Happy Monday, loves! Today’s post is a blatant steal from one of my favorite food blogs on the internet, Luxirare. I guarantee this one photo is enough to make you spend an entire afternoon on the site itself. photo c/o Luxirare
Category Archives: Miscellaneous
Bon Weekend!
Hello friends,
The heat is old news, so I won’t bore you. But I will reiterate that my kitchen is a freaking sauna, hence my weekly diet of cheese, crackers, and sandwiches. And no, they were not interesting sandwiches. For a hot second yesterday I considered carrying the fixings into my AC’ed bedroom to put the sandwich together. It’s that bad.
A quick “happy weekend” post to let you know that:
a) there is exciting food truck news! Joyride Truck, featuring Portland’s own Stumptown coffee and other caffeinated treats, has been parked in midtown all week until the early afternoon.
b) you can now follow me on Twitter! I’ll be Tweeting, and Twittering, and Twitting, and you know… whatever… updates as they come on the blog, New York York deals, fun foodie finds around town, and much more. I’m jumping on the bandwagon, kiddies. There’s no going back now.
Filed under Miscellaneous, New York Restaurants
Speak Easy and Carry a Big Stick
I’m not one of those people who always knows the newest hidden bar or the most up-and-coming clubs and lounges, but I do like a good drink and I do like to ingest it in a bar that boasts a great atmosphere. I don’t feature many bars here on Food E. but this one is worth mentioning, so while I’m on an “I Love Queens” kick, I’ll share.
Not the most reputable neighborhood, eh?
Dutch Kills 27-24 Jackson Avenue, Long Island City, Queens, NY. Dutch Kills is owned by the same guys who own Milk and Honey and Painkiller in Manhattan. The bar is modeled after the speakeasies of the 1920s, so it’s “hidden” and it’s really word of mouth that gets people in the door. The cocktails are hand crafted and served with hand-cut blocks of ice (large chunks of ice melt slower in your drink), or candied ginger, or pickled cucumber, or another little bit of heaven you won’t find at your local Tonic. If you don’t see anything on their seasonal menu that tickles your fancy, you can tell the bartenders what types of drinks you usually enjoy and they’ll create something especially for you. You could veritably go to Dutch Kills every night and drink something new each time.
Not that I’ve tried or anything… I’m not alcoholic. I’m NOT.
Anyway… on my last visit I enjoyed a Gin Fizzie, which was perfect for the blistering heat. During the winter they make an incredible whiskey ginger with fresh ginger that’ll put hair on your chest. Unless you’re a lady. And then that’s just gross.
The interior is dimly lit, with dark mahogany surfaces, and an old school piano perched over saw dust in the back. If you’re ever wandering around the back alleys of Long Island City, try opening the door labeled “BAR.” You could get lucky.*
*Or you could get mugged. Make sure you’re opening the correct door, people.
Filed under Miscellaneous
The Beauty of Queens
One of the reasons I love my neighborhood in Queens so much is that there are hundreds of different types of cuisine at your fingertips, and all of them made authentically. One stretch of road offers Brazilian, Italian, Spanish, Mexican, Ecuadorian, and Indonesian. On Sunday I braved the heat with friends to explore an Indonesian food bazaar at the Masjid Al-Hikmah mosque in Astoria, Queens and had quite the incredible Sunday meal.
I would love to go into detail about the names and ingredients of all of the authentic dishes, but to tell you the truth… I’m short on details. When I asked what each dish was, the woman behind the counter took pity on my blatant white-ness and described things as “ground beef inside pastry dough” or “ground chicken in fried dough.” My favorite description was “vegetarian patty” with a shrimp head blatantly sticking out of the side. Exhibit A: “vegetarian patty”:
We indulged in ground chicken mixed with spices tucked inside thick crusty dough, ground beef and spices inside thin layers of pastry dough (my personal favorite), rice wrapped around ground beef cooked inside a banana leaf, banana cake inside of a banana leaf, shrimp crackers, and sticky rice made with coconut milk, rolled in shredded coconut topped with plum sauce.
Again, I wish I could tell you all of the authentic names of these dishes but be happy with that incredible picture. The Masjid Al-Hikmah mosque in Queens has these bazaars quite a bit so it’s worth checking back to their website to find out when the next one is. The food is authentic, incredible, and dirt cheap. My friends and I probably spent around $20 total and ate until we couldn’t see straight. Sunday Success.
Filed under Miscellaneous
Just a Taste
Dear friends, readers, loved ones, and all y’all in between:
I had a fabulous birthday and it was chock full of amazing treats. I started my day with a bowl of Irish Special K (it’s different, I swear!), received a pistachio cupcake and a brownie first thing in the morning at work, and continued to eat like a fiend all day long. I hoped to regale you with tales of amazing delicacies today but I am in a food coma and am in desperate need of sleep. Therefore I give you this. A teaser. The remnants of an unbelievable seafood meal, compliments of my dear friend Becca.
Tomorrow I’ll have a full report on the incredible restaurants and even more outstanding dishes that I enjoyed (serious recommendations coming!) but today, the day after my twenty-COUGH birthday, I am content knowing I did some serious damage.
Filed under Miscellaneous
The Most Special Day of the Year
Today is my birthday. Let’s just say I’m not shy about announcing it. Tomorrow I’ll have endless posts about delicious birthday meals, but today I’m just going to leave you with this, a birthday card that was sent to me by my dear friend Meredith.
Now that’s saying something.
Filed under Miscellaneous
O’er the Fruited Plains…
Happy Independence Day, America! This post is totally un-food realted but I am currently stuffing my face with burgers and summer corn right now if it’s any consolation to you.
And please listen to this. It brings tears to my eyes every time.
Filed under Miscellaneous
Lauren E. is a food writer and recipe tester living in New York City. She is a regular contributor to Yumm.com and has been featured on The Martha Stewart Show.