Category Archives: Restaurants & Food Courts

Poke Bowl Station

Posted on by

Instagram Post 11/7/2017

(Click on any image to view it in high resolution.)

A great big aloha 🤙 to the new kid on the block, Poké Bowl Station at 237 Flatbush Ave, Prospect Heights, Brooklyn near Barclays Center. Sure, we have plenty of great sushi 🍣 restaurants in Park Slope and Prospect Heights, but poké is its own thing: think of it as Hawaii’s cross between chirashi sushi and ceviche. In addition to almost a dozen signature dishes, they offer infinitely customizable options: choose your base (three kinds of rice or salad or zucchini noodle), proteins (a dozen choices ranging from tuna, salmon, and yellowtail to baby octopus, shrimp and even chicken), plus mix-ins, sauces, toppings and crunch and you’re sure to be thrilled with the results. In addition to the variety, I was impressed with the freshness and quality of the ingredients – everything I tasted was truly delicious.
🐟
They also offer a wide variety of drinks including bubble tea, fruit tea, and yakult (yogurt drink). Tip: they offer all their sauces opposite the main counter in squeeze bottles, so if you’re not sure how you want to roll when you order, you could skip the sauce on your bowl and go rogue instead – try a couple that look interesting and add them yourself. It’s not quite the same of course (the sauce should go directly on the fish), but it’s great if you’re in the mood to experiment.
🐟
Shown here is The Triforce with tuna, salmon and yellowtail plus lots of other goodies. Since I love eel, I asked if they would customize their signature bowl and they happily complied. Mahalo 🙏 for bringing your ’ono grinds to the neighborhood, Poké Bowl Station – I’ll be back soon!
 
 

Dim Sum VIP

Posted on by

Instagram Post 11/2/2017

(Click on any image to view it in high resolution.)

I stumbled upon Dim Sum VIP at 68 Mott St, Manhattan, shortly after their opening and it’s been on my to-eat list ever since. It was fortuitous that I was in the neighborhood recently because almost everything I tasted was worth doing again (something I seldom do because I’m always on the lookout for something new). It’s the kind of format that we New Yorkers may be less accustomed to although it’s commonplace elsewhere: you’re furnished with a list of dim sum and you check off whatever is your heart’s delight at the moment.

A large poster on their window touts Abalone Siu Mai; since I love abalone and since siu mai are often a litmus test of the chef’s skills, I reasoned that the choice would yield a double return on my investment. I was not disappointed. The siu mai were unusually dense and delicious (reminiscent of Joe Ng’s work) and the abalone topping was, if you’ll forgive my mixed metaphor, the icing on the cake.

The synergistic Crispy Shrimp Rice Roll exceeded my expectations as well. Envision shrimp in a crisp fried spring roll wrapper swaddled in a steamed rice roll; the roll was greater than the (dim) sum of its parts.

The Red Oil Wontons were accompanied by steamed greens as a foil (a nice touch) and were excellent, presenting just the right amount of heat; the Chaozhou Fen Guo dumpling was tasty as well.

Note that the prices are a few dollars more than the neighboring dim sum parlors, but definitely worth it.
 
 

Cachapas y Mas

Posted on by

Instagram Post 10/29/2017

(Click on any image to view it in high resolution.)

Smile when you say that! Just as Mexico has its lineup of stuffed snacks like tacos, burritos, quesadillas and so many more, so Venezuela 🇻🇪 lays claim to its own collection of lavishly loaded sandwiches, often based on corn or plantain. Cachapas y Mas at 678 Seneca Ave, Ridgewood, Queens (also at 107 Dyckman St in Manhattan) runs the gamut of styles and fillings, to wit: cachapas, sweet corn pancakes, typically topped with cheese and folded over quesadilla style; arepas, a little smaller, less sweet, made from corn flour and used for a classic Venezuelan sandwich; and tacuchos, Venezuela’s answer to burritos. In the plantain-as-bun department, they offer patacones, pressed green plantain sandwiches; and yoyos, sweet plantain sandwiches. They also offer pepitos (more familiar looking, like a hero/sub/grinder/hoagie depending upon your personal provenance) and other options. Mix and match your fillings, including three kinds of cheese, ham, chicken, sausage, pork, and beef, each in a number of styles and all delicious.

This is a patacon (rhymes with “not alone”: I must be thinking comfort food) with three meats (pernil, chorizo, and carne mechada) plus cheese, lettuce, tomato, and a couple of kinds of sauce. Everything is good, but if this is your first time, I suggest a cachapa or a yoyo with your choice of filling.

In addition to their brick-and-mortar venues, they have a Cachapas on Wheels truck.
 
 

Haat Bazaar

Posted on by

Instagram Post 10/28/2017

(Click on any image to view it in high resolution.)

The medium is the message. I thought it looked rather like an artist’s palette, loaded with an assortment of rich colors poised to caress a canvas. Rather, it was an assortment of rich flavors in the form of bhortas (aka bhartas) poised to impress our palates. Start here to learn about Bangladeshi food because these spicy mustard oil and onion infused mashes are a staple of the cuisine, and are considered by some to be comfort food. They begin with virtually any vegetable (and sometimes dried fish) and are certainly a complement to rice but are comfortable with any dish. Obviously, the flavors vary depending upon the main ingredient – a fish bhorta will taste quite different from one made from dal – but I was intrigued by the subtle variations from one alu (potato) bhorta to the next. Once you know what you’re looking for, it’s not too difficult to identify potato, tomato, dal, eggplant, fish, etc. but the helpful folks behind the steam table at Haat Bazaar, 37-11 73rd St, Jackson Heights, Queens patiently identified all of the dishes they had to offer (see photo 2 for a helicopter view of our feast) – which was necessary for us since there are no menus. Definitely worth another visit.
 
 

Fu Xiang Ju – Conch with Noodle Salad

Posted on by

Instagram Post 10/27/2017

(Click on any image to view it in high resolution.)

The menu at Fu Xiang Ju, 136-80 41st Ave, Flushing, Queens, lists this delicious cold dish as Conch with Noodle Salad, a very popular course at our last group dinner. I get the distinct impression that there’s gochujang, the Korean sweet and spicy red chili paste, at work here. Dongbei’s proximity to Korea and the fact that the menu is in Chinese and Korean (in addition to English) lead me to believe that I might be on the right track.
 
 

Sugar Club

Posted on by

Instagram Post 10/25/2017

(Click on any image to view it in high resolution.)

I picked up a couple of treats from Sugar Club, 81-18 Broadway, Elmhurst, Queens. The first is ขนมชั้น, Kanom Chun (you might also see it as Khanom Chan) – khanom means snack or dessert, chan means layer. The ingredients of this always colorful steamed Thai dessert are simple: coconut milk, sugar and flour (to hold it together) but the presentation is complex and beautiful.
🇹🇭
Since childhood, I’ve been intrigued by blue food and drinks, and to this day I never miss a chance to taste any I happen upon. The second photo shows Sugar Club’s NYFC Milkshake (vanilla ice cream with blue pea flower). The blossoms are used to impart a bluish tint to food without relying on artificial coloring like the swill I used to consume as a kid 😜; it’s sometimes used to color rice. I don’t think it adds much in terms of flavor, but how could I resist that color? Sweet!
 
 
[This venue has closed.]
 
 

El Atoradero

Posted on by

Instagram Post 10/24/2017

(Click on any image to view it in high resolution.)

I am so fortunate to live only a few minutes away from El Atoradero: definitely NOT your mamacita’s Tex-Mex joint! It’s the real deal 🇲🇽 at 708 Washington Ave, Prospect Heights, Brooklyn and everything on the menu is muy delicioso! My brunch today featured Chilaquiles and a Quesadilla Pescado; both dishes were distinctive and delectable. Always a treat!
 
 

Laoma Mala Tang – Upside-down Dumplings

Posted on by

Instagram Post 10/23/2017

(Click on any image to view it in high resolution.)

sƃuᴉldɯnp uʍop-ǝpᴉsdn
🙃
No, it’s not a flying saucer! Rather, these tasty Pan Fried Dumplings (pork, shrimp, and leek) from Laoma Mala Tang in the New York Food Court, booth 20, at 133-35 Roosevelt Ave, Flushing, Queens start out like potstickers (that is, fried then covered and steamed) with an additional final step consisting of a small amount of batter poured into the pan and swirled around. The batter clings to the dumplings and when fully cooked it’s carefully flipped over onto a plate. The second photo shows a couple of rogue dumplings that escaped from the mothership, re-flipped to give you an idea of the textures under (crunchy) consideration. Soft dumpling wrappers plus crispy pancake – out of this world!
 
 

Fu Xiang Ju – Lamb Chop with Cumin Sauce

Posted on by

Instagram Post 10/20/2017

(Click on any image to view it in high resolution.)

Now a Dongbei classic in NYC, I never get tired of introducing people to this dish. Sometimes called Muslim Lamb Chop, this braised, battered, fried, cuminized, chilified ode to luscious lambiness never fails to get rave reviews. Fu Xiang Ju, 136-80 41st Avenue in Flushing, Queens, calls their version Lamb Chop with Cumin Sauce, but what’s in a name?
 
 

Four Seasons Snacks

Posted on by

Instagram Post 10/19/2017

(Click on any image to view it in high resolution.)

It’s easy to find pork and leek/chive/cabbage dumplings everywhere in every Chinatown (and that’s a good thing, because where would we be without them?) but don’t overlook dumplings featuring dill. They’re absolutely delicious and, if I may say so, a delightful change from the usual. You might have to search a bit because of a language hurdle: For example, go to the New York Food Court at 133-35 Roosevelt Ave, Flushing, Queens and head over to booth 19, Four Seasons Snacks (but you won’t find the name in English, so refer to the second photo). The Dumplings sign uses the characters 茴香 and translates it as fennel, their paper menu translates it as dill; Google Translate reports that it means fennel.

No matter. Get an order of D5 (Fennel with Pork) and prepare for a treat. To me, they taste like dill and they’re wonderful.

I’ve seen a beef and dill combination elsewhere as well. Does anybody else here crave these as much as I do?