neon epiphany

The Fatty Crab

Back in New York, with a seriously flaky internet connection (but yay for a phone that doubles as a bluetooth modem, despite the constant drops), and -- a now-slightly-less-flaky stomach!\n\nHad dinner at the Fatty Crab, a Malaysian-inspired eatery in the West Village. Small and uncrowded on a Tuesday night, both the dining room and the dishes were colorful, quirky, and beautiful. Everything was really tasty, but I found myself seduced by the salty-sweet-sour fireworks of the watermelon pickle & crispy pork salad. The fatty duck was nicely seasoned and sat on a bed of surprisingly spicy white rice (only later did I notice thinly-sliced red peppers mixed in). The chili crab was... big, and v. messy. But also good!\n\nAhem. I'm not really feeling eloquent tonight, so I will just pepper your imaginations with photos:\n\n\n\n(...can't say I'm an expert, but I strongly suspect these dishes sit firmly on the \"new wave\" end of the authenticity scale!)\n\n\n\nHsiao-Ching Chou's \"You gotta try this\" piece in the P-I is mostly old hat, but good lord, does this sound good. And frites! Is there any reason to ever leave Capitol Hill again?