A Bite of Downtown Brooklyn

a stacked burger with fries on a metal pan

Image by: Brianna Vasquez

I found myself aimlessly scrolling through the recent photographs that I had captured on my phone and I had stumbled across a bunch of food-themed pictures. I seem to always find myself captivating the delicious beauty and heavenly appearance of food every single time that I go out somewhere to feast on a tasty meal. I cannot help but to photograph these almost life-changing memories. Yes, I am one of those people that will take about a hundred photographs of my food before I viciously consume it and hope that by the time that I am done being a modern day and food version of Stieglitz for my meal that it hasn’t turned up cold at that point.  It is just something about food that just captivates me. It inspires me to see delicious food being displayed in an amazing manner so that it can be visually appealing before it is eaten. A little over a month ago, my family celebrated my older sister’s birthday which I blogged about her birthday cheesecake. It was a really fun and exciting weekend as it was a milestone birthday which is always great to have a celebration for.

 

three fried pasta balls with sauce

Image by: Brianna Vasquez

I am slightly obsessed with Downtown Brooklyn and all that this amazing part of Brooklyn has to offer. Whenever there is any event or get-together, I always gravitate toward this particular area as it is of great interest to me. You can literally find whatever you need in Downtown Brooklyn. There are movie theaters, coffee shops, cafes, bookstores, bubble tea spots, fast food restaurants, bakeries, antique shops, pet stores, bars, mom-and-pop restaurants, libraries, supermarkets and much more. I have never left this beautiful area of Brooklyn disappointed. I love it here. It has become a second home to me being that the college is located here so I have spent so much of my time discovering this enriched place. It is very diverse with varying cultures that are established into each place, acting as puzzle pieces in the masterpiece that is Downtown Brooklyn. It is truly a melting pot as it contributes to each culture suitably regardless of the variance along the streets. And you have seen this even in my past blogs when discussing this part of Brooklyn in terms of bubble tea which is Taiwanese and the restaurant, Lantern which offers an array of Thai food.

a burger with a basket of fries

Image by: Brianna Vasquez

So when Sabrina and I were trying to decide on the perfect restaurant to take our older sister, we were a tad bit overwhelmed with the unlimited amount of options to choose from. We were hoping to have a fun evening aside from the full family dinner that had already been planned for her birthday…a sister’s dinner dedicated to just us three, to laugh and eat while enjoying each other’s company. We finally decided on Mooburger which is a restaurant that sells burgers, hot dogs, and an assortment of sides to pair with your meal. The food was absolutely delicious. We started off with an appetizer of mac-n-cheese balls with marinara sauce. It was spectacular comfort food…who knew that mac-n-cheese could get any more delicious when fried in a crispy breadcrumb coating and dipped in a slightly spicy tomato sauce? I sure didn’t but I definitely do now. I would recommend this place for literally any occasion because you don’t really need a good excuse to have great tasting food.

Homemade Ramen Burger

logo: "IN THE KITCHEN WITH PATRICIA"

After two attempts at getting into Smorgasburg, which is nearby City Tech, my brother and I finally got our hands on the Ramen Burger. The hype is real! The textures I experienced in my first nibble both confused and satisfied. As a foodie, I was trying to guess ingredients with every bite. Before I could decipher the sauce, the last morsel was devoured. My brother and I looked at each other; sharing mirrored expressions that said, “challenge accepted.”

Ingredients:

1 packet ramen noodles
1 egg

Burger ingredients:
burger patty
curry powder (optional)
lettuce, tomatoes, spinach, etc
bacon bits or bacon flavored Onion Crunch
cheese slice (optional)
fried egg (Optional)

Directions:

1. Cook the ramen noodles according to instructions, I significantly reduced the seasoning powder so that the “bun” would not be too salty.
2. Drain the noodles. Place noodles in a medium bowl and mix in an egg. thoroughly mix in the raw egg with the noodles so that all the noodles are coated. The egg is what is going to bind your noodle bun together.
3. Split the ramen noodles in half. Pour into 2 large cylinders/ramekins that are about the size of a hamburger bun. Wrap plastic wrap over container and press down to firmly pack noodles. Add something on top to add a little weight. I added a tupperware bottom and then put a heavy can on top of that. Refrigerate for about 30 minutes to let set.
4. Meanwhile, heat up/cook your burger patty. I made a free form patty with some ground beef, salt and curry powder to add some more Japanese flare. Heat up your frying pan with some oil. Flip over your ramen noodle container upside down so that the noodle bun slides easily into frying pan in one piece. Fry for a few minutes on both sides until noodles become slightly crispy.
5. Add in patty and additional toppings of your choice.

 

a stack of noodles