Eating In Translation

Ganesh Temple Canteen

2012-06-03T21:00:00-04:00

The uttapam, a cousin to the dosa, is thick enough that chopped ingredients can be added directly to the rice-and-dal batter.

Some are still dainty enough to be served as a wrap. Not this onion chili uttapam ($5); it was lightly browned outside, spongy inside, perfect for swabbing up sambar and chutney. Also shown: yogurt rice, for relief from overspicing; Hyderabadi and paneer dosas.

Ganesh Temple Canteen
45-57 Bowne St. (45th-Holly Aves.), Flushing, Queens
718-460-8484
In the basement of The Hindu Temple Society of North America (the Ganesh Temple)
www.NYGaneshTemple.org

Max and Mina's Ice Cream

2012-06-03T10:00:00-04:00

A little salty peanut butter ice cream is delicious. More is too much; I split my small serving ($3.25) with a palate-freshening cardamom pistachio, held in reserve at the bottom of the cup.

Max and Mina's Ice Cream
71-26 Main St. (71st Rd.-72nd Ave.), Flushing, Queens
718-793-8629
www.MaxAndMinasIceCream.com

Red Bowl Noodle Shop

2012-06-02T21:30:00-04:00

The accompanying soy sauce had a vigorous ginger bite, but the dense shark meat itself (11 oz., $4.95) offered little beyond the advertised "smoked" flavor. Specialists handle the smoking process more deftly; fresh is best of all.

Red Bowl Noodle Shop
40-52 Main St. (at 41st Ave.), Flushing, Queens
719-353-7683

N.Y. Tun Ren Tang

2012-06-02T08:30:00-04:00

The fruit of the hawthorn tree is a popular sugar-dipped treat in Beijing (and a source of syrup, jam, and jelly in the American South), so to little surprise it also flavors one of this Chinatown table's soft drinks ($1.50). Also on offer: winter melon, chamomile, and ban lan gen — also known as dyer's woad, a source of indigo coloring.

N.Y. Tun Ren Tang
40-34 Main St. (40th Rd.-41st Ave.), Flushing, Queens
718-461-9500

Cantler's Riverside Inn

2012-06-01T11:30:00-04:00

Cantler's brings in Maryland blue crabs continuously. From the parking lot, which serves as an ad hoc beer garden and waiting area, we had ample time to watch freshly delivered crabs being culled and, occasionally, making a break for it.

Crabs are sorted not only by size but also by their readiness to shed their rigid exoskeleton. These "peelers" and "busters" are confined to sloughing tanks until they complete the process; from there it's to the market, or to the kitchen. Shown: steamed hard-shell crabs; a deep-fried soft-shell crab.

Cantler's Riverside Inn (a.k.a. Jimmy Cantler's)
458 Forest Beach Rd., Annapolis, Maryland
410-757-1311
www.Cantlers.com

Bangkok Golden

2012-06-01T11:00:00-04:00

Highlights from the Laotian menu.

As you might guess from the name, Bangkok Golden does serve standard dishes from Central Thailand, both from a buffet and a la carte. But the greater draw is the less commonly seen, sometimes fiery food of Laos, a close relative of the Isan cuisine found in Thailand's northeast. As Chowhounds have observed, these dishes can be tempered to suit your table; the servers are very accommodating of first-timers.

Shown: nam khao ($8.95), a crispy, pork-riddled rice salad; sai oua ($8.95), spicy and seemingly fresh-made sausage inflected with lemongrass and dill; ping kai ($8.95), grilled chicken; koi pah ($10.95), a tilapia ceviche (ours was the cooked version); mieng muang luang ($12.95), rice paste to be wrapped in lettuce with lemongrass, ginger, tomato, chili, and peanuts; orm beef ($8.95), an eggplant-laden curry; and a (Thai) taro-and-tapioca dessert bathed in coconut milk.

Bangkok Golden
6395 Seven Corners Center, Falls Church, Virginia
703-533-9480
www.BangkokGolden7Corners.com
(Note: Bangkok Golden has three locations, but only this one offers the Laotian menu)

Food-Friendly Events, May 31-June 6

2012-05-31T15:30:00-04:00

Hester Nights
Opening Thursday, May 31 (postponed from May 24), 4:00-9:00; continues Thursday evenings through October 25
Eventi Open Air Plaza, 851 Sixth Ave. (entrances on 29th and 30th Sts.), Manhattan
www.HesterStreetFair.com/more-hester-yes-please-introducing-hester-nights-opening-may-24
Free admission

How Would Julia Child Vote on the 2012 Farm Bill?
Thursday, May 31, 4:00-6:00
Elmer Holmes Bobst Library, New York University, 70 Washington Square South (at LaGuardia Pl.), Manhattan
www.NYU.edu/library/bobst/research/fales/eventstest.html
Suggested donation: $10; reserve your seat with an email to RSVP.Bobst@nyu.edu

9,000 Years of Cheese
Thursday, May 31, 6:30-???
Mount Vernon Hotel Museum and Garden, 417 East 61st St. (First-York Aves.), Manhattan
www.BrownPaperTickets.com/event/246936
General admission: $40; reduced for CHNY and MVHM members; advance registration required

Bon Appetit Grub Crawls
Friday through Sunday, June 1-3, various times
Various Brooklyn neighborhoods
www.BAGrubCrawl.com/brooklyn.html
Tickets: $89 and up

Gateway to Nations NYC Native American Heritage Celebration
Friday, June 1, 10:00-5:00; Saturday and Sunday, 11:00-7:00
Floyd Bennett Field, Gateway National Recreation Area, 50 Aviation Rd., Brooklyn
www.RedhawkCouncil.org/powwows
Admission: adults, $12; children ages 6 to 12 and seniors ages 65 and over, $7; children ages 5 and under, free

Tastes: Meatpacking Meets Chelsea
Saturday, June 2, 11:30-3:00, rain or shine
Gansevoort St., Meatpacking District, Manhattan
www.TastesNYC.com
Tickets: $35 advance/$45 door; proceeds benefit the NYC Lab School for Collaborative Studies

Festival Cultural de la Calle 152
Saturday, June 2, 10:00-5:00
152nd St. between Jackson and Union Aves., Bronx
www.NationalPuertoRicanDayParade.org/festival.html
Previously: www.EatingInTranslation.com/2008/06/festival-cultur.html
Free admission

Lebanese Food Festival
Saturday, June 2, noon-10:00; Sunday, noon-5:00
Vicinity of Our Lady of Lebanon Cathedral, Remsen St. between Henry and Clinton Sts., Brooklyn Heights, Brooklyn
www.OLCLC.org/events.html
Previously: www.EatingInTranslation.com/2009/06/lebanese-food-festival.html
Free admission

Hungarian Festival
Saturday, June 2, 11:00-8:00
Somerset St. between Division and Bethany Sts., New Brunswick, New Jersey
www.AHFoundation.org
Previously: www.EatingInTranslation.com/2011/06/new-brunswick-hungarian-festival.html
Free admission

Michael Arnone's Crawfish Fest
Saturday, June 2, 11:00-11:00; Sunday, 11:00-7:00
Sussex County Fairgrounds, Augusta, New Jersey
www.CrawfishFest.com
Admission: adults, $40 per day; children under 14 accompanied by a parent, free

DeCicco Family Markets Local Food Festival
Saturday, June 2, 10:00-4:00
DeCicco Family Markets, 50 Independent Way, Brewster, New York
www.DeCiccos.com/NE_FoodFest.aspx
Free admission

Philippine Independence Day Celebration
Sunday, June 3, 11:00-6:00
A parade, beginning at noon, proceeds from 38th St. south on Madison Ave. to the festival site, between 24th and 26th Sts., Manhattan
www.PIDCI.org/calendar-of-events
Previously: www.EatingInTranslation.com/2008/06/philippine-inde.html
Free admission

DayLife
Sunday, June 3, noon-5:00
Orchard St. between East Houston and Delancey Sts., Manhattan
www.LowerEastSideNY.com/events/daylife
Free admission

Moegyo Burmese Food Fair
Sunday, June 3, noon-4:00
Aviation High School, 45-30 36th St. (enter on 35th St. near Queens Blvd.), Long Island City, Queens
http://blog.Moegyo.org
Previously: www.EatingInTranslation.com/2011/06/moegyo-burmese-food-fair.html
Free admission

Bay Ridge Fifth Avenue Street Festival
Sunday, June 3, 11:00-6:00
Fifth Ave. between 69th and 85th Sts., Bay Ridge, Brooklyn
www.Facebook.com/events/443612178984363
Lots of interesting Middle Eastern markets and eateries along this stretch of the avenue
Free admission

Armenian Church Picnic
Sunday, June 3, noon-5:00, rain or shine
St. Leon Armenian Church, 12-61 Saddle River Rd., Fair Lawn, New Jersey
www.ArmenianChurch-ed.net/news-and-media/events-calendar/picnic-at-st-leon-church
Free admission

Cuban Parade of New Jersey
Sunday, June 3, beginning at noon
Parade proceeds along Bergenline Ave. from 79th St. in North Bergen to 43rd St., in Union City, New Jersey
www.DesfileCubanoDeNJ.com/paradepage.htm
Previously, a concurrent festival at Schuetzen Park (John F. Kennedy Blvd. at 32nd St.) was much less chow-worthy than the eateries, Cuban and otherwise, along Bergenline
Free admission

Chocolate Fest
Sunday, June 3, 7:30-???
92nd Street Y, 1395 Lexington Ave. (at 92nd St.), Manhattan
www.92Y.org/Uptown/Event/ChocolateFestAWalk-AroundTasti.aspx
Tickets: $35

Legal Smorgasbord
Monday, June 4, 9:30-noon
The Beard House, 167 West 12th St. (Sixth-Seventh Aves.), Manhattan
www.JamesBeard.org/events/legal-smorgasbord-060412
Admission: general public, $25; JBF professional and student members, free; reserve seats by calling 212-627-2308

The American Way of Eating
Monday, June 4, 7:00-???
Book Court, 163 Court St. (Dean-Pacific Sts.), Cobble Hill, Brooklyn
http://www.bookcourt.com/events/tracie-mcmillan
Free admission

Sts. Constantine and Helen Greek Orthodox Cathedral Festival
Monday, June 4, through Sunday, June 10, various hours
Sts. Constantine and Helen Greek Orthodox Cathedral, 64 Schermerhorn St. (Court St.-Boerum Pl.), Brooklyn
www.StConstantineCathedral.org/event/35th-annual-greek-festival
Previously: www.EatingInTranslation.com/2008/06/sts-constantine.html
Free admission

The Great Gathering of Chefs
Tuesday, June 5, 6:00-8:00
Prince George Ballroom, 15 East 27th St. (Fifth-Madison Aves.), Manhattan
www.TheGreatGatheringOfChefs.com
Tickets: $125; proceeds benefit Action Against Hunger

Taste of LIC
Tuesday, June 5, 6:30-8:30
Gantry Plaza State Park (49th Ave. at the East River), Long Island City, Queens
www.ChocolateFactoryTheater.org/e_tasteoflic_2012.html
Tickets: $60, or $150 for hour-earlier VIP admission; proceeds benefit The Chocolate Factory Theater

Enlightened Eaters
Wednesday, June 6, noon-???
The Beard House, 167 West 12th St. (Sixth-Seventh Aves.), Manhattan
www.JamesBeard.org/events/enlightened-eaters-060612
Suggested donation: $20 for nonstudents; reserve seats by calling 212-627-2308

Breaking the Mold: Women in Restaurant Kitchens
Wednesday, June 6, 6:00-???
The New School, Eugene Lang Building, 66 West 12th St. (Fifth-Sixth Aves.), Manhattan
www.NewSchool.edu/eventDetail.aspx?id=78126
Admission: $5; free to all students and New School faculty, staff, alumni with I.D.

Spring Forward!
Wednesday, June 6, 6:00-8:00
The Green Building, 452 Union St. (at Bond St.), Gowanus, Brooklyn
www.BrownPaperTickets.com/event/246241
Tickets: general admission, $55, reduces for GCC members and kids; proceeds benefit the Gowanus Canal Conservancy
Via The New York Times

Sold out: Lobster Roll Rumble, June 7

Call for entries: The Great Hot Dog Cookoff, signups close June 7

Ongoing: Hester Nights, Thursdays; Smorgasburg, Saturdays; Hester Street Fair, Saturdays; Red Hook Food Vendors, Saturdays and Sundays; Fulton Stall Market, Saturdays and Sundays; Brooklyn Flea, Saturdays and Sundays; New Amsterdam Market, Sundays; Dekalb Market, daily; Mad. Sq. Eats, daily through June 1; New York Greenmarkets, various days; Community Markets, various days

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, the 92nd St. Y, La Scuola di Eataly, 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, Jeffrey Tastes, Joe D, NoshWalks, NYC Discovery Walking Tours, Urban Oyster, and "Wildman" Steve Brill

Tickets on sale: Big Apple Barbecue Block Party, June 9-10

La Escudilla

2012-05-30T17:30:00-04:00

Sopa de kaq ik ($8.99) is a Guatemalan specialty — some call it the national dish — that dates from pre-Columbian times. In Q'eqchi', a Mayan language still spoken today, "kaq ik" means "red chili pepper," and indeed this soup has a reddish cast, likely from annatto, and a spicy profile with smoky undertones.

Traditionally it features turkey. At La Escudilla, the owners (who serve Mexican and Salvadorean dishes as well as the fare of their first home) customarily prepare kaq ik with chicken. On the side are soft, fat tortillas, as well as a helping of rice that's tinted and flavored by chicken broth.

La Escudilla
8484 Piney Branch Rd. (at Flower Ave.), Silver Spring, Maryland
301-495-5755

Veronica's Bakery & Cafe

2012-05-30T16:30:00-04:00

The names of Latin American pastries are often puzzling.

A single basic name, like "viejita" — loosely, "little old lady" — often signifies different goods at different bakeries. At this Salvadorean shop the viejita (about $1.50) resembles a kayak with a dense, caramelized, but not-too-sweet cargo. A corollary is a single basic bread that takes many forms, each with its own, sometimes fanciful name.

Then there's the matter of spellings that follow speech rather than culinary orthography. Shown at bottom, the custardlike boltiado (about $1.50) will rightly remind you of the crema volteada, or flan. This one was flavored with guineo — unripe banana — though so subtly that I might not have known if it hadn't been spelled out.

Veronica's Bakery & Cafe
8501 Piney Branch Rd. (at Flower Ave.), Silver Spring, Maryland
(one of several locations)
301-565-8199

"The world's breakfast," Quaker Oats

2012-05-29T08:45:00-04:00

Surviving signage on M St. N.W. near 31st St. N.W., Washington, D.C.

Market Lunch

2012-05-29T08:30:00-04:00

"Blue Bucks," blueberry and buckwheat pancakes ($6.25, maple syrup $2.25 extra).

Market Lunch
306 7th St. S.E. (at C St. S.E., inside Eastern Market), Washington, D.C.
202-547-8444
www.EasternMarket-dc.org
Open for breakfast and lunch, Wednesday through Sunday; pancakes available on weekends only

Oohh's and Aahh's

2012-05-28T16:00:00-04:00

Grits are not always gritty and, when prepared without cheese, not necessarily thick. These, further moistened and deeply flavored by fried peppers and onions and a dozen or so spicy grilled shrimp ($16.95), were almost soupy; I wished I'd had a bigger spoon. Also shown: the stovetop, featuring a surplusage of collard greens.

Oohh's and Aahh's
1005 U St. N.W. (10th-11th Sts. N.W.), Washington D.C.
202-667-7142
www.OohhsnAahhs.com

Florida Avenue Grill

2012-05-28T15:00:00-04:00

Pan-fried chicken (quarter, dark, meat only, $6) was crisp outside, moist and tender inside, more gently spiced than the full-flavored fowl served by Charles Gabriel. Those Manhattan birds have the edge, though by little more than the thickness of a Florida Ave. chicken skin.

Florida Avenue Grill
1100 Florida Ave. N.W. (at 11th St. N.W.), Washington, D.C.
202-265-1586
www.FloridaAvenueGrill.com

Sumah's West African Restaurant

2012-05-27T22:00:00-04:00

Sumah's serves the cuisine of Sierra Leone. "Krain krain" is that country's name (one of many assigned in warm climates around the world) for the green leafy vegetable shown on this sampler plate at front left. Though the name "jute" properly belongs to the fibers produced by the plant, you can also find jute leaves, labeled as such, in the freezer cases of better-supplied Asian markets. Some folks find krain krain mucilaginous, like the okra beside it; to me the texture suggested nicely wilted spinach.

Also notable is the mustard yellow puddle of peanut sauce. Many West African kitchens make one, but few such sauces taste so much like liquified peanut butter.

Sumah's West African Restaurant
1727 7th St. N.W., Washington, D.C.
202-462-2516
Closed Sunday

Mulberries

2012-05-26T10:30:00-04:00

To tell a red mulberry tree from a white mulberry tree, look to the leaves. When ripe, the "edible but messy fruits" of the white mulberry — a naturalized species from Asia that has largely supplanted the native red mulberry, writes Edward Sibley Barnard in New York City Trees — can, in fact, be "white, pink, red, or purple." But while red mulberry leaves are rough on top and hairy below, notes Sibley, white mulberry leaves are smooth on both surfaces, occasionally with hairy veins.

Consensus has it that the fruits of the red mulberry have a fuller flavor, when they can be had. No luck this day, as you can see.

Mulberries
Washington D.C.

Wonder Bread Factory

2012-05-25T23:30:00-04:00

Wonder Bread and Hostess Cakes were produced at this seven-building complex from 1936, when it was purchased by the Continental Baking Co., until sometime in the 1980s, when it fell into disuse. The terra cotta decoration in the pediment, which dates from the mid 1910s or early 1920s, is the most visible sign of the original tenant. It's been suggested that the name and logo of the White Cross Bakery were meant to address turn-of-the-century concerns about food sanitation.

Wonder Bread Factory
641 S St. N.W. (6th St. N.W.-Wiltberger St. N.W.), Washington D.C.

Food-Friendly Events, May 24-31

2012-05-24T10:30:00-04:00

Beer Here: Brewing New York's History
Opens Friday, May 25, through September 2
New-York Historical Society, 170 Central Park West (at 77th St.), Manhattan
www.NYHistory.org/exhibitions/beer-here
Museum admission: adults, $15; reduced for seniors, educators, students, and children; weekend mini beer garden, ages 21 and over only

Go! Go! Curry Eating Championship
Saturday, May 26, 5:00-???
Go! Go! Curry, 273 West 38th St. (Seventh-Eighth Aves.), Manhattan
www.GoGoCurryUSA-NY.com/event2012.html
Free admission; to reserve one of the limited audience seats, email ggc@notionsunited.com

Serbian Food Festival
Saturday and Sunday, May 26 and 27, 10:00-4:00
Serbian Orthodox Cathedral of St. Sava, 20 West 26th St. (Fifth-Sixth Aves.), Manhattan
www.StSavaNYC.org/index.php?option=com_content&id=149
Previously: www.EatingInTranslation.com/2007/06/serbian_orthodo.html
Free admission

5 Boro Picnic
Saturday and Sunday, May 26 and 27, 11:30-4:30, rain or shine
Governors Island
www.5BoroPicnyc.com
Tickets: $25

Dance Africa Bazaar
Saturday, May 26, noon-10:00; Sunday and Monday, May 27 and 28, noon-8:00; rain or shine
Near Ashland Pl., Fort Greene, Brooklyn
www.BAM.org/view.aspx?pid=4200
Previously: www.EatingInTranslation.com/2008/05/dance-africa-ba.html
Free admission

Crawfish Boil for a Song
Saturday and Sunday, May 26 and 27, 4:00-8:00 rain dates June 2 and 3
SolarOne, 2420 FDR Service Road East (at East 22nd St.), Manhattan
www.CrawfishNY.org/main/events
Tickets: $100; advance purchase required; ages 21 and over only; proceeds benefit Kids Need a Melody

Ecuafest
Sunday, May 27, 10:00-6:00
West 107th St. between Amsterdam and Columbus Aves., Manhattan
www.ExportWorld.com.ec/ecuafest2012/index.php/eventos/ecuafest-2012
Previously: www.EatingInTranslation.com/2009/05/ecuafest.html
Free admission

Veggie Pride Parade
Sunday, May 27, 11:00-5:00
The parade, beginning at noon, proceeds from the Meatpacking District to the festival site, Union Square North, Manhattan
www.VeggiePrideParade.org
Free admission

Loisaida Festival
Sunday, May 27, noon-5:00, rain or shine
Avenue C between 6th and 12th Sts., Manhattan
www.LoisaidaInc.org
Previously: www.EatingInTranslation.com/2008/05/casa-adela.html
Free admission

Food Truck Rally
Sunday, May 27, 11:00-5:00
Grand Army Plaza, Brooklyn
www.ProspectPark.org/calendar/event/food-truck-rally
Free admission

Haitian Day Parade and SpringFest
Sunday, May 27, 11:00-7:00
Parade proceeds south on Nostrand Ave. from Linden Blvd. to the festival site, near Foster Ave., Brooklyn
www.HaitianParade.com
Previously: www.EatingInTranslation.com/2009/05/haitian-day-parade-and-festival.html
Free admission

Santacruzan Street Fair
Sunday, May 27, 10:00-8:00
2nd St. at Erie St., Jersey City
www.CatholicActionOfMary.com
Previously: www.EatingInTranslation.com/2010/06/santacruzan-festival.html
Free admission

Plus Polish Festival
Sunday, May 27, noon-midnight
German Masonic Park, 89 Western Highway, Tappan, New York
www.PlusFestival.com
Free admission

Fifth Annual Ceremony of the Universal Peace Pagoda
Sunday, May 27, 9:00-early afternoon
ABBA New Jersey temple, 63 Gordons Corner Rd., Manalapan, New Jersey
www.MahasiMeditation.org
A friend of EIT writes that "there will be authentic Burmese home cooking from many members who will be donating for this annual wonderful fiesta."
Free admission; "you can contribute donation if you like"

Our Lady of Refuge Barbeque and Street Fair
Monday, May 28, 8:00-5:00
Vicinity of Our Lady of Refuge Roman Catholic Church, 2020 Foster Ave. (at Ocean Ave.), Ditmas Park, Brooklyn
www.OLRBrooklyn.org/news/2012/05/22/our-lady-of-refuge-barbeque-street-fair
Free admission

Inside the Jewish Bakery
Tuesday, May 29, 6:30-???
Tenement Museum, 103 Orchard St. (Delancey-Broome Sts.), Manhattan
www.Tenement.org/vizcenter_events.php
Tickets: $10

The Apple Pushers
Tuesday, May 29, 7:00-8:30ish
BAM Rose Cinemas, 30 Lafayette Ave. (at Ashland Pl.), Fort Greene, Brooklyn
www.BAM.org/view.aspx?pid=4256
Free admission

Taste What You're Missing
Wednesday, May 30, noon-???
The Beard House, 167 West 12th St. (Sixth-Seventh Aves.), Manhattan
www.JamesBeard.org/events/beard-books-053012
Suggested donation: $20 for nonstudents; reserve seats by calling 212-627-2308

Sold out: Pickling at Home, May 24

Call for entries: The Great Hot Dog Cookoff, signups close June 7

Ongoing: Smorgasburg, Saturdays; Hester Street Fair, Saturdays; Red Hook Food Vendors, Saturdays and Sundays; Fulton Stall Market, Saturdays and Sundays; Brooklyn Flea, Saturdays and Sundays; New Amsterdam Market, Sundays; Dekalb Market, daily; Mad. Sq. Eats, daily through June 1; New York Greenmarkets, various days; Community Markets, various days

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, the 92nd St. Y, 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, Jeffrey Tastes, NoshWalks, NYC Discovery Walking Tours, Urban Oyster, and "Wildman" Steve Brill

Tickets on sale: Michael Arnone's Crawfish Fest, June 1-3; Chocolate Fest, June 3; Taste of LIC, June 5; Lobster Roll Rumble, June 7; Sunset Bhangra, June 7; Big Apple Barbecue Block Party, June 9-10

Levi's Port Cafe

2012-05-23T10:00:00-04:00

Basics done right: fried pork chop ($8.95), collard greens, nice-and-loose mac 'n' cheese. A two-chop plate, fried or smothered ($10.95) serves customers not destined for several more meals in succession.

Levi's Port Cafe
1102 8th St. S.E. (near L St. S.E.), Washington, D.C.
202-547-6500
www.LevisSoulFoodCafe.com
Open through early dinnertime Monday through Saturday; closed Sunday

"Drink Coca-Cola, 5¢, it's refreshing"

2012-05-23T09:30:00-04:00

Senart's Oyster & Chop House
520 8th St. S.E. (Pennsylvania Ave.-E St. S.E.), Washington, D.C.
202-544-1168
www.SenartsDC.com
(Soda prices subject to change)

Mark's Kitchen

2012-05-22T21:30:00-04:00

In an earlier life the Mill Korean Restaurant, near Columbia University, in New York, was a luncheonette and purveyor of school supplies. Some years ago it began a slow-motion transformation and, for a period of 18 months or so, did business as an odd hybrid of greasy spoon and bibimbap joint.

For more than two decades Korean-American-owned Mark's Kitchen has straddled a similar divide, but on larger, cheerier, and better-ventilated premises. To accompany acorn squash ($9.95), stuffed with barley, spinach, red pepper, spring onion, and mushroom, sweet tea served me just fine. If I'd ordered the steak-and-kimchi omelet, however, I would have missed the sole legacy item on the Mill's menu; Mark's doesn't make a lime rickey.

Also shown: a gingerbread sundae ($5.95). The ice cream and the candied topping are ginger-flavored, too.

Mark's Kitchen
7006 Carroll Ave., Takoma Park, Maryland
301-270-1884
www.MarksKitchen.com

Food-Friendly Events, May 17-24

2012-05-17T10:00:00-04:00

TechMunch NYC
Friday, May 18, 9:00-7:00
Astor Center, 399 Lafayette St. (at East 4th St.), Manhattan
www.TMNYC12-esearch.eventbrite.com/?srnk=44
Tickets: bloggers, $150; PR/marketing types, $200

New Taste of the Upper West Side: Comfort Classics
Friday, May 18, 7:00-10:00
Columbus Ave. between 76th and 77th Sts., Manhattan
www.NewTasteUWS.com/comfort.html
Tickets: $95; ages 21 and over only; a portion of proceeds benefits Citymeals-on-Wheels

Ukrainian Festival
Friday, May 18, 4:00-11:00; Saturday, 11:00-11:00; Sunday, 1:00-5:00
East 7th St. between Second and Third Aves., Manhattan
www.Brama.com/stgeorge/#events
Previously: www.EatingInTranslation.com/2011/05/st_georges_dess.html
Free admission

Ethnic Festival of El Barrio
Saturday, May 19, 11:00-5:00
East 104th St. between Second and Third Aves., Manhattan
www.UnionSettlement.org
Free admission

Ye Olde Village Fair
Saturday, May 19, 11:00-4:00
Vicinity of Bedford and Barrow Sts., Manhattan
www.BBCBlockAssociation.wordpress.com
This event is more about crafts, accented by a few food vendors from far and wide: www.EatingInTranslation.com/2007/05/smiling_hill_fa.html
Free admission

Taste of Tribeca
Saturday, May 19, 11:30-3:00
Vicinity of Duane and Greenwich Sts., Manhattan
www.TasteOfTribeca.org
Tickets: $45 advance, $50 day of; proceeds benefit a pair of New York public schools

Turkish Day Parade and Festival
Saturday, May 19, 11:00-???
Parade proceeds down Madison Ave. from 56th St., then east to the festival site at Dag Hammarskjold Park, 47th St. between Second and First Aves., Manhattan
www.PRlog.org/11873852
Free admission

Viking Festival
Saturday, May 19, noon-5:00
Owl's Head Park, Colonial Ave. at 68th St., Bay Ridge, Brooklyn
www.May17ParadeNY.com/Events.html
Lighter on food than on atmosphere
Free admission

Uncorked!
Saturday, May 19, noon-4:00
Historic Richmond Town, 441 Clarke Ave. (at St. Patrick's Pl.), Staten Island
www.HistoricRichmondTown.org/events/details/843-uncorked%202012
Admission: adults, $30; children ages 12 and under, $10

Asian-American Heritage Celebration
Saturday, May 19, noon-6:00
Kensico Dam Plaza, Bronx River Parkway, Valhalla, New York
www3.WestchesterGov.com/news/2713-upcoming-heritage-festivals-next-in-series
Free admission

Slideluck Bikeshow
Saturday, May 19, 6:00-10:00
Hosteling International, 891 Amsterdam Ave. (103rd-104th Sts.), Manhattan
http://network.SlideluckPotshow.com/events/bikeshow
Tickets: $10

New Taste of the Upper West Side: Best of the West
Saturday, May 19, 7:00-9:30
Columbus Ave. between 76th and 77th Sts., Manhattan
www.NewTasteUWS.com/best.html
Tickets: $125; ages 21 and over only; a portion of proceeds benefits Citymeals-on-Wheels

Ninth Avenue International Food Festival
Saturday and Sunday, May 19 and 20, noon-5:00
Ninth Avenue between 42nd and 57th Sts., Manhattan
www.NinthAvenueFoodFestival.com
Free admission

Indonesian food bazaar
Sunday, May 20, 10:00ish-4:00
Outside the Al-Hikmah Mosque, 48-01 31st Ave. (at 48th St.), Astoria, Queens
Previously: www.EatingInTranslation.com/2011/05/indonesian-food.html
Free admission

Buddha's Light "Three Acts of Goodness" Festival
Sunday, May 20, 10:30-3:00
Fo Guang Shan Buddhist Temple of New York, 154-37 Barclay Ave. (at 156th St.), Murray Hill, Queens
www.FGSNY.org/english/events.html
Free admission

Murray Hill Street Festival
Sunday, May 20, 11:00-6:00
Park Ave. between 34th and 40th Sts., Manhattan
www.MurrayHillNYC.org/photos/Events/MH_Festivalrev.pdf
Free admission

New York Street Ramen Contest
Sunday, May 20, 1:00-4:00
Park Ave. between 39th and 40th Sts. (one block of the Murray Hill Street Festival), Manhattan
www.NYRamen.org
Free admission

Drums Along the Hudson Native American Festival
Sunday, May 20, 11:00-6:00
Inwood Hill Park at 218th St., Manhattan
www.DrumsAlongTheHudson.org
Previously: www.EatingInTranslation.com/2008/05/drums-along-the.html
Free admission

Bronx Food and Arts Festival
Sunday, May 20, noon-5:00ish
Mosholu Pkwy. North near Hull Ave., Bronx
www.ILoveTheBronx.com/content/bronx-food-arts-festival
Previously: www.EatingInTranslation.com/2008/06/bronx-food-and.html
Free admission

Park Slope Fifth Avenue Festival
Sunday, May 20, noon-6:00
Fifth Ave. between 12th and Sterling Sts., Park Slope, Brooklyn
www.ParkSlopeFifthAvenueBID.com/news/infivemoredays
Free admission

Seventeenth of May Parade
Sunday, May 20, beginning at 1:30
From Third Ave. and 86th St., Bay Ridge, Brooklyn, up to and along Leif Erickson Park, at 67th St.
www.May17ParadeNY.com
Previously: www.EatingInTranslation.com/2007/05/norwegian_refre.html
Free admission

Pray, Love, and Especially Eat
Tuesday, May 22, 7:00-???
New York Public Library, Fifth Ave. at 42nd St., Manhattan
www.NYPL.org/events/programs/2012/05/22/home-range-conversation-elizabeth-gilbert
Tickets: general admission, $25; seniors and students with valid I.D., $15

New York City Brewers Guild Founders Bash
Tuesday, May 22, 7:00-10:00
Brooklyn Brewery, 79 North 11th St. (Wythe Ave.-Berry St.), Williamsburg, Brooklyn
www.BrooklynBrewery.com/blog/event/new-york-city-brewers-guild-founders-bash
Tickets: $75; ages 21 and over only
Via Edible Brooklyn

Pickling at Home
Thursday, May 24, 6:00-???
Horticultural Society of New York, 148 West 37th St. (Fifth-Sixth Aves.), Manhattan
www.TheHort.org/programs_workshops_ talks_tours.html#pickles2012
Workshop fee: $35, reduced for HSNY members; RSVP to Info@TheHort.org

Sold out: The Great GoogaMooga, May 19-20 (except for VIP tickets); Pinch Tail, Suck Head, May 23

Call for entries: The Great Hot Dog Cookoff, signups close June 7

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, the 92nd St. Y, 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: 5 Boro PicNY, May 26-27; Crawfish Boil for a Song, May 26-27; Chocolate Fest, June 3; Taste of LIC, June 5; Lobster Roll Rumble, June 7; Sunset Bhangra, June 7

Passport to Taiwan

2012-05-16T15:00:00-04:00

The volunteer-staffed food stalls at this annual event, which also features arts and crafts and live performances, serve a number of dishes dear to the heart of the local Taiwanese community. This traditional glutinous rice delicacy, dressed with syrup and crushed peanut, had been prepared in advance; it's even more toothsome when plucked from a still-warm pot and enjoyed in the cool night air.

Also from the sweet side of the menu: vanilla ice cream, with peanut and cilantro, enfolded in a spring-roll wrapper. See that treat, and other menu items from festivals past, in the slideshow.

Passport to Taiwan
Union Square
www.P2Tw.org
May (the 2012 festival was held May 13)

Relax

2012-05-15T10:00:00-04:00

This Polish diner was newish when Irene Sax profiled it for her Eats Beat column in 1997, and, except for the addition of a flatscreen television, little seems to have changed with the years. It's a walk-down, well-maintained if somewhat dim and drab, with an unhurried air. On the day I visited, several couples and families had made it their destination for a late-afternoon meal.

Most were digging into plates as well-loaded as mine. While heavy, fatty soul food is in retreat at many Manhattan establishments — today often it co-stars with lighter fare — here in Greenpoint the Polish equivalent has hunkered down as resolutely as the decor. The sauerkraut that accompanied my pork hock dinner ($7.75) contained mushrooms as well as bits of fried kielbasa. Potatoes, alas, were dry.

Relax
68 Newell St. (Nassau-Driggs Aves.), Greenpoint, Brooklyn
718-389-1665

Fruit stand

2012-05-15T09:30:00-04:00

Wax jambu ($5) is a member of the Myrtle family; rose apple, wax apple, water apple, Java apple, and bell fruit are colloquial names for multiple species. When I've tried these in Bangkok, Xiamen, and Taipei, they've generally been crisp, and moist if not juicy, but to me the sweetness is almost a trick of the mind; it's more a lack of any balancing tartness.

These Florida-raised specimens don't have the vibrant hue, be it rosy or golden, of the fruits I've enjoyed in the past, and the flavor is correspondingly pale. Perhaps they're not quite ripe.

First noted on Chowhound's regularly updated Chinatown fruit report

Fruit stand
Canal St. near the southeast corner with Mulberry St., Manhattan

Buckley's Self-Service Market

2012-05-14T10:00:00-04:00

Until the early 20th century, grocery stores weren't self-service; customers would provide their shopping lists to a clerk, who would gather the goods. When Buckley's first opened its doors, the business model must still have been novel enough to receive second billing. That, and the typefaces, suggest the 1920s, or perhaps the early 1930s, when this much more ambitious self-service store whirred into action.

Buckley's Self-Service Market
251 Nassau Ave. (Monitor St.-Kingsland Ave.), Greenpoint, Brooklyn

Sunview Luncheonette

2012-05-14T09:30:00-04:00

Opened 1963, closed 2008. Here's Greenpoint has additional photos, as well as rumors of a possible restoration.

Sunview Luncheonette
Surviving signage (and interior), 221 Nassau Ave. (at Russell St.), Greenpoint, Brooklyn

Cup & Saucer

2012-05-13T10:30:00-04:00

Western omelet, home fries, rye toast ($8.50). The featured item, made of beaten egg studded with ham, onion, and green bell pepper, is also known as a Denver omelet, though apparently only out West. Barry Popik's entertaining and informative website The Big Apple has a little to say about the etymology and much more about the omelet's appearances in sandwich form.

Cup & Saucer
85 Canal St. (at Eldridge St.), Manhattan
212-925-3298

Moishe's Kosher Bakery

2012-05-13T10:00:00-04:00

This stiff, dense, deeply cupped hamentash ($2) had a raspberry filling; apricot, poppy, and prune were also available.

Moishe's Kosher Bakery
504 Grand St. (at East Broadway), Manhattan
212-673-5832
Closed Friday afternoon and all day Saturday

Taro cake vendor

2012-05-12T10:00:00-04:00

This young gal sold zhongzi, too, but it was her yutou gao ($2) that attracted attention from the moment she set out her wares. The body of this steamed "cake" is composed of rice flour and taro (or, elsewhere, yam); the top is dressed with dried shrimp, sausage, peanut, and spring onion. Ideally you'd enjoy your yutou gao immediately after it had been steamed; it can also be eaten cold or panfried just before serving. A little chili sauce never hurts.

Unlike the older lady I've referred to as a streetside "small eats" vendor, and who is a semi-regular along the Grand St. stoopline, this younger lady has appeared just once that I've seen.

Taro cake vendor
Grand St. (Elizabeth St.-Bowery, south side), Manhattan

51 East Broadway Market

2012-05-11T10:00:00-04:00

The aroma is familiar in Taipei and Fuzhou, and on East Broadway, too. Outside the market, beside the produce display, wave aside the steam to spot these still-warm peanuts ($3 per pound). A $1 bag is plenty, even for sharing.

51 East Broadway Market
51 East Broadway (Catherine-Market Sts.), Manhattan
212-374-9477

Food-Friendly Events, May 10-17

2012-05-10T10:00:00-04:00

Small-Space Container Gardens
Thursday, May 10, 6:00-???
Horticultural Society of New York, 148 West 37th St. (Fifth-Sixth Aves.), Manhattan
www.TheHort.org/programs_workshops_ talks_tours.html#smallspace
Free admission; RSVP to Info@TheHort.org

Grand Gourmet: The Flavor of Midtown
Thursday, May 10, 7:00-9:30
Vanderbilt Hall, Grand Central Terminal, Manhattan
www.GrandCentralPartnership.org/things-to-do/grand-gourmet
Tickets: $100; proceeds benefit the Grand Central Neighborhood Social Services Corporation

Build Your Own Bitters
Thursday, May 10, 8:30-10:00
The Meadow, 523 Hudson St. (West 10th-Charles Sts.), Manhattan
www.AtTheMeadow.com/shop/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=69_132&products_id=1571
Tickets: $45; ages 21 and over only

Borrowed Prey
Performances continue through May 13, various times
Dickson's Farmstand Meats, Chelsea Market, 75 Ninth Ave. (15th-16th Sts.), Manhattan
www.CarrieAhern.com
Tickets: $25 and up

The Manhattan Cocktail Classic
Friday, May 11, through Tuesday, May 15, various times
Various locations
www.ManhattanCocktailClassic.com
Ticket prices vary by event; ages 21 and over only

Brooklyn Food Conference
Saturday, May 12, 9:00-6:00
Brooklyn Technical High School, 29 Fort Greene Pl. (at Dekalb Ave.), Fort Greene, Brooklyn
www.BKFoodConference.org
Free admission

Agricultural Tour of the Bronx
Saturday, May 12, 9:00-3:00
Various locations; tour will pick up at the New York Visitors and Conventions Bureau, 810 Seventh Ave. (at 52nd St.), Manhattan
www.ILoveTheBronx.com/content/second-agricultural-tour-bronx
Admission: $20; register by calling 718-817-8026 or emailing BronxFoodSummit@gmail.com

Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Festival
Saturday, May 12, 11:00-5:00
Water St. at Anchorage Pl., Dumbo, Brooklyn
www.CAPAOnline.org/press
Previously: www.EatingInTranslation.com/2009/05/asian-pacific-a.html
Free admission

Fair @ the Square
Saturday, May 12, 11:00-6:00
Westchester Square (Westchester-St. Raymond Aves.), Bronx
www.BronxArts.org/fairatthesquare.asp
Participating local restaurants includes Bronx Grill, Caridad, Havana Cafe
Free admission

Contorted Mongolia
Saturday, May 12, 1:00-???
Jimmy's No. 43, 43 East 7th St. (Second-Third Aves.), Manhattan
www.UnitedNationsOfFood.com/2012/04/contorted-mongolia-fundraiser-with-mongolian-food-and-performances
Suggested donation: $35; proceeds benefit a young Mongolian circus performer; reservations, by calling 202-489-2731 or emailing UnitedNationsOfFood@gmail.com, strongly recommended

Pierogi Party
Saturday, May 12, 2:00-6:00
136 Lawrence St. (at Willoughby St.), Brooklyn
www.LuckyGallery.com/category/lucky-events/2012_events
Donation: $10-$20; proceeds benefit Lucky Gallery’s first international exhibition and performances in Berlin

Japan Day @ Central Park
Sunday, May 13; activity tents open 9:30, food tents, 11:30
Vicinity of Naumburg Bandshell, Central Park (enter at Fifth Ave. and 69th St.), Manhattan
www.JapanDayNYC.org
Free admission

Gourmet Food Truck Bazaar
Sunday, May 13, 11:00-5:00
Hell's Kitchen Flea Market, 39th St. at Ninth Ave., Manhattan
www.HellsKitchenFleaMarket.com/home/?p=659
Free admission

Passport to Taiwan
Sunday, May 13, noon-5:00
Union Square North, 17th St. at Broadway, Manhattan
www.P2Tw.org
Previously: www.EatingInTranslation.com/2010/06/passport-to-taiwan.html
Free admission

Cinco de Mayo Festival
Sunday, May 13, 10:00-6:00
Flushing Meadows Corona Park (near the Unisphere), Queens
www.VoicesOfNY.org/2012/04/not-just-for-mexicans-cinco-de-mayo-festival-seeks-to-unite-latinos
Previously: www.EatingInTranslation.com/2008/05/cinco-de-mayo-f.html
Free admission

Fast Food and Junk Food
Monday, May 14, 6:30-8:30
Mid-Manhattan Library, 455 Fifth Ave. (at 40th St.), Manhattan
www.NYPL.org/events/programs/2012/05/14/author-library-presents-fast-food-and-junk-food-encyclopedia-what-we-love
Free admission

The Flavor Lab
Tuesday, May 15, 7:00-???
French Institute Alliance Francaise, 22 East 60th St. (Fifth-Sixth Aves.), Manhattan
www.FIAF.org/events/spring2012/2012-05-15-flavor-lab.shtml
Tickets: general admission, $45; FIAF members, $35

Beard on Books: Hugh Acheson
Wednesday, May 16, noon-???
The Beard House, 167 West 12th St. (Sixth-Seventh Aves.), Manhattan
www.JamesBeard.org/events/beard-books-051612
Suggested donation: $20 for nonstudents; reserve seats by calling 212-627-2308

Call for entries: The Great Hot Dog Cookoff, signups close June 7

Ongoing: Smorgasburg, Saturdays; Hester Street Fair, Saturdays; Red Hook Food Vendors, Saturdays and Sundays; Brooklyn Flea, Saturdays and Sundays; New Amsterdam Market, Sundays; Dekalb Market, daily; Mad. Sq. Eats, daily through June 1; New York Greenmarkets, various days; Community Markets, various days

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, the 92nd St. Y, 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: TechMunch, May 18; New Taste of the Upper West Side, May 18-19; Taste of Tribeca, May 19; Slideluck Bikeshow, May 19; The Great GoogaMooga, May 19-20; Home on the Range, May 22; Pinch Tail, Suck Head, May 23; 5 Boro PicNY, May 26-27; Crawfish Boil for a Song, May 26-27; Taste of LIC, June 5; Lobster Roll Rumble, June 7; Sunset Bhangra, June 7

El Guerrero Deli Grocery

2012-05-09T15:30:00-04:00

Soft drinks bottled under the Jarritos brand are widely available in the United States as well as Mexico, in flavors whose names are translated very directly, with one exception: Mexican cola (370 ml., $1.50). Evidently this is meant to signal authenticity-seeking North-of-the-border soda drinkers that the sweetener is cane sugar and not high fructose corn syrup (the ingredients label confirms). I can't imagine that in the Jarritos hometown of Jalisco one would ask for a "Mexican" cola, but I haven't found a Spanish-only label to support that supposition.

El Guerrero Deli Grocery
448 East 138th St. (Willis Ave.-Brown Pl.), Mott Haven, Bronx
718-401-1337

Old Coke, New Stella

2012-05-09T14:30:00-04:00

West Broadway at Grand St., Manhattan

Doma Na Rohu

2012-05-08T14:00:00-04:00

Grandma slices.

In the Czech language, "babička" (bah-Beech-kah) doesn't denote any one menu item; it simply means "grandmother." At Doma Na Rohu the gently Anglicized spelling, babicka ($10), is bestowed on French toast plumped with cream cheese, "like Grandma Ruth made it." To enjoy hers, I'll bet, you couldn't be a slugabed, but at Doma, breakfast or brunch is served every day till late afternoon.

Also seen, nearby, and shown below: a workaround for "post no bills" policies.

Doma Na Rohu
27 1/2 Morton St. (at Seventh Ave. South), Manhattan
212-929-4339
www.DomaNYC.com

Bari Restaurant & Pizza Equipment

2012-05-08T09:00:00-04:00

Typography recapitulates availability of equipment for Chinese restaurants and American bake shops. The Italian lettering does taper slightly, to less dramatic effect.

Bari Restaurant & Pizza Equipment
240 Bowery (Prince-East Houston Sts.), Manhattan
212-925-3845
www.BariEquipment.com

Prima

2012-05-07T11:00:00-04:00

Very fresh seafood is the order of the day.

Showcasing it to good effect, seasoning is sparing. Fish entrees are offered with a choice of sauces on the side but are better undressed; even on the superbly flaky hake sandwich, you'll do well to go easy with the housemade tartar sauce. Raw bar items, which can be dear when purchased a la carte, are a good value as a tasting platter for the table.

Atypical of many raw-bar combos, you'll encounter not only crustacea and bivalvia but also univalvia — snails, for short — presented with pushpins and toothpicks with which you twist free the meat. Below, beside a bowlful of marble-size periwinkles, are a quartet of English whelks. Compared with the channeled whelks you may espy in Chinatown markets, this species is much less common in New York waters (Prima's, I believe, come from Maine), and the meat is more tender. Also shown, above: meltingly fresh mackerel ceviche.

Prima
58 East 1st St. (First-Second Aves.), Manhattan
646-559-4823
www.PrimaNYC.net

Hai Zhun Zhu

2012-05-07T10:00:00-04:00

This stall offers a short lineup of seafood to be mixed and matched with your choice of seasonings.

In the company of salad and rice, softshell crab ($8.50) is shown "Hong Kong style," a preparation that seems to rely on salt and pepper. Apparently most menu items are kept on ice, but the lobsters ($14) are lively enough.

Hai Zhun Zhu
New World Mall Food Court, stall 5
136-20 Roosevelt Ave. (Main-Union Sts.), Flushing, Queens
718-886-5868

West Side Market

2012-05-06T10:00:00-04:00

If you like balut, here you can buy 'em in bulk ($1.50, or three for $4); these were commercially produced at a Pennsylvania farm. If you don't care for fertilized, unhatched, cooked duck eggs, likely you also won't care for the photo that follows.

Once you're cracked through the thick shell, peeled away the membrane, and poured off (or sipped off) the liquid, what remains is a yolk that tastes like yolk and an unhatchling of irregular texture, in the vicinity of firm and chewy. If you didn't know, you probably wouldn't peg the flavor as duck.

West Side Market
512 West Side Ave. (Union St.-Clendenny Ave.), Jersey City
201-860-9280

Corte & Co.

2012-05-05T15:00:00-04:00

(This venue is closed.) The building, reportedly erected in 1900, seems to have been vacant for some time.

Corte & Co.
Surviving signage at 414-416 Hoboken Ave. (at Central Ave.), Jersey City

Orwasher's Bakery

2012-05-04T16:30:00-04:00

A full loaf of this massive "levain locale" would tip the scales at more than six pounds.

My wedge (about a pound, $5) provided the armature for not a few sandwiches, though I confess to eating several slices straight up. The levain — a limited edition for the New Amsterdam Market, risen through "100 percent natural fermentation" and "no yeast" — had a rapturous sour flavor.

Previously: seeded corn rye; hot cross buns.

Orwasher's Bakery
308 East 78th St. (First-Second Aves.), Manhattan
212-288-6569

Food-Friendly Events, May 3-10

2012-05-03T10:30:00-04:00

Food Fight! A Close Look at the 2012 Farm Bill
Thursday, May 3, 4:00-6:00
Elmer Holmes Bobst Library, New York University, 70 Washington Square South (at LaGuardia Pl.), Manhattan
www.NYU.edu
Suggested donation: $10; reserve your seat with an email to RSVP.Bobst@nyu.edu

Adventures in the Global Kitchen: Tequila and Chilies
Thursday, May 3, 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/Tequila-and-Chilies
Tickets: $30

Borrowed Prey
Performances continue on various dates through May 13
Dickson's Farmstand Meats, Chelsea Market, 75 Ninth Ave. (15th-16th Sts.), Manhattan
www.carrieahern.com
Tickets: $25 and up

Introduction to Rooftop Urban Agriculture
Friday, May 4, 8:30-noon
Horticultural Society of New York, 148 West 37th St. (Fifth-Sixth Aves.), Manhattan
www.cvent.com/events/introduction-to-rooftop-urban-agriculture-new-york/event-summary-573a9c686d0a49cc9dddae6e9c015563.aspx
Tuition: HSNY and Green Roofs for Healthy Cities members, $175; non-members, $199; optional tour and lunch afterward at Brooklyn Grange, $40

Umami Festival: Cooking-Art Challenge
Friday, May 4, 6:30-8:30
The Brooklyn Kitchen, 100 Frost St. (at Meeker Ave.), Williamsburg, Brooklyn
www.TheBrooklynKitchen.com/web-store/index.php?product=5-04+Umami+Festival
Tickets: $15

Mad. Sq. Eats
Opening day: Friday, May 4, 11:00-9:00; daily through June 1
Worth Sq., near Fifth Ave. and 24th St., Manhattan
www.MadisonSquarePark.org/news/blog/mad-sq-eats-is-back-and-were-hungry
Free admission

Food Book Fair
Friday, May 4, 8:45-7:00; Saturday, 8:45-9:00; Sunday, 9:00-6:30
Wythe Hotel, 80 Wythe Ave. (at North 11th St.), Williamsburg, Brooklyn
www.FoodBookFair.com
Tickets: per panel, $15; one-day pass, $65; three-day pass, $215

Romania Day Festival
Saturday, May 5, 11:00-6:00
Broadway near Bowling Green, Manhattan
www.RomaniaBroadway.com/en
Previously: www.EatingInTranslation.com/2009/05/romania-day-festival.html
Free admission

Mex Fest on the Seaport
Saturday, May 5, noon-7:00, rain or shine
South Street Seaport, Manhattan
www.MexFestNYC.com
Free admission

Beyond Takeout: A Culinary History of Chinatown
Saturday, May 5, 2:00-???
Tours begin at the Museum of Chinese in America, 215 Centre St. (Grand-Howard Sts.), Manhattan
www.yp.MOCAnyc.org/events?type=upcoming
Tickets: general admission, $30; MOCA members, $25

Fiesta Queens
Saturday, May 5, noon-6:00
Corona Plaza, Roosevelt Ave. at 103rd St., Corona, Queens
www.FiestaQueens.com
Free admission

Where the Wild Beers Are
Saturday, May 5, 1:00-5:00
The Gutter, 200 North 14th St. (Berry-Wythe Aves.), Williamsburg, Brooklyn
www.WhereTheWildBeersAre.com
Admission: bring a commercially made sour/wild beer to share, and $10; online registration required; ages 21 and over only

4th Street Arts Chili Cook-Off
Saturday, May 5, 1:30-6:00; rain date May 6
4th Street Arts, 371 4th St. (at Newark Ave.), Jersey City
www.BrownPaperTickets.com/event/244239
Previously: www.EatingInTranslation.com/2010/02/4th-street-arts-chili-cookoff.html
Admission: $5, or $25 for advance-purchase, hour-early VIP entry

Ramp Fest Hudson
Saturday, May 5, noon-4:00
Basilica Hudson, 110 South Front St., Hudson, New York
www.RampFestHudson.com
Tickets: adults, $20; kids under 12, $10

Gowanus County Fair
Saturday and Sunday, May 5 and 6, 11:00-6:00
The Brooklyn Lyceum, 227 Fourth Ave. (at President St.), Gowanus, Brooklyn
www.LyceumMarkets.com
Free admission

Cinco de Mayo Festival
Sunday, May 6, 10:00-5:00, rain or shine
East 116th St. between Lexington and Second Aves., Manhattan
www.Eventbrite.com/event/3301981315/eorg
Previously, a related festival from the same organizers at the same location: www.EatingInTranslation.com/2007/09/mexican-indepen.html
Free admission

International Meats Local
Sunday, May 6, 12:30-2:30
New Amsterdam Market, South St. between Beekman St. and Peck Slip, Manhattan
www.InternationalMeatsLocal.eventbrite.com
Tickets: $20, or $30 for hour-earlier VIP admission

Celebrate Queens Farm!
Sunday, May 6, 11:00-4:00
Queens County Farm Museum, 73-50 Little Neck Parkway, Floral Park, New York
www.QueensFarm.org/events.html
Admission: $5

Historic Richmond Town/1819 Guyon Tavern Tour and Lunch
Sunday, May 6, 11:00-5:00
Historic Richmond Town, 441 Clarke Ave. (at St. Patrick's Pl.), Staten Island
www.BrownPaperTickets.com/event/241605
Tickets: adults, $55; Les Dames d'Escoffier members, $50; mature young adults 10 and older, $25

Hofstra Dutch Festival
Sunday, May 6, 11:00-5:00, rain or shine
Hofstra University, South Campus, Hempstead, New York
www.Hofstra.edu/Community/Fest/Fest_dutch.html
Admission: adults, $6; seniors, $4; children under 12 and Hofstra students, faculty, and staff, free

Introduction to Artisan Salts
Wednesday, May 9, 8:30-10:00
The Meadow, 523 Hudson St. (West 10th-Charles Sts.), Manhattan
www.AtTheMeadow.com/shop/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=69_132&products_id=1572
Tickets: $25

Small-Space Container Gardens
Thursday, May 10, 6:00-???
Horticultural Society of New York, 148 West 37th St. (Fifth-Sixth Aves.), Manhattan
www.TheHort.org/programs_workshops_talks_tours.html#smallspace
Free admission; RSVP to Info@TheHort.org

Grand Gourmet: The Flavor of Midtown
Thursday, May 10, 7:00-9:30
Vanderbilt Hall, Grand Central Terminal, Manhattan
www.GrandCentralPartnership.org/things-to-do/grand-gourmet
Tickets: $100

Sold out: Foodstock, May 5; LuckyRice Festival, continuing through May 6; Guactacular, May 6; Brooklyn Uncorked, May 9 (except for VIP tickets)

Ongoing: Smorgasburg, Saturdays; Hester Street Fair, Saturdays; Red Hook Food Vendors, Saturdays and Sundays; Brooklyn Flea, Saturdays and Sundays; New Amsterdam Market, Sundays; Dekalb Market, daily; Mad. Sq. Eats, daily, May 4-June 1; New York Greenmarkets, various days; Community Markets, various days

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, the 92nd St. Y, 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: The Manhattan Cocktail Classic, May 11-15; Contorted Mongolia, May 12; The Flavor Lab, May 15; TechMunch, May 18; Taste of Tribeca, May 19; Slideluck Bikeshow, May 19; The Great GoogaMooga, May 19-20; Home on the Range, May 22; Pinch Tail, Suck Head, May 23; 5 Boro PicNY, May 26-27; Crawfish Boil for a Song, May 26-27; Taste of LIC, June 5; Lobster Roll Rumble, June 7; Sunset Bhangra, June 7

Famous Cuisine

2012-05-02T11:00:00-04:00

Compared with a resplendent plate of lychee pork ($5), fried spare ribs with taro (likewise $5) were much less colorful but scarcely less sweet. This small, family-fun Fujianese storefront has already attracted a local following and deserves further investigation.

Famous Cuisine
4606 Eighth Ave. (46th-47th Sts.), Sunset Park, Brooklyn
718-853-8083

Boat House

2012-05-02T10:00:00-04:00

Though this Asian-Cajun restaurant appeared on my radar in January, I didn't make time to try it till a Chowhound observed that the menu matches that of Cal-Tex chain The Boiling Crab. I came at the menu sideways, testing the kitchen's skill with calamari ($9.99), which was underfried, and gumbo ($5.99), whose thin roux tasted of bouillon.

During my midafternoon lunch the restaurant was nearly deserted (it's open from 3:00 weekdays, noon weekends), but, later, through the window, I observed seafood bibs and metal buckets at more than one table. The "down n' dirty" seafood boils — choose a crustacean, a seasoning, and a spice level, mix and match as you please — are formulaic, but folks seemed to be having fun.

Boat House
4807 Eighth Ave. (48th-49th Sts.), Sunset Park, Brooklyn
718-633-5880

Handsome Hank's Fish Hut

2012-05-01T20:00:00-04:00

This tented enterprise offers a choice of three whiting sandwiches, as well as fish-and-chip and shrimp-and-chip combos. The Nguyener (roughly, "winner"; $8) was dressed with a not-very-Vietnamese "cole slaw and herb salad." But, boy, there's plenty of fried-just-right fish — more than enough to share, if only you can figure out how to divvy it up.

Handsome Hank's Fish Hut
At Smorgasburg, North 7th St. at the East River, Williamsburg, Brooklyn
Saturdays during the warmer months

Marshall's Smoked Fish

2012-05-01T19:30:00-04:00

Marshall's Smoked Fish
Surviving sign near Anthony St. and Morgan Ave., Williamsburg, Brooklyn

What's Eating In Translation?

2012-05-01T09:00:00-04:00

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.

Magasin Wells Diner (M. Wells)

2012-04-30T10:00:00-04:00

(This venue is closed while the owners prepare a new brick-and-mortar location.) Fois gras poutine ($10) from a guest appearance at Smorgasburg.

Previously: It may have been the only diner in town with a copy of the Larousse Gastronomique behind the counter. Did that stout maroon volume weigh in on the judicious addition of hot sauce to bacon, egg, and hash ($7), or the heft of potato in a tortilla Española ($4), or a fit number of blueberries to enliven peach upside-down cake (special, $3)? Possibly; je ne lis pas bien le français. The unprompted refills of my coffee ($1.50), however, were strictly old-school.

Magasin Wells Diner (M. Wells)
www.MWellsDiner.com

First Prize Pies

2012-04-30T09:00:00-04:00

My instinct on visiting a pie stand is to seek out what's seasonal, but the springtime rhubarb frangipane was outshone by this well-brûléed s'mores pie (slice, $4). It's firm enough to be finger food, just like the campfire favorite.

First Prize Pies
646-338-6812
www.FirstPrizePies.com
At Smorgasburg, North 7th St. at the East River, Williamsburg, Brooklyn
Saturdays during the warmer months

Bibi Caribbean Kitchen

2012-04-29T09:30:00-04:00

When prepared by a Guyanese baker, "pine tart" means pineapple tart ($1). When gently detached from a cookie sheet, still cooling on the stovetop, by Bibi — who also prepares a compact menu of savory chow — there's none better.

Bibi Caribbean Kitchen
114 Mallory Ave. (at Ege Ave.), Jersey City
201-433-5114

Blue Ribbon Cafe

2012-04-29T09:00:00-04:00

Despite the name, the baseball-sized, breadcrumb-dusted Filipino rolls called pan de sal tend a little more toward sweet than salty. This one features a common filling, corned beef ($1.50).

Blue Ribbon Cafe
195 Mallory Ave. (Clendenny-Lexington Aves.), Jersey City
201-938-0838