Fresh pomegranates are hard work. The little fleshy pink and magenta seeds look like cluster of gems embed in a off-white membrane of the fruit. The fruit in that picture was not tree ripened so it took a while to get the little slippery seeds out and really it was a lot of work that yield very little of the sweet seeds. It too me and my sister half an hour of tapping and digging to get all the seed out of one fruit, but it was a nice little sweet treat. It isn’t very sweet, kind of like a cross between an under-ripe pear and a greengage, the pink flesh around the seed remind me of little bits of firm plum in texture but the crunch of seeds under the flesh was quite satisfying to me. Maybe if I got a riper pomegranate than I would have it again but I didn’t enjoy the process of preparing the fruit and I’m not sure if the work was worth it.

Young ginger from Union Square Greenmarket was a surprise for my sister. I know what it was just from the smell but I’ve never really seen them or had them, too expansive according to my grandmother. I brought mines with the stem and leaves which can be made into a tea if the plant was younger but mines was pass that point but my grandmother insist that it could be boiled and the infusion would used for bathing away arthritis and other bone or joint ailments. However, the root is good eating and that is all I care about when I bought it. After a quick rinse the thin delicate pale cream skin and pink hues showing just how young and tender it was. The fibers were tender enough to give a juicy crunch, like a fresh apple, under the knife. The root is sweet and less spicy then the older roots, sliced thin was a tasty fresh treat.

My grandmother is convinced that yellow eels over rice is good for the health and honestly when the ceramic lid was taken off the fire blacken clay pot I didn’t need much convincing to dig in. The fluffy long grain rice was cooked just right to still be firm enough to be chewy and smelled strongly of the spices that seasoned the eel meat. The deboned meat with the rich oily skin was seasoned heavily in cloves, dried citrus peel, and star anise to take most of the muddy pond scum flavor out but still leave just enough fishiness that there is no illusion that the meat was from some bottom feeder from some murky pond. The crisp fresh green onions on top gives some contrast to the pungent spices and give some green for the eyes, but the real gem of the dish is found at the bottom of the pot. The crunchy crusted rice at the bottom of the pot takes the dish one step farther, the soft crunch of little grans of charred rice gives a texture contrast like no other with the soft chewy rice on top and soft oily chunks of eel. This is a texture sensation that is a must try, the cute little clay pot is just a bonus.

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.

This spicy tuna volcano was crispy and indeed spicy! I wasn’t sure what was going to be in this appetizer and I was suprised that they fried a ball of rice covered in batter and topped with spicy tuna. It is a intelligent concept and I enjoyed it very much. I would definitely go back to Gyu Kaku to order this again!

Gyu Kaku is a Japanese Barbecue franchise located in different areas on NYC and the US. Give it a try! You won’t be disappointed.

I  was  a  bit  amaze how the coconut flavor in  the  didn’t over power the sorrel flavor in  the  ice  cream. Another thing  that  surprised me was color from  the  sorrel  didn’t  have  an  effect  on the  product, it  was  white  in  color, so I  believe  the  use  green  sorrel to  make  the  ice  cream.  I  wasn’t  sure  how  the it would  of  the  taste, combining  the  two  flavors. It  was  actually  good, you  taste  both  flavors  in  the  ice  cream.

The Peanut  butter pie is  a desert  from Maple’s Smokehouse, its really good. The pie is little  too sweet, texture is smooth and silk and crust  which  I  believe what Graham  complements  texture  of  the  pie. I  really  enjoyed  it  and  even  brought  one  to  go  with  after  having  it at  the  place. It had  some  whipped cream on top  with  chocolate  drizzle on  it , which kind of even out  the  sweetness of  pie.

I’ve  had Smoked Herring before but  I have  never  had  it  in  any  type  of  sauce  before. Upon trying  the  herring  in  the  sauce I  didn’t  know  what  to  expect trying  it  this  way, it’s was not  to bad at  all. It had  a combination of  both  sweet and sour taste on the  palette  could  of  been  because  of  the  onions that  was  in  the  sauce. It  also  left  tart taste  in your  mouth  after  consuming. I didn’t  not  like  it  because  of  the  sour  taste, I had  to  drink  water  and  eat  something  to  get  taste  out  my  mouth. It’s  not  something  I’ll try again, I will  continue  to  eat  my  herring  smoked.

I tried Poke in Smorgasburg. Poke is a tunafish salad usually served cold. I tried it on the last day of Smorgasbord in November and it was pretty cold. The tuna is made with limukohu seaweed, wasabi, green onions and sesame oil. The poke was very good, it didn’t have any fishy flavor to it, it tasted fresh. The seasoning they put on it added to the flavor of the poke. I enjoyed the poke very much but I think it would’ve been more enjoyable if it was consumed in the summer. I tried in on a cold November day and I was looking for something more hot than cold. Overall,  poke is a great cold salad meant to be eaten on a hot summer day. I’m looking forward to trying other varieties of poke.