I am Ukrainian, but believe it or not, I tried Salo for the first time 3 moths ago and I did not regret that I have waited for so long. Salo it is white pork fat, usually cured with only salt, sometimes smoked. Ukrainians serve it cold with garlic, peppers, pickles or hot mustard. I don’t like fatty foods, that’s why I haven’t tasted this Ukrainian delicacy for so long. I had it at one Ukrainian party, Salo by itself does not have very distinctive taste, it was enhanced by garlic puree and hot mustard, at the begging it was very gooey and stinky, after I chewed it for a little bit, it started to soften and to melt in mouth. Knowing the fact that I am eating raw pork fat, I had a hard time swallowing it. it was one of the worst food experiences in my life, I will never eat this Ukrainian delicacy.

On my resent trip to Philadelphia, PA I was fortunate to visit French Bistro, called Parc. We had a great dinner followed by an amazing dessert. I chose Pear-Chestnut Tart, it was served with salted caramel ice-cream. The server explained that this dessert is considered as a French classic and usually served in fall. This dessert really looked like a culinary masterpiece. The crust was so crunchy that you could hear it breaking under your fork, it was filled with spicy poached pear, slightly caramelized on top. Smooth and creamy chestnut cream complimented the whole composition and salted caramel ice-cream added that real autumn feeling.

I have tasted different desserts, sauces, cocktails made with passion fruits, passion fruit purees, or some artificial passion fruit additives, but have never tasted an actual fruit. This summer I ha a chanced to taste it in Dominican Republic. it looked very appealing t the eye, had smooth purple skin, below it had cottony white peel with yellow jelly with lots of black seed. I never thought that this fruit can be so aromatic, it smelled citrusy and fresh. I heard that this fruit is sour, but I didn’t realized how much sour it was. The jelly inside was very slimy, tart and zesty. I will definitely taste this fruit again.

salo

My bestfriend was born in Nigeria and wanted us to taste food that her grandmother used to make for her. So she took us to a restaurant Tropical grill in Queens. I ordered the Jollof Rice. i love spicy foods and my friend warned me that it was spicy but this was on another level of spiciness. I could not even taste the flavor of the rice through the spiciness but my friend told me that the spice was a flavor. My mouth was on fire for a few hours after eating the rice. I had to eat a few spoons full than guzzle some water down. The rice also came with goat and plantains which cooled the rice down a little.

This summer i travelled to New Orleans to try anything and everything i laid my eyes on.  while on my vacation my friend had a weird obsession with all things alligators.  So naturally we did a bayou tour and spent all morning on the boat. Than we went to this restaurant called Royal House on royal street near our hotel . We let the waiter talk us into ordering fried alligator as an appetizer to share for the table. it came with a cocktail and tarter sauce.  I believe the alligator was over cooked because the crust was dark and extra crunchy and the meat was very chewy and leathery. It was a cool to say that i ate alligator but i could would never try it again.

During our visit in Williamsburg, after visiting the barbecue restaurant Fette Sau we discovered a small shop called Mast located at 111 N 3rd Street, Brooklyn, NY. I had the pleasure of trying their Coco Beer for the first time. I was confused at first because I hate coffee but there was something about the color of the beverage that pulled me in with it chestnut brown color. As I taste the beverage it reminded of cold hot chocolate  but it taste more like coffee soda.

Baklava Ice Cream, topped with Honey pecan, Phyllo crips and Blood orange slices

When I first saw this item on the dessert menu I did not know what to expect saw baklava, blood orange and ice cream all on the same line. Still, I went ahead, took a leap and order the enigma dessert. Once plated in front of me it was hard to resist the bold colors of the blood orange against the light tan of the baklava ice cream. The sweetness of the ice cream balanced well with the tartness of the blood orange.

Sweet chick is your small local diner/ restaurant that provides good food, cool vibes and your favorite music you can jam to while eating your meal. They have loactions 3 througout New York City, two in brooklyn and one in Lower East Manhattan. I recently visited the Williamsburg loacation (164 Bedford Ave, Brooklyn, NY ). I ordered the classic Waffle and chicken that comes with 3 small waffles and two pieces of chicken (drumstick and leg). When i bit into that first piece of chicken i felt like i was in heaven. The chicken was juicy, the breading was not overdone, the outer texture was crispy and cruncy. The waffle was perfectly soft, not burn at all with powered sugar for final touches. And I love the fact that they had 3 different types of butter.

We now live in a era where gournmet doughnuts is the new trend due to it being cheap and decilious all in one. During our seocnd field trip in Astoria, we discover a small shop called Sugar and Water. Sugar and Water is runned by famous Chef Francis Legge where he was contestant on Chopped and won with his latest creation Proscuitto Guinnesss Doughnut. I had the pleasure of trying the Proscuitto donut, when i bit inside the donut it reminded me of a cake, had a soft moisture texture and the cream feeling was delicious as well. But what was the finish touch was the proscuitto, it complimented the cream really well. I would definitely recommend this place to others to try.

Joes Shanghai 

24 W 56th Street

NY, NY 10019

(between 5 and 6 avenue) 

212-333-3868

Went out with my coworker for lunch at Joe’s Shanghai Midtown. She asked if I ever had jellyfish, I replied no but I am willing to try it. I was a little apprehensive at first, because I didn’t know how it would look, how to eat it and how it would taste. When the waiter placed the plate on the table, I couldn’t help but think that this dish looks like noodles, slightly thicker but just as bouncy as noodles. Building up my anticipation, I was expecting an unusual taste. Although it was very tasty, there were no uncommon flavors. The jellyfish was served in sesame seed oil and soy sauce for flavor with a side serving of ginger to enhance the taste. But there were no exploding taste except for that of the sesame seed oil and soy sauce. I used chop sticks to eat the jellyfish but you can use a fork and twirl it like spaghetti. Filled with texture, it is smooth with a gelatinous feel of jello but crunchy as you chew into it. Think of the crunch of a carrot or cucumber. Jellyfish is a Chinese traditional dish and has been eaten for thousands of years. It’s considered a treat and served at weddings, holidays, and other special occasions. Overall I enjoyed my first jellyfish dish and it is something that I will eat again in the future.