Category Archives: Instagram

The World’s Fare – D’Abruzzo

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Instagram Post 5/4/2018

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In case you missed it, the First Place Winner in the savory division at The World’s Fare last weekend was D’Abruzzo for their tender, juicy Arrosticini. Chunks of lamb and fat in a perfectly balanced ratio needed no marinade or additional seasoning as they were grilled to perfection over a furnacell’, a specially designed trough filled with blazing charcoal.
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Served up on skewers (second photo), they were easy to appreciate on their own, but the Lamb Sammy was heaven: arrosticini, stracchino cheese, house made fig jam, olio Santo, arugula and red onion on a crisp ciabatta was all anyone could ask for. And if you missed them at The World’s Fare, you can find them this summer at Smorgasburg in Brooklyn. Don’t miss it!
 
 

The World’s Fare – Chiktay

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Instagram Post 5/3/2018

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“Chictay” read the sign. The word was unfamiliar to me so naturally I was compelled to try the dish, and it was delicious. The salad of herbaceous shredded smoked herring served with crudités and crackers disappeared in no time and since I didn’t buy an extra portion to take home, I realized that I needed to hunt down a recipe for domestic execution. I learned that chiktay, Kreyol for the French chiquetaille from the word déchiqueter, to shred, is commonly made from smoked herring (aran so) or salt cod (morue) so now I have two kitchen challenges ahead.
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The chiktay aran so was served under the banner of Abundance Food – Manmi Dju Dju, a Brooklyn based company that makes Haitian seasonings and marinades, at The World’s Fare in Queens this past weekend and was a perfect example of lesser known (to some!) ethnic food deserving of more recognition. Smokin’!
 
 

The World’s Fare – Ducana

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Instagram Post 5/1/2018

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If you haven’t been living under a rock (or on a punitively strict diet), you know that The World’s Fare in Queens this past weekend may well have been the most over-the-top food festival New York has ever seen. Boasting diverse foods from over 100 cultures, there were exemplary versions of everybody’s international favorites of course, but it was gratifying to see less familiar dishes making an appearance as well.
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The folks from Bacchanal Sauce, in addition to providing their bottled pepper sauce, came through with an ambitious menu that included Caribbean Fish Cakes, Escovitch Fish Tacos, Jerk Crab Fries and Ducana. Ducana, a sweet Antiguan specialty, lies somewhere along the dumpling–pone continuum and is made from grated sweet potato, coconut, raisins, sugar and spice, and coconut milk wrapped in a banana leaf and boiled until firm. Their version was served with a traditional hit of buljol (chopped salt cod with tomatoes and spices) and was absolutely delicious. Included was a side of Jerk Crab Fries, a reward for patiently awaiting the arrival of my ducana!

Second photo shows a deconstructed/reconstructed view.
 
 

Little House Cafe – Curry Mee with Young Tao Fu

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Instagram Post 4/26/2018

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Most folks like soup well enough. As a matter of fact, there are those who can’t get through a cold, rainy day without an ample, piping hot bowl of it. But for me, no soup ever seemed to ascend to the droolworthy, shout-it-from-the-rooftops level of recommendation. Until now. Go to Little House Café, 90-19 Corona Ave in Elmhurst, Queens, and get the Curry Mee with Young Tao Fu, N4 on the menu. Described as “yellow noodles served in a spicy lemongrass coconut curry with vegetables and tofu stuffed with minced fish,” their version has a deeper, richer flavor profile than many of the variations I’ve sampled elsewhere.

Little House Café is an Asian fusion counter service venue with a few tables and a sizable array of baked goods (more on that aspect in a future post) all of which were top notch – and all of which point to a return visit before long!

h/t Joe DiStefano, Chopsticks and Marrow
 
 

Jhal NYC

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Instagram Post 4/19/2018

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Ask anyone from Bangladesh about #fushka (ফুসকা) and they will recount a personal story laden with affection and often a wistful touch of homesickness about this beloved street food. Fushka is Bangladesh’s take on Indian panipuri: It starts with puri, a deep-fried, puffed up, hollow shell of unleavened bread filled with a variety of components, often including potato, onion, cilantro, delicious aromatic spices, and thin sweet tamarind chutney. It’s that wonderfully drippy chutney that dictates that you pop the whole thing into your mouth all at once to get an eye-popping burst of those savory ingredients coming together in a symphony of flavor.

Convinced that you want to try this? Here’s your chance to savor one of the best I’ve ever tasted brought to you by the folks from Jhal NYC on Saturdays this summer at the Queens Night Market. Find their booth and you will not be disappointed!

And if you want to avoid the opening night crowds, remember to get your sneak preview tickets before they run out! They’re available for April 21st and 28th for only $5. Purchase yours at https://queensnightmarket.ticketleap.com/. It’s all happening at the New York Hall of Science in Flushing Meadows Corona Park.

www.queensnightmarket.com
 
 

I Eat Lao Food

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Instagram Post 4/17/2018

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Last night I had the opportunity to sample some delicious food from the incredibly talented and creative vendors that you’ll find on Saturdays this summer at the Queens Night Market. As promised, here’s a coming attraction:

One of the absolute standouts was served up by I Eat Lao Food who will be featuring their Laotian Larb and Coconut Fried Rice this season. Lao food has always been difficult to find in NYC, but if these folks are to be our standard bearers, we are in excellent hands. Find their booth and head for it straightaway – this dish is not to be missed.

And if you want to avoid the opening night crowds, remember to get your sneak preview tickets before they run out! They’re available for April 21st and 28th for only $5. Purchase yours at https://queensnightmarket.ticketleap.com/. It’s all happening at the New York Hall of Science in Flushing Meadows Corona Park.

www.queensnightmarket.com
 
 

Triple D’s

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Instagram Post 4/16/2018

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It might stand for delicious delightful and delectable. Or perhaps def dope and diesel. But certainly not dainty delicate or dull because the jerk chicken from Triple D’s Place, 771 Washington Ave on the border of Prospect Heights and Crown Heights, Brooklyn is da bomb!

Brooklyn is home to some of the best jerk chicken in New York City so rising to stellar level here is no mean feat, but Triple D’s does just that. Ever had jerk that’s just not flavorful enough? Not here. Dried out? Not here. Just BBQ chix with some jerk sauce poured over? Not here. They keep the chicken spicy and flavorful, they keep it tender and juicy, and they keep me coming back.

(Oh, and a bottle of Ting, please!)
 
 

BYGGYZ

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Instagram Post 4/13/2018

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If you’re gonna do only one thing, you’d better do it damn well. And oh, they do, they do!

BYGGYZ, the brainchild of Dewey Dufresne (yes, Wylie’s father) offers delicious, bespoke sandwiches crafted with impeccable attention to not only the quality of the ingredients, but the flavor compatibility of the component fixings. Here, for example, is not merely a roast beef sandwich; rather, it is a BYGGYBEEF – warm beef slow braised in pomegranate juice, with melted American cheese, hot pepper mix, BYGGYCHUP (the house ketchup) and BYGGYVEG, their mix of pickled fennel, carrots, red cabbage, currants and mixed herbs with Xxollent sauce on a seeded semolina hero. A Scrabble player’s nightmare, perhaps, but a gourmand’s rêve érotique.

Their bewitching sandwichy artistry even extends to dessert in the form of a DUSCREAM sandwich: a split Du’s vanilla cake doughnut filled with spiced apple ice cream and rimmed with cinnamon-oatmeal crumble.

IMHO, BYGGYZ comes by their all-caps name honestly; head to 37-39 Clinton St, Manhattan and taste what all the shouting is about.
 
 

BonBon

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Instagram Post 4/11/2018

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Imagine if the Beatles’ “Savoy Truffle” had been a Swedish song: as opposed to names of candies like Creme Tangerine, Montelimar, and Ginger Sling, they would have sung about Gott Och Blandat, Chokladhjärta, and Häxvrål. Those are just some of what you’ll find at BonBon, 130 Allen Street in Manhattan. Fortunately, it wasn’t a northern song and there are English signs here, there, and everywhere to hold your hand if you’ve got a feeling that it’s all too much, because there are over 150 kinds of Swedish candy on display. But I did see Finnish Sweet Licorice Pieces and I wonder if something Norwegian would help! 😜
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But seriously, BonBon is a Swedish 🇸🇪 candy company that’s a newcomer to the Lower East Side. In addition to sweet treats in a rainbow array of colors, flavors, and textures, they sell world famous Swedish salty licorice as well as the sweetish kind. Curiously, the unique taste comes not from sodium chloride (NaCl, table salt) but rather from ammonium chloride (NH4Cl) so it’s really more astringent than salty. I recommend Tyrkisk Peber (Turkish pepper) – that’s the hard stuff, literally – although they do have a number of gateway salty licorices to choose from like chewy filled Sweet & Salty Licorice Logs, Licorice Chalks in a variety of flavors, Licorice Screws and Licorice Carpets. Other favorites included Tivoli Mix, Lemon Rhubarb Logs, and ridged, red and white, flowery-edged Vanilla Marshmallow candies. For traditionalists, they also offer delicious Swedish chocolates including Daim, the milk chocolate covered crunchy almond caramel candy bar that makes everybody glad all over. Try it; you’ll definitely dig it.

All together now: The End!

#thereAre15 #didYouFindThemAll
 
 

Sweets Bakery

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Instagram Post 4/9/2018

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It Came From Chinatown!

No, that’s not the title of some 1950s monster chiller horror B-movie. Given its provenance and appearance one might assume that this is a Chinese egg custard tart. Appearances notwithstanding, this Dan Tat doppelganger is actually a Cheese Tart, designated as such by Sweets Bakery at 125 Walker St, Manhattan. Denser and a bit grainier than custard and not tasting particularly cheesy, it was nonetheless a satisfying sweet snack, conquered on the run by (photo 2) the Attack of a Colossal Chomp!

#iSaidChompNotChump