08/26/14 10:15am
THAITHEPANANG

Photos: Kristen Baughman

I’m just about emerging from the food coma that overtook me after Saturday’s Thaithentic Food and Culture Festival. Authentic was the key word of the evening with restaurants offering everything from fiery curries to insects. One of the first dishes I tried was a panang curry with chicken from Am Thai Bistro in Brooklyn.

THAITHENPLAYGROUND

Nothing says authenticity like grasshoppers.

I had to show some hometown loyalty and soon found myself in front of Jackson Heights eatery Playground’s table face to face with dozens of fried grasshoppers. I find the crunchy critters to be delicious. The Playground crew was quick to warn me not to swallow the barbed legs. I ignored them and made sure to chew every bit of exoskeleton carefully. (more…)

08/22/14 12:26pm

“It took many years before New Yorkers began to know Thai food,” says Wanne Pokpoonpipat executive chef at Jaiya in a mouthwatering promo video for Thaithentic, New York City’s first ever Thai-themed food and cultural festival being held tomorrow night at eSpace. VIP tickets are sold out, but $45 general admission tickets can be purchased here  and should also be available at the door.

“There is so much more to Thai food and culture than is currently known in the States. With support from our sponsorship partners, the Thaithentic Food and Culture Festival will elevate people’s perception of what it means to be Thai, said Manus Chaorinuea founder and CEO of the festival’s organizer Gotham Food Network. (more…)