Summer food fests and more

Similar to most towns and cities, summer means outdoor food festivals and farmers market.  While I enjoy farmers market, I do not go for the $5 per pound tomatoes or green beans but rather the free samples of breads and spreads. I ventured to Williamsburg Brooklyn right across the river where every Saturday the "flea market" known as Smorgasboard features 95% prepared foods (yay!)  From bbq to tacos, arepas to viet sandwiches, this place is a foodie's paradise .

Out of everything that was eaten, I wanted to highlight this hot dog.  We've seen the asian inspired tacos (Korilla BBQ or Seoul Food) and sandwiches (think Bimbimbap burger at Social Eatz) but please meet Asia Dog.  You can find an outpost in Nolita, but Asia dog also makes its rounds at various food festivals and concerts throughout the summer.  I opted for the Sydney chicken hot dog, the bun was pleasantly toasted, the dog lightly grilled and topped with a relish of refreshing mango, cilantro, onion, cucumber, lime and fish sauce and finished with a handful of crushed peanuts.  To cap it off, I rode the east ferry back to manhattan on a full belly of hot dogs, pork sandwiches and an interesting espresso stout chocolate chip cookie.

When our initial brunch location in st. marks was packed at 1:30pm, I was looking forward to eggs so naturally was not that excited for our back up lunch at Xian Foods even though it has been featured by Anthony Bourdain and Andrew Zimmerman. And for great reason as it was affordable and delicious.  There isn't alot of seating and they even have rules about when and how you can take seats.

We went with the most yelped about dish the cumin lamb noodles (left) and then a cold noodle dish with seitan and cucumbers as well as the stewed pork sandwich (for $2.50!).  I think the most interesting part of both dishes was the texture of the noodles, much thicker and denser than your typical rice noodle.  While the dish could have used more lamb, the strong cumin chili flavor was prominent and addicting.  The underrated star was actually the pork sandwich hiding in that paper bag.   The hoisin stewed pork was wrapped in a bread that more closely resembled a crusty an arepa. Toasted on both sides this sandwich was a great way to balance the heat of the other dishes.  If you are afraid of spice or oil in anyway, this might not be the place for you.

FYI- if you get a dish that has the word "tingly" in the description- be prepared for numb feeling in your mouth.  You are not having an allergic reaction but rather this is a temporary, courtesy of the Sichuan peppercorn.

On a different note- I made a visit to New Tu Do- a Vietnamese joint near Chinatown. With so many options in that area, I relied on the keen eye of my sister's boyfriend for advice and his research of yelp pictures.  And with summer in full swing, it just doesn't make sense to have pho.  So recently I've really enjoyed nem nuong, a red pork meatball.  It comes with pickled carrots, daikon, cucumber, lettuce, mint, peanuts, green onions and micro vermicilli. It's kind of like choose your own adventure where you pick your ingredients and wrap them up in rice paper like summer rolls and dunk it into the typical sweet sour fish sauce.

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What is it?

Instead of biscuits, rolls, croissants or danishes at the Popover cafe., you get a warm popover, a egg based bread/pastry with a crusty exterior and hollow airy soft interior. The flavor definitely reminds me of a crepe and with a dab of strawberry butter or syrup, this is a delightful start to brunch here at this  upper west side spot.

Another notable dish is the kobe beef hash.  Cubes of  this beautiful beef is slow cooked then finished on a flat top with onions and cubed new red potatoes.  The mixture arrives with a nice char and two eggs prepared to your liking.  The fat from the meat really creates a luxurious and gluttinous brunch dish and it is difficult to leave anything on this plate.

Reunion at Public

It was a super weekend as Kate from my time at Teach For America Denver was back in the US for the first time in 2 years!  Her parents threw her a surprise party on Thursday with her friends and family and we capped it off with dinner and a night out on Saturday.  I snagged a 9pm reservation at Public restaurant so we decided to meet at the sister bar next door ahead of dinner just to catch up.  The Daily specializes in drinks where they offer a rotating menu of 6 specialty cocktails that they change as you guessed it- on a daily basis.  You can find updates on their facebook page.  They also offer the standard bar, plus wine and beer.  Both my friends opted for the shaken watermelon chili margarita.  I only took a sip of the bright pink concoction and it was incredibly refreshing and well balanced, not too sweet but with a firm chili kick that tickled my throat.

During dinner, we opted for a bottle of Riesling to go with our four shared appetizers and one entree.  While our waiter's comments were not the most attentive, the service at times slow, I would say eighty percent of the dishes deserved its one michelin star award.  The first appetizer was the whole anchovies with spicy aioli a top a quinoa croquette.    The second was a hearty legume salad with french lentils and green beans, tossed with avocado,toasted pecans and a slightly sweet pomegrante vinaigrette.    Excellent use of textures and flavors.

The second round of dishes came out painfully slow but was quickly forgotten once we started to eat.  The skin on the tasmanian trout was crispy and the pale pink flesh was firmly seasoned and seared to a beautiful medium.  While I normally prefer seared scallops, the sweet chili grilled scallops surprised me and was balanced well with the slightly bitter greens on the plate.

The most disappointing dish was actually the grilled kangaroo which faltered in both the presentation and execution.  It was grilled rare, sliced too think and somehow formed into a ball and set atop of a falafel cake.  Sounds delicious right? The only other time i've had kangaroo was back in Denver at TAG where it was much much better.

Our waiter surprised us with a complimentary tasting of late Riesling to go with the solid sticky toffee pudding dessert.  As an admitted wine novice, this late riesling was super sweet and tasted like liquid raisins.

Overall, I would recommend this place to family, friends and even strangers

It is with great pleasure that I post the non food related human picture on this blog.  My friend Brigitte insisted I use her name in this post so why not go even further and show you a picture of her, she's on the left!

Around the world in 3 meals

Upon my return to the US, I had to catch up on my tv shows and came across a new series on Bravo TV called "Around the World in 80 plates" a cooking competition that as you guessed it- takes place around the world.  One of the contestants is a chef at Fatty Crab, a southeastern (mostly malaysian inspired) destination with several outposts here in Manhattan.  Too be honest, I can't quite remember everything and neglected to capture any photos but I can say that their signature "Chili Crab" and their pork and beef sliders were both terribly disappointing.  The crab dish was perhaps two tablespoons of pulled crab meat swimming in a thick and creamy bowl of chili sauce.  No veggies, no rice, no garnish, it was a bit of a fishing expedition to say the least.  Not worth the exorbant price of $28.  The sliders were spiced with what I believe was an excessive amount of all spice and/or star anise that was incredibly off putting to the point I could not finish it.   The week after we dined at Fatty Crab, the chef on "Around the world" was promptly eliminated from the show....The only redeeming part of the meal was the delicious chicken wing appetizer.  Deep fried and tossed in a sweet soy, chili sauce. the wings  reminded me of the top notch ones at pok pok wing down in the lower east side.

In a craving for pasta and to catch up with a good friend after being away for almost 7 weeks, I researched my way to Osteria Morini, a Michael White restaurant in Soho.  Though they placed us right by the kitchen exit, we caught glimpses of the chefs hard at work preparing what ended up to be a fantastic meal. The insalata mista was mixed greens and spring veggies tossed with sliced salumni and shaved parmigianno which added a wonderful saltiness to the fresh salad. The two pastas were exquisite and perfectly al dente.  One was a simple truffled cream sauce, proscuitto, peas and wilted raddichio while the second was a spinach pasta with a hearty lamb ragu.

In the final segment of this post, I dined at Pio Pio for their entire Peruvian Chicken.  The space was filled with a variety of diners surrounded with a mixture of wood paneling/accents and stone structures all added to a wonderful atmosphere for the evening.  Sure you can get a perfectly acceptable rotisserie chicken at Costco for $5 but this was worth every penny.  Juicy and well spiced and I really didn't feel the need to use the green Aji sauce.

I will say that the spicy corvina ceviche appetizer was excellent, served with gigantic fresh corn and what I can only interpret some sort of nuts/seeds (in the very back, any guesses?).  The slice of boiled sweet potato was a nice touch to counter the acidity and spiciness of the dish.

In my final post in Hong Kong, I wanted to share a few classic dishes and establishments that highlight the excellence of Cantonese cuisine.

The classic dim sum dish that most people know is shrimp dumplings or in cantonese "har gow".   Go ahead and try saying it at your next dim sum meal.  The ones at Fook Lam Moon are among the best with larger than average prawns wrapped by a delicate wrapper.  These are US$2 a piece which is definitely on the pricier side in Hong Kong but definitely worth it if you are looking for the best.

For my vegetarian friends out there, Fan Tang Restaurant offers the most incredible vegetarian dumpling with mushrooms, carrots, Chinese parsley, chives, water chestnuts, chinese black fungus finely diced and enclosed by an almost translucent dumpling wrapper.  A definite contender amongst the pork and shrimp varieties out there.

In the past few days, I have become acutely aware that Cantonese vegetable dishes are never salads or just sauteed with garlic but rather a complex mix of flavors and textures that have the potential to outshine the main dishes.  I actually learned a lot about different Asian vegetables and their western counter parts whilst researching for this post. Here are a few of those dishes.

1. Fan Tang restaurant's- gai lan (Chinese broccoli) prepared two ways in a hot pot.  The leaves from gai lan are chopped to a chiffonade then flash fried.  The slightly bitter stalks are stir fried with a fragrant mixture of ginger garlic, dried shrimp and dried scallops.  Once the stalks are barely tender, the vegetables are finished in the hot pot (pictured) and tossed with the fried leaves.

2.  Fook Lam Moon restaurant's- Boiled yin choy (like spinach but much tastier!) in a simple broth with salty duck egg, 1000 year old egg, and scrambled egg whites.  Simple yet flavorful.

3.  Chariot Club restaurant- Tong Sang Choy (Chinese romaine lettuce).  The greens are sauteed with garlic, chilis and fu yu- which is a fermented tofu paste and finished in a sizzling hot pot.  Fu yu is another acquired taste but will put you in a league with locals along side the 1000year old egg challenge.

Every time I come to Hong Kong, I insist on eating steamed whole fish and virtually all seafood restaurants will have this option as this is classic Cantonese.  It's simple preparation results in such a powerful and delicious meal, that pairs perfectly with a bowl of white rice. The texture of the fish is soft and flaky like chilean sea bass, steamed till perfection, with the flavor from the bones really shining through.  The final dish is dressed with sliced green onions, ginger, a splash of hot oil, and is swimming in a sea of sweet soy sauce.  I have yet to conquer the eyeball but the fish cheek is the best part!

See you all back in NYC :)

I'm BACK!

Hello followers and readers!

It has been almost 10 months since my last post in Denver and I am thrilled to be at it again for the first time in 2012.  I am currently on vacation in Hong Kong after four great weeks in China for work and instead of checking my work email incessantly, I thought I would take some time to share my love for food and start blogging again.  I can't promise that this will be regular, but you can expect 2-3 posts in the next week at least.

If you know me personally or even professionally, you know how much I love food (and in Hong Kong!), and if Hong Kong does indeed become your next vacation destination I would be happy to be your food consultant.

I've been thinking for a while and I've decided (with much much thought) to abandon the plate score. I invite you to imagine the plate score for yourself and share it with me especially if you go to the restaurants mentioned in my posts.

I thought I would start off with a comparison between 2 Michelin stared restaurants here in Hong Kong, one ultimately more outstanding than the other:  Caprice at the Four Seasons and Amber at the Mandarin Oriental.

Both are incredibly expensive so either come with parents, a for profit company or start a specific savings account for this experience.  The one upside is service is pretty seamless and I always enjoy the "free stuff": Amuse bouche, unlimited bread selection, pre-dessert and of course petit fours (for your eyes to feast on, 1st is Caprice, 2nd is Amber).

First let's explore Caprice. I will not go over each and every single dish otherwise this blog post would become a novel and who has time for that.  I will just go over the highs and lows.

Let's start with the low.  So I've never been to a French restaurant that doesn't serve foie gras in some way.  At Caprice, it was seared and served with a passionfruit carrot puree with cocoa crispies.  Despite the colorful presentation, I tried intently to listen to the server explain the chef's vision for this dish. but the sweet, salty, sour (from the passionfruit) flavors were bizarre and ultimately confusing together.

The second low light was the langoustine carpaccio, beautiful presentation but the temperature was too warm for my palate and peace of mind.  I had flashbacks to epic bouts of food poisoning, not a good to start, luckily the end of the night was just fine.

The first highlight was my dad's lamb 3 ways: rack, tenderloin and braised shoulder. The second was the cheese plate.  Yes, you heard me, cheese.  I can hear all of my cheese friends jumping out of their seats right now.  I never order cheese but it came with our meal so why not right?  My favorite and apparently of excellent choice was the 4 year aged Comte cheese which had these distinct salt crystals that develop during the aging process (the rectangular block in the bottom right corner).  Our waiter proudly explained Caprice has the most complete cheese course in the city and that there are only a dozen or so restaurants in the world that have aged 4 years Comte, most Comte cheeses are aged 1-2 years....I just picked it because it isn't a soft and/or pungent cheese.

Instead of dinner (like Caprice) we opted for lunch at Amber.  There is a lunch set that is relatively affordable in comparaison to their dinner.  The key word is relatively.

So I mentioned that French restaurants find a way to include foie gras on their menu and at Amber it comes in the form of their signature 1st amuse buche: foie gras lollipop. A round ball of pate coated with a liquid sugar coat.  Reminds me of a candy apple in appearance. It was tasty but incredibly rich that I had to promptly stuff a piece of bread to avoid feeling like was I eating a tablespoon of butter.

The appetizer is worth mentioning here. The seared langoustine with chickpeas, chickpea and red pepper puree and the 2 (brown) "raviolis" of mysterious but I assume scientific execution. It was like flavor balloon bursting with shellfish jus and chickpea puree.

Desserts at both restaurants were great but despite the excellent cheese course at Caprice, the unanimous winner is Amber.


This evening we decided to take a break from the fancy stuff and opted for an equally delicious and homemade meal. From top left going clockwise:

1. Fried chinese sweet cruller (basically a Chinese donut but chewy like a pita)
2. 1000 year old (or Century) egg and salted duck egg.  It is not actually 1000 years old, but it might as well be with that color and taste.  You think chicken feet and fish eyeballs are weird, that stuff is amateur.
3. Congee (rice porridge with pork or any variety of your choosing)
4. Boiled Choy Sum (Chinese vegetable)

It's good to be back :)


And if you've decided that my obsession with food is not relevant to your life anymore, I'll be sad but let me know and I can remove you from my emails.