On the occasion of a particularly nice accomplishment at work last month, my spouse took me out to celebrate and we decided to try MoCA.

Not the Museum of Comic and Cartoon Art, the Museum of Computer Art,  the Museum of the Chinese in the Americas, nor the Museum of Contemporary Art in Los Angeles. Not even the Moca Bar and Lounge in Harlem.

Yep, on a slow and frigid Tuesday night, we dined at the pimped up, tricked out, feng shui’d, pan-Asian addition on FoHi’s “Restaurant Road.” I know some say it’s not “all that,” and we still think that Jade is better, but we had a very pleasant experience. The prices were high, but the food was tasty, the service was lovely, the decor was bizarre, and the tables were red.

Bravo to Moca for their stroke of genius: red-lit tables. Everyone looks good in soft, red lighting. You, your date, even your 80-year-old grandma will look rosy-cheeked and healthier.

First we started with soups to take the chill off of the night’s cutting wind. Both the Tom Yum Gang (Thai spicy shrimp soup) and the chicken soup with wontons were great! Sure, we’ve had these soups before many times at many venues, but these were definitely superior. The shrimps were large (and de-veined!!), the ingredients were fresh, the wontons delicate, and the noodles were tied in a cute little twine bundle.

The main courses were heavy-handed, but maybe that’s just us. I had a taro basket of seafood, and I thought the sauce was too sweet. But, again, the seafood was fresh and the taro basket was good. Next time we go, I think we’ll stick to appetizers and sushi.

“MoCA shines like a 1000-watt bulb in a darkened room, eye-catching in the already bustling shopping center.” - Citysearch review of Hewlett MoCa

“It’s hard to miss MoCA Asian Bistro, which looks bright enough to play understudy in Vegas. ” - Newsday review of Hewlett MoCa

Sure, we were among the eye-rollers who scoffed at yet ANOTHER pan-Asian restaurant in FoHi, not to mention one that’s, <shudder> from the suburbs. Hewlett, no less! There’s no denying that the decor is - how shall I put this? - unique. The rotating palm tree in the center of the dining room and the glass towers filled with water are not items you see everyday.

Stick to the appetizers and fun cocktails, and watch your budget. You’ll enjoy MoCa if you start out small.

Need a little escapism? Appropos of nothing, I want to mention to this dusty jewel I found at a Cape Cod used bookstore this summer.

 While I was laid up with the fractured foot, I finally got a chance to read it.

What a lousy piece of schlock, and it doesn’t even mention FoHi much!

It’s the tale of a loud-mouthed, egotistical, bratty American tennis star named “James McLaren” (gee, who could that be?) who quit in his prime and has become a drunk living in the south of France. He gets embroiled in drugs, murder and international espionage when the daughter of a suddenly-deceased tennis legend plucks McLaren out of near oblivion to be the spokesmodel for her father’s failing tennis clothing empire.

There are some mediocre passages about Flushing Meadows and NYC in the “bad old days,” but nothing really great about our neighborhood. But it does have great cover art!

Say, I don’t know if I mentioned this, but I cracked a bone in my foot a month ago, the first week in August. For those of you who are in the medical profession or who like watching “Mystery Diagnosis,” I have the Jones fracture of the Fifth Metatarsal in my left foot. So, if you’ve ever wanted to know my “secret identity,” I’m the one in the area under 50, hobbling around with a funny shoe and cane that I decorated with stickers and day-glo tape.

But, this is not going to keep me down, sisters and brothers! That’s why I’m volunteering tomorrow, Sunday, at the Astoria Park rest stop New York Century Ride, from 8 AM to 1 PM. Come say hi! I’ll be the one not standing.

A photo I took at Astoria Park at the May 2008 Five Boro Bike tour

Map from the Parks Dept.

Believe me, as a recreational cyclist in our fair city, I’ve noticed how stunningly beautiful the weather has been this August. Wow. Hardly any rain or  humidity and NO heat waves! Oh, the agony of de feet!!

I found this photo on Flickr, and that’s exactly how I feel!

So enjoy our “August in Spetember” weather this week and maybe I’ll see you tomorrow!

“These are the people in your neighborhood, in your neighborhood…”

Summer in Central Queens

Chess in McDonald Park on a Sunday Afternoon

“Future McMansion” (aka, a house for sale) on Jewel Avenue, near 112th Street.

Rainbow over Queens Boulevard (photo courtesy of my OH)

AND…the latest installment in “HOORAY, IT’S NOT A BANK OR CELL-PHONE STORE!”

New health food store coming to 63rd Drive, near the Rego Park Mall parking garage and Dress Barn

And a veterinarian’s office is coming to the Windsor, on 71st Road

Oh, man, I’m starting to sound like a broken record, huh? Sorry I’ve been completely absent lately — things are busy and I’m not sure there’s much hope of a slowdown in the future. If someone would like to pick up some blogging slack, perhaps someone with some forum experience, just let me know. I welcome collaborators, no matter how frequent or infrequent.

On an unrelated note, have you been to The Jazz on 70th? Tonight’s your last chance! But if not, here are some photos — just like being there, only you can’t hear anything and you can’t see much. If you’ve been, let us know how it compares to the alleged fogeyfests of past years.