Name: Justin Chen
Occupation: Ad geek
Borough: Brooklyn
What did you eat today?
I’ll go with yesterday, because it’s more interesting. For lunch, I went Wendy’s. (My first time in over 3 years.) Ate a spicy chicken sandwich and a junior cheeseburger deluxe. Very yummy. For dinner, I went with my girlfriend to Jonez on Greenwich. We had a bottle of the Bear Boat Pinot Noir (smooth, juicy). Started with a chopped salad, then for the main course we shared two things: macaroni and cheese with lobster chunks, and a whole roasted red snapper served with a parmesan risotto and spinach on the side. Also had some of their delicious homemade potato chips. Good restaurant. Will go back for brunch to try their monkey bread.
What do you never eat?
If the question refers to foods I’ve had before, but have no desire to eat again, then I’d have to say bull’s testicles, blood sausage, chicken feet, and live goldfish. [I didn't know you were in a frat in college. --Ed.] But, if the question refers to stuff I’ve never eaten and have no desire to try, then the answer is dog, monkey’s brains, maggots, and insects. And yet, if I take the question as hyperbole, as in, stuff I rarely eat, but really love eating, then the answer is Reuben sandwiches, lobster, chicken/veal parmesan, chocolate cheesecake, pasta agli olio, pasta carbonara, General Gau’s chicken, movie popcorn, foie gras, fried chicken, McDonald’s breakfast, sour patch kids, Eggs Benedict, pad thai, Cobb salads, raw oysters, and oxtail stew. [I dig the details, holla. --Ed.]
Complete this sentence: In my refrigerator, you can always find:
Stonyfield Farms yogurt.
What is your favorite kitchen item?
My chef’s knife.
Where do you eat out most frequently?
Right now, I’d have to say New Green Bo Restaurant in Chinatown. Near Bayard and Mott. Great dumplings.
World ends tomorrow. What would you like for your last meal?
Oh boy. Here goes:
One lobster tail with a ramekin of ginger-soy-vinegar for dipping.
4 Pan-fried Chinese pork and leek dumplings.
A scallion pancake.
One small bowl of Cheerios with 2% milk.
One toasted everything bagel with nova lox, capers, thinly sliced onion and tomato.
5 jumbo shrimp cocktail with cocktail sauce.
3 raw Blue Point Oysters.
A plate of sliced Spanish tomatoes, topped with sherry vinegar and extra virgin.
One Spanish croquetta, made with ham.
A dish of gambas al ajillo.
A plate of pulpo gallega, topped with sea salt and extra paprika.
A homemade breakfast sandwich made with sausage. On a biscuit.
A bowl of New England clam Chowder. With a bottle of tabasco.
A bowl of hot and sour soup.
A bowl of homemade chili con carne. Freshly sliced jalapenos on the side.
A fried seafood basket consisting of fried Ipswich whole-belly clams, fried calamari (Rhode Island style), and one fishstick. Tartar on the side.
Sliced Peking Duck with 2 pancakes. Side of fresly sliced scallion and hoisin sauce.
Five pieces of General Gau’s chicken.
One big fat bowl of white rice. Basmati or jasmine.
Small plate of Ma-Po tofu, extra spicy
One plate of sticky rice noodles, cooked with mustard greens and shredded pork.
One grilled rib eye steak, 6 ounces, cooked rare.
One grilled lambchop, 6 ounces, cooked rare.
One grilled Basque sausage.
One plate of freshly cut steak fries. Mayo and ketchup on the side.
One whole steamed tilapia, cooked in a ginger-scallion sauce.
One sautéed dish of pea pod stems with garlic.
One dish of dry sautéed Chinese string beans, with minced pork.
One slice of pate served with a warm French baguette.
One greek salad from Bill’s Pizza in Newton. Extra dressing on the side.
One Greek grape leaf, with meat.
Four anchovies, two of them white.
One cheesesteak, with American cheese and mayo.
One imported Italian sub, made with good prosciutto, everything on it, including extra hot peppers.
One small piece of meat lasagna.
Four pieces of nigiri sushi. 2 sake, 1 hamachi, 1 toro.
One spicy shrimp tempura roll, with avocado.
One small bowl of penne arrabbiata. One meatball and extra parmesan on the side.
One bowl of Annie’s macaroni and cheese.
A peanut butter sandwich on toasted wheat.
One baked potato with sour cream and chives.
Two eggs over easy, five strips of bacon (two cooked soft, two cooked firm, one cooked crispy), homefries.
One Stonyfield Farms Raspberry yogurt.
A Santarpio’s pizza. Half cheese, half mushroom and pepperoni.
Five buffalo wings, spicy. Blue cheese dressing on the side.
One mozzarella stick. Marinara sauce on the side.
Cedar’s Hummus and a warm wheat pita.
One blueberry pancake with maple syrup.
One pastrami sandwich from 2nd Avenue Deli on light rye with extra mustard.
One piece of extra sharp cheddar cheese.
A homemade oatmeal raisin cookie.
A bowl of freshly cut Costa Rican pineapple.
One piece of cheesecake with berries.
A honey-glazed donut.
One piece of warm chocolate cake drizzled with dark chocolate and served with a side of French vanilla ice cream.
One blood orange.
A banana.
Three Fig Newmans.
One chocolate croissant.
One bloody mary, made with wasabi. Thick.
One glass of Pinot Noir.
One Sierra Nevada pale ale.
One bottle of Panna water.
(Last night, he said he forgot to mention some gazpacho and grilled sardines. But Justin, by this time your guts have exploded on your deathbed already. --Ed.)
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