Much ado about MSG

I love my neighborhood to bits, but there's one thing that has caused me an incredible amount of anguish for the past five years -- the lack of good Chinese food. I live far enough away from Chinatown that I'm out of the delivery range, yet close enough that Chinese food establishments don't even bother to try.

So imagine my excitement when I learned that Frank, of Frank, Li'l Frankies and Supper was opening up a Chinese restuarant on Avenue B -- No. 1 Chinese. I've been dying to go. So Azee and I went, and it wasn't everything I thought it would be and more.

The waitress started by asking us if we had ever been there before, and when we said we hadn't, told us the specials and explained that they don't use any MSG. Sounded promising. We decided to order two appetizers and two entrees and share everything.

The appetizers were divine -- the best potstickers I ever had and eggplant stuffed with shrimp. Then the entrees came -- sesame beef and broccoli with ginger. All in all, kind of bland. Azee said at one point, I think I kinda miss the MSG. I agreed. Maybe my expectations were just too high. Oh well, it's still the best Chinese food in the East Village/Lower East Side.

After dinner, we decided to go to a place that has been the Biggest Mystery Ever to me -- Apocalypse Cafe on 3rd St. between A and B. I always pass it on the way to and from the gym, or to and from the grocery store, or to and from the liquor store -- whatever, I pass it a lot. And it's never open. So we ventured in. It's some kind of close-knit heavy metal bar, or at east it was tonight. $2 beers, AC/DC playing, people at the bar talking about Guns n' Roses figurines featuring Axl in his kilt -- it was a weird vibe. If it's ever open again, I'll check it out since we never made it to the lounge downstairs. Oh, and they have Creepy Clown Art, too.

Azee is one of the few people I can hang out with twice a week or more and never run out of things to talk about. Probably because once we get caught up with each other's everything, then we have to spend hours analyzing and obsessing over all of the stories we just got finished telling. Never underestimate the comfort of having friends that are as crazy as you are in the same exact ways.