Thanks everyone.
I did have a great birthday.
We met some friends and went to a most unusual and memorable Chinese restaurant in Flushing, Queens. It was a "Mongolian hot pot". There's a boiling pot of broth in the center of the table, and you order stuff from the menu and throw it in this pot of broth. I won't even mention some of the things you can order. but you WOULD NOT BELIEVE some of these items. Then you have the more familiar things like chicken, pork, and beef, and vegetables. We stuck to that stuff. There were also sauces of different varieties, some so hot they could make the devil sweat. Anyway, you throw in these ingredients into the hot pot and let it boil for awhile, then everyone takes some in a bowl with the broth. Then you order more and throw it it again. The broth gets richer and richer as the meal progresses. Utterly delicious, fun, and great!
We all ate plenty, the check came to like $58 for 6 people.
One of the best birthdays ever! If you come to Queens, you want to go!