The Sweet Spot | Chopsticks and Marrow | Page 3

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by Joe DiStefano

06/01/16 1:31am

Roberta’s and OddFellows Team to Create Savory Ice Cream Nirvana

by Joe DiStefano

Bacon makes everything better, including ice cream.

Bacon makes everything better, including ice cream.

I am the type of salty sweet enthusiast who finds most salted caramel ice creams lacking. Until I visited the outpost of OddFellows Ice Cream Co. in Urbanspace Vanderbilt I didn’t realize that what they lacked was bacon among other things.

Brooklyn’s most unique ice cream artisans have joined forces with the culinary juggernaut that is Roberta’s to create a powerhouse of a savory sweet frozen confection. The flavor has no name, it’s announced by its ingredients: coffee ice cream, Roberta’s sticky bun bread pudding, bacon and salted caramel. One scoop in a cup made for a fine dessert after a chicken sandwich.

I must say that while I was eating it I felt much like the monkey in the photo. The new creation will be available through Labor Day.

OddFellows Ice Cream Co., Urbanspace Vanderbilt, 230 Park Avenue

bacon, dessert, ice cream, OddFellows Ice Cream Co., Roberta's, Urbanspace Vanderbilt

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by Joe DiStefano

05/23/16 4:23pm

Cafe Boulis is The Krispy Kreme of Greek Doughnuts

by Joe DiStefano

Loukomades

Little Greek doughnuts, aka loukoumades, at Astoria’s Cafe Boulis.

“Let’s go to the place with the little Greek doughnuts,” my friend Jane said. We’d just had a lovely Thai lunch at Pye Boat Noodle. After I confessed my ignorance of little Greek doughnuts, we set out for our dessert destination.

“Oh, gosh I’ve passed this place dozens of times,” I said when we arrived at Cafe Boulis. Like many Greek cafes in Astoria the little space hums with a caffeinated energy. Directly opposite the door a sign reading, “LOUKOUMADES MADE FRESH TO ORDER” graces the Greek doughnut station. Behind the glass lies a fryer that evokes memories of fresh fried zeppole for St. Joseph’s Day and the spectacle of watching Krispy Kremes receive a cascade of glaze as they come down the conveyor belt. (more…)

Astoria, cafes, doughnuts, Greek, loukoumades

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by Joe DiStefano

05/16/16 11:59am

Khao Kang’s Thai Flan is a Sweet and Savory Delight

by Joe DiStefano

ThaiFlan1

Forgot it’s a Thai dessert? Let the caramelized shallots remind you!

Until very recently I’ve felt I could take or leave taro. The taro cakes found at Chinatown dim sum houses are good, but I’m not exactly crazy for them. I prefer the latke-like shrimp fritters encrusted in shredded taro. It took a Thai dessert preparation—morkhang puek—to make me really crave the starchy tuber.

I found the toasted taro custard at Khao Kang, an Elmhurst steam table specialist, with a sideline in desserts. Like so many of my favorite Thai snacks, the dense eggy morkhang puek blurs the Western disctinctions of sweet and savory. In case there was any doubt that this is a Thai dessert, caramelized shallots sit atop the burnished brown surface.

The distinctly Thai combination of salt, egg, and coconut milk is lovely. The whole affair tastes like a Southeast Asian version of flan. It almost makes me want to sneak in a bottle of fish sauce to a Cuban restaurant. Almost.

Khao Kang, 76-20 Woodside Ave, Elmhurst, 718-806-1807

custard, Elmhurst, flan, Khao Kang, morkhang puek, taro

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by Joe DiStefano

01/04/16 1:25pm

Kulu’s Papaya White Fungus Soup’s Good Medicine

by Joe DiStefano

kulupapaya

Cloud ear fungus is said to benefit the respiratory system.

Kulu Desserts has all manner of cold treats, including sawdust pudding and some lovely durian preparations, come wintertime though I find myself craving their tong shui or traditional Chinese sweet medicinal soups. It’s not every day you can eat dessert and claim that it’s good for anything other than your mood.

One of my favorites is the papaya white fungus soup, a comforting brew of crunchy snow ear mushrooms, chunks of sweet papaya, and Chinese almonds. Papaya aids in digestion, so it’s something I like to have after a big meal. The frilly white fungus is said to benefit the respiratory system. I have a feeling I’ll be sipping a lot of this sweet soothing brew this winter.

Kulu Desserts, 37-06 Prince St, Flushing, 718-886-3302; 806 62nd St, Dyker Heights, Brooklyn, 718-680-2818; 123 West 3rd St., 212-658-0865

Chinatown, dessert, Flushing, Kulu, papaya, tong shui, white fungus

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by Joe DiStefano

12/07/15 1:45pm

Polish Treats on a Side Street at Glendale’s Pączki Popup

by Joe DiStefano

Whether in Krakow or in Queens a donut is a pączki.

Whether in Krakow or in Queens a donut is a pączki by any other name.

Sometimes you just really need a donut. And not just any donut, but a puffy Polish pączki. Filled with jelly or cream they’re a common pre-Lenten treat. I’d be lying if I said pączki were on my mind Friday morning as my business partner and I drove around Glendale trying to find Finback Brewery.

Beer and ticket sales were our primary concern. We needed two kegs of beer and we needed them fast, for a festival the following day. This urgency didn’t keep us from stopping in our tracks when we saw a hand-written sign that read “Bake Sale.”
(more…)

donuts, Glendale, Hanukkah, pączki, Polish, popups, sufganiyot

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by Joe DiStefano

11/05/15 10:39am

Mango Mango’s Infinitely Delicious ‘Million Layer’ Durian Cake

by Joe DiStefano

duriancake

The Hong Kong equivalent of New York cheesecake.

I’ve been eating my way through Flushing’s New York Food Court for about a year. Yet somehow, I only just got around to trying Mango Mango yesterday. The bowl of spicy soup I’d just finished had put me in the mood for something sweet to cool down.

I wasn’t in the a mango mood though, and almost left the food court without getting dessert. Then I saw the hand written special sign reading “mille crepe durian (slice).” There was also a mango version, but I was more intrigued by the durian. (more…)

cake, Chinatown, dessert, durian, Flushing, Mango Mango, New York Food Court

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by Joe DiStefano

10/15/15 9:49am

Of Pineapple Kesari and Taste Memory

by Joe DiStefano

kaseri

Pineapple kesari called to mind sweet, comforting memories.

One of the things I love most about giving food tours of Queens is the opportunity to rediscover the delicious flavors of such neighborhoods as Flushing through the eyes of my guests. Every now and then I discover something new too, like the pineapple kesari, I found at the Ganesh Temple Canteen on a recent tour.

Typically I order a gigantic paper dosa at the Canteen. The crisp megaphone-shaped crepe never fails to impress. “Is that a sweet?” I asked when I saw a hand-written sign that read “Today’s Special: Pineapple Kesari.” Even before the lady behind the counter said yes I knew I was going to order it. (more…)

Cream of Wheat, dessert, Flushing, food tours, Ganesh, Indian, kesari, pineapple, Temple Canteen

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by Joe DiStefano

06/28/15 11:52pm

Gladly Cuisine’s Ice Rice is a Wacky Shaved Ice Alternative

by Joe DiStefano

Bing fan is topped with ice, mixed fruit, and cloud ear fungus.

Bing fan is topped with ice, mixed fruit, and cloud ear fungus.

“It’s like the shwarma of shaved ice,” I told some pals by way of describing Snopo. We were at the start of a three-hour food crawl of America’s best Chinatown starting with some of my favorites at New World Mall Food Court. My foodie friends were sad to learn that the purveyor of fluffy shaved ice has been closed for quite some time. “Don’t worry I have something else in mind,” I said. (more…)

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by Joe DiStefano

06/11/15 10:30am

Lovely Ladoo at Flushing’s Ganesh Temple

by Joe DiStefano

One of Lord Ganesh’s favorite snacks.

One of Lord Ganesh’s favorite snacks.

The canteen located in the basement of the Šri Mahã Vallabha Ganapati Devasthãnam, more commonly known as the Ganesh Temple, is one of my favorite non-Chinese haunts in Flushing. I’m especially fond of turning tour groups on to the 2-foot long paper dosa. In addition to many varieties of the rice and lentil crepes there is an abbreviated selection of snacks and sweets. The other day I tried a ladoo. Slightly smaller than a handball the golden hued treat is made from chickpea flour, and is the elephant-headed god’s favorite mithai. (more…)

Flushing, Ganesh, Indian, ladoo, mithai, sweets, temples

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by Joe DiStefano

05/28/15 9:04am

A Duo of Delicious Desserts in Elmhurst’s Thai Town

by Joe DiStefano

plantlovepot

Dig it. Plant Love’s signature ice cream comes served in a flower pot.

PLEASE NOTE BOTH OF THESE RESTAURANTS ARE CLOSED

There was time when what most excited me about Thai food was incendiary spice levels. I still love a good spicy Thai dish, but what gets me going these days are noodles and Thai desserts. Yes, there are Thai places in New York City where the pinnacle of dessert is fried ice cream. Thankfully Elmhurst’s Little Bangkok is not such a place. In fact it’s home to two of my favorite places for Thai dessert, Plant Love House and the aptly named Sugar Club. (more…)

bananas, closed, dessert, Elmhurst, ice cream, Plant Love House, roti, Sugar Club, Thai, Thai Town

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