12 Monday Nov 2012
The macarons at Panya can be a little dry and are often gummy, but the wasabi macaron I had today was surprisingly palatable. They are $1.50 per piece and should be brought to room temperature before consumption.
Panya
8 Stuyvesant Street
New York NY 10003
(212) 777-1930
06 Tuesday Nov 2012
Tags
choux pastry, cream puffs, French, Japanese, Mugino, new york, NYC
Beard Papa’s is selling mouthwatering autumnal pumpkin cream puffs. They are filled with their signature cream custard but are topped with a fragrant pumpkin purée/Belgian white chocolate paste and a few pumpkin seeds. This special treat reminds me of a mont-blanc aux marrons.
Beard Papa’s (Upper West Side)
2167 Broadway
New York NY 10024
26 Thursday Jul 2012
Posted in Asian, bucket list, Japanese, meat
Tags
canned whale, contraband, 築地市場, Japanese, Nissin foods, Tsukiji, Whale
This can of stewed whale meat that I bought at Tsukiji Market in Tokyo has been sitting in my cupboard for almost four months. So often I buy special things and don’t use them because I want to wait for a “special occasion”. I don’t know what came over me yesterday but, even though it was just a regular old Wednesday afternoon, I decided to open the can of whale!
I am very happy to report that there was also a little bit of blubber mixed in with the meat. I wish I had another can because it was delicious! Reminded me of Бефстроганов, beef Stroganoff.
18 Wednesday Jul 2012
The Minamoto Kitchoan kiosk at Mitsuwa in New Jersey is selling a special hands-on summer wagashi. I think it’s arrowroot with agar agar and extra water, mizu. The jelly prism is placed inside a plastic box and pushed through a screen that cuts it into small, spaghetti-like ribbons. A small packet of molasses is included and could be used as a sauce for the jelly noodles. The whole set is only $6.
23 Saturday Jun 2012
Tags
Yakitori Totto fries up tiny ice fish and serves them with a little green tea salt like French fries. The shirauo kara-age is only $6.
The green tea affogato was mochi, ice cream, and pon gashi drowned in matcha.
I want to go back again tonight for more delicious meat skewers. They had hatsu (chicken heart) and bonjiri (chicken tail), my favorite yakitori items.
Yakitori Totto
255 W 55th Street
New York NY 10019
17 Sunday Jun 2012
Elmhurst’s Ayada restaurant is really proud of their raw shrimp salad. Their front window is wallpapered with New York Times articles that ranked it as one of the top 100 New York snacks. It is served with raw bitter melon slices, raw garlic, and a raw carrot salad in the middle.
I thought it was nice and spicy with a great brininess, but the sweetness was missing. No balance. I wonder if the chili and lime concoction that was covering each shrimp could have benefited from a little bit of jaggery.
I will probably never order it again and I give it 6 out of 10.
Ayada
77-08 Woodside Ave
Elmhurst NY 11373
(718) 424-0844
13 Wednesday Jun 2012
Posted in allium, celebrations, Japanese, New York, snacks
Kenka in the East Village has a special menu featuring raw tuna bones, bull penis, turkey testicles, a “cheap” okonomiyaki, and many other wonderful things. We ordered the bull penis and turkey testicles last night to celebrate a special homecoming.
We also got the deep fried garlic off the regular menu. It came with a delicious dipping sauce that reminded me of something I used to eat as a child at my grandma’s house. It was only $3.50!
My favorite was the turkey testicles. They had a wonderful flavor and texture. The first thing I thought of was a White Hot Snappy Griller, a pork hotdog that is sold in upstate New York. The testicles weren’t chewy or tough — they were tender and had a nice outer casing to them that broke easily between my teeth. I wish I had gotten a take out order of them for breakfast this morning!
Chinook Olive 