Michael Carpenter of Redd Collection is the owner of a wine store in Culver City, CA. One day in 2013 he received an order to ship 115 bottles of 2008 Varvaglione “Papale” Primitivo di Manduria. As he sloppily wrote the address, he realized it was the Vatican, home to the Pope, and some cardinals.
Pope Francis (1936-2025) was about to take the helm on March 13, 2013. (As usual, he died on the job. I’m wondering who actually rules the Vatican, toward the end of each Pope?)
New Jersey’s major airport is often considered the third-largest public airport in the tri-state area, after JFK and LGA.
We arrived in the evening, and leaving Terminal B was smooth. However, when we leave from it, it’s super difficult!
Terminal A isn’t available for drop off, due to construction. We have to take the airtrain from Terminal B, then walk 12 minutes or take the 4-minute bus. The system costs $3.5 billion to build?!
The security control is a joke. The Pre-Check and Clear are not obvious. And it’s the first time that my little ball pen, was questioned. Seriously? Seriously!
Charging outlets don’t work at the gate.
Bathroom has line.
UA lounge is full and closed to One-Time pass, which is what I’ve “read the fine print,” and the staff said rudely. Hmmmm… any time when someone reminds you to read the fine print, it’s usually a good sign that you never have to deal with them again. … a.k.a. “I hid the trap in plain sight, and now I’m going to use it to get out of holdin up my end of the deal.” Less of a fair contract and more like A legal ambush.
This is my first time using ewr, and it will be the last. Thank you.
As we’re searching for an Uber ride to EWR Newark, this one jumps out. With a little extra time and the location right behind our hotel, the Hilton, we decided to give it a try. Uber car costs around $120 per trip. This fixed-route, pre-booked ride is part of the Uber group.
It’s a good decision.
$20 pp from Midtown to Newark airport. We’re the first to get on. Luggage is stored in the back, lying flat; the space is very limited. Since we’re the first, ours are at the bottom. With a few pickups, it takes an hour to get to the airport.
The minivan takes about a dozen passengers and offers USB charging outlets.
Our driver, Casandra, is cute. She curses other aggressive drivers, but meanwhile, sweetly announces the trip, and asks us to tell our besties about their service. She makes two trips a day.
It’s full and closed to One-Time pass, which is what I’ve.
“Can you put us on the waiting list?”
“NO. Look, we’re busy. … It’s from Chase.” She forcefully pointed to the room.
So we’re an outcast? “Read the fine print!” She yelled. “Or you can go to Terminal C.”
Hmmmm… any time when someone reminds you to read the fine print, it’s usually a good sign that you never have to deal with them again. … a.k.a. “I hid the trap in plain sight, and now I’m going to use it to get out of holdin up my end of the deal.” Less of a fair contract and more like A legal ambush.
Not really! And Thanks for making the decision for me that I’ll never use ewr again. This was my first time trying it out.
I come here often, whenever I visited the library.
In the summer and warmer months, people lounging here, summer night movies, and during the winter, there is an ice skating ring: an all year around place.
Heard about C1 café for a while. As of 2026, there are 60 of them around the country. They’re for everyone, not just the bank or credit card customers.
This one by Macy’s @ Herald Square is neat, offering light fare and drinks. I spotted a policy officer in line for the bathroom. Many are with their laptops: Starbucks has competition now, and it also shows that more and more people don’t go to the office anymore.
Unfortunately, we didn’t have the time to go during this short visit, although it’s close to our hotel.
I didn’t try hard to squeeze time to go because a few friends who went, have low marks.
DaDong opened in 2017 to much fanfare but closed in little over two years.
Across, is Cartier.
Famous Peking duck restaurant lands in New York
By Bilin Lin | chinadaily.com.cn, 2025-08-15
After Quanjude’s first failed attempt to enter the US market in Los Angeles some decades ago, it’s coming back with a location situated in the vibrant Midtown area of New York City. This time with a different franchise ownership and a Michelin star.
Located in a historic three-story building, the restaurant occupies the former site of the French fine dining establishment La Grenouille, which iDen & Quanjude, a Quanjude franchise under the ownership of Andy Zhang, acquired for $14.3 million.
Under the dim light from crystal wall lamps around the restaurant, there’s plush red velvet seats, classic oil paintings and bouquets of fresh flowers that are replaced every week.
The general manager of iDen & Quanjude, Wayne Pan, said this location had been a legendary restaurant in New York with over 60 years of history that once welcomed icons like David Bowie, Frank Sinatra and Truman Capote. It holds a deep meaning in many New Yorker’s hearts, which is why the original decor from La Grenouille was preserved.
Quanjude is a historical restaurant chain established in 1864 to serve royalty from the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911). It witnessed and weathered some of the most important historical events including World War II, the end of the monarchy in China and the founding of The People’s Republic of China.
Over the past 150 years, its Beijing duck has become a national icon, with over 100 locations in China. It was also visited by several US presidents including Richard Nixon, Jimmy Carter, George H.W. Bush, Bill Clinton and Barack Obama.
In its return to the North America market in 2019, Quanjude franchise iDen & Quanjude opened its Vancouver location, which is still going strong. It is also the only Michelin starred Chinese restaurant in Canada, and has received a Michelin star for three straight years.
The food critic from the Michelin Guide said, “It has a pedigree that traces back to an original location in Beijing from 1864, but the latest outpost in Vancouver proves that this legacy hasn’t lost any of its luster. Indeed, the gold-accented dining room is a feast for the eyes, blending classic opulence with strikingly modern design.”
According to Pan, the ducks they serve are from a farm in Pennsylvania and are high in fat. All the ducks are fresh and never frozen. Pan said, “we have high standards on our ducks. They are all the same size, packed six ducks per case, with the duck hair carefully removed and the skin kept completely intact and undamaged.”
Pan explained that after all the organs are removed, the ducks are rinsed with hot water. Then, a special in-house sauce is applied to enhance the flavor and give them a rich, brown color. Afterward, the ducks are placed in a special drying cabinet for at least two days, which ensures the skin will be extra crispy. The final step involves roasting the ducks in an oven, as fire roasting is prohibited in New York.
Then the duck is ready to be served with leeks imported from China, cucumber from Tianjin, paired with sweet bean paste made in house with a recipe from Quanjude in Beijing and wrapped in paper-thin pancakes.
Other than the iconic Beijing duck, the New York menu features a selection of upscale dishes crafted with premium ingredients such as bird’s nest, sea cucumber, fish maw, lobster and geoduck.
Currently, iDen & Quanjude in New York is in a soft opening. Pan said the second and third floors of the restaurant are still being decorated.
“I hope Chinese people can experience the taste of home here, because many of us from northern China feel so happy when we eat this duck. It’s like the joy we get from eating KFC. I want Chinese people to feel at home, and I also hope Americans can experience the rich culture of Chinese food,” said Pan, who also expressed the hope to promote Chinese high-end cuisine.
This is not the first attempt by a Chinese Peking duck restaurant chain to enter the US fine dining market. In 2017, Dadong, another renowned Peking duck chain from China, also ventured into Manhattan with a prime location near Bryant Park. However, Dadong filed for bankruptcy and closed its doors just over two years later. It was slammed by food critics. The New York Times ruthlessly called it “modern art and lame duck.”
The reviews for the iDen & Quanjude New York location have been mixed. New York Post food critic Steve Cuozzo gave the compliment that, “The bird from Pennsylvania’s Jurgielewicz farm was flavor-rich and winningly moist beneath its amber skin”, and “The food is as grown-up as the vibe.”
However, it didn’t really impress Beijing native Jill Wang, 39, a Beijing duck enthusiast, who came after hearing about it on Red Note. She said, “It’s too greasy, not crispy enough … I don’t think the duck here reached the Quanjude (Beijing) standard.”
“I like the environment here. This place used to be a French restaurant and they kept the decoration,” said Jill’s companion, Wei Wang from Shenyang. He mentioned he would also go to places in Flushing and Washington DC for Beijing duck, but compared with other places the duck here didn’t really stand out.
iDen & Quanjude’s success in Canada can be attributed to several key factors: its innovative decor featuring traditional Chinese elements, direct endorsement by the Michelin Guide, Quanjude’s unrivaled reputation for Beijing duck worldwide and the significant Chinese population residing in Vancouver.
Only time will tell if iDen & Quanjude will survive New York’s cutthroat dining landscape.
At about the same time, or on the eve of colaspse of Qing Dynasty, New York City had a terrible fire at the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory, in the Greenwich Village, on Saturday, March 25, 1911, 146 garment workers died, of which 123 women and girls.
The factory occupied top three level of the Asch Building; it became the Brown Building in 1929, when philanthropist Frederick Brown purchased the building and donated it to New York University (NYU) in that year.
A very pleasant Cantonese restaurant with many regulars.
We had the squab 乳鸽, which was the reason we went, and beef with wide rice noodles 干炒牛河.
The young pigeon was so-so, and the noodles were fine.
We went during the peak of lunch hour, and the decibel was deafening. Five servers worked in the small restaurant. They seem to know most of the customers.
We used to go to Hop Kee 合记饭店 @ 21 Mott: the cash-only basement restaurant used to have the best squab 乳鸽. This time, I only passed it by.
