food tours | Chopsticks and Marrow | Page 3

Dish O' The Day

by

by Joe DiStefano

04/02/18 10:32pm

A Crunchy Taste of South India via Chinatown

by Joe DiStefano

Maddur vada, savory crisps of wheat and rice studded with spices and herbs.

One challenge of leading food tours of downtown Flushing is how best to showcase America’s Greatest Chinatown to Chinese guests. I still remember the day I met the Vanderschoors. Imagine my surprise when I rendezvoused not with a Dutch family, but a Chinese one. “Don’t worry, we’re from San Francisco,” they said. “We don’t know anything about Flushing, you’re the expert.” This brings me to the subject of today’s post: last Saturday’s trio of Indian clients—a lovely married couple who hail from Northern India and a young student from Chennai—and the crunchiest, savoriest Indian snack in downtown Flushing, maddur vada. (more…)

Chinatown, downtown Flushing, Dumpling Galaxy, food tours, Ganesh Temple Canteen, Joe's Steam Rice roll, maddur vada

by

by Joe DiStefano

03/08/18 9:49pm

A Beefy Winter Warmup at Flushing’s Newest Noodle Bar

by Joe DiStefano

PLEASE NOTE THIS RESTAURANT IS CLOSED

I walked into Old Tang—a new spot just off the bustling corner of Main and Roosevelt in downtown Flushing—at least three times before finally trying the noodles. The first time they were under construction, but the other times I eyed the mise en place and upon seeing minced pickled green beans and fried soybeans asked the same question in my fractured Mandarin Chinese “Giulin ren ma?” And each time the kids behind the counter would patiently respond, “No we’re from Sichuan.” “Ah so, the workers are from Sichuan, but surely the food is from Giulin,” I thought to myself. “I’ll have to come back and try it when I’m not already full from leading a food tour.”

beef noodle soup, Chinatown, Chinese, closed, downtown Flushing, food tours, noodles, Old Tang, Sichuan, soup

by

by Joe DiStefano

01/10/17 10:29pm

Cheung Fen: How Do You Roll?

by Joe DiStefano

RICEROLL2

Hun jiang chang fen, aka mixed sauce rice roll noodle.

One of my earliest food memories is shrimp in rice roll noodles at Mei Lei Wah in Chinatown. Slippery, sweet and savory—they sparked a love affair with Chinese food and proved to be good chopstick training.

Served two or three to a plate, cheung fen, whether beef or shrimp remained a dim sum favorite for many years. When I moved to Queens I discovered other varieties, including the wonderful hun jiang chang fen, or mixed sauce rice roll noodle. It’s a simple pleasure consisting of the rolled up noodles, peanut and sweet sauces, and little else. They’ve become a staple of my Flushing Chinatown food tours. (more…)

cheung fen, Chinese food, dim sum, Flushing, food tours, Good Kitchen, noodles, rice roll

by

by Joe DiStefano

12/22/16 2:36pm

C+M’s Ultra Last-Minute Holiday Gift Guide

by Joe DiStefano

Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah, Seasons Greetings and all that jazz dear reader. As a public service, C+M presents our very first ultra last-minute holiday gift guide where you’re sure to find something perfect for the food lover in your life.

uzbekdimlama1

Uzbek hospitality, League of Kitchens style.

Join The League of Kitchens for a Workshop
There’s a good reason The League of Kitchens sounds like the League of Nations. That’s because it offers a variety of globetrotting cooking workshops—Indian, Lebanese, Japanese, Uzbek to name a few—taught by immigrant home cooks who are eager to share their food, culture, and family recipes with students. A while back I took the Ubzek class and had a blast. League of Kitchens gift certificates may be purchased here. Looking for something to do Christmas Eve? The League still has a few slots open for an immersive vegetarian Indian cooking class.

Give the Gift of an Avant Garde Steakhouse Experience at M. Wells
My love of Chef Hugue Dufour’s cooking at M. Wells Steakhouse—from an aged porterhouse dinner that comes with escargot bone marrow and pomme aligot to such dishes as a venison T-bone and a lovely steak tartare—is no secret. Why not treat your meat eating loved ones with an M. Wells Steakhouse gift certificate? To purchase one call (718) 786-9060. (more…)

Charcuterie Masters, food tours, gift guide, League of Kitchens, M. Wells Steakhouse

by

by Joe DiStefano

12/05/16 11:11pm

Watch the Fastest International Food Tour Ever

by Joe DiStefano

As someone who’s constantly devouring the delicious diversity that is Queens it’s possible to become spoiled by choices, even jaded. Luckily for me leading food tours affords an opportunity to turn others on to the culinary delights of Queens. My passion for the borough and its food is rekindled by seeing it from somebody else’s perspective. Which is precisely what happened when I led ace travel blogger Jon Barr on a whirlwind food tour of Jackson aka Himalayan Heights last week.

“It smelled so good the second I stepped off that train and walked down the stairs,” Barr exclaimed as we strolled over to the aptly name Diversity Plaza for our first stop, some Indian chaat. No tour of the hidden gems of Jackson Heights is complete without a visit to Lhasa Fast Food where we feasted upon momo and cold skin sushi.

All told we visited four countries and two continents in under 10 minutes, plus I got to use my Telemundo announcer’s voice. Be sure to check out Jon’s Youtube channel here and click here for my info on my Queens food tours.

Diversity Plaza, food tours, Indian, Jackson Heights, Jon Barr, Lhasa Fast Food, Tibetan, videos

Dish O' The Day

by

by Joe DiStefano

11/08/15 10:07pm

Beautiful Börek at Sunnyside’s Turkiyem Market

by Joe DiStefano

Bureka

The buttery folds of Turkiyem’s börek are filled with a savory mix of beef and herbs.

One of the things I love most about leading food tours in Queens is reliving the sense of discovery through my guest’s as they experience new flavors—fresh Chinese tofu, Nepalese jerky, Mexican seafood cocktails—for the first time. Sometimes, I even make new discoveries while leading a tour. This past Saturday I discovered that I can ride a bike through Queens traffic without getting creamed, I also found some awesome homemade böreks at Turkiyem Market in Sunnyside. (more…)

börek, breakfsast, food tours, Sunnyside, Turkish, Turkiyem Market

Dish O' The Day

by

by Joe DiStefano

11/01/15 10:44pm

Secret Momo Discovered at Jackson Heights’ Momo Speakeasy

by Joe DiStefano

momochive2

Chu-tse momo are packed with chives.

Lhasa Fast Food is a favorite stop on my Himalayan Heights Food Tour. Tucked away behind a cell phone store, it’s a veritable Shangrila of Tibetan cooking. Last year the hidden restaurant’s beef dumplings took home the coveted Golden Momo, the trophy awarded to the best momo in the annual Momo Crawl. Juicy and scented with Sichuan peppercorn and Chinese celery the little packages are made to order and well worth the wait. The other day I discovered a secret momo being served at this momo speakeasy: chu-tse momo. (more…)

dumplings, food tours, Himalayan Heights, Jackson Heights, Lhasa Fast Food, momo, Tibetan

by

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

Dish O' The Day

by

by Joe DiStefano

09/28/15 11:44am

Gui Lin Mi Fen Brings Brand New Flavor to Flushing

by Joe DiStefano

guilin2

DIY noodle soup at Flushing’s Gui Lin Mi Fen.

PLEASE NOTE THIS RESTAURANT IS CLOSED

Sometimes it feels as if I lead so many food tours of Flushing Chinatown that I don’t do enough research, i.e. eating, of non-sharable dishes like noodle soups. Sure I have my favorites: predawn laksa at Curry Leaves, Nutritious Lamb Noodle Soup’s namesake tonic, the samgyetang at Hansol Nutrition Center. Lately though I’ve been craving a brand new flavor in noodle soup, which is why I’m glad I finally tried Gui Lin Mi Fen. (more…)

Chinatown, closed, Flushing, food tours, Giu Lin Mi FEn, noodle soup, noodles, soup

Dish O' The Day

by

by Joe DiStefano

04/27/15 10:41am

Tibet’s Answer to Cold Skin Noodles

by Joe DiStefano

laphingserpo

Refreshing and much easier to eat than its blockier cousin.

Lhasa Fast Food is a favorite stop on my Jackson Heights food tours. My fellow travelers are always amazed to discover a family-run Tibetan eatery tucked behind a cell phone store. The momo are excellent, too. The other day I made a discovery of my own—laphing serpo ($6)—while leading a tour of what I like to call Himalayan Heights.

“Yellow laphing,” the cook said when I gestured to a mass of what looked to be dough behind the counter. Laphing, slippery blocky cold mung bean jelly noodles, bathed in black vinegar, garlic and chilies is quite common on Tibetan menus. This was my first encounter with the yellow variety, though. (more…)

food tours, Himalayan Heights, Jackson Heights, laphing, Lhasa Fast Food, noodles

« Previous Page Next Page »