Have you tried the famous Ramen Burger or enjoyed a Mighty Quinn’s BBQ sandwich? If not, you need to head to Smorgasburg, a Brooklyn food market showcasing 100+ local and regional food vendors. What attracts so many people to Smorgasburg is the wide variety of food vendors. I can start with lumpia for an appetizer and end with a handcrafted ice cream sandwich for dessert. The possibilities are endless! Good news for those of you who love food and visiting Smorgasburg — this popular food market is expanding to Queens starting this Saturday. Smorgasburg crisscrossed the borough searching for as many exotic, ethnic and exciting vendors to represent Queens. My friend Joe DiStefano helped to organize the vendors and I must say, he’s done an excellent job. Joe is pictured below enjoying Papa’s Kitchen’s balut, which is a six-day-old fertilized duck egg. This Filipino vendor will also be offering a stingray sandwich at Smorgasburg. Joe definitely has quite the line up of vendors prepared for the first Smorgasburg in Queens. Lucky for me, I had the opportunity to attend a press event yesterday evening to sample a few of the vendors’ Smorgasburg offerings. Of course, I started the evening off with a Smorgasbeer, created by KelSo Beer Co. in Brooklyn. As the summer begins to get hotter, my cravings for lobster rolls get stronger. I tasted the lobster roll from Brine by Danny Brown, which is topped with tarragon-green-goddess dressing and duck confit. I’m sure this sandwich will be quite the hit at Smorgasburg in Queens. After my recent trip to Thailand, I’ve been craving traditional papaya salad. This is a common street food sold by many vendors throughout the country. QI, a popular Thai restaurant in Queens, satisfied my craving. Their papaya salad was handcrafted right in front of me and the chef even put in two peppers for some extra heat! Absolutely amazing. They will be serving Thai papaya salad, grilled chicken and sticky rice at Smorgasburg in Queens. I think it’s safe to say that the average person attending Smorgasburg probably hasn’t tried Georgian food. Marani Georgian Restaurant will be serving up a variety of favorites from Georgia like traditional meat dumplings, bean stew with pickled veggies,...
Read MoreMaple Leaf Farms at the Fancy Food Show
The Fancy Food Show is North America’s Largest Specialty Food and Beverage Event held annually in New York City. I had the pleasure of attending the show, which features 180,000 products including confections, cheese, coffee, snacks, spices, ethnic, natural, organic and more. There are 2,400 exhibitors from 50 countries and regions. Maple Leaf Farms is a family-owned company that has been creating duck products since 1958. Big thanks to Maple Leaf Farms for allowing me to attend the Fancy Food Show and #DiscoverDuck! I learned that Maple Leaf Farms raises White Pekin duck, which has a delicious, red meat flavor. Duck is also healthy because it is leaner and has less saturated fats than other meats. One of Maple Leaf Farms’ duck products that captures the attention of many people at the Fancy Food Show is their duck bacon. Yes, you heard that correctly! The duck bacon is applewood smoked and made exclusively with boneless duck breast meat. This thick cut bacon takes just a few minutes to crisp in a skillet or convection oven. Plus, duck bacon has 57% less fat and 26% less sodium than traditional pork bacon. Along with the duck bacon, Maple Leaf Farms is also sampling duck leg confit and duck quesadillas. All of their duck products are so delicious! If you’re in New York City and planning to attend the Fancy Food Show, make sure to swing by the Maple Leaf Farms booth. They are currently hosting a #DuckTat contest, which I happily participated in today. Maple Leaf Farms’ graphic designer created multiple temporary tattoos for attendees to wear. Of course, I picked the goofy duck wearing sunglasses! To participate in the contest, attendees pick up one of Maple Leaf Farms’ duck tattoos at the booth, apply it, then take a photo and upload it to social media through July 3rd. Attendees will have a chance to win a $100, $50 or $25 gift card. Check out my buddy Joe from Chopsticks and Marrow reppin’ his new #DuckTat at the Fancy Food Show! Although I’m absolutely stuffed from eating my weight in cheese, chocolate chip cookies, duck bacon and BBQ sauce, I’m happy I had the chance to experience New York...
Read MoreTop 4 Strangest Foods Eaten in the Philippines
Growing up in Charlotte, North Carolina didn’t exactly expose me to adventurous food. It wasn’t until my 20’s that I was given the opportunity to try pig anus and cod sperm sack. Seriously, I’m not lying — just attend a Blind Pig offal dinner and you’ll see. Although I’ve tried some obscure foods, eating through the Philippines is in a league of its own when it comes to “strange” foods. To my surprise, most were actually delicious! Please allow me to introduce you to the top four strangest foods I ate during my adventures in Cebu. Chicken Intestine Larsian sa Fuente is one of Cebu City’s most famous barbecue spots. Imagine 10 or more street food vendors set up around the perimeter of a paved lot with carts full of skewered raw meat and seafood. The massive grill sits in the middle of the food carts while Filipinos and tourists alike crowd around at tables, all using plastic gloves to eat barbecued meats with steamed rice. Eating at Larsian sa Fuente is an experience I’ll always remember because this was the first time I ever tried chicken intestine. I imagined intestine to be quite chewy but it wasn’t at all. The grill charred the ends of the intestine, which added a crisp texture as well as a delicious, smoky flavor. Plus, the ketchup based barbecue sauce was a nice addition. I’d definitely eat chicken intestine again. Balut For those of you who aren’t familiar with balut, it is a developing duck embryo (fertilized duck egg) that is boiled and eaten in the shell. Balut is commonly sold as street food in the Philippines and often served later in the evening. Although I was slightly terrified, I knew I had to try balut during my trip to Cebu. It was only appropriate for me to visit the street corner vendor who was selling balut out of his styrofoam cooler. After ordering the balut, we sat on the street and cracked open the top part of the egg. We poured a little vinegar inside the egg and began sucking out all of the juices, which was quite delicious. Once I started peeling back the egg shell, my stomach turned. Hidden inside...
Read MoreEmbarking on a Food Adventure in Thailand and Laos
I recently attended the Brooklyn Freelancers Summit and sat next to Alex, an inspiring woman who wants to become a full-time freelancer. I immediately told her, “Go for it!” Starting my own business and working for myself has changed my life. I’ve moved to a new city and worked with some of the most amazing clients. Following your passion is key — and mine just so happens to be food and drink. Traveling in Southeast Asia has been on the top of my travel bucket list for quite some time. A few months ago I sent out a tweet asking if anyone had any connections in Thailand or Laos. Patti from Raleigh’s Champa Thai and Sushi immediately responded. Before we knew it, plane tickets were booked and a food-filled adventure was planned in Thailand and Laos for May 2015. Oh, I failed to mention we had never met! Pretty gutsy, huh? Sometimes you just click with people. Patti and I enjoy sharing our love of Southern food with others. Although Patti is living in North Carolina, her roots and most family members are in Thailand. Our upcoming trip sparked the idea to work with North Carolina speciality food companies already being distributed internationally. Our goal would be to stir up the buzz on social media and to increase their awareness across the globe. I’m happy to announce that we will be working with Bone Suckin’ Sauce to develop recipes using their Original and Yaki sauces. Patti and I will be filming street food vendors in Thailand and Laos using Bone Suckin’ Sauce in traditional dishes. The recipes will be available following the trip on Bone Suckin’ Sauce’s website. Follow our adventures during the trip on social media by using #NoPlaceLikeBone. We are also working with Peggy Rose’s to sample their pepper jellies, habanero ketchup and champagne mustard at speciality grocery stores, restaurants and bars in Thailand and Laos. Follow Peggy Rose’s Facebook fan page and #RosesOnTheRoad for updates. As Buddha once said, “An idea that is developed and put into action is more important than an idea that exists only as an idea.” I’m a firm believer that an idea is never stupid. Talk about your ideas, no...
Read MoreReal Caribbean Food in Brooklyn’s Industry City
Industry City is an innovation and manufacturing district situated on the waterfront in Sunset Park, Brooklyn. The Industry City Food Court has a warehouse feel and boasts murals created by local artists along with exposed pipes and brick. The food court houses multiple vendors including eats from Blue Marble Ice Cream to Colson Patisserie. During my visit to the Industry City Food Court, I met the team who began Real Caribbean Food (ReCaFo). In 2011, David Wisdom emigrated to the United States from Jamaica. Along with his team and knowledge of taste, spices and original Jamaican cooking techniques, ReCaFo’s first location opened in Queens. This location was so successful that ReCaFo expanded operations to include a second location in Industry City. David’s goal is to increase awareness of Jamaican food by bringing ReCaFo locations to New York City that are lacking in ethnic food. ReCaFo is a fast-casual concept serving popular Jamaican dishes like jerk chicken and plantains, to lesser-known dishes like oxtail and curried goat. Jamaican cuisine typically focuses on meat, and ReCaFo also has a variety of chicken, pork, beef, goat and fish dishes, each prepared in a special style or sauce. ReCaFo also appeals to vegetarians by offering Jamaican twists to plant-based dishes like jerk tofu. During my visit to ReCaFo’s Industry City location, the oxtail dish was my favorite with tender meat simmered in a delicious brown stew. This entree was served with a side of plantains as well as coconut rice and peas. Visit ReCaFo in Queens or Industry City, and stay tuned as they plan to open a third location...
Read MoreRecipe: Kale and Sweet Potato Black Quinoa
Living in New York City is tough. Let’s face it, my kitchen counter space is limited and barely fits a cutting board. I’ve been developing recipes that don’t require a giant kitchen and are easy to make with ingredients you typically have in your pantry. I hope you enjoy this hearty and delicious Kale and Sweet Potato Black Quinoa recipe. I served this with pork chops for dinner and it was the perfect side dish. It’s also great reheated for a tasty lunch. Enjoy! Kale and Sweet Potato Black Quinoa 4 servings Ingredients 1 cup black quinoa 2 tablespoons olive oil 2 small sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 3/4-inch pieces 1 small yellow onion, diced 1 bunch kale, stems discarded and leaves torn into 2-inch pieces 1/2 teaspoon sea salt 1/2 teaspoon black pepper Directions Place the quinoa and 2 cups water in a small saucepan and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer, covered, until water is absorbed. This will take about 12 minutes. While preparing the quinoa, heat the oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add the sweet potatoes and onions. Cook, tossing occasionally, until the sweet potatoes are golden and beginning to soften. This will take about 5 minutes. Add the kale, sea salt and black pepper. Cook for about 10 minutes, tossing often, until the vegetables are tender. Combine vegetables with the cooked quinoa and serve immediately. Season with salt and pepper, if...
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