Category Archives: Instagram

B&D Halal Restaurant

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Instagram Post 12/27/2018

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B&D Halal Restaurant at 163B W 29th St in Manhattan is a gem. Specializing in West African food, they offer an extensive variety of delicious choices in a steam table format, always the perfect opportunity to taste a bit of a multitude of goodies. You’ll find rice dishes like chebu jen and jollof rice, stews based on okra, peanut, cassava leaf and potato leaf, and a wide variety of hearty preparations featuring goat, lamb, chicken, and fish along with a separate salad bar – more than anyone could sample in a single visit.

[1] Sauces/stews over a starch are a hallmark of West African cooking. This plate (top left moving clockwise) shows okra sauce with an errant zesty beef meatball, okra powder sauce, cassava leaf stew over rice, and peanut sauce over fonio. (By rights, each sauce should accompany a starch.) My sweet, earthy bouye drink (made from baobab fruit) and potent ginger beer (not shown) were righteous beverages.

[2] This admittedly overcrowded plate shows the aforementioned chebu jen (broken rice in a tomatoey sauce to which you add some close-at-hand fish), goat, jollof rice, lamb dibi (grilled lamb) and several chicken and fish selections. And all this was at lunchtime! Different options (including fufu) materialize at dinnertime.

Pro Tip: Go a little after 12pm. That’s when the lunchtime crowd peaks, but it’s also when many more items become available.
 
 

La Newyorkina

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Instagram Post 12/26/2018

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Carmen Miranda ain’t got nothin’ on her.

Known for their fruitilicious paletas (ice pops), rich Mexican ice cream, and authentic baked goods, La Newyorkina can now be found at North 3rd St Market, 103 North 3rd St in Williamsburg, Brooklyn (along with seasonal popups and brick and mortar locations in the West Village and Red Hook). That’s where we picked up this “little” postprandial treat – strawberry on top, horchata in a supporting role. ¡Que rico!
 
 

Dating Shop

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Instagram Post 12/23/2018

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It was the tiniest of booths in the miniest of malls at 136-37 Roosevelt Ave, Flushing. Its cutesy pink sign purred “Dating Shop”. Not what I – understandably – had speculated, it turned out to be a miniature venue that sold Chinese edibles, a little of this and a wee bit of that. Ironically, Instagram’s geocoding for the diminutive location calls it Flushing Department Store, a rather grand name, but it did hold this great surprise.

I can read enough Chinese to decode 老式大辣片 “Old Fashioned Large Spicy Slice”, a temptation sufficient to make the purchase. Diving into the interwebs, I was able to loosely interpret some other words that alluded to processing methods like natural juice stock and, more important, something like “memories of long ago childhood tastes”.

Beautifully translucent, spicy with a resilient chew, absolutely delicious and a real find IMHO, I have never seen this particular brand of bean curd skin anywhere but Dating Shop despite my best efforts to track it down. My next challenge is to determine how to use it optimally. Yes, it’s delicious just as a straight-ahead snack, but it begs to be rolled around something (sticky rice and cut like Japanese maki?) or sliced into matchsticks and mixed into fried rice; dozens of ideas come to mind. Have any of you seen this brand or do you have some thoughts about culinary treatments?
 
 

I Eat Lao Food – Ping Seen

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Instagram Post 12/22/2018

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Fifty million Instagrammers can’t be wrong! Okay, I’m exaggerating, but every review I’ve seen of I Eat Lao Food, located at North 3rd St Market, 103 North 3rd St in Williamsburg (but only until January 15) is positively glowing. Just like their cuisine.

Here’s Ping Seen – “ping” means grilled, “seen” means meat. Deliciously marinated skirt steak with laotian jeow som, the classic spicy, sour, sweet, salty dipping sauce for grilled meat on the side. Even if you’re neophobic, this dish is universally accessible and is an absolute must. (Well, that is, along with everything else on the menu! 😉)

Okay. That’s it. I’m fresh out of exclamations and exhortations. Just this: If you suffer from FOMO on what might be the best food you’ll taste in 2018, please go there while you still can! All I want for Christmas is to see these folks open up a permanent brick and mortar venue.

I promise to save you a spot in line!
 
 

I Eat Lao Food – Laab Paa

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Instagram Post 12/21/2018

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Today’s rave: Laab Paa, another dish that Manila, the chef/owner/genius behind I Eat Lao Food, features at their (current) North 3rd St Market location. Laab is the spicy, herby salad that’s practically the national dish of Laos, paa means fish, and “Whoa!” is the sound you’ll utter when you taste it. Served with a mini steamer woven from bamboo filled with sticky rice, you use your fingers to pinch off a bit of rice and pick up a bit of laab. Transcendent is not too strong a word.

But we’re counting down the days because Vendy Awards finalist I Eat Lao Food will only be at 103 North 3rd St in Williamsburg until January 15, so catch this rising star while you can!
 
 

I Eat Lao Food – Nam Khao

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Instagram Post 12/20/2018

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It’s pretty obvious by now that I’ve got a thing for Vendy Awards finalist I Eat Lao Food as does everybody else who has ever sampled their wares. The first time I tasted their amazing cooking was at the Queens Night Market where they presented this dish, Nam Khao, crispy curry coconut fried rice topped with cured pork (som moo), tangy and delicious, that provided a vital texture and flavor contrast to the rice.

You may have eaten something similar in Northern Thai restaurants. Similar does not mean the same. Prepare for a wonderfully different taste sensation that, from what I can tell, is universally loved. Go with a friend and play “Find the Crispy Bits”.

I Eat Lao Food is located at North 3rd St Market, 103 North 3rd St in Williamsburg but only until January 15, so you’ve got less than 30 dining days left! Don’t delay!
 
 

I Eat Lao Food – Khao Piak Sen

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Instagram Post 12/19/2018

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This is Khao Piak Sen, a rice noodle soup from I Eat Lao Food, at North 3rd St Market, 103 North 3rd St in Williamsburg. Hearty, chewy, handmade noodles, traditionally crafted from rice flour and tapioca starch, lounge in a light chicken broth infused with lemongrass, makrut lime leaf, and galangal. Shredded chicken, cilantro leaves, bits of purple cabbage, and the sweetest tiny cherry tomatoes I’ve ever tasted float above the noodles and add just the right amount of interest to this delicious weekend special.

As I’ve written before, I Eat Lao Food is at North 3rd St Market for a limited run – about a month. Everything I’ve tasted there is truly remarkable and I can’t underscore enough that you indulge in their outstanding food while you still have the chance. Follow them on Instagram @ieatlaofood for business hours and current announcements.

More to come from I Eat Lao Food, but don’t wait for my posts! Just go there and taste for yourself!
 
 

I Eat Lao Food – Laab Het

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Instagram Post 12/18/2018

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The first time I tasted anything from I Eat Lao Food was when they popped up at the Queens Night Market. I was blown away. For real. Clearly, they would be a major hit on the food scene and anyone who has sampled their wares can attest to that. If you like Northern Thai food (Isan Thai), you ain’t had nothin’ until you’ve tasted Lao food, and more specifically the recipes turned out by these remarkably talented folks.

This is Laab Het (you might see “larb”), a spicy Laotian salad of sautéed mushrooms (het), chilies, a mixture of herbs, and toasted rice powder. (Toasted rice powder is exactly what it sounds like: start with raw sticky rice, toast/roast in a pan, then pulverize; it adds a definitive crunch and a nutty flavor that’s classic laab.) The unique character of each of the ingredients is balanced against each of the others’ to create synergistic perfection. Use your fingers to pinch off a bit of sticky rice (it comes in a mini steamer woven from bamboo) and pick up a bit of laab. Savor and pledge your eternal devotion.

But you have to act fast. I Eat Lao Food is at North 3rd St Market, 103 North 3rd St (of course), in Williamsburg, Brooklyn for only a while longer. I seldom say this, but: Go. There. Now. (Um, unless it’s a Tuesday 😉).

More to come from I Eat Lao Food. (But don’t wait. Really.)
 
 

Eggmania

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Instagram Post 12/17/2018

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This is one of those serendipitous experiences where the outcome far outstripped my expectations. EggMania, 14 Liberty Ave in Jersey City, was launched by five friends who were homesick and hungry for the egg dishes of their native India. Its sparse interior and casual fast-food atmosphere belie the unique lusciousness that emerges from the kitchen.

This order of Lachko, described as shredded green bell pepper cooked with cheese and runny eggs, served with a side of white toast (yes, really) and chopped fresh onion, will win no beauty contest, but certainly won a place in my heart for sheer deliciousness. I’ve already marked up the menu with selections I need to try upon my return.
 
 

Rincon Melania

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When I write about restaurants on Instagram, they’re usually brief takes accompanied by a photo or two. (You can see my feed right here on ethnojunkie.com by selecting the “Instagram” category from my home page – no signup required.) But because of Instagram’s character count limitations, it’s often necessary to break up a review into several parts. This one originally appeared as three posts, published on October 29 and December 14 and 16, 2018.

A celebration for a friend brought us to Rincón Melania, 35-19 Queens Blvd in Sunnyside. This is one of those restaurants where everything I tasted was so good, without exception, that it’s essential that I return before long. Three starters we enjoyed:

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From the Appetizers section of the menu, Bolón Mixto de Queso y Chicharrón. Classic Ecuadorian cuisine crafted from green plantains, cheese and chicharrones. One picture is worth a thousand words.


Pulpo a la Parilla – I’m a sucker for grilled octopus and they prepare it perfectly here.


And from the Ceviches division, Mariscos Mixto – mixed seafood cocktail with shrimp and fish, tostones encompassing the catch. Some Ecuadorians may tell you that they have they market cornered on ceviche; if this is any example, no puedo discutir con eso.


Seco de Chivo, Ecuadorian goat stew, definitely made me happy: served with Arroz Amarillo (yellow rice) and an avocado wink 😉 plus a Maduro half (sweet plantain) smiling 🙂 at me. Nice when your food likes you back. (For what it’s worth, pareidolia strikes deep.)


Tender, succulent, Pernil accompanied by yapingachos (or llapingachos), pan fried potato pancakes, and two members of the corn family in contrasting preparations: boiled mote and crispy maiz tostado made from cancha or chulpe, sometimes referred to as corn nuts.


Fritada (not to be confused with frittata – no eggs here) con Mote, a homestyle Ecuadorian staple that starts with pork that’s boiled with seasonings then fried in pork fat. (Mmmm. Pork fat.) Shown here with classical accompaniments, maduro (sweet plantain), yapingachos (or llapingachos – pan fried potato pancakes) and two corn cronies: boiled mote and crispy maiz tostado (corn nuts). Delicious.


Guatitas, literally “little bellies” since it’s bits of tripe, is another traditional Ecuadorian dish: tripe stewed with potatoes in a light, delicately flavored peanut sauce, maduro and arroz amarillo with avocado on the side.

I can’t decide which one of all Melania’s dishes I tasted that day would Be Best!
 
 
Rincón Melania is located at 35-19 Queens Blvd in Sunnyside, Queens.