slumber party

jpan arrived around 4:30 saturday afternoon making our foursome was complete. we immediately went into girly mode- watching music vidoes of wang li hom and jay chou and fawning over their musical talents and cuteness. we chatted for a bit then started getting ready for dinner.

i'd forgotten how fun it can be to get dressed up with girlfriends- helping each other pick out what to wear, how to wear our hair or makeup. it felt like we were in college getting ready for a formal.

Q2 and i made dinner reservations at hearth for 7pm. i was pretty excited about dinner because i've been meaning to check out the restaurant for some time having walked by it a million times before and reading so many good reviews.

it was one of my best dining experiences in new york to date. the restaurant was intimate and rustic feeling. the service was impeccable and our server was extremely accomodating of our request to order two appetizers and four entrees to share among the three of us. we ordered the roasted quail and softshell crab to start and our entrees were grilled halibut, steamed skate, duck breast, and a rabbit papardelle dish.

every dish was excellent. the quail was unbelievably moist and flavorful, served with a medley of barley and vegetables. the softshell crab was meaty, lightly battered, and balanced with a salsa dressing. the grilled halibut was fleshy and served on top of a bed of lentils. Q2 and i marvelled over the skate that was served with an incredible pea puree. the two flavors, simple and delicate, were improved when paired together. compared to the seafood dishes, the duck, cooked medium rare, was unabashedly bold and hearty. the rabbit parpadelle was the most flavorful pasta dishes i've had.

the meal ended with two decadent desserts- a chocolate torte served with a peanut icecream and a zucchini mini bundt cake served with a zesty lemon icecream. all in all, an orgasmic dining experience. . . and my foodie friends can all relate.

of course being asian, there is always the inevitable fighting over the bill. . ."you're still a student" or "you're not working yet" or "your my guest" or "it's for hosting me". . blah blah blah. . . but Q2 and i were prepared, we gave the waitress our credit cards at the beginning of the meal to avoid the whole scene. . .

after dinner, we walked around the neighborhood hoping to ease our full bellies then headed back to Q2's place and watched "perhaps love". we got ready for bed and spent the rest of the evening chatting, reminiscing, and speculating about what the future holds for us all.