Eating In Translation

Kababish

2012-02-08T23:30:00-05:00

An affiliated market, just down the block, provides ready access to off-cuts.

On this occasion Kababish (kuh-Bah-beesh) was serving not only baby goat curry but also this baby goat liver (special, about $7). Though not nearly as forthright as luncheonette-style beef liver, even in the face of of vibrant South Asian seasoning its flavor was unmistakeable. Also shown: rice speckled with cumin seeds; a patty stuffed with turmeric-stained chicken (about $1.50); the snug premises by night. Unless you arrive at off-hours as I did, you're unlikely to snag one of the two stools.

Kababish
70-64 Broadway (near 72nd St.), Jackson Heights, Queens
718-565-5131

Bobwhite Lunch & Supper Counter

2012-02-07T23:00:00-05:00

Even without the chow-chow, the pork was plenty juicy.

But Bobwhite's owner, a third-generation Virginian, wisely relies on his grandmother's recipe for this mustardy relish. It's a shining addition to a sandwich that features a seared, butterflied pork chop ($8.50). Accompanied by greens, and some magenta.

Also shown: fried chicken (currently $10.50 for three pieces, with biscuit and side salad) had a loose crunchy crust but was still moist inside. The biscuit was very buttermilky.

Bobwhite Lunch & Supper Counter
94 Ave C (6th-7th Sts.), Manhattan
212-228-2972
www.BobwhiteCounter.com

Butcher Bar

2012-02-06T22:00:00-05:00

My review of Butcher Bar — which offers cuts of local, natural meats to be taken home and prepared in your kitchen, or cooked and served on the spot — appears in the February 8, 2012 edition of The New York Times. For photos, see my slideshow.

Harissa Cafe

2012-02-06T10:00:00-05:00

The pancakes had a flavor I couldn't place immediately.

Semolina, said the cafe's Moroccan owner, is the distinctive ingredient in beghrir ($3.95), "North African pancakes topped with honey and butter." In France, he added, they're known as crepes milles trous, or thousand-hole pancakes. The yeast-raised batter creates innumerable nooks and crannies, revealed in the unfolded slice below.

Berries, I imagine, are a modification for the North American market. So, perhaps, is Harissa's schedule: Breakfast items are served all day.

Harissa Cafe
34-05 30th Ave. (34th-35th Sts.), Astoria, Queens
718-545-9595
www.HarissaCafe.com

Ecuadorian cart

2012-02-05T10:00:00-05:00

Shown: the traditional Ecuadorian wrapper, atop a traditional New York wrapper.

Resting on that paper bag is a humita ($2), an ancient food from South America, prepared from corn dough wrapped in its own husk and boiled, or perhaps steamed. Though this cart's humitas include a little queso blanco, they're more sweet than salty.

Previously: Catfish soup (at the time, $4) featured a few good-sized chunks of fish (mind the bones) and lots of yucca in an opaque, piquant yellow broth.

Ecuadorian cart
Northeast corner of 106th St. and Amsterdam Ave., Manhattan
At this location, Saturday only

Desert Island Comics

2012-02-04T13:30:00-05:00

Before this storefront sold "comic booklets" and the like — note how the newer lettering mimics the old — it was a telecom store, and earlier, briefly, an art-supply shop with living quarters in back. Most of the newer signage has been stripped off, but "Sparacino's," whose typeface contrasts with the rest, was apparently not the first bakery on these premises.

Elsewhere online, a commenter has asked whether this might once have been Bellucci's, in the 1920s and '30s. I'll try to catch this facade in a more revealing light; in the meantime, can any Eating In Translation reader tell us more?

Desert Island Comics
540 Metropolitan Ave. (Union Ave.-Lorimer St.), Williamsburg, Brooklyn
718-388-5087
www.DesertIslandBrooklyn.com

Name This Restaurant

2012-02-03T14:00:00-05:00

If you thought you had a handle on this restaurant, look again. The menu has evolved dramatically; those lizards, perhaps, will eventually make way for elkhorn. Can you name this restaurant? (Please post your answer in the comments.)

Food-Friendly Events, February 3-16

2012-02-02T23:30:00-05:00

Flux Factory
Opens Friday, February 3, through Sunday, February 12, 10:00-10:00
Flux Factory, 39-31 29th St. (39th-40th Aves.), Long Island City, Queens
www.FluxFactory.org/projects/banquet-for-america
Admission: exhibition, free; see website for details on four special-event nights

ChowdaFest
Saturday, February 4, 11:00-4:00
Bedford Middle School, 88 North Ave., Westport, Connecticut
www.ChowdaFest.org
Admission: adults, $6; seniors 65 and older, $5; kids, $2; proceeds benefit the Connecticut Food Bank

International Great Beer Expo
Saturday, February 4, two sessions: 12:30-4:00, 5:30-9:00
Meadowlands Exhibition Center, Secaucus, New Jersey
www.GreatBeerExpo.com/meadowlands
Tickets, per session: general admission, $40; designated driver, $10; ages 21 and over only

Aphrodisiacs: Myth or Reality
Wednesday, February 8, 6:30-???
American Museum of Natural History, Linder Theater (enter on 77th St., between Columbus Ave. and Central Park West), Manhattan
www.AMNH.org/calendar/event/Aphrodisiacs:-Myth-or-Reality
Tickets: $30

The Roger Smith Cookbook Conference
Thursday, February 9, 1:00-7:00; Friday and Saturday, 9:00-8:00
The Roger Smith Hotel, 501 Lexington Ave. (at 47th St.), Manhattan
www.CookbookConf.com
Most registration options are sold out or waitlisted; see website for details

Lush
Friday, February 10, 8:00-midnight
Brooklyn Botanic Garden, 1000 Washington Ave. (at Crown St.), Brooklyn
www.BBG.org/visit/event/lush
Tickets: $65; ages 21 and over only

Valentine's Gift Shop and Soda Fountain
Saturday and Sunday, February 11 and 12, 11:00-6:00
213-215 Water St. (Fulton-Beekman Sts.), Manhattan
www.NewAmsterdamMarket.org/events.html
Free admission

The Baking Powder Revolution
Monday, February 13, 6:30-???
The Roger Smith Hotel, 501 Lexington Ave. (at 47th St.), Manhattan
www.BrownPaperTickets.com/event/223430
General admission: $40; reduced for CHNY members

Four Kitchens
Wednesday, February 15, noon-???
The Beard House, 167 West 12th St. (Sixth-Seventh Aves.), Manhattan
www.JamesBeard.org/index.php?q=events_bob_021512
Suggested donation: $20 for nonstudents; reserve seats by calling 212-627-2308

Beekeeping as a Force for Good
Thursday, February 16, 6:00-???
Horticultural Society of New York, 148 West 37th St. (Fifth-Sixth Aves.), Manhattan
www.TheHort.org/programs_workshops_talks_tours.html#bees
General admission, $15; Hort members, $5; register online or by emailing Info@TheHort.org

Ongoing: Park Here, daily, through February 15; Brooklyn Flea, Saturday and Sunday, year-round; Smorgasbrewery, Sunday, through March; New York Greenmarkets, year-round.

Classes: See the schedules of the Astor Center, The Brooklyn Kitchen, the French Culinary Institute, the Ger-Nis Culinary & Herb Center, Haven's Kitchen, the Institute of Culinary Education, the Japanese Culinary Center, Murray's Cheese, and the Whole Foods Bowery Culinary Center, and the roundup of classes on CourseHorse.

Walking tours: Tag along with Big Onion, the Institute of Culinary Education, NoshWalks, NYC Discovery Walking Tours, Urban Oyster, and "Wildman" Steve Brill.

Tickets on sale: Just Food Conference, February 24-25; Coffee & Tea Festival NYC, February 25-26; Good Spirits, February 28; Sweet: NY, March 1; David Chang and Lucky Peach, March 1; NYC American Craft Beer Festival, March 3; NYC Vegetarian Food Festival, March 3-4; The Spring Craft Beer Festival, March 10; Choice Eats, March 13

Tawa Food

2012-02-01T09:00:00-05:00

Samae baji ($6) is a Nepali variety plate featuring beaten rice. The baji itself, made by flattening uncooked, soaked rice with a mallet, can be incorporated into cooked dishes or, as at Tawa Food, offered as a textural counterpoint to other items.

Above, baji is surrounded by spicy chicken, potato curry, crunchy fried soybeans, and pickled daikon. Below, sel roti (included; $1 purchased a la carte), a rice flour fritter, has a faint sweetness that plays well against the spicier dishes.

Tawa Food
37-38 72nd St. (37th Ave.-Broadway), Jackson Heights, Queens
718-457-7766

What's Eating In Translation?

2012-02-01T09:00:00-05:00

This website began as a collection of field notes on interesting food I'd tried, or planned to try, in and around New York. Since its launch, in January 2005, I've visited thousands of venues, from white-linen restaurants to elbows-on-the-table eateries, as well as street vendors, fairs, festivals, grocers, and greenmarkets — and my "to eat" list is longer than ever.

The only way to trim it is to hit the road. Four or five times a week I track down, or happen upon, food from all over the world. Much of this food is foreign to me (that's where the "translation" comes in), but I always have an appetite for something new. If you feel the same, Eating In Translation can help point the way.

To follow along on my future travels, you might like to sign up for a free subscription, by email or by RSS. For up-to-the-minute reports (when I have them, which won't be always) on the weekend food festivals that are worth a visit, as well as the ones that aren't, you'll want to follow me on Twitter, too. To dig into my archives, many readers use the categories in the right-hand column (underneath the blue "live activity" box). Most categories cover some part of New York, but others reflect day trips (Jersey City, or perhaps Port Chester) or more-elaborate road trips (Cape Cod, Luang Prabang); a few reflect other themes (say, Fairs and Festivals).

Some readers also enjoy browsing through my Flickr photo sets, where you'll find all the photos that appear on Eating In Translation and many others that don't make it onto the site. Another avenue of approach is to click on any Eating In Translation photo; you'll be taken to a page where you can look at a larger version, or see other photos taken on the same day.

Though I can't possibly visit every venue on my "to eat" list, I always appreciate tips on where to go, as well what to order and how not to look like an absolute beginner when my food arrives at the table. Add your comments to any post, or drop an email to DaveCook [at] EatingInTranslation [dot] com.

Masak

2012-01-31T19:30:00-05:00

My review of Masak, which combines Singaporean flavors with seasonal domestic ingredients, appears in the February 1, 2012 edition of The New York Times. For photos, see my slideshow.

Broken Rice

2012-01-30T15:03:00-05:00

Com tam, in Vietnam, describes a dish that includes broken rice. When cooked, the individual grains become softer than intact rice prepared to the same recipe. Broken rice rice also readily takes on other flavors; often it serves as a bed for grilled pork. Here the rice is tossed with tomato, pickled cucumber, carrot, daikon, and roasted scallion, and accompanied by fried catfish ($9).

The catfish, also available in one of the restaurant's various banh mi, was labeled "Hanoi-style." It's likely that the Vietnamese-born owner, absent this day, came from some more southern part of the country. However, the two folks on duty, one a Filipina, one a fellow from Nepal, didn't know for sure.

Broken Rice (previously known as Banh Mi)
580 Grand St. (Lorimer-Leonard Sts.), Williamsburg, Brooklyn
718-599-5015

Grande Monuments

2012-01-29T12:00:00-05:00

The staff of life is a source of comfort and, especially when baked to traditional recipes, a binding force in many communities. Grande Monuments, which provides headstones and related services in the Italian core of Williamsburg, Brooklyn, also offers bread from Il Fornaretto Bakery of Bensonhurst. (See, too, this story from WABC.)

The best selection surely goes to early arrivals (I passed this way in late afternoon), and additional specialties appear for the weekend (which means Friday and Saturday; Grande Monuments is closed Sunday). Also shown: a detail of the window display, where other sources of comfort include used romance novels.

Grande Monuments
382 Graham Ave. (at Skillman Ave.), Williamsburg, Brooklyn
718-782-1800
Closed Sunday

Not enough snow, but plenty of joe

2012-01-28T19:30:00-05:00

Seen at Gimme Coffee
495 Lorimer St. (Powers-Grand Sts.), Williamsburg, Brooklyn
718-388-7771

Top Taste Restaurant

2012-01-27T23:30:00-05:00

Like the neighboring province of Yunnan, the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region occupies largely mountainous terrain on China's border with Vietnam. The region's scenic former capital, Guilin, was previously home to the owners of Top Taste, a family-run operation that claims to serve "the only authentic Guilinese cuisine" in New York.

In Guilin, rice noodles are famously served with horse meat; in Sunset Park, protein is provided by beef, crispy pork (labeled "chicharron," owing to a Spanish-conversant menu maker), and toasted soy beans. Preserved green beans add a vital twang; so does a little chili sauce.

Top Taste Restaurant
6307 Eighth Ave. (63rd-64th Sts., adjoining the Fei Long Shopping Center), Sunset Park, Brooklyn
718-833-8806
www.Facebook.com/pages/Top-Taste-Restaurant/173902192701275

Burgers

2012-01-26T18:00:00-05:00

See the slideshow. Napkins not required.

Pok Pok Wing

2012-01-25T09:00:00-05:00

$11 may seem dear for papaya Pok Pok, Isaan style, but the price for this spicy green papaya salad includes a $2.50 supplement for dry chilies, the fermented fish sauce here called plaa raak, and salted black crab. That small carapace just barely covered a cherry tomato.

Gathered in Thailand's flooded rice fields, these paddy crabs — they're not marine crustaceans — are rare in New York. Last I looked, for a similar salad Zabb Elee employed domestic blue crab. But if the dainty black crab's main attraction is that it can be eaten shell and all, reportedly the practice in Isaan territory, perhaps the blue will retain my favor.

Pok Pok Wing
137 Rivington St. (Norfolk-Suffolk Sts.), Manhattan
212-477-1299
Open 5:00 (and no earlier) till midnight
www.PokPokWing.com

Dukagjini Burek

2012-01-24T09:00:00-05:00

The terse menu at this Balkan bakery includes three bureks, filled with meat, cheese, or spinach with just a little feta and onion (shown, $4). Each slice is a quarter-pie, routinely cut in two for manageability. Though the dough that encases the burek is layered like phyllo and crisp on top from its time in the oven, inside it's engagingly chewy, like a good strudel.

Dukagjini Burek (also known as Burektorja Dukagjini)
758 Lydig Ave. (Holland-Wallace Aves.), Bronxdale, Bronx
718-822-8955
www.DukagjiniBurek.com

Oversea Taste Restaurant

2012-01-23T10:00:00-05:00

Stateside, "pearl noodles" is the customary, genteel name.

Oversea Taste stir-fries these stubby rice noodles, shown in close-up below, with shrimp, pork, egg, scallion, and bean sprouts ($6.75). From the cylindrical shape and tapered ends, you might gather why Cantonese speakers also use the affectionate name loh shee fun — rat tail noodles. Among English speakers, however, it's a name that's unlikely to catch on.

Also shown, from a group meal at this Malaysian restaurant some years ago: roti canai, Indian-style pancakes with curry dipping sauce; poh piah, steamed spring rolls stuffed with jicama and drizzled with a dark syrup; rojak, a "fruit salad" featuring cucumber and white turnip but no pineapple, and shrimp fritters rather than fried dough; asam laksa, thick rice noodles in a spicy and sour lemongrass and fish broth that takes its dominant flavor from tamarind (asam, in Malay); mee goreng, rice noodles stir-fried with shrimp, sausage, egg, bean sprouts, and cabbage; beef rendang, stew with coconut milk, chili, and cinnamon; crispy golden fried squids; sambal petai, "sauteed grass peas with spicy Malaysian shrimp paste," which added a double handful of shrimp and a jumble of onions and red peppers. The "peas," which also answer to Parkia speciosa and several other names, not all of them complimentary were especially tender.

Shown at bottom: ice kacang (kah-Chang), shaved ice atop red beans, corn, palm seeds, bits of jelly, and topped itself with "red rose syrup and coconut milk." The syrup is the make-or-break element; at Oversea Taste it had a coffeelike flavor. Our group also passed around a coconut pudding, served in the container it came from; once the pudding was gone, we scraped out the lining of coconut meat.

Oversea Taste Restaurant (formerly known as Oversea Asian Restaurant)
49 Canal St. (Orchard-Ludlow Sts.), Manhattan
212-925-3233

Kowloon Island

2012-01-23T09:30:00-05:00

The name "Kowloon" — it's part of Hong Kong — means "nine dragons." And indeed this first, elaborate character in the restaurant's Chinese name, embellished with a head and tail, seems to be "loon," that is, "dragon." The balance of the characters, citing a southern Chinese province not far away, read "remember Guangdong cuisine." Perhaps "Guangdong cuisine the way you remember it" is more the connotation.

How Kowloon, a peninsula, might have been cut free from the Chinese mainland — at least in the translated, English name — I can't say.

Kowloon Island
1232 Ave. U (Homecrest Ave.-East 13th St.), Homecrest, Brooklyn
718-336-2338

Morgan Seafood Restaurant

2012-01-22T10:30:00-05:00

This Egyptian-style shrimp sandwich was loaded with lightly fried crustaceans and doused with tahini.

On this first visit to Morgan Seafood, some years ago, I supplemented my sandwich ($4 at the time) with a side of sliced eggplant in garlic vinegar ($2) and tried to decipher Al Jazeera on the small screen. Also shown, from a return visit with friends: hummus; stuffed baby eggplants (our table preferred the sliced fried eggplant, which proved less photogenic); rice with shrimp; fried calamari, striped bass, and white perch; grilled mullet.

The owner — he's from Cairo, and perfectly conversant in English — added that his kitchen will also turn out baked fish, or fish brushed with olive oil and slow-grilled rather than battered and fast-grilled like the mullet, but needs 30 to 45 minutes to do so.

Morgan Seafood Restaurant
(In the bottom photo, it's to the left of the green-awninged meat market)
2801 Kennedy Blvd. (Sip-Tonnele Aves.), Jersey City
201-792-2400

"Celebrating the Heroes of Our City"

2012-01-22T09:30:00-05:00

A closeup on this 200-plus-foot mural, revealing an apple grove partly screened by a basketball backboard.

"Celebrating the Heroes of Our City"
Richard Weinstein in collaboration with hundreds of school-age and adult volunteers, 2002
Henry M. Jackson Playground, at the confluence of Henry, Madison, and Jackson Sts., Manhattan

Make My Cake

2012-01-21T11:30:00-05:00

Sunny corner bakery and café with a cupcake-heavy display case. Shown: coconut-topped buttercream at a windowside table ($3.50); red velvet on an evening walk ($4.50).

Make My Cake
121 St. Nicholas Ave. (at 116th St.), Manhattan
212-932-0833
Also at 2380 Adam Clayton Powell Jr. Blvd. (at 139th St.)
212-234-2344
www.MakeMyCake.com

S.R.M. Fabrics & Yarn

2012-01-21T10:00:00-05:00

Anybody know this joint? In a previous incarnation, and given a movie makeover, it was "a small family place, good food. Everyone minds his business. It's perfect."

S.R.M. Fabrics & Yarn, formerly Luna Restaurant
Made over as Louis Italian-American Restaurant
3531 White Plains Rd. (as it happens, near Gun Hill Rd.), Williamsbridge, Bronx

Indo Java

2012-01-20T09:00:00-05:00

In addition to packaged goods, such as sambals and various other assertive condiments, this Indonesian grocery — affiliated with nearby Java Village — stocks an intriguing selection of locally prepared items. One of the most portable: a dense, not-too-sweet square of rice imbued with brown sugar ($2).

Indo Java
85-12 Queens Blvd. (Grand Ave.-Van Loon St.), Elmhurst, Queens
718-779-2241

Food-Friendly Events, January 20-February 2

2012-01-19T09:30:00-05:00

Kids Food Festival
Saturday and Sunday, January 21 and 22, 10:00-6:00
Citi Pond at Bryant Park (near 41st St. and Sixth Ave.), Manhattan
www.KidsFoodFestival.com/events/new-york-city
General admission, free; additional programs, $25 per session; all events require parental attendance

Cochon 555
Sunday, January 22, 4:00-???
The Lighthouse at Chelsea Piers, Pier 60 (at West 19th St.), Manhattan
www.Cochon555.com/2012/menu/buy-tickets
Tickets: $125 and up; ages 21 and over only

Chili Cookoff
Sunday, January 22, 6:00-???
The Habitat, 988 Manhattan Ave. (Huron-India Sts.), Greenpoint, Brooklyn
www.TheHabitatBrooklyn.com/events
Admission: $5

Culinary Luminaries: Robert Mondavi
Monday, January 23, 6:00-???
The New School, Theresa Lang Community and Student Center, Arnhold Hall, 55 West 13th St. (Fifth-Sixth Aves.), Manhattan
www.NewSchool.edu/eventdetail.aspx?id=75871
Admission: $5; free to all students and to New School faculty, staff, and alumni with ID; RSVP to BoxOffice@NewSchool.edu or 212-229-5488

Tonics and Tinctures: Historic Remedies for Your Expanding Waistline
Monday, January 23, 6:30-???
American Museum of Natural History, Wallach Orientation Center (enter on 77th St., between Columbus Ave. and Central Park West), Manhattan
www.AMNH.org/calendar/event/Tonics-and-Tinctures:-Historic-Remedies-for-Your-Expanding-Waistline
Tickets: $30

Joel Salatin with Dan Barber: A New Kind of Farmer
Monday, January 23, 8:15-???
92nd St. Y, Lexington Ave. at 92nd St., Manhattan
www.92Y.org/Uptown/Event/Joel-Salatin-with-Dan-Barber.aspx
Tickets: $29

The Hungry World: The War on Poverty in Asia During the Cold War
Thursday, January 26, 6:15-???
The Heyman Center for the Humanities, Columbia University, West 116th St. between Amsterdam Ave. and Morningside Dr., Manhattan (see website for precise directions to the center)
www.HeymanCenter.org/events.php?id=244
Free admission; first-come, first-seated; photo I.D. required

Feeding Gotham: New York City Markets, 1790-1860
Thursday, January 26, 6:30-8:30
Mount Vernon Hotel Museum & Garden, 417 East 61st St. (First-York Aves.), Manhattan
www.BrownPaperTickets.com/event/218477
General admission: $40; reduced for CHNY and MVHM members

Beer, Bourbon & BBQ Festival
Saturday, January 28, sessions from noon-4:00 and 5:30-9:30
La.Venue, 608 West 28th St. (at Eleventh Ave.), Manhattan
www.BeerAndBourbon.com
Tickets: $95 per session; ages 21 and over only

Piruka Bakeoff
Saturday, January 28, 3:00-???
Estonian House, 243 East 34th St. (Second-Third Aves.), Manhattan
www.EstonianHouseNewYork.com/eng_events.html
Admission for tasters: $10; registration required by January 21 with Liisi Vanaselja, LVanaselja@gmail.com or 347-683-3632

NY Chili Fest
Sunday, January 29, 7:00-9:30
Chelsea Market, 75 Ninth Ave. (15th-16th Sts.), Manhattan
www.ChiliFest2012.com
Tickets: $55 with beer, ages 21 and over only; $45 without beer; advance purchase required for all tickets

Slow Wine Guide Walk-Around Tasting
Monday, January 30, 6:30-9:30
Metropolitan Pavilion, 125 West 18th St. (Sixth-Seventh Aves.), Manhattan
www.SlowWineGuideNYC.eventbrite.com
General admission: $40; Slow Food NYC members, $35; a portion of proceeds benefits Slow Food NYC

Champagne: A Global History
Monday, January 30, 6:30-8:30
Mid-Manhattan Library, 455 Fifth Ave. (at 40th St.), Manhattan
www.NYPL.org/events/programs/2012/01/30/author-library-presents-champagne-global-history-becky-sue-epstein
Free admission

Slow Food Meets Big Business
Thursday,February 2, 6:30-???
PriceWaterhouseCoopers, 300 Madison Ave. (at 42nd St.), Manhattan
www.CBSACNY.org/article.html?aid=1095
General admission: $40 advance/$60 door; photo I.D. required

Sold out: Farm + Beer Expo, January 31

Ongoing: Park Here, daily, through February 15; Brooklyn Flea, Saturday and Sunday, year-round; Smorgasbrewery, Sunday, through March; New York Greenmarkets, year-round.

Classes: See the schedules of the Astor Center, The Brooklyn Kitchen, the French Culinary Institute, the Ger-Nis Culinary & Herb Center, the Institute of Culinary Education, the Japanese Culinary Center, Murray's Cheese, and the Whole Foods Bowery Culinary Center, and the roundup of classes on CourseHorse.

Walking tours: Tag along with Big Onion, the Institute of Culinary Education, NoshWalks, NYC Discovery Walking Tours, Urban Oyster, and "Wildman" Steve Brill.

Tickets on sale: Aphrodisiacs: Myth or Reality, February 8; The Roger Smith Cookbook Conference, February 9-11; Just Food Conference, February 24-25; Coffee & Tea Festival NYC, February 25-26; Good Spirits, February 28; Sweet: NY, March 1; David Chang and Lucky Peach, March 1

Quick & Quality Sandwich

2012-01-18T10:30:00-05:00

Only by examining the menu or the finished products — and not by eyeballing the storefront itself — would you discover that the sandwiches in question are banh mi. The owners live in Bay Ridge; one had worked in Morningside Heights previously and noticed the dearth of Vietnamese chow.

An Italian bakery in Jersey City supplies the bread, which nicely balances a brittle crust and a chewy crumb. Here it frames the QQ sandwich ($6.75), a combo of the shop's classic and meatball banh mi, and a sardine banh mi ($6.25), centered around fatty pieces of fish. Each picture, do note, shows only the more photogenic halves of the full sandwiches.

Quick & Quality Sandwich
254 West 108th St. (Broadway-Amsterdam Ave.), Manhattan
212-510-8725

Shahi Biryani & Grill

2012-01-18T10:00:00-05:00

The seating area of this new Pakistani-owned corner eatery extends down the side street as far as that stretch limo. Regular patrons, a co-owner noted, are more likely to be turning their yellow cabs onto this stretch of upper Columbus Ave.

Shahi will soon fill a small showcase with South Asian sweets, made elsewhere, to complement the extensive display of savory fare. The restaurant does prepare one dessert in-house, which I was given to sample: sawayan, a milk-based vermicelli pudding with almonds and pistachios. It's served cold or hot, as you please.

Shahi Biryani & Grill
71 West 109th St. (at Columbus Ave.), Manhattan
212-222-8820

Arirang

2012-01-17T16:30:00-05:00

On the wall menu there's a mention only of "hand made dumpling."

The takeout menu elaborates somewhat more, offering "steamed kim-chi dumpling" (six for $9.99). These, my server readily confirmed, are Arirang's rendition of wang mandoo — "king [sized] dumplings" filled with minced kimchi, vegetables, pork, and tofu. In heft they may be more princely than kingly, but that's plenty large enough; they're best managed by cupping each dumpling with a spoon and maneuvering it into nibbling position with chopsticks.

Arirang
32 West 32nd St. (Fifth-Sixth Aves.), 3rd floor, Manhattan
212-967-5088

Steak 'n Shake Signature

2012-01-17T12:00:00-05:00

The fries are skinny; my steakburger, "made with cuts of rib eye and New York strip," was fattened with melted American cheese, lettuce, pickle, tomato, and onion, plus ketchup and mustard (combo, $5.99). Good, even if the patties all must be cooked medium well.

Next time, must remember to try the Coca-Cola Freestyle machine.

Steak 'n Shake Signature
1695 Broadway (53rd-54th Sts.), Manhattan
212-247-6584
www.SteakNShake.com

John Brown Smokehouse

2012-01-16T11:30:00-05:00

With one side, a quarter-slab of pork ribs runs $10, but it's a robust quarter-slab. For the photo, one of the ribs has been removed, both to show how meaty they are and because I couldn't wait. The long, still-crunchy shreds of peppery mayoless slaw were also very good. I would have ordered the burnt ends, but by late afternoon on a nice day, both they and the rib tips were 86'ed, do note.

John Brown Smokehouse
25-08 37th Ave. (Crescent-27th Sts.), Astoria, Queens
718-361-0085
www.JohnBrownSmokehouse.org

Harley's Smokeshack and BBQ

2012-01-16T11:00:00-05:00

The pitmaster used to be a saucier, said my server, offering a back story for the sweet-tart granny smith sauce on this beef brisket (platter, $17). "Hand sliced beef brisket," the menu took care to specify up front. The egg salad included a little bacon, the sauteed cabbage, somewhat more.

Harley's Smokeshack and BBQ
355 East 116th St. (First-Second Aves.), Manhattan
212-828-6723
www.HarleysSmokeshack.org

Abandoned pie window

2012-01-15T12:00:00-05:00

At least, it looks like pie.

I'd passed by this boarded-up, painted-over window many times on my way to or from the Essex Street Market, one block south, before catching sight of the insignia in the slanting light of a street lamp. (I returned for these pictures by the fuller light of day.) The window — could it have been a counter-through? — is set into another market building that probably went into disuse no later than 1995, when food vendors were consolidated into the current facility. Can any Eating In Translation reader tell us more about this former merchant and its wares?

Abandoned pie window
Essex St. between Stanton and Rivington Sts., Manhattan

Culpepper's

2012-01-15T11:00:00-05:00

Cou-cou is a Caribbean porridge of cornmeal and okra, just firm enough not to slump into mush. In the photo, one end of the semicircular mass is visible at far left. Also largely concealed by sauteed onions are three tender fingers of mahi-mahi (all in, $14); kingfish and red snapper were also on offer. In Barbados, flying fish is traditional, but the counterman (as well as the proprietor of another Bajan eatery nearby) observed that recently these have been hard to come by.

Culpepper's
1082 Nostrand Ave. (at Lincoln Rd.), Prospect Lefferts Gardens, Brooklyn
718-940-4122

Back Home Bakery

2012-01-14T09:30:00-05:00

Some say pudding, some say pone.

"Back home" might be Guyana, Trinidad, Jamaica, or St. Vincent and the Grenadines, the birthplaces of the four Caribbean bakers who bring their wares to the market. The baker from tiny St. Vincent prepares two sheet-cake-style items, neighbors on the menu and hard to distinguish at a glance: a bread pudding and this cassava pone ($1.25 at the time). At many other bakeries it's sold as cassava pudding, but under either name it has a compressed starchy texture and a barely sweet, very mild flavor.

It must have been one of the other bakers — from which island, I'm not sure — who prepared the coarser bread pudding below ($1.50), procured at Back Home's main facility on Church Ave. Given a choice, usually I'll request a slice from the edge of the pan, to get a little extra crunch.

Also shown below: the outside of the Caton Flatbush Market, where Back Home maintains a kiosk but that is otherwise light on food, and the facade of the long-vacated Loew's Kings theater, nearby.

Back Home Bakery
794-814 Flatbush Ave. (at Caton Ave., in the Caton Flatbush Market), Prospect Lefferts Gardens, Brooklyn
347-245-6388
3254 Church Ave. (at Brooklyn Ave.), Flatbush, Brooklyn
718-287-3031

Japadog

2012-01-13T12:30:00-05:00

The crackling, tickling, enticing texture of dried nori is a hallmark of the Terimayo ($4.81), a beef dog also dressed with teriyaki sauce and mayonnaise. All the Japadogs are served on a toasted bun, even the dessert dog called Age Ice (Ah-gay Ice, available in New York in February), which resembles this Bangkok ice cream sandwich without the sticky rice.

Japadog
30 St. Marks Place (Second-Third Aves.), Manhattan
646-476-2324
www.Japadog.com

Puddin'

2012-01-12T08:30:00-05:00

Sometimes, the pudding stands alone; here, two flavors are employed in the service of rich chocolate cake. The lighter veins are coffee, the darker, more chocolate (slice, $5).

Puddin'
102 St. Marks Place (First Ave.-Ave. A), Manhattan
212-477-3537
www.PuddinNYC.com

Still life on subway bench

2012-01-12T08:00:00-05:00

Found, and left, as shown.

Still life on subway bench
East Village, Manhattan

Asian Taste 86

2012-01-11T09:45:00-05:00

If there were one dish that could dissuade me from ordering ayam penyet, "smashed fried chicken," it would be pecel lele (Peh-chel Lay-lay, $8).

Unlike the chicken, which is tenderized with a mallet or pestle to aid in the infusion of a marinade, more likely the skin of "smashed catfish" is simply pricked or scored before the fish is deep-fried. (Too many broken little fish bones otherwise.) The chili sauce is inflected with shrimp paste; the finlike item, in the first photo, is a slab of fried tempeh.

This tiny Indonesian restaurant's regular menu comprises only about two dozen items all told, but on the day of this visit a specials board also listed sayur asam, pempek palembang, and hijau bubur kacang — respectively, tamarind soup, broiled fish cake, and a mung bean dessert.

Asian Taste 86
86-10 Whitney Ave. (near Broadway), Elmhurst, Queens
718-779-8686

Uncle Zhou

2012-01-10T21:00:00-05:00

"Uncle Joe" — whose menu features the cuisine of Henan province, breadbasket of central China, where wheat-based noodles are the foundation of many meals — also serves three versions of kou wan.

Two, the crispy (pork) meat and the chicken, are breaded with flour and egg, then fried. But after long cooking in a liquid thickened with sweet potato starch and agar, and most notably flavored with star anise and black pepper, the breading is no longer so crispy. I prefer the unbreaded pork ribs (shown above and below, $7.50). Likewise, although the more common practice is to upend the cooking vessel over a separate serving plate — that is, to "kou wan," or "invert bowl" — I prefer this soupier presentation, with an absorbent serving of white rice on the side.

Back home in Henan, says owner Steven Zhou, kou wan is a traditional favorite for the Chinese New Year (in 2012, the Year of the Dragon enters on January 23). At his namesake restaurant, the three dishes are available year-round.

My review of the restaurant appears in the August 10, 2011 edition of The New York Times. For more photos, see my slideshow.

Uncle Zhou
83-29 Broadway (near Dongan Ave.), Elmhurst, Queens
718-393-0888
www.UncleZhou.com

Grand Restaurant

2012-01-09T22:30:00-05:00

It's frustrating, not being able to identify a flavor you've encountered before.

My dim sum tablemates were also stumped, and the cart lady had been unilluminating. If the jellied texture hadn't suppressed the aromatic compounds, perhaps I would have recalled a fragrant pot of tea enjoyed in Kowloon some 15 years previously. Or, if I'd looked sooner at the paper menu snagged at the hostess station and quickly tucked in my backpack, I would have perused the long menu of dim sum. Just one item filled the bill: osmanthus jelly.

Also shown: fried stuffed peppers; shrimp shumai; salt-and-pepper shrimp; clams in black bean sauce; salt-and-pepper capelin (a sort of smelt); beef tendon in honey sauce; steamed-egg cream rolls; and a gooey egg tart with a delightfully flaky crust.

Grand Restaurant
40-21 Main St. (near Roosevelt Ave.), 3rd floor, Flushing, Queens
718-358-3388
www.GrandRestaurantNY.com

Steam Dumplings

2012-01-09T19:30:00-05:00

A small kabocha provided color and texture, but not much sweetness, for this grainy pumpkin congee (about $1). The proprietors, who come from the inland Chinese province of Hubei, reportedly specialize in dumplings that are boiled, not steamed as their stall's English name would suggest, but this being breakfasttime, no dumplings or noodles of any sort were at the ready.

Steam Dumplings
Savoy Fusion food court (a.k.a. Savor Fusion, Savory Fusion, Maple Snacks), rear stall
42-01 Main St. (at Maple Ave.), Flushing, Queens
646-944-6888

Neptune Oyster

2012-01-08T22:00:00-05:00

Very often, as important as the ostensible focus of a dish is what comes with. Doing credit to the fry cook and these Ipswich whole-belly clams (market price, $19) was a superb, housemade, not-too-tart tarter sauce, incorporating minute bits of chopped pickle that would stifle any squeeze bottle.

Also shown: cioppino ($24, with the $10 Maine lobster supplement). For sopping up the leavings of the spicy, garlicky stew, laden with salmon and shellfish, Neptune supplies excellent bread with a firm crust and an airy crumb.

Neptune Oyster
63 Salem St. (Morton-Stillman Sts.), Boston
617-742-3474
www.NeptuneOyster.com
(From a September 2011 visit)

Banh Mi Ba-Le

2012-01-07T19:30:00-05:00

Ambarellas, also known as golden apples, grow in tropical climates around the world.

In Caribbean kitchens the fruit is often stewed, with brown sugar, to an intense crimson. These Vietnamese trai coc (about $4 per pound) were peeled, then pickled with vinegar and chili; the result is firmer and retains more of the fruit's natural color. The pit is fibrous, regardless.

Also shown: fresh spring rolls with pork (three rolls, about $3), banh mi fixings and a pork banh mi (about $4), and the shop exterior, including a closeup of the sign. They may have had no affection for colonial rule, but in matters of food, for Vietnamese-Americans "French" is still a mark of quality.

Banh Mi Ba-Le
1052 Dorchester Ave. (at St. William St.), Dorchester
617-265-7171
(From visits in September 2011, and previously)

Ba Le Fields Corner

2012-01-07T18:30:00-05:00

Banh bot loc (bon boat lock, eight for $2.75) are a specialty of the Vietnamese city of Hue. The wrappers for these dumplings, which often have a more oblong shape, are made from tapioca flour. When steamed, the tapioca becomes translucent and reveals the filling — often, shrimp and pork, here, simply one small whole shrimp each.

Also shown: che khoai mom ($1.50), glutinous rice and taro in coconut milk.

To my knowledge, this business is not under the same ownership as the Ba Le a little ways north on Dot Ave., as Dorchester Ave. is called by the locals.

Ba Le Fields Corner
1449 Dorchester Ave. (at Adams St.), Boston
(From an August 2009 visit)

La Gran Parada

2012-01-06T23:00:00-05:00

Don Kike mabi ("Key-kay," 12 fl. oz., $1.50), a Dominican-flagged commercial version of the streetside refreshment.

La Gran Parada
561 Dudley St. (West Cottage St.-Brook Ave.), Boston
(From a September 2011 visit)

Name This Restaurant

2012-01-05T23:30:00-05:00

These lamps have a shrouded appearance because lacy curtains had been drawn across the windows; the dinner hour had not quite arrived. Provided that the staff makes a practice of opening the curtains when they open the doors, however, this is a sight you're unlikely to see in person. Now that the restaurant accepts reservations, there's no need to huddle on the sidewalk, hoping for a table. Can you name this restaurant? (Please post your answer in the comments.)

Food-Friendly Events, January 6-19

2012-01-05T09:30:00-05:00

Cassoulet Cookoff
Sunday, January 8, 1:00-4:00
Jimmy's No. 43, 43 East 7th St. (Second-Third Aves.), Manhattan
www.JimmysNo43.com/events/event/fourth-annual-cassoulet-cookoff-to-benefit-hurricane-relief
Admission: $20; proceeds benefit the Greenmarket's Farm Hurricane Relief Fund

IACP Launch Party
Monday, January 9, 7:00-9:00
Santos Party House, 96 Lafayette St. (Walker-White Sts.), Manhattan
Launch party for the International Association of Culinary Professionals (www.IACP.com), which will be hosting its 2012 national conference in New York. Incoming IACP president Doug Duda and city chair Judith Klinger will welcome industry professionals (press, chefs, food purveyors) with complementary cocktails, food samples, beer, and wine.
RSVP to IACPnyc@gmail.com by Friday, January 6

Zlatne Uste Golden Festival
Friday, January 13, 7:30 p.m.-12:30 a.m.; Saturday, 6:00 p.m.-2:00 a.m.
Grand Prospect Hall, 263 Prospect Ave. (Fifth-Sixth Aves.), Park Slope, Brooklyn
www.GoldenFest.org/about/golden-festival-2012-press-release
"Complimentary Balkan and Middle Eastern snacks/cash bar"
Ticket prices vary; see website for details

Meatloaf-a-Thon
Sunday, January 15, 4:00-???
Barcade Jersey City, 163 Newark Ave. (at Barrow St.), Jersey City
www.BarcadeJerseyCity.com/events/20/meatloaf-a-thon
Donation: $10; proceeds benefit The Meatloaf Kitchen

Notes from a Maine Kitchen
Wednesday, January 18, noon-???
The Beard House, 167 West 12th St. (Sixth-Seventh Aves.), Manhattan
www.JamesBeard.org/?q=node/3107
Suggested donation: $20 for nonstudents; reserve seats by calling 212-627-2308

Experimental Cuisine Collective Monthly Workshop
Wednesday, January 18, 4:00-6:00
Location to be announced
www.ExperimentalCuisine.com/monthly-workshops
Generally, admission is free but RSVP is essential; join the ECC mailing list for updates

John Ameroso on Urban Agriculture
Wednesday, January 18, 7:00-9:30
Sycamore Bar and Flowershop, 1118 Cortelyou Rd. (East 11th St.-Westminster Rd.), Ditmas Park, Brooklyn
www.CantaloupeAlone.blogspot.com/2012/01/brooklyn-dirt-talk-one-urban.html
Free admission; ages 21 and over only

Ongoing: Park Here, daily, through February 15; Brooklyn Flea, Saturday and Sunday, year-round; Smorgasbrewery, Sunday, through March; New York Greenmarkets, year-round.

Walking tours: Tag along with Big Onion, the Institute of Culinary Education, NoshWalks, NYC Discovery Walking Tours, Urban Oyster, and "Wildman" Steve Brill.

Tickets on sale: Tonics and Tinctures: Historic Remedies for Your Expanding Waistline, January 24; Feeding Gotham: New York City Markets, 1790-1860, January 26; Beer, Bourbon & BBQ Festival, January 28; Slow Wine Guide Launch Party and Wine Tasting, January 30; Farm + Beer Expo, January 31; Slow Food Meets Big Business, February 2; Aphrodisiacs: Myth or Reality, February 8; The Roger Smith Cookbook Conference, February 9-11; Coffee & Tea Festival NYC, February 25-26; Good Spirits, February 28; Sweet: NY, March 1

"Bridging the Gap"

2012-01-04T23:30:00-05:00

American-born Peter Woytuk's bronzes, cast at his foundry in Thailand, often feature animals in some whimsical pose. Woytuk's current Manhattan installation, 17 sculptures distributed along five miles of the Broadway mall, also incorporates the odd bit of hardware and the occasional piece of fruit. "Bridging the Gap" squeezes in an apple and a pear, as well as a kiwi — the bird, that is.

"Bridging the Gap"
Peter Woytuk, 2006
Broadway at 114th St., Manhattan
October 2011 through April 2012
www.BroadwayMall.org/our-programs/public-art/current

Flavors of Peru, Recast

2012-01-03T19:00:00-05:00

My roundup of three Peruvian restaurants appears in the January 4, 2012 edition of The New York Times. For photos, see my slideshows of dishes at Lima Limon, Coney Island Taste, and Warique.