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.
 
 

Kanafeh

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Instagram Post 12/13/2018

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Having recently done a post about a hearty meal we enjoyed in Brooklyn’s Middle Eastern neighborhood, Bay Ridge, I thought it appropriate to follow up with a coda about dessert. We hit two bakeries that day (there are many more), partly in a quest to see who made the better kanafeh.

Kanafeh, also spelled knafeh, kunafa, (there are many more), but always reliably كُنافة, is hypersweet and made with sugar syrup-drenched crisp shredded dough that conceals rich delights like clotted cream or cheese and is often topped with chopped nuts. You’ll recognize it easily: Picture a large pizza positioned on its round aluminum pan; now increase its size by, oh, half again as much; now instead of pizza toppings, picture finely shredded noodle-like dough so orange in hue that it would put a fresh carrot to shame; now forget that I said anything about pizza, it’ll only be confusing, but you’ve got the picture.

At Cedar’s Pastry and Ice Cream Shop, 7204 5th Ave, we tried two different kinds of kanafeh (there are many more), [1] mastic/ashta, the hands down winner by my standards, and [2] cheese.

[3] At Nablus Sweets, 6812 5th Ave, where the pans are square – picture Sicilian pizza, now forget I said that – we chose one with cheese and a different topping (there are many more) but I wish we had plumped for one of the other varieties as well.

Perhaps one day I’ll bring a few friends and we’ll do a proper smackdown of all the varieties because, as you’ve no doubt discerned…there are many more.
 
 

Chutney’s – Part 3 (Dosa)

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Instagram Post 12/13/2018

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More from Chutney’s, an exclusively vegetarian Indian restaurant at 827 Newark Avenue, Jersey City where everything we ordered was tiptop. As one would expect, the menu listed over two dozen types of dosa; here are two.

Dosa almost never quite fits on its serving tray, and indeed, that’s part of its charm. Paper thin and crêpe-like in appearance but generally crisper, dosa is made from a fermented batter of rice and lentil flours, griddled, and typically filled with a dollop of vegetables or cheese, in this case with potato masala, a popular choice.

End on observation seems like something out of NASA’s Image of the Day: here’s looking at aloo, kid.

Plain (i.e., not spiced) Rava Dosa, by way of contrast. Lacy and even more fragile, made with semolina and other flours (and more to my liking), this thin batter is not fermented. Sambar, a spicy thin soup for dipping, on the side.

Chutney’s chutneys, clockwise from left: coconut, tomato, and peanut.

More to come from Chutney’s….
 
 

The Indonesian Gastronomy Association

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Instagram Post 12/12/2018

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The Indonesian Gastronomy Association (IGA) is a collective of Indonesian expats who share a passionate interest in nourishing and promoting Indonesian culture and businesses in New York City and beyond. They foster their mission through monthly events, each with its own distinct focus, the annual Independence Day celebration and an Indonesian fashion show as recent examples. Fortunately for those of us who crave the cuisine, the principal spotlight always shines on a wide assortment of small batch and homemade authentic food from a variety of regions in Indonesia. Two standouts from last weekend’s event:

[1] Delicious handmade noodles with a perfect chew and ideal thickness, spicy chicken, bouncy meatballs swimming in a light broth, crispy crunchiness on the side (and don’t forget the egg!) from Rebecca at Mamika’s Homemade Cuisine, her Indonesian catering service in NYC. @mamika.etc

[2] Bertha from IGA offered up this Bubur Kampiun, a porridge (bubur) with a base layer of rice flour pudding, topped with plantains in coconut milk, glutinous rice balls and palm sugar custard. She told me this is sometimes served as a sweet to break the Ramadan fast and sometimes simply served as breakfast. Since kampiun means champion in Indonesian, I guess this is the Breakfast of Champions!

I attend these events regularly, so expect to see more posts soon. Follow IGA on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/IGAUSA2018/ to learn when their next event will take place. You don’t want to miss it.
 
 

Ruzana

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Instagram Post 12/11/2018

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The secret’s in the sauce.

Ruzana is a Jordanian family owned Middle Eastern restaurant located at 486 85th St in Brooklyn’s Bay Ridge so it comes as no surprise that Mansaf, the national dish of Jordan, is ensconced on the menu. Their family recipe is simple in appearance but time consuming in preparation. Chunks of lamb on the bone are cooked slowly in an herby sauce of jameed (sheep’s or goat’s milk yogurt, dried, fermented, and restored to a fluid state) until so ethereally tender that they yield submissively to the touch (it’s eaten with the fingers). Garnished with toasted almonds and parsley and presented over rice, the cooking liquid is served on the side and, since that’s the essence of this delicious dish, begs to be applied liberally. I’ve heard that Ruzana does/has done a more elaborate, traditional presentation involving shrak/markook flatbread beneath and atop but ours arrived unadorned.