The Archives

Athens, Greece, Quickies, Street Eats
Grapes at Monastiraki Square – Athens
05.31.11 | Permalink | 3 Comments

David and I thought we should eat some fruit to balance all the calorific foods we’ve been eating in Athens. At a fruit stand in Monastiraki Square doing very brisk business, I spied gorgeous, perfectly formed strawberries. David, however, thought I should buy red grapes while a man shopping next to me kept insisting I buy cherries. After much discussion between me, David, and the random dude, I ended up buying half a kilo of strawberries (€1.99/kilo; $2.84) and half a kilo of red grapes (€2.99/kilo; $4.27). The strawberries, while beautiful were a bit tart, but the grapes were juicy and very sweet. Does this mean I should listen to David more often? Probably not. MORE »
Leonia, Restaurants
Pork Belly Heaven at Todam – Leonia
05.23.11 | Permalink | 7 Comments

If my mom and I had our way, we would probably eat at Todam (토담) — a restaurant in Northern New Jersey specializing in samgyupsal (삼겹살, uncured pork belly) — more often. However, since my dad is trying to cut down on meat and David is anti-pork, we save the restaurant for special occasions. Last month it was a very special occasion, my mom’s birthday, and without a second’s hesitation I suggested Todam. My mom eagerly agreed as did the rest of the family. David and my dad had no choice but to come along for the porky ride. MORE »
FiDi, Outdoor Markets
Snapshots from New Amsterdam Market – NYC
05.20.11 | Permalink | 5 Comments

New Amsterdam Market won’t officially be back in business until June 5, but two Sundays ago, they kicked off the 2011 season with Floralia, a festival dedicated to Flora (the goddess of flowers and vegetation). Goddesses are cool and all, but I was more interested in the news of fried clam bellies at the market. Fried clam bellies (whole soft-shell clams) are one of my favorite foods of all time. Many summers ago, I used to go every weekend to a clam shack out in Stamford for fried clam bellies. Most people in Stamford waited for the local Dairy Queen to open for the season. Me? I was all about the clam shack. So May 1, as soon as we woke up, David, Romeo, and I set out on a mission to eat fried clam bellies. MORE »
Chinatown, Small Shops
Fried Vegetable Dumplings at Prosperity – NYC
05.13.11 | Permalink | 3 Comments

Quite frequently, I’m in the company of vegetarians. (Not sure why. ‘Tis my fate.) This past weekend, I was specifically in the company of one who wanted vegetarian dumplings in Chinatown. I didn’t think we’d have much luck at the usual Chinatown dumpling shops so we ended up at Buddha Bodai. Days later, I thought of looking at Prosperity Dumpling‘s menu online, and lo and behold, they make Vegetable Boiled Dumplings (8 for $2.50). Today, a little recon was in order. MORE »
LES, Restaurants
Cold Soba at Cocoron – NYC
05.11.11 | Permalink | 8 Comments

I don’t usually go out for soba since I make soba bibimguksu (비빔국수; spicy, cold noodles mixed with various vegetables, including kimchi) quite often at home. Sure, the noodles aren’t homemade, but it’s still pretty damn good. However, for lazy days when I just want to slurp with no fuss, I’ve become fond of Cocoron, the new soba joint run by the husband and wife team (Yoshihito Kida and Mika Ohie, respectively) who met working at Soba Totto. The buckwheat noodles are made in-house daily, but more than the noodles, I like Cocoron for the interesting toppings. MORE »