goat | Chopsticks and Marrow

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by Joe DiStefano

10/28/19 12:40pm

Trek through Ecuador via Queens with QDC on November 13th

by Joe DiStefano

Vibrant ceviche mixto, featuring shrimp and octopus, and the mighty bolon filled with pork, plantains, and mozzarella are just part of the evening’s menu.

Ask any old-school Queens food nerd, including yours truly, about Ecuadorean cuisine in the World’s Borough and the first thing that comes to mind will be the cluster of food trucks on Warren Street underneath the 7 train in Corona or perhaps the ladies who grill cuy—guinea pig—in Flushing Meadows Corona Park. About year ago though some very trusted Queens food nerds of a more recent vintage, like my pal Instagrammer @Wendalicious888 started to talk about a new place Rincón Melania on the border of Sunnyside and Long Island City.

“How good can it be? There are no Ecuadoreans over there,” I thought to myself. Good enough for a glowing review in The New York Times it turns out. Which is why I’m so glad that the next Queens Dinner Club will convene at Rincón Melania November 13th. Make sure you don’t miss out on this very special dinner by signing up for our mailing list here.

ceviche, Ecuadorean, goat, Jonathan Forgash, Long Island City, Queens Dinner Club, Rincón Melania, seco de chivo

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by Joe DiStefano

10/07/19 6:52pm

Queens Brunch Club Comes to M. Wells Oct. 26

by Joe DiStefano

The brunch scene back in the glory days of M. Wells Diner.

I know what you’re thinking, “‘Queens Brunch Club??,’ Joe hates brunch, and isn’t it called ‘Queens Dinner Club’ anyhow?” All true, but for this month Jonathan, Gabe (they hate brunch too), and I are changing the name of our little eating organization to Queens Brunch Club. That’s because we are hosting a brunch at M. Wells Steakhouse on October 26th. Make sure you don’t miss out on this very special dinner by signing up for our mailing list here.

“Québecois Chef Hugue Dufour of M. Wells has created a chef’s brunch for chefs that hate brunch. Not an egg or hash brown to be found here,” says Chef Jonathan. “Nothing but fantastical visions of food turned into reality.” (more…)

brunch, foie gras, Gabe Gross, goat, Goatober, Huguue Dufour, Jonathan Forgash, Queens Dinner Club, wonton soup

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by Joe DiStefano

01/15/19 12:11pm

Enjoy a Kathmandu BBQ with QDC & Bajeko Sekuwa Jan. 28

by Joe DiStefano

Cumin-coated wild boar skewers. Photo: @foodmento

Winter calls to mind warmer times—with plenty of good old-fashioned BBQ and cold beer to wash it all down. Which is why this month’s Queens Dinner Club will be a down-home Nepali style BBQ feast at Bajeko Sekuwa on January 28. Tickets are $52 and may be purchased here.

The new spot in Sunnyside whose name means grandpa’s BBQ was started by Dinanath Bhandari who used to grill sekuwa skewers at a hawker stand on the road to the Kathmandu airport. His once humble stand has grown into a mini-empire with 14 locations in Nepal, and just one in the U.S., in Sunnyside, Queens. (more…)

Bajeko Sekuwa, BBQ, goat, momo, Nepali, offal, Queens Dinner Club, sekuwa, Sunnyside

Dish O' The Day

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by Joe DiStefano

04/04/18 9:33pm

An Early Spring Warmup with Dhaulaghiri’s Goat Soup

by Joe DiStefano

When winter ain’t playin’, it’s time for Himalayan!

PLEASE NOTE THIS RESTAURANT IS CLOSED

It’s been two years since Kamala Gauchan, my adopted Nepalese mother, decamped from Queens’ Himalayan Heights to Manhattan’s Curry Hill. Back when she held court in her shoebox of a restaurant carved out of a corner of Tawa Roti I ate her food weekly. These days I trek to her roomier spot on Lexington Avenue whenever I have a dental appointment. Which happened to be the case during Monday’s snow storm.
After a filling, it was time to fill my belly. When I entered Dhaulaghiri Kitchen, Gauchan and her crew had just opened for the day and a mantra to Ganesh—Om Gan Ganapataye Namo Namah—played over and over on the flat screen next to a signed photo of Andrew Zimmern. For a moment I considered jhol momo—dumplings in a spicy broth—but I knew soup was the ticket for a wintry spring morning. (more…)

closed, Curry Hill, Dhaulaghiri Kitchen, goat, jerky, Kamala Gauchan, Nepalese, noodles, soup, sukuti, thentuk

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by Joe DiStefano

04/28/17 2:59am

Awang Kitchen Brings Jakartan Flavor to Elmhurst

by Joe DiStefano

Fried chicken marinated with coconut water.

Fried chicken marinated with coconut water.

When I first visited the Facebook page of Awang Kitchen, the newest Indonesian spot in the Southeast Asian-inflected Chinatown of Elmhurst, it displayed a vast menu, which has seen been edited down to a more manageable size. While the food was delicious, when I visited on opening weekend, the kitchen was moving at a glacial pace. Thankfully the kinks have been ironed out and Awang is fast becoming my favorite Indonesian spot in the neighborhood.

I’m a big fan of Indonesian fried chicken, so when I spied ayam goreng kalasan, a variety marinated with coconut water, I had to try it. It was some mighty fine bird and came with a sidecar of sambal terasi, a fiery red pepper concoction made with terasi, or fermented shrimp paste. It’s one of several sambals that the Jakartan chef-owner Siliwang “Awang” Nln makes in house. (more…)

Awang Kitchen, bakso, brain, bubur ayam, Elmhurst, fried chicken, goat, Indonesian, noodles, offal, sambal, Siliwang “Awang” Nln, soup, tempeh

Dish O' The Day

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by Joe DiStefano

06/16/16 12:38pm

Dhaulaghiri Brings Goat Sekuwa to Manhattan’s Curry Hill

by Joe DiStefano

Goat sekuwa eats like a meat lover's chaat

Goat sekuwa eats like a meat lover’s chaat

PLEASE NOTE THIS RESTAURANT IS CLOSED

Kamala Gauchan is the godmother of Himalayan cuisine in Jackson Heights. The garrulous Gauchan is the driving force behind many of the neighborhood’s Tibetan and Nepalese eateries, including Himalayan Yak, Laliguras, and Dhaulaghiri Kitchen. For about three years she held court at the latter, a shoebox of a restaurant that shared a space with a roti factory. In a setup smaller than some Manhattan studio apartments she wowed expats and food geeks alike with cooking that managed to rustic and vibrant, featuring earthy goat jerky, vibrant pickles, and of course, momos.

About a month ago she decamped to Manhattan’s Curry Hill, across the street from Kalustyan’s and just down the road from Chef Hemant Mathur’s Haldi. Yesterday I finally made the trek to Manhattan to say hello to the woman I like to consider my adopted Nepalese mother. (more…)

Andrew Zimmern, closed, Curry Hill, Dhaulaghiri Kitchen, goat, Hemant Mathur, Kamala Gauchan, Nepalese

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by Joe DiStefano

11/16/15 11:15am

The Nest Satisfies Shark, Chicken Foot, Caribbean-Chinese Cravings

by Joe DiStefano

NestShark

Fried shark at the Nest in Richmond Hill.

My pal Rob MacKay of It’s in Queens has been raving for years about a restaurant in Richmond Hill called the Nest. It’s a Carribean-Chinese spot that’s a little further afield from Liberty Avenue’s roti shops and doubles parlors. Not only is Queens fortunate to have plenty of real deal regional Chinese we boast several hybrid varieties: Indian-Chinese, Peruvian-Chinese, and Carribean-Chinese. I’m least familiar with the last of these, and truth be told my West Indian food game is leagues behind my regional Chinese repertoire. With its deep menu of Carribean-Chinese items, including more than a dozen kinds of fried rice and plenty of West Indian fare, the Nest is a great place to learn about both. Which is exactly what I did over the course of a leisurely meal with Rob last Friday. (more…)

blood pudding, Carribean-Chinese, Chinese, Dave Kadarnauth, fried rice, goat, Guyanese, hot sauce, Nest, Richmond Hill, Rob Mackay, shark

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05/22/15 4:56pm

Discover Kotor: Montenegro’s Hidden Gem

kotor

The pristine Bay of Kotor.

Every now and again, intrepid travelers come across a hidden gem they wish to keep all to themselves. For many the beguiling town of Kotor, in Montenegro, is one such place. With its stunning bay and beautiful old town, it is fast becoming a top destination for those in the know. Will you be one of them?

While Croatia has become extremely popular with holiday-makers looking to blend sun and sea with sight-seeing, neighbouring Montenegro has seen a little less interest outside a few top travel blogs. The town of Kotor is only an hour from Croatia’s star city Dubrovnik and has plenty attractions of its own. (more…)

Bay of Kotor, Croatia, goat, kajmak, Kotor, Montenegro, tourisn

Sandwich Wednesday

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by Joe DiStefano

04/22/15 10:05am

Cocoyoc’s Barbacoa Enchilada’s Some Glorious Goat

by Joe DiStefano

GOATCEMITA2

Taqueria Cocoyoc’s cemita de barbacoa enchilada is packed with spicy goat.

Last week I had the pleasure of appearing on Shari Bayer’s radio show “All in The Industry.” We talked about many things, including how I became a food writer and The Catskills Comes to Queens. (You can listen to the episiode here.) All that talking made me rather hungry. The Heritage Radio Network studio is located within Roberta’s, but somehow I wasn’t in the mood for Italian. So I ventured deeper into Bushwick on a taco tip from a friend. (more…)

barbacoa, Brookln, Bushwick, cemitas, goat, Heritage Radio Network, Mexican, sandwiches, Shari Bayer, spicy, tacos, Taqueria Cocoyoc

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by Joe DiStefano

12/31/14 4:41pm

C+M’s Fourteen for 2014

by Joe DiStefano

As 2014 draws to a close rather than offer up a roster of resolutions—less chips more gym, save money, etc.—C+M presents a list of 14 of our favorite things, a highlight reel of the year that was. Let the mostly Queens-focused cavalcade of offal, mashups, secret eats, and overall deliciousness begin.

RUGELSSAINT

The rugelssaint at Andre’s Hungarian.

1. Sweetest mashup
Part pain au chocolat, part rugelach, all decadence the chocolate croissant—aka rugelssaint—at Andre’s Hungarian Bakery was my go-to guilty breakfast this year.

BANGANSOUP1A

Ban Ga Ne’s got your large format goat feast needs covered.

2. Best goat meat bonanza
Not only was the three-course black goat meat feast at Ban Ga Ne one of the best Korean meals I’ve had in a long time, it was some of the best goat I’ve ever had. Plus as the proprietor pointed out, it’s um, invigorating.

NHZUPP2

Zuppardi’s glorious fresh shucked Little Neck clam pie.

3. Best pizza
Some friends and I made a pizza pilgrimage to New Haven this fall. Everything we tried was good, but the real revelation came when we dug into the fresh clam pie at Zuppardi’s Apizza. Fragrant with Little Necks and oregano atop a crackling thin crust, it was simply astounding. (more…)