We rang in the Year of the Ox at Sea Garden in the International District last night. My cousins and I dined family style, marrying an interesting range of dietary requirements and tastes. For me, little is off limits. C doesn't eat shrimp; S doesn't eat beef or pork.
We ended up with broccoli pork, the salt and pepper shrimp---cooked shells on---and the duck and taro hot pot. Some things for everyone, and everything for me.
The pork and Chinese broccoli was fine; the duck and taro was good, but not exceptional. It wasn't as succulent as I expected.
I'd been prejudiced in favor of the salt and pepper prawns by friends and at this dining I thought it was the best dish on the table. (I hope I was supposed to eat the shells. I would have regretted not. Peeling the shell, and therefore removing all those seasonings, would have made the flavor much less intense.) There were moments of heat between the carapace and abdomen.
Come to think of it, there's one leftover in the fridge...