Keep the gingerbread — pass the fortune cookies.
I’m looking forward to a great Chinese meal on Dec. 25 — a tradition known to many New Yorkers as “Jewish Christmas,” when those who don’t celebrate actual Christmas gather for a festive lunch in the one type of restaurant that typically remains open.
For many in the Big Apple, Jewish or not Jewish, going out on the Big Day has become a cheerful culinary and atmospheric respite from the holiday-as-usual.
The occasion is sure to be particularly festive after two duck-deprived, less-than-celebratory holiday seasons that one New Yorker described to me as “dystopian.”
“I obviously don’t celebrate Christmas, but it’s a celebration to finally get to see my parents,” said Dave Dreifus, 30, relieved to be getting back to normal after 2020 and 2021, “when everyone was sick and we didn’t go out.”
Dreifus, who has lately been burning the midnight oil baking at his Best Damn Cookies shop in the Market Line at Essex Crossing, looks forward to relaxing over lunch at Spy C Cuisine in Forest Hills, where he called executive chef Tom Lei a “phenomenon” for his innovative way with Sichuanese and Hunanese dishes.
I’m not Jewish, but my wife and many of our friends are. For me, the aromas of soy and ginger are a gust of fresh air after one too many chestnuts roasting on an open fire.
I loved our pre-pandemic gatherings at Shun Lee Palace on East 55th Street — festive affairs full of plate-passing, laughter and puzzled asides like, “Who ordered Ants Climbing a Tree?”
This year we’ll be just a few blocks to the north at Hutong, located in the arcade at the Bloomberg Tower. It’s a signature day for the glittering, elegant restaurant on a day when many non-Chinese places are closed.
“Demand increased dramatically over last year,” said Hutong manager Raafet Olian. He said it’s usually busy every Sunday, but the Christmas Day crowd is a little different.
“It isn’t as Asian as on other days,” when the customer base is about 60% Asian, he said. “It’s more diverse on the 25th.”
As at many of the restaurants that will be open, from tiny tea parlors to 250-seat party venues, Hutong will offer the regular, a la carte menu. Olian said the house dim sum — including roasted spicy cod bao and crystal lobster dumplings — are a holiday favorite.
But executive chef Ken Lin also plans a few seasonal specials, among them pan-seared, A5-grade Japanese wagyu beef sprinkled with shaved black truffles. Sounds luscious, but I’ll likely stick with my favorite, the city’s best sea bass, served in Sichuan sauce as fiery as its deep red color promises.
In Chinatown, James Tang, managing partner of Hwa Yuan at 42 East Broadway, said Christmas is “our busiest day of the year, more than any night during Chinese New Year.” He said all the beloved but struggling neighborhood’s restaurants are counting on a breakthrough day — “the first true, post-pandemic Christmas,” he said.
Hwa Yuan guests typically order house classics like chile-sparked sesame noodles, but for Dec. 25, things are a little different.
“We stock up on extra ducks and red wine,” Tang said.
Manhattan investment manager Michael Reuben is a once-a-week regular at Hwa Yuan, where holiday seats are in heavy demand. “It’s amazing how many people are my best friends at this time of year,” he chuckled.
Joining the party this year is Jean-Georges Vongerichten’s House of the Red Pearl at the South Street Seaport’s Tin Building, which the chef calls an “intimate space, perfect for families.”
Cozy red decor is enough to make you forget frigid outdoor temperatures. Vongerichten recommends steamed eggplant with scallion-garlic marinade and stir-fried lamb with cumin and chiles.
At Shun Lee West at 43 W. 65th St., manager Tony Choo said his near-250 seats are already booked. There have been few cancellations, a happy contrast to last year when “half of our customers canceled” over omicron fears.
But Choo noted that since the pandemic, sharing plates — a time-honored ritual — is on the decline.
“With the pandemic, they prefer to order for themselves. Even with Peking duck, they prefer to wrap it by themselves,” he said.
Former Shun Lee owner Michael Tong once estimated that Jews composed 70% of his customers year-round. Many of the restaurants said that that Jewish clientele tend to drive business on Dec. 25.
“They’re the overwhelming group on Christmas Day,” Hwa Yuan’s Tang said.
Reuben, the Hwa Yuan regular, characterized the tradition as “one of those beautiful New York moments.”
“We don’t get all the trees and lights, but we have our moment at the Chinese restaurant,” he said.
We who aren’t Jewish are glad to share it.
