Another First I tried this semester was on 8th Ave in Brooklyn during our private group tour. It was Tofu with a sugar syrup. I’ve had tofu before but not like this and not with anything sweet. I’ve had it savory applications & it was very solid. In this dish the tofu was steamed in one of those rice cookers until it was like jello like and when you order it the woman would take some out and give you some syrup with it. It smelled almost like cooked white rice to me. When I tried it, i was taken back by the taste because the tofu had NO taste whatsoever by itself, but it was smooth and melted in my mouth like gelatin. I decided to try it with the syrup over it thinking it might be sweeter but the “sugar” syrup was even sweet and did nothing to enhance the flavor of the tofu. In general the whole thing was just tasteless and bland.
Author Archives: Shaun Harrilall
Soup Dumplings in Sunset Park, Brooklyn
Today for my International Cuisine class, my Chef decided that the class explore 8 Ave and go on a scavenger hunt to find great Dumplings. It was because of this that I tried Soup Dumplings for the first time. I didn’t know what they were but I was curious because I love regular dumplings so I decided to give them a try. The order came with 6 dumplings and as I bit into them a smooth broth came gushing out that lit up my taste buds. It was also filled with Pork and scallions that were very well seasoned, perfectly cooked and tender.The broth itself, the seasoning wasn’t great as it was a little too salty for my taste . dumplings wrapper was a bit too doughy which made it really chewy. All in all I loved the concept of the Soup dumplings and I would definitely try it again someplace else.
Olive Oil Chocolate- Mast Brothers
On October 16th when we visited Mast Brothers Chocolate in Williamsburg. When we took the tour, they had 4 different and unusual flavor of chocolate for the class to try. The one that stood out to me and I actually was most fond of was the Olive oil chocolate . This was actually my first time trying something like that but it wasn’t as bad as it sounds. When I tasted it, the sweetness of the chocolate was countered by a slight bitterness. The olive oil flavor was very subtle but it complemented the chocolate very well without being overpowering. The texture of the change chocolate was very smooth on the count of the coco butter they use to make it.
Fei Long Market in Sunset Brooklyn
Yesterday, Friday December 11th we toured 8th Ave in Sunset Park Brooklyn. We visited two places yesterday which were very interesting. The First place we visited was was a super market named Fei Long Market. It’s fairly new as its been there for a few years and it’s the biggest supermarket in the area. It was located on 8th Ave. This supermarket was so huge, the first section when we walked in there were 2 pot boiling , one with eggs and the other with peanut which had a weird smell to it. As you walked more in there were stores selling all kinds of trinkets and other things. The food court had about 10 different stores with all kinds of Chinese dishes ranging from buns, dumplings to tea and roast duck. The next section was the produce and fish/ seafood section. There were all kinds of Asian inspired food products and Teas as well as American products. There were a server all different types of tofu, a variety of dried seafood. The fresh seafood was as fresh as it could get with the workers butchering and live seafood still in the tank behind them. They had unusual things like frog and eel. All in all, it was a great experience and for me a cook like me it was a dream to see ingredients so fresh . I would definitely go back if I want fresh seafood.
Posole
About a month ago I decided to visit Zona Rosa restaurant that is located in Williamsburg Brooklyn . When I looked up the restaurant on Yelp it had great reviews, along with great pictures of the dining area and rooftop bar. I went with some friends and it was there that I tried Posole for the first time! when I first got the dish it was served in a big soup bowl with Homony garnished with radishes, cabbage and avocados all swimming in a warm spicy broth. As I dipped into it with my spoon, I made sure to get everything, the broth, homony, a piece of pork and avocado. the first taste was heaven, the broth was spicy, homony and pork was perfectly cooked and the avocado provided the cooling down factor that balanced it out. It was a cold night outside and we were on the rooftop dining area so it was PERFECT! the more I ate the Posole I couldn’t get enough, because the spiciness wasn’t overpowering but well balanced. The cabbage still had its crunch in the soup which provided an extra texture. i would definitely go back and try this dish again.
Durian Banana Ice Cream
So as you all know we visited the Lower East Side Last Week and one of the stops were Morganstern’s Ice Cream. One of the flavors we tried that was unusual was the Durian Banana Ice Cream simply because it had a unique flavor. While everyone seemed to have hated the taste of it, i feel that i was not that bad once you get past the first initial taste which some of you referred to as “onion”. Once you put the ice cream in your mouth, you get hit with a slight onion/scallion taste which was more of a leek flavor. The banana sweetness balanced it out very well and complemented it. Once that taste of leeks died down, the banana helps cool and sweeten out the pallet. I had never tried or heard of Durian before so it was in experience in and of itself. The taste of the ice cream as well as the fruit is more of an acquired taste, you either like it or you don’t, but i just love trying new things. i just happened to like what i tried this time.
Lombardi’s Pizza- L.E.S. NYC
One of the stop we made last week in the Lower East Side of Manhattan was Lombardi’s Pizza which is located at 32 Spring Street. It first opens its doors as a pizzeria in 1905 but what you may not know is that it started of as a grocery store in 1897. The grocery store was located at 53 1/2 Spring Street and began selling tomato pies for lunch to feed local factory workers. When they acquired a licence to sell pizza, they became a pizzeria and a loyal clientele followed. in 1984, Lombardi’s closed its doors but reopened at its current location 10 years later. Today it holds the title in the Pizza Hall of Fame as the worlds first Pizzeria in the United States and has been reviewed as “The best pizza On the Planet”. Unfortunately we were not able to sample the pizza Lombardi’s had to offer during our tour last week but based on reviews and some friends i know that went there to eat, the pizza does in fact live up to the hype.
As far as New York Pizza vs. Pizza from Italy, they are in fact very different from one another. New York Pizza is know for having a very thin Crust with Sauce, Cheese and if you want, a various choice of toppings ranging from Pepperoni to Pineapples. Italian pizza on the other hand is very different, it is actually know for having a thicker, bread-like crust. In fact, when the Italians first came to the U.S. the pizza they introduced did not have tomato sauce at all, it was just dough, herbs, garlic, cheese and oil. It more closely resembled what we know today as Foccacia. It became popular because it was easy to make, cheap and it could feed a lot of people which is exactly what the Italians needed, living in the LES. Eventually people started experimenting with adding sauce and toppings and it evolved into what we know today.
Fette Sau BBQ
Fette Sau’s is a popular BBQ joint located in Williamsburg Brooklyn at 354 Metropolitan Ave. They are open 7 days a week. On Monday- Thursday from 5pm-11pm and Friday to Sunday from 12pm-11pm. They are known and popular for their dry-rub style of BBQ, beers and bourbon. They have a very rustic cafeteria style setting and dining area and serve their food in metal cafeteria trays. The Ambiance of the place is very relaxing with music playing, dim lighting and the smell of BBQ all in the air. The bar is stacked with a variety of bourbon and planety of beers on tap. The cafeteria like tables all have different types of BBQ sauces on them as well as a roll of paper towels. When we got there it just opened up for the day and there were already customers waiting outside waiting for the doors top open. We ordered the Brisket, the pulled pork that came with little slider buns and baked beans. The baked beans we very delicious with both a sweet and spicy kick. That was by far my favorite thing that i had.
Maison Kayser
“Founded by Eric Kayser in Paris in 1996, Maison Kayser is an authentic artisanal French Boulangerie, meaning that bread and other baked goods are mixed and baked on-site all day long. Recognized as one of the most talented artisan bakers of his generation, Eric Kayser has built his reputation on his passion for bread, the quality of his products and his incredible skill to combine authenticity and innovation in the world of French artisanal bakeries. Born into a family of French bakers, dating back four generations, Eric Kayser started his baker apprenticeship at age 14. He was exposed very early on to the art of baking, perfected his techniques for five years with the“Compagnons du Devoir et du Tour de France” . In 1996, he opened his first bakery, Rue Monge, in the heart of the Quartier Latin in Paris, France. It was an immediate success and as of today, Maison Kayser has over 100 shops in over 20 different countries!”
Taken from http://maison-kayser-usa.com/