CHINESE VALENTINE CELEBRATION IS IN THE STARS AT MONSOON

CHINESE VALENTINE CELEBRATION IS IN THE STARS AT MONSOON ON AUGUST 23

*Lucky in Love $25 Three-Course Prix Fixe Dinner
*Entire Dinner Menu Selections Plus Chef’s Mix of Ice Cream in Unique House Flavors 
*Scorpion Bowl Cocktail and Sake Designed to Share on the Heavenly Night of Sevens

Monsoon Asian Kitchen and Lounge (www.monsoony.com), the dynamic Asian-themed restaurant from The Bohlsen Restaurant Group (www.brgroup.biz) awarded four stars from Newsday and said to have “attention getting good looks” by The New York Times, stages a heavenly night out for couples on Thursday, August 23 from 5:00 p.m. in celebration of Chinese Valentine’s Day. 

Lucky in Love, a $25 three-course prix fixe deal encourages sharing and tasting of the entire dinner menu. Imaginatively designed and presented appetizers, entrées and desserts on this high summer’s night are especially high value in celebration of the romantic Asian tradition. 

The celebration is sparked by a love story revolving around the constellations. Each summer, when the stars Altair and Vega are high in the night sky, they set the scene for a tale about a woman of the skies and a mortal man who the Goddess of Heaven forbid from seeing each other but once a year and on the Night of Sevens. The rendezvous takes place on the seventh day of the seventh lunar month on the Chinese calendar, ergo its name, and this year on Thursday August 23. The tradition is celebrated in different ways across Asia and at Monsoon will be celebrated with a romantic deal for couples.

On the dinner menu, overseen by Chef Michael Wilson, are more than 25 star appetizers (regularly $7 to $16) including dim sum such as edamame dumplings in mushroom sake broth or crispy fried tofu with chili radish, ginger and Thai basil; steamed buns of pork, beef or duck; cold apps such as Vietnamese summer rolls or bibb lettuce wraps and paypaya salad; and hot opps such as broiled skirt steak yakitori and spicy rock shrimp tempura.  Sushi (regularly $14 - $23) when ordered as an appetizer will cost an additional $5.

More than a dozen fish and meat entrees (regularly $19 - $39) include such dishes as miso glazed black cod with baby spinach and spicy eggplant; millionaire’s curry crab with colossal lump crabmeat, curry, pea shoots, chili and egg; shaking beef of filet mignon with shishito peppers and sweet soy glaze; and sweet and sour chicken with pineapple, tempura, sweet peppers and snow peas. A whole Peking duck for two (regularly $68), is the one dish that counts as two dishes when a couple orders it as their entrée of choice. Rice, noodle and vegetable sides are at regular price ($3 to $16).

Dessert for two is a triple serving of soft ice cream (regularly $8) in unique house flavors mixed by Chef Michael Wilson. For example, Wilson deconstructs the ingredients of Monsoon’s signature Babylon Express cocktail with one scoop of pineapple and cucumber, a second scoop of St. Germaine elderflower liquor and lime, and a third scoop combining the first two and thus the full Babylon Express experience as soft ice cream complete with sugar cones.

From the beverage menu are signature cocktails, sake, wine and beer with one idea for sharing that will last through the meal: The Scorpion Bowl ($29), rum-based with tropical flavors, is designed to quench the thirsts of two or more who sip from the grandly sized snifter glass through straws.  A selection of sake – light and refreshing, soft and nutty, mild and creamy, rich and complex or even sparkling – may also be shared by the bottle ($22 - $65) or by the glass ($6 - $15).

ABOUT CHINESE VALENTINE’S DAY:  Also known as the Qixi Festival (Chinese: 七夕节; literally "The Night of Sevens"), and Magpie Festival, Chinese Valentine’s Day falls on the seventh day of the seventh lunar month on the Chinese calendar; thus its name. It inspired Tanabata (七夕) in Japan, Chilseok (칠석) in Korea, and Thất Tịch in Vietnam. It occurs late summer, when the stars Altair and Vega are high in the night sky, and set the scene for a love story celebrating the annual meeting between a woman of the skies and a mortal man. Source:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Qixi_Festival

ABOUT MONSOON ASIAN KITCHEN AND LOUNGE (48 Deer Park Avenue, Deer Park, NY 11702 631.587.4400 or www.monsoonny.com): Monsoon connoting seasonal weather changes across Asia, represents a wind of change in concept and menu for the Bohlsen family. It is the group’s first Asian restaurant and the sixth in its portfolio of leading Long Island restaurants. Monsoon bridges the gap between authentic Vietnamese, Chinese and Thai and what Long Islanders love most about modern Asian cuisine in a menu of exciting, explosively flavored food. The relaxed and hip setting of this 21st century restaurant makes use of all technology has to offer for entertaining dining while presenting some of the oldest, and most tried and true, Asian dishes, brought the Bohlsen way, to Long Island. Monsoon is the first Asian-themed restaurant, and one of six dining establishments, from The Bohlsen Restaurant Group (www.brgroup.biz) who also own and operate the Gold Coast harborfront Prime – An American Kitchen and Bar in Huntington; the vibrant H2O Seafood Grill in Smithtown; the chic and casual Verace True Italian and next door classic Tellers Chophouse in Islip; and neighborhood favorite Beachtree Café in East Islip.