Tasting Queens Road Trip Pt 2: Barn Joo -A Photo Journey.

Tahrikh and I sampled the offerings of Barn Joo, a Korean Fusion Restaurant nestled in the heart of Grammarcy (Lower Manhattan) on our second stop on The Tasting Queens Road Trip.
Wanting to do something a bit different this post, I decided to capture our outing in just photos. I will say this, Barn Joo ( 893 Broadway, New York, NY 10003) is a MUST visit.  The food was delectable.  Service was prompt, engaging and a delight.  The ambiance and decor were everything you'd like in a quaint romantic date spot. We left happy and here's why:

Kimchee Pancake

Paprika Fries with a Chipotle Mayo

Spicy Pork Pot

Pork Roll

Green Tea Mousse and Ice Cream

Chocolate Tort

Tahrikh

Shauna

Epidode 1 of The Tasting Queens Road Trip Diaries- Long Island Bacon Festival

WHERE'S THE BACON???

March 15th, a bright sunny but windy day found myself, nephew Rishaun and fellow Tasting Queens bloggers Shannice and Tahrikh bursting with excitement.  It was finally time for the much anticipated Long Island Bacon Festival set to take place in Coram NY.

After working out some car issues, we set off to make the 1 hour and 20 minute trip from Queens to Coram. We put a soca CD in and let our minds run wild at all the possibilities of the day. Bacon. That word just says magic. Smokey, juicy, fatty magic. All hail the pork belly magic. We couldn't wait.

Making it to Coram in good time, found parking on a crowded side street, then onward to the All Star Arena. A steady stream of people were coming from the direction of the venue. It was quite concerning as it was just after 11am and the event was set to begin at 10am. Nevertheless,  we kept trucking. Waiting to cross the super busy intersection,  we met a family who had just left the festival. We asked them why were they leaving so early? The mom then told us that it was a small arena but it was worth it. She told us of a freakishly long line to enter, but that was a small price to pay for what was to come. She spoke of tails of caramel popcorn with bacon bits, of waffles and marshmallows and all manner of goodness. We were again reinvigorated. We moved swiftly now. Then we saw it. The line to end all lines. It snaked it's way around a very large parking lot.  It was hard to even locate the end but we did, and rushed to join. Surprisingly it moved along quite quickly and although there were about 500 people ahead of us, we were indoors within 15 minutes. Hmmm.... that should have been the 3rd clue.

We walked in to a small space.  I would hardly call it an arena. It was the size of a skating rink with turf on the ground and tall metal ceilings. There were tons of people but only about 15 booths. We joined a line at random, knowing that the reward of bacon would be great. After a while on the slowly moving line, we decided to divide and conquer. Joining multiple lines, we promised to procure enough of the spoils to share with the others. Dismay set in as I realized that Tahrikh and I were on a Beef Jerky sample line. Beef Jerky? What in the world? Deciding to forsake our line and take a closer look at the booths themselves, we discovered vendors for everything from Jewelry to new windows and siding.  I almost screamed! Where was it? Where was the bacon? We spent almost $50! Show it to me.....the bacon.....

Shannice and Rishaun found a chocolate vendor who promised samples of chocolate made with bits of bacon. We sampled it and thought it quite delectable.  We bought several bars and looked for more. The next "indulgence" was a neighboring vendor who offered samples of various cheese dips. None with bacon, but they were good. Then we saw it. Our piggy friend found a way to be represented.  Hidden in a corner was a Butcher booth with various kinds of pork offerings. We bought some dried sausages and of course bacon! We chose a super thick cut maple and peppercorn bacon. Mmm.... I couldn't wait to cook it. The only other bacon product was a crumbcake booth that offered a mini coffeecake topped with bacon pieces. It was delicious.

The end.... We'll not quite although it should have been. Our "adventure" lasted all of 40 minutes. Just like the folks we saw earlier, we made a quick sulky exit. Trying to recover from the shock of the Bacon Festival that never was, we were left hungry...angry...disappointed. Did I mention that we were hungry? Intent on having our bacon fix, we made our way to the highly recommended Coram Diner. I'll save you the details of the terrible food, sloppy plating and lacking service and instead show you a photo of what we did with the bacon we bought. We made our version of Nutella pancakes and served it up with crackling maple peppercorn bacon. Yum!

The Long Island Bacon Festival gets a big F for the bacon festival that never was. This was not the way we intended to start off the season of the Tasting Queens Road Trip Diaries.

Recipe for Nutella pancakes on our Facebook page Facebook.com/TastingQueens

Journey to Singh's

The next stop on our journey Tasting Queens was Singh's Roti Shop & Bar, representing Trinidadian cuisine. The restaurant was very spacious. Patrons weren't rubbing elbows as they ate. The bar was its own space, nicely situated within the restaurant without overpowering the room.

  

After perusing their wide selection, the staff ever so graciously offered to assist us in making our choices for the evening. We had our food in mere minutes. Service was quick and the presentation was definitely appealing. For our appetizers we had the traditional Doubles and an Aloo Pie (potato pie) served with a Mango and Cucumber Chutney (everything sauce). Both were very well done. The wraps weren't tough and rubbery as they can sometimes be when things don't go as planned. The channa (Chick Peas) and potato were also cooked to perfection. Both were mild but satisfying and took on a very different persona once the everything sauce was added to the mix. The sauce was a perfect blend of ingredients that made it seem like we had four appetizers instead of two. Off to a great start.

For our entrees we were served a West Indian Chinese dish and a curry dish. The West Indian Chinese dish consisted of West Indian Chinese Lo Mein, Chinese Style Fried Chicken, Vegetable Fried Rice and Pepper Chicken with Broccoli. From this dish, we first sampled the Lo Mein with the Pepper Chicken and they were great. The Lo Mein was cooked to perfection and the chicken was very flavorful while being on the spicy side. The Chinese style Chicken and Vegetable Fried Rice were just okay. They weren't as flavorful as the Lo Mein and Pepper Chicken. Everything worked well together though, especially when sampled with the everything sauce.

The curry dish was the Curry Trio (potato, channa and chicken). All three were well cooked, especially the potato. It didn't fall apart as we sampled, nor was it undercooked. Although we enjoyed the textures, we were a bit disappointed as that potent curry flavor didn't shine through the way we expected it to. We had actually braced ourselves as we were expecting to be blown into curry land, but that wasn't the case. The curry in this dish was quite mild.

All that said, Singh's Roti Shop & Bar is definitely worth a visit. Even though a few of the entree items left us wanting a bit more excitement, overall the food was filling and everything blended well, especially with the everything sauce. It really tastes great with everything. Singh's has a great dining atmosphere with the staff to match. Even though the establishment does not have waiters, we appreciated being tended to and asked how everything was during our meal once the counter staff had some down time. We also appreciate that the staff was very knowledgeable about the platters. Singh Roti Shop & Bar gets a solid B+. It won't take much to get them an A+. They just need a bit more punch of flavor to some their entree items. We'll definitely be back. Check 'em out: http://www.singhsrotishopnyc.com/

Our Latin Inspired Tuna Tarviche (Tartare meets Ceviche)

We wanted to spice things up with this recipe and thought that a simple tartare could be made even bolder with the addition of a few simple ingredients. Always unafraid to walk the fine line, we married some aspects of a typical ceviche and tartar to form our own creation of the...TARVICHE! Yes ladies and gentlemen, we have unleashed the flavor kraken on this one. It's simple but bold and like always, super easy to make. We hope you luv it as much as we did.

Tarviche (Tuna Tartar meets Ceviche)

8 oz. Fresh chilled tuna of your choice (we used ahi tuna)
Juice of 1/2 a lemon
1/2 tsp. black peppercorns
1 clove garlic minced
1 tsp. finely chopped red onion
1 tsp. finely chopped jalapeños
1 tsp. chopped cilantro
1 tbsp. olive oil
1/5 tsp. kosher salt

On a cutting board, cut tuna into 1/3 inch pieces and place in a medium bowl. Add onions, garlic, parsley, jalapeño peppers and peppercorns. Add olive oil and lemon juice and mix all ingredients together. Lastly, add the salt just before bringing it to the table for your guests to enjoy. This recipe is intended to be served immediately, thus giving you the freshness of a Tartare but infusing the brightness of a Ceviche. We served ours on an asiago toast.

Dish Crawl: One Night, Three Restaurants

What could make this Queens foodie happier than the chance to visit not one, but three restaurants in one night? Not very much. My Wednesday began with rainy skies and a few quiet moments spent in my backyard garden pulling weeds. All the while my mind was on an invitation from Dish Crawl to come along and sample the offerings of some selected eateries right in the heart of Long Island City. I said a few prayers for some sunshine, found my most comfortable pair of Summer sandals and decided on a very light lunch, so that I would have an ample appetite for what was about to take place.
Our facilitator Greta kept it fun by adding an air of mystery to the event. We only knew when and where the meet up would happen, but none were the wiser to the actual names of the restaurants. Nevertheless, with GPS programmed and my car full of gas, I made my way from South Queens down towards the waters below the Ed Koch Bridge (59th street or Queens Bridge). My prayers were answered in fine timing as the sun kissed the sky on a warm July afternoon.

I arrived at the first meet up location, 47-42 Vernon Blvd in LIC, home of ALOBAR. This restaurant boasts a warm, rustic décor and the largest whiskey selection in Queens. We gathered at the back of the restaurants, greeted our host Greta and were given name tags to begin the night on friendlier terms. After introductions from all, my preliminary conclusion was that this night would be even more enjoyable now that I was certain that this bunch of folks were fun, foodies out to have a wonderful time.

Just before the first course arrived we were greeted by Jeff, the Owner of ALOBAR. He gave us a warm welcome and introduced his chef Greg. Now for the best part, the food... Chef Greg chose to start us off with an heirloom tomato salad, with fontina cheese, avocado, lemon croutons and the nutty flavor of olive oil. It was the perfect beginning, light and refreshing and beautifully plated.
I enjoyed a  crisp, lightly sweetened white peach house-made soda while I waited for the next course which did not disappoint.

We were presented with a sangria braised octopus served with a romesco sauce. The octopus was braised to perfection. It was mellow and well balanced with the tart/sweet flavors of the wine coming through but not overpowering the dish. Even some non-seafood lovers at my table ate it all with gladness.
We chatted about careers, college, kids and of course food while we waited for course 3. My table mates making lively conversation to pass the time with ease. There was laughter and the gentle hum of carefree banter was soothing. In the short amount of time, we were becoming a group, bonding over the magic of good food.
Chef Greg returned to offer us our final treat from ALOBAR, his play on a loaded baked potato. It was the best thing my mouth tasted all day. Small bites of potato gnocchi, topped with caramelized onions and crisp crumbled bacon...I was sad when I found my bowl empty. It was bliss! Smooth and almost sensual, I wanted more immediately but alas, our time here was over. Hats off to chef Greg for that bowl of happiness. It was simply spectacular.

Greta then asked if we were all having fun, to which there was not a "no" to be heard. She then led the group on our crawl to the next location.

Located on 5-14 51st Street, Alewife NYC is a dimly lit bar/restaurant with long wooden tables and a large sleek bar. We were met with brown bags laid out on one of the tables that contained truffle popcorn. Sadly at this location there wasn't really anyone present to welcome us and introduce our meal. After the hospitality of ALOBAR, the warm feeling was immediately missing from our short time in Alewife NYC. Nonetheless, we sat at two long tables in the back with high stool-like chairs and began munching on our popcorn.

Greta and some of the ladies appeared with small plates of mac 'n cheese that they began to pass around to us. It appeared we were going to have to be independent on this taste.
The pasta was bland for the most part. Only pop of flavor coming from the earthy, slightly lemon like flavor of a few pieces of fresh thyme. So far the experience was less than ideal and I was hoping that Alewife NYC would find some redemption. Again, my tiny prayers were answered and a third offering was presented by Greta and friends. A BBQ pulled pork sandwich on challah bread was served. The pork was tender, and full of bold, sweet BBQ flavor. Alewife proved that there was yet some substance to this restaurant. There wasn't much else happening here, so we made our way via the scenic route to our last stop.

Long Island City truly represents Queens well. It's diverse, scenic, busy but with a sense of tranquility. There were folks sitting on sidewalk dining areas, enjoying brick oven pizzas, pastas and more. The aromas of the melting pot tantalized my senses, preparing me for what was to come.

We arrived at Opendoor, reggae music playing, people at the bar laughing and having a good time. We were seated in the dining area at the back of the restaurant and were greeted at once by chef Nick Guitart, who also happens to be the owner. Chef Nick seemed pleased to have us. He seemed to be a man of few words but as long as his cooking did the talking, that was alright with me.

Opendoor's menu is a compilation of small plates and the first presentation was trio of chips and salsas. There were corn, plantain and eggplant chips, served with black bean hummas, lentil puree and a sweet mango chutney. The hummas was smooth and unexpectedly light. The lentils were well seasoned and were well received. We got a kick out of the mango chutney...literally. It was a spicy lovers dream.

The group seemed comfortable again and the conversation was spirited and fun as we waited for course 2. A trio of tartars followed (fluke, tuna and salmon). The dill from the salmon was the first to invite me in, and I gave in with a greedy smile. It was delicious. Fresh fish, slightly pickled and perfect. It was not fishy at all, just full of tart, savory flavor that allowed the natural sweetness of the fish to shine. I must order this next time I visit.

Soon after we were greeted by three crisply fried croquettes (Mexican, Cuban and Italian). They were served on a tomato puree and were hot and tasty, my favorite being the rice ball. Yummy!

The chef was not done, he had a wonderful surprise for us... DESSERT! What night would be complete without the careful courting of the ever craving sweet tooth?

In keeping with the season, the dessert was a square of cake (sponge I believe), topped with fresh blueberries in sauce and whipped cream. The blueberries were sun kissed and super sweet. This dessert was just what was needed to end a wonderful night of new friends and good food. Hats off to chef Nick for his hospitality.
The banter fizzled as the night came to a slow close. We said our goodbyes like old friends, with hugs and promises to keep in contact. I made my way to my car with a smile on my face. It was a good night and I was happy I came.
Dish Crawl Queens was a wonderful experience. I would crawl again. Thanks for a wonderful evening Greta! Looking forward to the next "crawl".

**Want to know what's happening in Queens? Download the free App "This Is Queens" for information on dining, shopping, hotels and so much more.

Just Because We Felt Like It: Tasting Korean

Finally being on summer break means finally having a ton of free time to eat and be merry. But, unfortunately, it also means a lot of time for doctor's appointments. After completing one on Tuesday afternoon, Shauna hopped in the car and said, "I'm hungry, find us something to eat." I gladly whipped out Google Maps and searched the area for an interesting-sounding restaurant that happened to be close by. Within a minute I spotted Cana Korean Restaurant, located at 212-30 48th Ave. in Bayside. "Feeling Korean?" I asked Shauna. "Sure," she replied as she started the car.

As we opened the door of Cana, we were immediately greeted by a friendly-looking waitress who showed us to our seats and served us an earthy-tasting tea in plastic cups(no straws were to be had) and menus.  I got a bit of entertainment out of the retro-looking electronic grill built in to each table in the restaurant. We didn't take to long to order, as the waitress pointed out the lunch specials and they all looked delicious. As an appetizer, we ordered steamed dumplings stuffed with beef, tofu and vegetables. Then, Shauna ordered the Bulgogi Stew, sliced rib eye served in a stew with glass noodles. I ordered Dduk Mandoo Guk, which consisted of dumplings served in rice cake soup, glass noodles, egg and veggies. Because there was no one else in the restaurant, we got our orders quickly, which was nice because I was hungrier than I thought.

Within five minutes we received our appetizer. First, we received a few bowls of pickled  dishes. The first consisted of pickled seaweed, another of kimchi (pickled cabbage with mild pepper sauce), glass noodles in an onion-esque sauce, pickled cucumber and soy sauce, which tasted delicious with everything. The flavors were variant, but each popped in your mouth. I don't know about Shauna, but I would have easily been able to have based my whole meal off of those dishes. Next came the dumplings, which were stuffed with minced tofu, seaweed, glass noodle and beef, to the point that the very cooked outer shell would easily fall apart, which was an annoying struggle with my chopsticks...but they were soooo gooood.

Next came Shauna's entree: the Bulgogi stew. Now, the reason why glass noodles are my absolute favorite type of noodle is because they soak up the flavor of whatever they're put into very easily. The noodles, and the stew had a tasty, meaty flavor even though there wasn't that much meat in it. Next, I got my dish: The dumpling/rice cake soup. Although there wasn't actually any rice cake, there were four dumplings of the same kind, along with a helping of glass noodles(yes, accept it), egg pieces and seaweed and beef strips, in a creamy, mild, milky broth. However, there was also a strange other ingredient, a pink, sticky, half-solid substance that stuck to every part of the mouth and had a (in my opinion) foul, wheaty taste. Thankfully, this substance did not further affect my soup enjoyment, so I continued to happily eat.  The flavours of all the dishes combined left me wanting more after we were done. Afterwards we received our check (good prices!) and exited the scene.

Although there were some interesting occurrences during our meal (a TV being installed, the agonizing sound of silverware being sorted and the lack of any sort of music), the food was delicious and served quickly, the decor was cool and the waitress was always polite and nice. I think I'll give Cana an A-. Definitely a place residents of the Bayside area should visit. If I ever "just feel like" eating again, I hope we have the same result!