the right time.

Condé Nast Media Group’s event — now in its fifth year — kicked off New York’s Fashion Week, which runs through September 12, 2008.  The rock concert/fashion show was hosted by Denis Leary (whose rotating designer outfits included one evening gown) and boasted a line-up of musical performances by Beyoncé, Justin Timberlake, Mariah Carey, Fergie, Black Eyed Peas, Chris Brown, Rihanna, Pussycat Dolls, Debbie Harry, Keith Urban, Kid Rock, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Chris Cornell, Solange and Duffy.

Proceeds from the concert benefited Stand Up To Cancer, an organization that distributes grants for collaborative cancer research.

Here’s Rihanna, kicking things off with Madonna’s fashion anthem, “Vogue“:

Beyoncé channeled Etta James (also in attendance tonight — first row) in her performance of “At Last” — a preview of her role in the upcoming film, Cadillac Records.

During the concert, the three major television networks aired an hour-long, commercial-free fundraising telethon for Stand Up To Cancer.  ($100M was raised that night.)  At 8PM, the cameras broadcast live from Fashion Rocks where 13 women singers performed the charity single, “Just Stand Up“.

From left to right: Keyshia Cole, Fergie, Leona Lewis, Ciara, Carrie Underwood, Mariah Carey, Mary J Blige,  Beyoncé, Miley Cyrus, Rihanna, Ashanti, Natasha Bedingfield and Nicole Scherzinger.

British singer-songwriter, Duffy and her dancers, performing her hit “Mercy“:

Black Eyed Peas, who covered The Rolling Stones’ “Miss You“:

Presenters Tommy Hilfiger and Gossip Girl’s Leighton Meester, whose seat was directly behind mine.

More photos to come… as always, you can check out the full set on Flickr.  For more on the musical performances, tune in on Tuesday, September 9 at 9PM ET when CBS will be broadcasting the concert.

Tags: Beyonce, Black Eyed Peas, Duffy, fashion, Fashion Rocks, Gossip Girl, Radio City, Rihanna, stars, Tommy Hilfiger