House of Red Pearl

I’m a big fan of Jean-Georges. We’ve been to many of his restaurants in New York; they are all unique, and the food never lets you down. (Oddly enough his only restaurant in Paris is sort of so-so.)

More recently he did something exciting downtown in the historic South Street Seaport. Long ago when I lived in the city, the seaport housed the Fulton Fish Market and it was kind of dodgy, a run-down area that would be dead at night. (And you got the feeling you would be too wandering around there after dark.)

For over 100 years the Tin Building was the backdrop to the market, one of the world's largest wholesale seafood markets, supporting families and immigrants for years, until it closed in 2005.

Jean Georges restored it (meticulously!) and turned it into a market and food hall with 12 restaurants. Just walk through it and, I guarantee your mouth will water. Upstairs is the most amazing market with specialty goods and rare ingredients from all over the world.

In one corner of this market is a section of Asian foods that are so beautifully packaged that you want to buy a bagful, even if you don’t know what they are or what to do with them. It doesn’t matter because they’ll look great in your cupboard.

And at the back of this Asian grocery store is a heavy red curtain. Push it aside and you’ll be thrown back into 1930, you’re in a cozy bar somewhere in Shanghai. This is the House of Red Pearl. Keep going and you’ll walk into a quiet dining room, dimly lit with paper lanterns hanging from the ceiling, lush banquettes beckon you to settle in, order a classic raspberry lychee bellini, and pretend for a minute that you’re waiting for Bogart and Bacall to join you.

Scan the menu while you wait for your cocktail: glazed Maine lobster in noodles, spicy marinated cucumbers, pork and shrimp wontons, and roast duck. I could go on but there’s a limit to how much anyone can eat.

Except you can’t skip dessert—a giant fortune cookie on a bed of vanilla ice cream.