(Photo: Kavitha Surana)
Last night, Mission Chinese’s dining room was suddenly interrupted by an impromptu serenade of cheesy Christmas carols and Beatles renditions.
Who was behind this earnest outburst of “Frosty the Snowman” and “Hey Jude?” We peeked over the ledge of the hidden downstairs room and found Jimmy Fallon and crew surrounded by a private feast. (With our eagle eyes, we think it could’ve included green-tea noodles, fried rice and super spicy ma-po tofu?)
Apparently Fallon is as big fan of Danny Bowien’s experimental Chinese and Mexican grub in real life as he professes to be on his show. He’s had the chef on the Tonight Show a few times, most recently in October when Bowien taught Fallon how to make his favorite burritos and brought him back to his college days with beer and orange-juice amaretto bombs. “I hate to overhype– you don’t like me saying this– but it is the best burrito I’ve had in my entire lifetime. Thank you, there’s nothin’ better,” Fallon said on the show.
If you're looking for the best burrito in NYC – look no further. Mission Cantina ( @cantinanyc). #Bowien pic.twitter.com/jan4BvTdgV
— jimmy fallon (@jimmyfallon) April 30, 2015
Who knows what brought on the musical interlude (sung at the top of his lungs)– maybe the food was just that transcendent, or perhaps Fallon tied on one too many of those “Edna’s lunchbox” shots?
If you were lucky enough to snag a ticket to Mission Chinese’s Chinese New Year party on Feb. 8, there’s supposed to be a “surprise guest” along with the folks behind Dimes, El Rey, and Vinegar Hill House. We can only hope it’s more comedy, less music, from Jimmy.