Atop a narrow stairway seemingly hidden in the Lower East Side rests a Japanese izakaya, a type of Japanese drinking establishment that also serves food to accompany the drinks, named Yopparai.  As if entering an apartment, with the buzz of a button this tranquil restaurant appears and you are quickly transported to Japan.  There are only 30 seats in this place, again resembling the tiny spaces in Tokyo, and sake is the name of the game.

However, my interest lies beyond the drinks and into the snacks that are meant to pair with the drinks.  Yopparai takes pride in using high-quality ingredients and an open grill, which only means I gotta try, I gotta try! The first dish pictured above is their Masu Tofu (升豆腐), chilled tofu served in a masu box with benito flakes, seaweed, and other condiments.  The tofu was silky smooth so you’ll definitely need the spoon.

The Uni (sea urchin) mixed with squid topped with seaweed was creamy and fresh tasting.  The squid provided an added layer of chewy texture, and was easily finished by everyone.

With a list of daily specials, the scallop is served in a shell with broth and a flame.  Yup, that is real flame on top of salt.  Sadly enough I can’t remember how this dish tasted, but was definitely memorable in its presentation.

The Chutoro (中トロ), fatty tuna, was like its name – fatty and melted in the mouth.

Grilled octopus, how can you go wrong?

The assortment of six oden (おでん盛合) was good though I found the broth to be a bit salty. Still, it was nice to be able to try out the various odens that had different textures.

There’s the Isobe Yaki Mochi (自家製磯辺焼), homemade pounded rice cake grilled with soy sauce, that had a great chewy texture but a bit salty for me.

How can you have yakitori without tsukune (名物自家製つくね) a.k.a. meatballs?  Here there was both the free-range chicken (地鶏つくね) and the washu beef (和州牛つくね).  Both good but on the salty side.

The Kakuni (黒豚の角煮), Kurobuta pork belly simmered in dashi broth, was extremely salty and I would highly recommend you eat it with some rice.

Where are the veggies?  No we did not forget that food group!  We got an assortment of grilled vegetables, which were perfectly charred.

Ochazuke (茶漬), dashi broth poured over rice, was served with cod roe.  It was light and tasty, standard rice with broth dish.

The Yaki Onigiri (名物関ヶ原たまりの焼おにぎり), crunchy rice ball grilled with Sekigahara soy sauce, was surprisingly salty and a bit hard to finish. It was served warm but had too much soy sauce to it.

Overall, Yopparai is a place that definitely needs its snacks paired with drinks.  Many of the dishes were too salty for me, but I did find that their seafood was very fresh.  Their sake is also undeniably good so I would definitely come here for its drinks.  It’s not an easy find and a small restaurant so I wouldn’t be surprised if you walk past the stairway a few times before finding it.  Happy drinking! Gan-bai!

Yopparai
151 Rivington St
New York, NY 10002
(212) 777-SAKE

Taken by Vivienne Gucwa

Despite the fact that Cinco De Mayo is a Mexican holiday, that doesn’t mean you can’t eat your heart out right?  Save some room for an eating tour being held by MOCA (Museum of Chinese America).  It’ll feature the food establishments in Chinatown that have made a mark on NYC’s food culture.  Did I also mention that there’s going to be a wine tasting to end off a great event?

 That’s right – take a look at the description and vendors that are participating:

“Reserve your spot here: https://mocanyc.obsres.com/Info.aspx?EventID=7

Every restaurant is a story.

There are stories of legacy: Chinatown’s sons and daughters who grow up to be entrepreneurs and restaurateurs. Stories of diversity: the flavors of China’s regional cuisines converging in New York City. And stories of evolution: a constant weaving between the classic and modern, the old and the new.

Join the Young Professionals of MOCA for “Beyond Takeout: A Culinary History Of Chinatown.”

A MOCA educator will lead you on a tour through Chinatown to learn about the past and ongoing histories of some of your favorite eateries. End the day at the Museum for a food and wine tasting while mingling with your fellow MOCA YPs, members, and friends.

Exclusive offers for tour participants in celebration of Asian American Heritage month:
- free admission to MOCA for the month of May
- a chance to enter a raffle for two tickets to the Museum’s First Annual Celebration of Community Heroes dinner on May 16 (total value: $300)
- the following establishments are offering a 10% discount from May 5 through May 31:

Hong Kong Station (45 Bayard Street and 45 Division Street)
Red Egg* (13 Doyers Street)
Nom Wah (202 Centre Street)
Quickly** (11 Pell Street)
Won Ton Garden (79 Mulberry Street)
Kung Fu Tea (234 Canal Street)
Harney & Sons (433 Broome Street)

*dine-in only and cannot be combined with any other offers or promotions (e.g. happy hour)
**tour participants will receive 20% off their Quickly purchase at the 11 Pell Street location

To take advantage of these offers, tour participants will be given a designated card during guest check-in on May 5 that they can present to the various business partners from May 5, 2012 through May 31, 2012.

Reserve your spot here: https://mocanyc.obsres.com/Info.aspx?EventID=7

If you haven’t noticed already, Taiwan is full of food and frankly I have too many pictures to show for it.  Because Taiwan is full of street stands, it’s hard to tell you where half of where these dishes are found.  Just know that this tiny island right next to China is truly a heaven for those who love food and want to be surrounded by it constantly.

And now…onto the food porn!

Typical breakfast – soy milk with fried culler.

Scallion pancake with egg. I really would like to eat this everyday for breakfast!

Tofu with cilantro and sauce. Light and tender.

Tomato beef noodle soup. Delicious…perfect for any occasion!

Minced pork with sauce noodles, right by Taiwan National University.  Very solid and hearty.

Hand-pulled pancake. It’s crispy and light, not oily, and perfect with some soup!

Oyster vermicelli noodles.

Rice ball stuffed with fried culler, pork, and pickled vegetables. SO good to eat in the mornings.

One of my most favorite noodles – yi mian. Every single time I go back, I MUST EAT THIS.

Taiwan has some nice pastries too!

Peanut milk shaved ice. It tastes like peanut butter!

Alright so I think I’ve made all of us hungry, but hopefully this just shows you how tasty Taiwan is so make sure you visit! If you do, let me know when you’re there so I can make some food recommendations!

This is the pan-fried duck breast spaghetti served with a cream sauce.  As a pasta fiend, it was actually acceptable as a pasta; the spaghetti was al dente and the duck breast helped with providing a savory flavor to the dish.

I got the scallop and crab meat spaghetti with olive oil, which is light and refreshing.  I didn’t really taste too much seafood, sadly enough, but it was lightly tossed with olive oil, tomatoes, and broccoli.  Always good to get those greens in!

 And now…onto DESSERT!

Pictured is the inside of the banana chocolate honey toast.  You can see that they hollow out this large piece of toast and fill it with deliciousness: vanilla ice cream, chocolate, cashews, sugar coated fried pieces of toast, and topped with whipped cream.  Of course you can’t forget the banana pieces on the side as well.  It’s a box of sweet toast intensity.

Yup, a close-up of that vanilla bean ice cream with cashews.  Delicious.

It is worth a trip to this place if: (1) you’re a huge dessert fiend, (2) willing to wait (even before opening time), and (3) willing to spend above average amount for a meal / dessert.

Dazzling Cafe Pink
台北市忠孝東路四段205巷7弄11號1樓
02-8773-9238
Facebook 

Nothing beats a really good bowl of ramen.  It is reliably good, soothing to the stomach and soul.  With the ramen crave in NYC still going strong, I think it’s important to think about – how much do we really love ramen?  Check out this infographic to see how much we consume, innovative ramen recipes, and interesting general facts!

Created by: Hack College

One of the places I must talk about is 天然紅豆腐, where I ate one of the best minced pork rice (滷肉飯) in my life.  The rice glistened as it was topped with marinated minced pork belly.  Not only did it have the perfect ratio of meat to fat, but it was perfectly salty and the red bits on the side gave it a slightly sweet flavor.  I quickly gobbled up my bowl and wished I had some more. Delicious.

They are also known for their pork blood soup (豬血湯).  Texture-wise it is not like anything you can get in New York; the pig’s blood pieces were soft and tender, paired with a clear soup that was seasoned with scallion made the soup easy to finish.

For those who are thinking about taking a trip to Taiwan, this is definitely a place I would recommend you go to for minced pork rice and pork blood soup.  You will not be disappointed.  In fact, you will want to bring friends and spread the joy of minced pork!

Plate of shumai and another type of steamed dumpling, all skewered.

Dumpling!

Oh yes, another dumpling! I guess it is easy finger food (quite literally).

They made sure the open bar was stocked by Absolut with special drinks.

Needless to say, everyone had a good time hearing the great music, eating these apps, and drinking tasty drinks! For more information about the Museum of Chinese Americas, check out the website: http://www.mocanyc.org/

Located by Lincoln Center, Gastroarte is a restaurant to immerse yourself into the world of art and food. With intricate paintings of a bull fighter and flamengo dancers on the walls, it is hard not to notice the Spanish influences that Jesus Nunez (the chef) has made upon this restaurant.

Note: All dishes shown are their tasting-sized portions.

Each table was given a few small starters to whet your appetite.  Pictured above were their croquetas – one filled with cheese and ham and the other made of squid ink. It was actually quite nice, not too fried or oily, and so easy to just pop them into your mouth.

I really enjoyed their version of patatas bravas, Patatas Braviolis, which are fried potato cubes with house bravioli sauce. The sauce was very well done – nice and spicy giving the petite potato cubes a nice kick.

Labeled their Savory Carrot “Cake” with mahón cheese, asparagus seemed like an interesting appetizer to try.  They said it was one of their most popular dishes and served as inspiration for their paintings and decor of a dining room section.  It was definitely unique (who makes savory carrot cakes?) and had a nice creamy texture to it.  The carrot flavor was just enough for you to know what it is, but had a completely different texture than the typical carrot crunch.

Their Beets And Goat Cheese Mosaic Salad was nicely cooked and cubed; the beets were soft and easy to eat.

The Red Tuna served with tomato and sherry sauce was delectable.  The tuna was cooked just right, a pinkish red in the middle and lightly seared on the outside.  I particularly liked the “sauce” or as I would like to say “broth” – it had the sweet tartness from the tomato and sherry.  I only wished my piece was slightly bigger so I could have more.

I ended off the meal with Warm Liquid, chocolate fritters served with various orange sauces and jellies.  I liked the dessert, especially since they used a dark chocolate that really worked with the slight bitterness and tartness of the orange sauces / jelly.

Gastoarte is a solid restaurant that cooks their food to perfection and plates it just as seriously.  Your plate is their canvas, and they look to bring your dining experience into another realm of artistry and deliciousness. You pay for this particular experience where entrees are upper $20s to $30s, but hey – it’s still cheaper than a painting.

Gastroarte
141 W. 69th St., nr. Broadway
http://gastroartenyc.com/ 

As a New Yorker, I believe one of your primary jobs is to know what “good” pizza tastes like. With all the options in the city, ranging from $1.00 slices to $18 personal pizza pies, where can you get that well-made delicious Neapolitan thin crust? Forcella with their new outpost in Manhattan, has provided this island with authentic Italian pizza worth digging your teeth into.

The main chef, Giulio Adriani, has honed his craft in making pizza in Naples, Italy and brought his skills to Williamsburg, and now Manhattan on 338 Bowery near Bond St.  Welcoming smells of freshly baked pizza pervade the restaurant as I entered, with their mosaic-oven that bakes up to 1000 degrees and churned out multiple pizza pies at once. I immediately eyed a pizza pie sitting on the counter.

Boy was this slice of margherita good; the thin crust was a perfect thickness and had a slight chewy texture, and the tomato sauce was sweet and tart, combined with their in-house fresh mozzarella and slightly charred basil made this pizza delectable and extremely enjoyable to eat.

Pictured above is their Montanara pizza, its dough was flash-fried for a slightly more puffy crust, and then baked in the oven again with mozzarella and sauce. Even though I didn’t get a chance to sample this, I am looking forward to revisiting and trying it out.

Forcella also offered a number of different antipastis, like the bruchetta with artichoke and tomato pictured above, and unique desserts – mainly their Pizza Alla Nutella, a pizza stuffed with Nutella and almonds. Delish!

Even though we may have a lot of pizzerias in Manhattan, Forcella is definitely a place to check out; their authentic Neapolitan pizzas and flash-fried pizzas will have you coming back for more.

Forcella
334 Bowery (at Bond St.)
(212) 466-3300
@forcellanyc

Last year I was lucky enough to be invited to attend YPX Gala, held by the Museum of Chinese in America, where I stuffed my face with food and drink (with a picture of the brownies offered above), and listened to some awesome music.

Looks like they’re having this event again and should be a great night of celebration and festivities! Information is listed below, and hopefully see you all there!

The Museum of Chinese in America & The Young Professionals of MOCA invite you to the second annual YPX Gala.

Celebrate community & cultural connections with an evening of entertainment and inspiration. 

YPX 2011: Celebrating ConneXions

11/03/11
Studio XXI
59 West 21st Street
7-11pm

• Kick-off of Digital MOCA, presented by David Liu, Co-Founder of TheKnot.com and the XO Group
• Class of 2011 M88 Honorees
• DJ, musical performances, and more

• open bar & dim sum 7-9pm
• cash bar from 9-11pm

• tickets purchased before 10/24: $50 for MOCA members, $60 for non-members
• tickets purchased after 10/24: $60 for MOCA members, $70 for non-members
• tickets purchased at the door: $88

Purchase tickets online at www.yp.mocanyc.org/ypx2011