Tag Archives: United States
eataly-new-york-3

Eataly: a slice of Italy nestled into the heart of New York City

by emma on 2011/03/31 in Featured Article, Food and Travel, Foodie Guide, North America, World Recipes and Ingredients

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Eataly has been the top reason for a must-take NYC trip and I luckily got there this month, finally! Now to share the magic of Eataly: what it is and why you need to go! This place is what I consider to be Italian heaven: fresh ingredients, the best products for every price point, hand made foods… basically all the best parts of Italy. This place is a mecca for those looking to cook, learn about, or eat Italian food. It took me forever to wander through here, aisle after aisle and restaurant after restaurant.

Eataly is a massive marketplace in the heart of Manhattan giving New Yorkers & visitors a taste of Italy. Eataly is the creation of Italian-American restaurateurs Mario Batali, Joe Bastianich, Lidia Matticchio Bastlianich, and the founder behind the gourmet food and wine market (Eataly) in Turin, Oscar Farinetti. The 50,000-foot-space is more than just a supermarket with restaurants; it is an energetic marketplace, a place to taste and take home products that inspire the rustic coking of Italy, and a place to learn about the country, the trade and their products. Eataly is the “heartbeat of Italy.”

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The complex includes multiple restaurants (an Italian steakhouse, a Neapolitan pizzeria, a gelaterie, a microbrewery, and year-round rooftop beer garden etc.), a cooking school, aisles upon aisles of fresh produce and Italian products, and the ability to buy the ingredients of a dish you just ate in one of their restaurants. There is also a travel agent on hand who will help you arrange a trip to Italy to visit food and wine producers. If you can’t quite commit to the flight right away, there is a bookstore, wine store and houseware store where you can purchase goods such as espresso makers from Bialetti to help you in living la dolce vita.

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My favourite part about the place is probably the meat and cheese area. When I walked into Eataly, the first thing I encountered was the Salumi & Cheese restaurant, where boards were filled with house made meats and cheeses. The taleggio was calling my name! If I lived in New York, I honestly don’t think I would be able to shop anywhere else. The selection at Eataly is out of the world… and with full 4 tier cases of different parmesan or proscuitto, how can you go wrong?! The produce is incredibly fresh, with seasonality being key for availability, and the variety at each station is astonishing. There are so many different mushrooms and onions, I just could not stop staring and exploring! I never wanted to leave! The coolest part I find about Eataly, is that it is not just a tourist trap; New Yorkers actually shop there! A tip: I went on a Saturday, and the place was packed! The meat and cheese restaurant bar was already full at 11am with people eating pasta and pizza. I sampled an Italian sandwich of crusty baguette and house cure prosciutto: simple and perfect, classic European.

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Bringing Italy’s “Eataly” to North America was a fabulous idea. Created to inspire fresh, good and passion filled eating is, IMHO, necessary to combat the ever problematic epidemic of salt and fat laden fast food. This general concept is something I feel strongly about and I think promoting this idea by encouraging everyone to visit Eataly, to taste, experience, and eat! The more people become engaged the better, and it’s impossible not to begin, or deepen, your love affair with food or Italy while in Eataly.

Located: the Toy building at Fifth Ave. between 23rd and 24th in New York City
200 5th Avenue
NY 10010, United States
(646) 398-5100
Subway: 23 St

[Images courtesy of Emma and Gastronomichael]

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austin-texas-food-mardi-gras-1

Let The Good Times Roll: Austin Style!

by Karen Baksi on 2011/03/17 in Featured Article, Food and Travel, Foodie Guide, North America

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In America, Mardi Gras has traditionally been known as a time of boozy over-indulgence where ladies (and the occasional gentleman) flash their goodies to strangers and are rewarded “handsomely” with strands of colorful plastic beads. It’s seen as a time to let loose and blow off steam. In fact, it is actually a part of the Christian tradition, Easter. In English, Mardi Gras means “Fat Tuesday.” This is the last day of eating rich foods before the start of the ritual fasting during Lent. Our perception of Mardi Gras as a time to cut loose has its roots with the religious meaning. My personal foodie translation of Mardi Gras (and the week leading up to Fat Tuesday) is a time for gluttonous eating and indulgence! My week was spent in Austin, Texas, where I had a whirlwind tour of classic, great institutions that never fail to deliver and some stellar, new and unique places as well.

Dirty Sixth
If you want to feel like a college student in Austin, get in one of their popular pedi-cabs and head on down to the Dirty Sixth! Located in a section of downtown that is east of Congress Street, this area of bars, clubs, music venues and restaurants are teeming with college kids and twenty-somethings looking to party. To capitalize on this market, many street food vendors come out at night to offer their delights to the drunken, and now starving partiers. One of these vendors is the Best Wurst stand located at the corner of E. Sixth St. and San Jacinto. This is – hands down – one of the best sausages I have ever eaten. In fact, in our drunken stupor, my husband ate his dog, then asked for a bite of mine, which I never got back :(!! Best Wurst offers 4 kinds of sausages: Bratwurst, Smoked Italian, Smoked Jalapeno, and All Beef, each of which can be topped with grilled onions, sauerkraut, curry ketchup and spicy mustard. All sausages are priced at an affordable $4.50. The quality of the meat used in the sausages is top notch and the flavors (especially smoked jalapeno) were fantastic. It had that nice popping sound as you bite into the sausage and the heat from the smoked jalapeno was just enough to make you want to grab another beer. But the winner in all of their offerings was the curry ketchup. It jazzed up my tastebuds with the spiciness of the curry and the sweetness from the ketchup, really enhancing the flavor. It most definitely lived up to it’s name, the Best Wurst!

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North Austin
After waking up with a raging hangover due to the fact that this thirty-something was trying to party like it was 1999, I needed some sustenance to help tide the rumblings in my stomach. When I’m in my hometown of San Francisco, I know of many hangover cures that are readily available, but my top choice is always a hot steaming bowl of Vietnamese pho (noodle soup). I really didn’t expect an authentic, down home Vietnamese place in the middle of Texas, but North Austin has Pho Dan. The pho is delicately layered with flavor, beginning with the clear and salty sweet broth. At Pho Dan, you can request your thinly sliced raw eye of round beef on the side as well as steamed bean sprouts to ensure your broth stays piping hot. They also offer dandelion greens, basil, thick jalapeno slices and juicy lemons to help enhance the soup, flavor by flavor. At around $7 a small bowl, the pho is good for your pocket book as well as your hangover. Definitely check out Pho Dan if you’re in Austin, it’s worth it.

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Round Rock
North of Austin near the city of Round Rock, is a place called Razzoo’s Cajun Cafe where they offer traditional Cajun-style food like boiled crawfish, assorted po-boys, and the classic New Orleans gumbo. The establishment feels like a chain-restaurant with lines out the door and those electronic buzzer things. But the comparisons stop there. Razzoo’s knows how to do Cajun. My all-Louisiana based friends and I opted for boiled crawfish in honor of Mardi Gras and at $4.99 a pound (a Mardi Gras special), it was definitely worth it! Heaps of crawfish are set down in front of you with a nice warm wet towel to wipe your hands and face. If you’ve never had crawfish before but you like crab, shrimp, or lobster, you probably understand what it means to work hard for a tiny morsel of seafood goodness. Be sure to twist off the crawfish tail and suck the wonderful juices and “butter” from the head before you finally fish out the tail meat. The spiciness from the boil penetrates the shells of the crawfish and basically marinates the meat and butter to perfection. Included in the boil are spiced red potatoes and corn. To cool your mouth down from the spiciness, hit it with a bite of potato and corn (as well as a swig of local beer). Order a lot because it’s easy to rack up the poundage: my party of 5 easily polished off 20 pounds of the tasty mudbugs!

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SoCo – South Congress
Congress Street is one of the main thoroughfares in Austin. It cuts through the downtown area and leads to the Capital building. On the southern end is an area called South Congress, or SoCo. There are a lot of funky thrift and antique stores as well as bars with beer gardens like Doc’s and the San Jose hotel. Of course, restaurants are a plenty which includes the South Congress Cafe. A local of Austin claimed that the SoCo Cafe has the best bloody mary in town and I was determined to make that assessment. Everything in the bloody mary is made in-house, the pepper/celery/jalapeno/lime/lemon/garlic infused vodka packs a powerful flavor punch which is blended nicely with the sweet and spicy bloody mary mix ($6.75). Indeed it was one of the best bloody marys I’ve ever had. As for the food, everything we had was pretty tasty, especially the Carrot Cake French Toast with a side of bacon ($16). The carrot cake was thickly sliced and dipped in a vanilla cinnamon batter and served with their original cream cheese-pecan syrup. I’m usually not a sweet breakfast person but the dish sounded so decadent that I had to try it. It was a pleasant surprise, not too sweet and had a nice dense texture. The cream cheese-pecan syrup gave it that extra richness and the side of salty bacon was the perfect compliment. We also tried the traditional eggs benedict with a chipotle hollandaise sauce ($9) which was perfectly executed but nothing new in flavor town. All in all, the food was great and the bloody marys were awesome.

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Driftwood
Just 20 minutes southwest of Austin in the city of Driftwood lies a behemoth BBQ joint called Salt Lick. It has been featured on many travel/foodie shows and its reputation is well earned. There are scores of people lining up to try this BBQ so make sure you get there early or be prepared to wait at least 30 minutes. There is a nice waiting area with picnic tables and even a small stage for bands to perform. Another great part of Salt Lick is that its BYOB…bring your own booze! But once you make it into the main dining area, its all about BBQ. Sitting right next to the entrance of the restaurant, the huge circular BBQ pit produces delectable meats including beef brisket, sausage, pork ribs, beef ribs, and pulled pork. All are tender and juicy, especially the pulled pork. Salt Lick also provides two types of barbecue sauce, regular and habanero. Their bases are similar, marrying sweetness with a nice tang, but the habanero is kicked up with heat from the peppers. Dousing your BBQ with either sauce is probably a great idea! Salt Lick’s combination plate, which includes brisket, sausage, and pork ribs ($11.95), is served with a tangy German style potato salad and a simple vinegar based cole slaw. Both sides provide the perfect counterpoint to the BBQ. Salt Lick is a great place to meet and sit with friends and family to have a few beers and eat some good old Texas barbecue.

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Austin was a great place to “fatten” myself up in the name of Mardi Gras. The vibe of the city is wholeheartedly fun and eclectic. It’s an artsy and musical place with many great restaurant and food choices. It was the perfect place to blow off some steam and soak up the local Texas color. As the Cajuns say, Laissez les bons temps rouler!

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Foods of Hawaii: Maui and Oahu

by Samantha Wong on 2011/01/25 in Featured Article, Food and Travel, Foodie Guide, North America

Hawaii (like so many other places in America) is so highly mythologized, it’s hard to know what’s what! First, there are 7 islands, then those are further broken down into cities and districts… I just want to know: where I can surf, where I can swim with dolphins, where I can hike the dormant volcano, and most importantly, where I can delight in some of that authentic, delicious Hawaiian food?!

I was fortunate enough to explore firsthand a bit of Maui and Oahu. Giving a brief introduction of the Islands: Maui is commonly thought of as “the best” island in Hawaii, because of it’s breathtaking beauty. It really is postcard perfect, with vast stretches of sandy beach, gorgeous sunsets, and everything seems to cater to romance and couples. I would definitely visit Maui with my significant other to marvel at nature and just enjoy the company of my beloved. Honolulu is the largest city in the Hawaiian islands and the capital of Hawaii. It is situated on Oahu and has popular tourist attractions such as Pearl Harbour, the Dole plantation, and Turtle Bay (Forgetting Sarah Marshall, hello!). Waikiki is a beach/ neighbourhood of Honolulu. I preferred Honolulu as there are more things to do there: shopping (hello, 5% tax!), touring, and of course, eating!

I was only in Maui for two brief days. One day was spent snorkelling in the Molokini crater (overrated, especially when compared to my snorkelling experience in Boracay – I think I definitely would have had a better experience scuba diving as there was so much more going on down below – put that on the list: learn to scuba), and the other was spent wandering the gorgeous hotel grounds. Only one dining experience stood out: Star Noodle. Located in Lahaina (the largest town in Maui), Star Noodle is an Asian fusion restaurant that can stand next to the likes of Ippudo in NY!! The menu was created by chef Sheldon Simeon, and as I was dining with 3 other foodies, we decided to go nuts in regards to ordering!! Star Kim Chee, $3 USD, was lightly spicy and crisp. The Star Ramen, $9, was of course ordered. How can we not, it shares the name with the restaurant (and is hence the signature dish)! However, that, and the Udon, $7, while the noodle chewiness were good, were both average-nothing-to-write-home-about noodle dishes. The Garlic Noodles, $6 small/ $10 large, were fantastic however: the noodles were chewy and flavourful, and not a scrap was left. The Singapore noodles, $12, which were likewise wonderful. For the sake of brevity, the Miso Salmon, $9, (tender!) Seafood Dynamite, $18, (creamy and mayonnaise-y and like nothing I’ve had before) Pork Buns, $9, (So yummy) Brussels Sprouts, $9, (are you sure it’s not bacon masquerading as a vegetable?) were all dishes I would recommend highly. The desserts were a no brainer for us: four people, four desserts. Malasadas, $5, while presentation perfect, were heavier and more solid than expected. Mango Pudding, $5, was light and fresh with that nice distinct mango flavour. Annin Tofu, $5, was my favourite dessert of the night, as it tasted of Hawaii; I’ll leave you to imagine the light tropical taste. Star Screams, $7, came in Yuzu Raspberry, Gen Mai Tea, and Sangria. Their sorbets were awesome, almost as if I was enjoying the exact food in sorbet form; they also added more kick to the Malasadas. We opted not to visit Mama’s Fish House due to poor weather, but apparently it is a “must visit” restaurant in Maui. I hear the food, while not particularly standout, is accompanied by the most beautiful view.

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Star Noodle:
(808) 667-5400
286 Kupuohi St
Lahaina, HI 96761

Mama’s Fish House:
799 Poho Place
Paia, HI 96779, United States
(808) 579-8488

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Moving on to Honolulu. I highly recommend Hiroshi if you’re looking for some yakiniku. They have US and Australian Wagyu (helloooo $120 australian rib eye steak – yeah right) and other more suitably priced dishes such as beef tongue, $15, US Kobe Kalbi, $23, Yukejang soup, $9.50, Roasted Garlic, $6… and let’s not forget their ice cream cream puffs which you can melt a bit on the grill, $4, or the Bubbies Ice Cream Cake, $5.50. This restaurant is hip and has a bit of the Oh-Taisho/ Guu drinking atmosphere, but the food is so delicious it’s redeemed in the eyes of my parents. Further, this place is also kid friendly! Think one year old baby friendly. Definitely a place for everyone to visit! Ramen places run rampant in Hawaii thanks to Hawaii’s large Japanese population. I’m definitely a fan of Ramen Nakamura (go here vs. Ezogiku) as their noodles are perfectly textured, the broth is flavourful, and the prices are right! We ordered Ox Tail Shio, Miso, and Shoyu (between $8.70-12.90), and you also have the option of getting the combo meal with gyoza. Tip: get the gyoza… I am not a gyoza fan but their gyoza is incredible.

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Hiroshi:
339 Royal Hawaiian Avenue
Honolulu, HI 96805
(808) 923-0060

Ramen Nakamura:
2141 Kalakaua Avenue # 1, Honolulu, HI 96815, United States
+1 808-922-7960 ‎

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Without a doubt Sasabune is the dining experience that stands out in my mind. It’s fine dining for Japanese food, and the chef is a well known “Sushi Nazi”, who has been known to kick people out of his restaurant for eating his creations wrong! Sasabune’s slogan is “trust me”; instead of ordering, you have a set meal plan where when you are nearing satiety, you tell your waiter to stop. If you make it past the 13 dishes, you can request new dishes or favourite courses to be repeated. The sashimi, nestled on a perfectly proportioned bed of rice, is already lightly seasoned with soya sauce, and your waiters will give you directions how best to appreciate your course. I don’t want to reveal your entire course meal here, but expect dishes such as melt-in-your-mouth Canadian Albacore Tuna with Ponzu, California Baby Calamari stuffed with Blue Crab, Kampachi from Japan with shiso (a mint leaf) in the middle, South African Rock Lobster tail… truly, a must visit restaurant.

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Sasabune:
1417 South King Street
Honolulu, HI 96814, United States
(808) 947-3800

Tonkatsu Ginza Bairin specializes up delicious tonkatsu, but make sure to NOT allow any other customers cut you in the line; despite a reservation, we had to wait as another party rudely stole our table! The thick cut pork loin katsu, $23, is fantastic and their Original Bairin Pork Tenderloin Sandwich, $10, was worth the bother of checking through security to enjoy on the plane ride home. Puka Dog, surprisingly, is not created by a Hawaiian, but rather, a Swedish enterpreneur! This hot dog joint has a three step process: Hot dog (Polish or Veggie), Garlic Lime “Secret Sauce” (Mild to Hot-Hot), and Tropical topping (Mango, Pineapple… perhaps Starfruit?) The bun is not your average fold-open bun, but rather a sweet, chewy bread (think chinese bun bread) with one opening where you slide in the hot dog. Puka dog was on our list, thanks to Anthony Bourdain, but we should have held out for Hank’s Haute Dogs. We stumbled upon this gem as we were walking back from Pukadog… alas, if only there was more time! A place I will make a point of visiting next time, Hank’s has been featured on Diner’s, Drive-in’s, and Dives. We visited the satellite stand (as opposed to the store) and had the Chicago, $4.95, and the Hawaiian dog, $4.25. Had we visited the main store (early in the day and a certain day — different days feature different daily specials) we could have sampled choice offerings such as an Alligator dog (!!!), Lobster Dog, Duck and Fois Gras Dog, or Kobe dog!!!! AGHHHH!!! Visit… and tell me how epic your hot dog was.

Tonkatsu Ginza Bairin:
Outrigger Regency Beachwalk
255 Beach Walk
Honolulu, HI 96815
(808) 926-8082

Puka Dog:
2301 Kuhio Avenue # 2
Honolulu, HI 96815
Phone: 808 924-7887

Hank’s Haute Dogs:
324 Coral Street, Honolulu, HI – (808) 532-4265
2330 Kalakaua Ave # 100, Honolulu, HI – (808) 924-9933

Up in the North Shore (surfers galore), are shrimp trucks. We only visited one, Giovanni’s Original White Shrimp and while I can’t say the drive up was worth it, if you’re up there, I’d definitely stop in to sample some of their Lemon Butter Shrimp, Shrimp Scampi, and Hot and Spicy shrimp. How hot is their Hot and Spicy? Let’s put it this way… the guy taking our order laughed and just smiled at me when I asked “how hot”. It’s REAL hot. At $13 a plate, you might be better off playing it safe with the Lemon Butter.

Giovanni’s Original White Shrimp Truck:
56-505 Kamehameha Highway
Kahuku, HI 96731

(PS: Don’t you love how there’s an address for a shrimp truck? This place has set up business!!)

The Luau at the Royal Hawaiian Hotel, held every Monday night, is reckoned as one of Honolulu’s best (by fellow food trotters… as this was my first time, I have no frame of reference). From a luau n00b’s point of view, despite the lack of roast pig, the food was fabulous, the service was friendly and efficient, and the show was greatly entertaining: precision-perfect military skits, beautiful hawaiian girls shaking what their mama’s gave them in their grass skirts, fire dancing, and a rock and roll performance by a ukelele virtuoso. Oh yes, did I mention open bar?

Royal Hawaiian
2259 Kalakaua Avenue
Honolulu, HI 96815, United States
(808) 923-7311

House Without A Key in the Halekulani Hotel was by far, the most lacklustre meal… not to mention one of the most expensive! The sunset is gorgeous and we took around 183626 photos but after the Luau of the previous night and the expectations (oh, expectations… it’s not good to have you!) HWAK is somewhere I’d recommend you to skip. If you’re looking for a stand out hotel meal, visit Surf Lanai, again at the Royal Hawaiian. The Wagyu Burger, $20, Island Poke Trio, $18, and Big Island Surf Salad, $35, were all fantastically delicious, well portioned, and reasonably priced.

House Without A Key
2199 Kalia Road
Honolulu, HI 96815-1936, United States
(808) 923-2311

Surf Lanai:
2259 Kalakaua Avenue
Honolulu, HI 96815, United States
(808) 923-7311

One last recommendation! Right before our flight, we (my foodie friend and I) hurried to Matsugen. If you like soba, or even if you don’t: visit this place. Their noodles, prices, atmosphere, everything….. is a huge LIKE. Tip: do not rush this meal, as the servers (while friendly and lovely) are older and really do not know what “rush order” means. Besides which, this meal doesn’t deserve to be wolfed down.

Matsugen
255 Beachwalk
Honolulu, HI 96815, United States
(808) 926-0255

Food Trotters: Have you visited any of these places? What do you think of my recommendations, and what recommendations do you have for me, the next time I visit Hawaii?

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New York Eats

by Samantha Wong on 2010/11/25 in Featured Article, Food and Travel, North America

I recently went to New York (I am a lucky lucky girl) and completely fell in love with the city! Well, that’s a bit of a stretch, but I’ve definitely started a love affair. I didn’t do too many touristy things this time around, opting rather, to catch up with friends (love that btw, having transplant friends to help me experience the city as an ‘insider’/ ‘local’) and food trot my way through NY’s downtown. Anyhow, here is a (completely NON-exhaustive, you know, with NY being a food mecca and all…) list of places I went to.. and a few that are on my future list of “must eats”

Mad For Chicken or Bon Chon in K-town for korean fried chicken are highly recommended for the fried chicken aficionado. I went to Boka in Saint Marks (which serves Bon Chon chicken) and was super happy with the crisp (it’s double fried), flavourful (thoroughly coated in sauce) chicken. My friend and I ordered the medium combo (6 wings, 3 drumsticks) for $12.95 USD and decided to half-and-half the flavours: soy garlic and spicy. Reservations are highly recommended. Boka also fills up very quickly.

Oh-Taisho also in the St. Mark’s Area (NYU miniature Korea/ Japan town) serves delicious skewers and has a very fun atmosphere. Think Guu or Zakkushi in Vancouver. It serves up a variety of skewers from chicken gizzard ($1.50) to bacon wrapped asparagus ($2.75), and the drinks are cheap! $15-85 for a bottle of Sake? Yes please! For $6.50, it’s worth ordering their “fresh grapefruit” cocktail; you squeeze a fresh grapefruit into your cup of alcohol. Reservations are not taken, but I found the wait time fine. If it’s a weekend, be prepared to go early or wait forever.

I haven’t checked this one out, but Kenka is also highly recommended. It is similar to Oh-Taisho and has the added kitsch of a complimentary bag of sugar to craft your own cotton candy… fun!

If you’re ready to venture to Brooklyn, Grimaldi’s serves authentic coal-brick oven pizza. For the non-directionally-challenged, you can supposedly cross the bridge and reach your destination by following the signs to “Dumbo” in 30 minutes. I meandered and used 3 hours, but the goal was still reached! Their pizzas are hugemongous, and come with a wonderfully thin chewy and crispy crust. Larges are $14 (8 slices), Smalls are $12 (6 slices), and additional toppings are $2-$4 regardless if you only fill half a pizza with chosen topping. They do not take reservations, so be prepared to line up if you visit during peak hours.

For the traveller who refuses to leave Manhattan, Lombardi’s in Little Italy serves pizzas akin to Grimaldi’s: authentic coal-oven NY pizza.

Friend of a Farmer near Union Square thrilled me with their cosy atmosphere, fantastic french press coffee, and fresh and delicious portobello sun-dried tomato panini $11.50. I dined for under $20 and seriously considered visiting this place again during my 5 day stay. Reservations not needed but taken.

Crif Dogs Despite being barred admittance from their ‘secret bar’ (a telephone booth is a front for their ‘hidden’ bar, how cool is that?!) I would return to this late night hot dog restaurant for their hot dogs (and also to get into their bar… I want to see it, damn it!) Favourites include the Chihuahua (a bacon wrapped dog with avocado and sour cream) $4.50, the Spicy Redneck (a house dog, bacon wrapped with chili, coleslaw, and jalapeño) $4.75, and the Waffle Fries.

Maialino Danny Meyer’s newest restaurant has an gorgeous open concept. The service is impeccable and I also had my only celebrity sighting (Tyra Banks!) here. The bread, apparently from Grandaisy Bakery was ineffably delicious. We were ordering our third basket, well into our dessert. My main, fettuccine alla carbonara, $16, I was less than impressed with, but my friend raved about her main: porchetta al uovo panini, $14. In her words: “think thick slices of porchetta with melt in your mouth pieces of fat (but not too much) under the skin that’s a wee bit charred with rosemary and some other herbs.” Dessert-wise, if you order the gelati and sorbetti, the caramelized pear and tiramisu are unnervingly close to the real thing (as if they blended the food into gelato form). Stay away from concord grape though (it leaves a gross aftertaste.) Early reservations are recommended, but don’t hesitate to try your luck; I called three days in advance and managed to secure a table for 8 on Saturday at 12PM.

Taim prounounced “tah-eem” (don’t be a simpleton like me and say “tame”!) The chef and owner has previously worked and thrown down with Bobby Flay. This place has the best falafels: prepared fresh daily and everything on the menu is strictly vegetarian. There are three falafel flavours Green (parsley, cilantro, mint — traditional), Harissa (tunisian spices — mild spicy), and Red (roasted red peppers — not spicy). I ordered the Red falafel sandwich $5.25 and taim french fries (with saffron aioli) $4. The food is incredibly tasty, generously portioned, and even the staunchest meat-eater will be satisfied with taim’s falafels. My sole warning? Be prepared to wait a good while to order, and better yet, to make it into this closet-sized restaurant to order!! Also, avoid the indian chai $2.25… complete rip off.

Ippudo this ramen place is definitely a contender against Momofuku and even though I can’t compare the two, a few of my foodie friends favour Ippudo. The Hirata Buns (2 pieces, steamed buns filled with your choice of pork or chicken, served with Ippudo original spicy buns sauce), $8, were so good that we ordered two servings (we weren’t hungry BTW). I don’t like tofu but was favourably impressed with Bakuretsu Tofu (spicy tofu casserole with minced pork and crunchy noodles served in a hot stone pot), $9, and my ramen, Akamaru Modern (‘the original tonkotsu’ soup noodle with Ippudo’s special sauce, pork belly chashu, cabbage, kikurage, scallions, miso paste & fragrant garlic oil), $13, was delicious and satisfying. The noodles, unexpectedly thin, (to be honest, I’m not well versed in my ramen noodles at all! >_<) were a fantastic al-dente chewiness and the broth was really flavourful. Reservations are a first-come-first-serve basis, so better to come earlier than later as this place fills up quickly. Friends have been known to wait for an hour plus here!

a few future “must-try” places on my list!

Peter Luger’s, brooklyn — authentic, #1 steakhouse in NY
Shake Shack, flatiron — roadside-style burger and milkshake joint, also danny meyer’s
Chickalicious, st. marks — hand made desserts made fresh daily. 3 dishes for around $12
Babbo, greenwich village — Mario Batali… I need to fine dine next time!
Katz’s Deli, lower east side — HUGE sandwiches. apparently $15 per, but very worth it.

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Mexico’s Day of the Dead – Dia de Los Muertos, ¿Que es eso?

by Samantha Wong on 2010/10/21 in Featured Article, Global Food Events, North America

My favourite holiday is, hands down, Halloween. It’s the one holiday that revolves around partying, dressing up in something OTHER than your typical “nice” clothes, and eating candy! From young to old, everyone can enjoy the spooky celebrations. If you’re like me, you’ll do your best to prolong the holiday, from having themed costume parties weeks in advance to adopting other cultures analogous halloweens. Myself, I like to celebrate Dia de los Muertos, Day of the Dead, a two day Mexican holiday akin to Halloween. (Aside, I actually like to celebrate all Mexican holidays but that’s another story).

I was initially thrown by this holiday: “What is this holiday where they celebrate death? Why do they eat candied skulls and make “Bread of the Dead” pan de muerto? And what’s up with the decorative skulls everywhere?” However, IMHO, the holiday isn’t that odd when you consider that the whole thing is a celebration of departed loved ones. They once loved to eat and drink, now that they have gone onto another stage of their life, life after death, it stands that they would like to occasionally return and celebrate the earthly joys they once enjoyed. I know that no matter how much I food trot, I like to return to my hometown and just relax for a few days; likewise, I can imagine food trotting to earth posthumously! It’s really just a bigger journey, right? The candied skulls and Bread of the Dead are foods for the dead as well as the living to savour! Pan de Muerto is a traditional Mexican sweet dessert bread served in the time leading up to and during Dia de los Muertos. It is typically decorated with bones (to bring good luck, so run Mexican beliefs). And what of the “creepy” skulls? In Aztec culture, skulls were viewed as a symbol of death and rebirth, a way to honour the dearly departed. Truly, the Day of the Dead, is not a horrible macabre holiday, but a celebration of life! After all, what would life be without death? The holiday falls right after halloween, on All Souls and All Saints Day: Nov 1st and 2nd. It lasts two days because the first day is for remembering loved children while the second day is dedicated to honouring departed adults. It is also socially acceptable to remember people that are not personal acquaintences, such as those killed in disasters or catastrophes during the year.

It is one of my travel goals to visit Mexico during Dias de los Muertos. If you can’t book that plane ticket either, I highly recommend celebrating this holiday with a few decorative skulls, perhaps a bread of the dead, or maybe even partaking in your city’s adapted Day of the Dead!

In San Francisco, you can join the Mission St. Procession or listen to the Dia de los Muertos symphony.

In Vancouver, you can attend the Parade of Lost Souls: Secret Souls Walk or taste test Zocolo which is offering a Dia de los Muertos special menu: $25 for 3 courses from Nov 1st until Nov 15th.

If you are travelling to Los Angeles or Texas around halloween-time, these cities have vast Mexican populations. I can only imagine how incredible it would be to be a part of the Dia de los Muertos festivities!

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Oyster Love

by Samantha Wong on 2010/08/12 in Food and Travel, North America


Oysters are one of those foods people either love or hate. Clearly, as the title of my post is oyster LOVE, I am on the love side. But no worries… if you haven’t yet been converted, let me share my top five reasons to love oysters!

1) What other foods yield precious accessories? A chicken burger? pfft.
2) Oysters are incredibly healthy: they are low in fat, cholesterol and calories (a dozen oysters are around 75 cals!) and high in essential minerals. Further, oysters are a great source of vitamins… A, B1 (thiamin), B2 (riboflavin), B3 (niacin), C (ascorbic acid), and D (calciferol) to name a few!
3) Oysters are an aphrodisiac! Actually, there is little evidence of oysters imparting sexual powers, but IMHO sexual prowess is in the mind. Eating a few oysters with someone you are trying to flirt with will certainly allow you (or him… or her!) to nudge the conversation in that direction…
4) They can be enjoyed in a panoply of ways: do you like them best roasted, rockafeller style, in soups, motoyaki style, or raw?
5) They just taste so darn good! You know how when you were eleven and had your first sip of wine, how disgusting it was? I hope that you appreciate wine now, so you can get my parallel example here (and so you can enjoy life a little bit more), but yes… back to my example: If you weren’t an immediate oyster lover, after a bit of perseverance, I have no doubt you will become an oyster lover!

If I’ve managed to pique your interest, jump for some oyster types to try out and location recommendations (Vancouver and San Fran) to taste test them!

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An Open Letter to The House

by Samantha Wong on 2010/07/22 in Food and Travel, North America

Dear House,
I’m so happy to have made your acquaintance. Located in North Beach, you are a fantastic restaurant to dine at after a photo op with the Golden Gate Bridge and a visit to the Palace of the Fine Arts. The multiple times I have visited, you have not disappointed. With average ambience, better-than-average service, and innovate-and-well-executed fusion dishes, you make the cut for a place tourists should visit and locals should eat at… often! In no particular order, dishes that people should try (or not try) are

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Buenos Aires

Continued… My Top 10 World Foodie Travel Experiences

by Jing on 2010/06/29 in Food and Travel


As a continuation of my top 10 foodie travel experiences, here are the remaining 5. Please note that I’ve made some recommendations on my last post on what to eat if you decide to venture to these destinations! Please stay tuned for a detailed post on each location. In the meantime, what are some of your most memorable foodie places and how did you know what to eat? I had to dig through a lot of information before I knew what to eat, opting to dine local, as opposed to eating safe.

6) New York, New York winter of 2009 – Who can argue that New York City is the food capital of North America. As the foremost food epicenter, the food scene is dynamic and innovative. I had my first red velvet cupcake, dined at Momofuku, and had a slice of history at Lombardi’s Pizza, America’s first pizzeria. Did I mention the fashion frenzy and shopping? Fuck my life…. Shopping bags in hand and wallet empty, I felt like a tourist that was raped by the Big Apple.

What To Eat: red velvet cupcake, Momofuku restaurant, Lombardi’s pizzaria, New York cheesecake, smoked meat sandwich, etc…..

New York City

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Quest for the Perfect Sandwich Pt 1

by Samantha Wong on 2010/06/26 in International, North America

Trust me; I am no sandwich lover. As someone who for a long long time couldn’t be bothered to cook, I lumped sandwiches in an inglorious category of an “easy to make and somewhat healthy” staple of home food, consisting of deli meat, cheese, maybe a tomato if I was feeling fancy. Ordering a sandwich at a restaurant, on the other hand, is typically a calorie-laden overstuffed affair of Bacon, Lettuce, Tomato, and regardless of how much mayonnaise and ketchup there is, the sandwich always seems so dry and unsatisfying. I also dislike the hands on approach necessary to eating a sandwich… it’s just too darn messy; yet, eating a sandwich with a fork and knife seems so she she la la that I judge myself for eating in such a fashion. Who needs that stigmatism, even if it is all merely taking place in my imagination?

pictured: a Ba Le banh mi.... yummy!

Enter Bánh mì. Thanks to years of french rule, vietnamese subs perfectly combine european and asian elements: a wonderfully crusty baguette stuffed with some sort of meat — pork, vietnamese sausage or chicken are popular choices — and pickled carrots, daikon, cucumbers, cilantro and chili peppers.

Really though, waxing poetic about vietnamese subs isn’t going to make you understand the poetry of this sandwich. Some MmMmmGood wisdom for enjoying this delicacy:
- these are best enjoyed at specialty VIETNAMESE SANDWICH shops; don’t compromise your experience eating this at a pho place, i implore you.
- price-wise, these should be under $5 CND. Many places also offer specials such as buy ten, get one free. The most authentic (and best) Vietnamese restaurants are typically cash only.
- it’s best to visit the restaurant early in the morning… before the sandwiches sell out! You want your pick of the bunch, don’t you?
- many of the places serving the BEST vietnamese subs (I find, at least) you’ll want to drive to the location. Sorry, but IMHO hoofing it to the best sandwich shops in Vancouver and San Francisco is scary.
- eat them toasted!

and now, for some restaurant recommendations:
In Vancouver:
My favourite, Ba-Le serves up $2.75CND sandwiches. They have tried to bilk people out of their free 11th sub, so ask when you pay. Ask for “the regular” (pork). I like to do half spicy, half non spicy, or alternatively you can ask for peppers in a bag, where you put peppers on at your own daring. Other than that, do not expect any atmosphere of any kind as they have maybe, one rickety table? Take their subs home and devour… 20 seconds in the microwave then toasted in the toaster oven… amazing amazing amazing.

Located: 633 Main Street #121, Vancouver, BC V6A2V4
(604) 662-8108‎
you can also check out some photos of Ba-Le here

look at all those fillings!

Au Petit Cafe is a bit more upscale and diverse. Their location isn’t hard or scary to get to, but I would rank them down for poor service (family run and you know those kids don’t want to work there), the hoards of crowds who already know about this place, and their, quite simply, not-as-delicious subs! They serve pho, spring rolls, and other Vietnamese dishes and you can visit them online here. That said, Au Petit Cafe is still very good; they would take my top spot if not for Ba-Le.

Located: 4851 Main Street, Vancouver, BC V5V3R9
(604) 873-3328

In San Francisco:
Saigon Sandwiches has 4.5 stars and 1196 reviews on yelp. That’s pretty consistently good, wouldn’t you say? I travelled on foot from Union Square (Downtown) and was a bit terrified of the people we encountered (think homeless crazy people… as much as I bluff, I have minimal to no street cred). The sandwiches are around $3.25-3.50USD. I felt the daikon/ vegetable ratio overpowered the meat/ bread ratio, but if I was living in SF for an extended period of time, the sandwiches from this hole-in-the-wall hit the spot. Again, if they aren’t that busy, you can nicely request that they heat the sandwich up.

560 Larkin St, San Francisco, CA 94102
(415) 474-5698
you can read more reviews here

Saigon Sandwich

At Home:

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/saras-secrets/vietnamese-style-sandwich-banh-mi-recipe/index.html

this recipe seems rather easy and authentic… I haven’t yet had reason to try it but as soon as I do, I’ll review how it compares to the above recommended restaurants.

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Taste What You See

Global Food Events This Weekend, June 26-27

by Nancy Huynh on 2010/06/24 in Global Food Events

Taste What You See

Fourth Annual NYC Food Film Festival [June 23-27 New York City]

Taste what you see on the screen! Nothing like watching food films and then eating the food you just watched after.  It started yesterday, but if you’re in the NYC area make your way down, it runs through the weekend.  Check out the films here or jump right to the food.

Kimchi Contest Prospect Park [June 26 New York City]

Korean food blogger, Maangchi, is hosting her 3rd NYC meetup.  Sign up and bring your kimchi to be judged – win prizes and bragging rights.  A delicious BBQ is promised to follow.  More information can be found here

Placencia Lobsterfest [June 25-27 Placencia, Belize]

12th Annual Lobsterfest in Placencia Belize.  Lobsters on the grill, steel drums, and ice cold beverages all weekend is what they’re advertising.  Can’t jet down on your plane this weekend, no worries, they’ll probably be having it again next year.  I wonder what other delicious food there is in Belize.  Info on the Lobsterfest here

Off the Grid – Roaming Mobile Food [June 25th Onwards San Francisco]

Starting June 25th, every Friday night there will be mobile food (i.e. food carts and trucks) and music.  Location changes all the time, check out http://offthegridsf.com for the latest location and details.

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