I was saddened to read this post on Chowhound today - Ocean Palace, a large dim sum and Cantonese restaurant on Avenue U and East 17th Street in Marine Park, Brooklyn, has closed its doors.
Over the last 15 or so years, my family has celebrated many birthdays, New Years, and other holidays at Ocean Palace. When I was in college, I used to make the trek from the Upper West Side on the 1 train, then the old D train, out to Avenue U for these celebrations. I remember that thoughts of the feast to come would get me through the hour and a half train ride.
At Ocean Palace, the waiters always seemed to know my grandmother, and would seat us directly in front of the gold dragon that adorned the back wall. For special occasions, we would have red napkins folded at our plates, instead of white ones.
Now, I salivate at the memory of their preparation of jah ji gai, or crispy-skinned fried fresh chicken. Oh, I would eat plates of the stuff. I'm sure that when I return to NYC, my uncle will have found another place to get the chicken and gather the family. But I will always remember our family's gatherings at Ocean Palace.
Posted by Astrid at October 13, 2004 01:02 AM