Always Informed: A-Pou’s Taste

GutterGourmet — July 28, 2010

Taiwanese “Special” Pork Dumplings with Hot Chili Sauce from A-Pou’s Taste in Astor Place.

I admit, I’m prone to addiction. So, I’m an easy mark for a dealer, particularly one who sets up around the corner from my home on Astor and Lafayette. I smell the smoke and gotta get me some pot…stickers. A-Pou’s Taste (A-Pou meaning “Grandma’s”) is a new Taiwanese street cart that offers a choice of four different pot stickers.

There are vegetarian, kimchi beef, and Hong Kong chicken dumplings, but I was sold on their signature offering: Taiwanese “Special” Pork. Five long, pan-seared, crêpes-like dumpling beauties for $3.50. The lady squirts soy sauce over the dumplings, but it’s quickly overtaken by a deceptively sweet (at first) hot chili sauce packed with pepper seeds.

I’m hopelessly hooked. God damn, God damn the pot-stickerman.

Restaurant: A-Pou’s Taste
Location: South side of Astor Place, b/n Fourth Avenue and Lafayette.
Hours: Mon-Sat, 10:00am-10:00pm.

AlwaysInformed: ESPN’s Match Truck

Maryse Chevrière — June 11, 2010

Clockwise from top: Carne Asada Burrito with Skirt and Flank Steak marinated in Lime, Garlic, Cilantro and Beer (Mexico); a server at the ESPN Match Truck, the crowd during lunch.

In what is perhaps one of the more exciting pieces of recent food truck news, ESPN’s Match Truck debuted this morning at Columbus Circle to dish out snacks to hungry World Cup fans.

As reported, the menu was designed by Kogi truck chef Roy Choi who drew inspiration from the street foods of some of the participating teams. Team USA’s Silver Dollar Pancakes and Sliders scored over Italy’s Seared Rice Balls, and it was a draw between South Korea’s Yaki Mandoo Dumplings and Spain’s Tortilla Española— both very good. But if we had to back a team based on their representative dish, we’d have to side with Greece for the Lamb Gyro or Mexico for the Carne Asada Burrito.

Photographs of the Food from ESPN's Match Truck >>

First Look: Ed’s Lobster Bar Cart

Maryse Chevrière — June 01, 2010

Soft Shell Crab Sandwich from Ed’s Lobster Bar Cart.

As reported, Ed’s Lobster Bar Cart debuted this past Saturday outside of the World Financial Center. There were Lobster Rolls, of course, but more intriguing are two sandwiches ($12.00 each) not currently available on SoHo restaurant’s regular menu: the Soft Shell Crab and the Shrimp Po’ Boy.

The Soft Shell Crab is a saucy, juicy mess of a sandwich— and delightfully so. The crinkle-crisp sautéed crab is presented with lettuce, tomato, and red onion on a skinny buttered roll that serves better as platform than container. You’ll want to sit down with this one, attack with two hands, and eat quickly— not that that’ll be much of a challenge.

More from Ed's Lobster Bar Cart >>

Always Informed: Tabla’s Frankie Cart is Back

Arthur Bovino — May 25, 2010

A Frankie being made at Tabla’s Frankie Cart.

Good news for Flatiron frankies fanatics: Tabla’s Frankie Cart is back. The folks at the cart said they started up again last Thursday. If you haven’t had a frankie, it’s an Indian wrap whose construction is similar to a Kati Roll, save for the thin, egg-washed wrap. You can read more about frankies, and their origin in last year’s announcement of the cart’s arrival.

There are apparently a few menu changes this year. The Pao are gone, so too the Sprouted Bean Chaat, but the Chicken Tikka Frankie has been joined by an excellent version with lamb. The Pombupani (Sparkling Limeade with Pomegranate Juice) are still on the offer— they’re refreshing and not-too-sweet. It looks like the cart’s Kulfi Pops have been joined by another Indian dessert: the Chocolate Chip Cookie Kulfi Sandwich.

Location: Outside Tabla at 11 Madison Park.
Notes: Takeaway only.

LUCKYRICE Festival: Night Market

Arthur Bovino — May 03, 2010

Clockwise from top: Spicy Pork Sandwich from Mantao for American Airlines, Little Poh Pohs from My Brooklyn Kitchen, the scene at the Night Market.

“Yeah, smell that?” exclaimed one excited festival goer of the pungent smells wafting out from The Archway Under the Manhattan Bridge. “Now that’s what I’m talking about!”

Brooklyn. David Chang. Asian Street Food— add those ingredients together and what do you get? A recipe for a sold-out event. If you didn’t make it to the LUCKYRICE Festival’s Night Market hosted by the Momofuku master on Friday night, you missed out on a scene.

A dedicated Malaysian Pavilion meant attendees could eavesdrop on Zak Pelaccio as he explained to one of the camera crews on hand how to prepare Roti Canai as it was stretched out before them. There were Barbecue Rainbow Carrow Buns by Dirt Candy, Tuna Tartare Spicy Rolls from Buddakan, and toppings for ice cream from the Big Gay Ice Cream Truck like Cayenne, Ginger Syrup, Sriracha, and of course, Wasabi Peas. But the delicious Crisp Pork Belly with Kim Chee and Island Creek Oyster by The Setai was perhaps one of the best tastes of the night.

Photographs at the LUCKYRICE Festival's Night Market >>

Always Hungry: Queens Hot Dog Trucks

GutterGourmet — January 08, 2010

Top, D’Angelos Italian Sausage with peppers and onions. Left, D’Angelos. Right, Angel Bonilla.

Long before the advent of trucks selling gourmet desserts, mini-cupcakes, waffles and even schnitzel, the D’Angelo family was selling life-affirming hot dogs in two very different regional styles alongside St. John’s Cemetery on Woodhaven Boulevard in Queens. The styles are miles apart in taste profile, but the two different trucks selling them are separated by only several hundred yards. Both were owned by the D’Angelo family, who have been doing this for about 40 years, but the Dominick’s truck was recently sold to a family friend.

Why St. Johns Cemetery? Angel Bonilla, one of the family members who runs the D’Angelos cart, laughed and said, “My uncle started it here many years ago, for no particular reason. He thought it was a good location. It seems to have worked out well for us though.” They’re hoping for similar fortune with their new Huntington location (918 E. Jericho Turnpike), which opened about a year ago.

Continue Reading About Dominick's and D'Angelos Hot Dogs and Sausages >>

AlwaysPartying: 2009 Vendy Awards

The Hungry Goat — September 28, 2009

New York City’s love affair with street vendors was on full display at Saturday’s 2009 Vendy Awards. A crowd of over 1,000 hungry New Yorkers—a record high for the event—filed into historic Corona Park to sample and support the eleven contenders by way of an hours-long eat and repeat marathon.

Highlights included: Biryani Cart’s kick-ass Kati Roll, the chorizo huaraches by Vendy’s winner, Country Boys/Martinez Taco Truck, Big Gay Ice Cream Truck’s Caramelized Bacon Ice Cream Sandwich, and “Freddy” The King of Falafel’s unforgettable performance with two lovely belly dancers.

Top, Country Boys/Martinez Taco Trucks’ Chorizo Huaraches. Bottom left, Chicken Tacos.

2009 VENDY CUP WINNER
Country Boys/Martinez Taco Truck – Fernando & Jolanda Martinez
Served: Fernando said he selected his clients’ favorites, Huaraches, Quesadillas or Tacos with a choice of chicken, beef, or vegetarian filling.
AlwaysHungry For: Anything with seafood.
AHNY Notes: Fernando said his favorite restaurants are El Viejo Yayo, and Barzola.

Continue Reading >>

AlwaysInvestigating:  Duck, Duck, Gyro

The Gluttoness — September 22, 2009

For all intensive purposes, gyros and shawarmas are one in the same. When you’re starving on Lexington, eating the damn thing is more important than dissecting the distinctions, but they are worth noting.

Gyros are from Greece. The name refers to the sandwich itself, which is typically made of garlic and oregano-spiced ground pork (although it can be combined with lamb, chicken or beef), which is compressed into forcemeat before being spit-roasted. In Arabic speaking countries, shawarma refers to the meat itself, usually sliced lamb, seasoned with allspice and assembled in layers on a spit before being roasted. Ultimately, both preparations are sliced off the spit and served in a pita. While gyros are usually dressed with Greek yogurt or tzaziki, and shawarma typically takes tahini or tarator (tahini with garlic), neither is customarily stuffed with duck, yet some New York chefs are opting to put a gourmet spin on these street food favorites.

ilili’s Duck Shawarma with Fig, Green Onion and Garlic Whip.

ilili’s Duck Shawarma ($14.00) has the appearance of your typical Middle Eastern shawarma, except the fancy holder allows the wrapped pita cone duo to be delivered upright. Thin pita is grilled for a smoky exterior and the delicate crispness of the wrapping gives way to a generous portion of sliced duck. While some bits are plagued by fat and gristle, most of the medium meat had a gamey richness. In typical fashion, the shawarma’s sauce was characterized by garlic. The intensely seasoned garlic whip had the caramelized hue of roasted cloves. The creamy sauce controlled the flavor profile, its heaviness given relief by a plentitude of pungent green onions and a sweet speckling of figs.

Continue Reading >>

AlwaysTraveling: L.A. Tacos (Los Angeles)

The Gluttoness — September 21, 2009

Los Angeles may be the land of glitz and glamour, but when it comes to food, we all know that the City of Angels is Taqueria Town. There are tons of authentic options, from free-standing originals to chains like King Taco, but newcomers are also shaking up the scene with international alternatives. Their prevalence even led one man to embark on The Great Taco Hunt, a lofty mission to taste and rate L.A. tacos in a quest to find the perfect one. During a recent trip, I conducted my own AlwaysHungry taco expedition, following a visit to the famed Tito’s Tacos with a stop at the nearest Kogi Truck (view site).

Clockwise from top left: Tito’s exterior, Tito’s Taco, Chili con Carne, Tostada.

Tito’s Tacos in Culver City is an inexpensive Mexican institution that has been preparing their top-secret recipes since 1959. Despite eight fast-moving windows for takeout and eat-in orders, long lines for this standard fare never let up. There are no frills and limited options. Tacos come with beef—don’t even think about substitutions.

While the name is Tito’s Tacos, the best thing on the menu is the Chili con Carne, which is slow-cooked for a decadent, heavily-spiced beefiness. Although the same beef fills the hard-shelled tacos, the proportion is overwhelmed by a flavorless helping of shredded lettuce. Refried Beans are topped with melted cheese and the Been & Cheese Tostadas are best eaten fast, before the crisp, underlying shell goes inconveniently soggy and becomes impossible to eat without utensils. The fresh Tomato Salsa is somewhat watery, needing both salt and pepper. Nothing at Titos’ is the best, and some of the stuff is barely average—it’s obvious that lifelong patrons have grown accustomed to the authentic, if underseasoned flavors.

Continue Reading >>

AlwaysPartying: Tacombi’s First Night Out

Arthur Bovino — September 10, 2009

Señor Tacombi truck

It is confirmed— in a celebration of fashion, street carts and Mexican food, Aaron Sanchez’s food truck, Señor Tacombi will debut tonight on Bond Street as part of The Smile’s festivities to celebrate Fashion’s Night Out (view site). Food will begin being served at the truck at 8pm. Last week’s post noted previous menu items.

As if this weren’t enough, The Smile will also be hosting a Schaller & Webber sausage cart, and serving some of their own bruschetta as well. Basically, there is no question that 26 Bond Street is the place that any good eater will be tonight.

AlwaysPartying: Food from Brazilian Day Festival 2009

Arthur Bovino — September 08, 2009

How many people attended. Check newspaper article.

The two-day Brazilian Day Festival 2009 celebration this weekend featured a lot of action in Midtown, and Brazilian food was no small part of it. Festivities started on 42nd Street and Avenue of the Americas and stretched all the way up to 56th Street. The usual street food fair-vendor suspects were there, the arepas, zeppoles, and gyros. But there was also a solid block on 46th Street between Madison and Sixth Avenue that was almost completely Brazilian food.

Green and yellow, flag-as-cape wearing Brasileiros and festival-goers got a chance to eat some of their favorites from feijoada and açai na tigela to coxinha, acarajé and of course, pão de queijo. AlwaysHungryNY.com attended, hungry and ready to eat, drink and photograph it all.

Pão de queijo, $1/3.

Coxinha, $3.

Kibe ($3/1) a Brazilian-Lebanese street snack consisting of deep-fried meat and bulgur wheat.

Crêpe with Goiaba (Guava) and Pastel de Queijo.

Click Here for more pictures of food from Brazilian Day 2009 >>

AlwaysLearning: Coxinha

Arthur Bovino — September 08, 2009

Top, Coxinha & Guaraná soda from Barril Grill. Left, Barril Grill, 30-18 Broadway, Astoria. Right, Coxinha cross-section, New York Pão de Queijo, Astoria.

Sure there are Pastels and Bolinhos de Bacalhau but when you consider the Brazilian salgadhino that comes to mind most quickly after Pão de Queijo, it’s likely to be Coxinha (pronounced, Co-sheen-ya).

Where it’s from: Brazil.

What it is: At its most basic, coxinha is a croquette filled with minced chicken and seasonings. In Brazil, each coxinha is usually about two and a half to three inches long and about one and a half to two inches wide. It can be found in Brazil’s little corner coffee shops throughout the country. Where you find Pao de Queijo, you’ll most often also find coxinha. The word, ‘coxinha’ is said to actually mean ‘little chicken thigh”, and that’s supposedly what it originally contained. These days, the teardrop shape is said to be purposely reminiscent of this drumstick origin.

While it’s easily eaten on the go, coxinha is often consumed at the cafe counter where there’s usually a bottle of hot sauce. The top is torn or bitten off, and a dash of hot sauce is often used to spice it up as it’s eaten. The perfect coxinha resembles a misshapen arancine, and is similar in color. The outer shell should be crisp and delicate. Just underneath, a quarter-inch layer of batter and catupiry combines for a creamy effect, similar to a mashed potato paste. Finally, in the center, the minced chicken should be moist, flavorful and at least a little warm.

How it’s made: There are different preparations, but generally, chicken cooked with broth is then seasoned and minced, then enclosed in a wheat flour batter. Applications differ, but most recipes call for a Brazilian cream cheese called Catupiry. Some dictate that the cream cheese should be mixed with the chicken, some stipulate its inclusion with the batter, while others just note it should be present with the chicken when it’s battered and fried. This filling is then coated with batter and breadcrumbs, shaped to roughly resemble a drumstick, allowed to set and then fried.

Where to get it in New York: Coxinha in New York City tends to be much smaller on average than in Brazil but you can find it at several of the Brazilian restaurants in Midtown. Be careful, on occasion you’ll find a toothpick sticking out of the center. Whereas in Brazil you usually buy one individually (unless you’re hungry), here they’re served small and several to an order. Some restaurants serving them in Manhattan include Brazil Brazil Restaurant and Brazil Grill (787 8th Avenue). In Astoria, Rio Bonito and New York Pao de Queijo also sell decent renditions.

AlwaysInformed: Señor Tacombi

Arthur Bovino — September 04, 2009

Señor Tacombi, a Mexican street taco concept from Playa del Carmen, Mexico.

There have been rumblings that Aaron Sanchez might be working on a food truck and now, it seems, things may be coming together. Señor Tacombi (view site) is a taqueria concept that has been operating in Playa del Carmen, Mexico for about three and a half years. It’s a taco stand fashioned with a 1960’s VW bus. We’ve heard that the founder, Dario Wolos Cantu, has partnered with Myriad Restaurant Group and Aaron Sanchez (of Centrico), who will supposedly be taking care of the taco and Mexican street food menu. Here’s the catch, as we understand it, while the bus could be moved for events, it’s not going to be a mobile concept.

Most of the website is in Spanish, but amidst images of white lingerie-wearing angels and Mexican-wrestling-mask and white business suit-wearing men, the concept seems to be traditional Mexican street tacos with quality ingredients. The menu (with magic mushrooms and flying, cape-wearing pigs) of these self-proclaimed “LOS HIJOS DEL MAÍZ” (Children of the Corn) has featured:

Fish Tacos: Herb-breaded grouper and shrimp, fresh ceviche with lime, Pico de gallo and olive oil.
Veggie Tacos: “Magic Mushrooms,” queca pacheca, beans, corn and slices of cheese.
Beef: Flank steak, with green pepper and onion.
Pork: Cochinita pibil and carnitas
Chicken: “Chicken Locochón,” shredded chicken breast in tomato sauce, chipotle and onion.

AlwaysLearning: Pão de Queijo

Arthur Bovino — September 04, 2009

Pão de Queijo in Astoria at New York Pão de Queijo, $1.75.

Pão de Queijo (pronounced, pow de KAY-ju, with a nasal ‘ow’) is an addictive, gluten-free, South American salgadinho.

Where it’s from: Pão de Queijo is one of many different salgadhinos (snacks), like Coxinha and Pastels, which you can find everywhere in Brazil. It is most often sold at cafés, where it’s eaten with espresso for breakfast while standing at a counter— though it can be found all day. Variations are said to be found in Bolivia, where they’re known as Cuñapé, and in Paraguay and Northern Argentina where they’re known as Chipás.

What it is: In Portuguese Pão de Queijo means ‘cheese bread.’ Bread isn’t quite accurate— gougère or cheese profiterole is more apt. Basically, it’s a domed cheese puff one to three inches wide, made using Povilho Azedo, cassava flour (tapioca starch) usually with Queijo de Minas cheese inside. Origins are murky, but it’s thought to have been created by slaves who harvested the yucca crops and gathered the starch leftover after processing. Starch was rolled into balls and baked. Later, when cattle-farming became widespread, cheese was introduced. One Brazilian chain that specializes in it, Casa do Pão de Queijo (founded in 1967 in São Paulo), attributes it to the 18th century in the state of Minas Gerais, a region in the Southeast of Brazil, a little less than 300 miles from Rio.

How it’s made: Recipes vary, but generally, milk, oil and butter are first mixed over heat. Then tapioca flour, eggs and cheese are added. After the mixture cools, balls of dough are formed and cooked for about twenty minutes. The combination of tapioca starch and cheese creates a slightly gummy, chewy consistency inside, like a palatable rubber cement. When done right, they are crisp on the outside and light, airy, warm and slightly chewy on the inside with full, cheesy flavor. One of Brazil’s best places for pão de queijo is in São Paulo— Pão de Queijo Haddock Lobo —a little shop in a neighborhood called Jardins Paulista.

Where to get it in New York: There are pockets of Brazilian restaurants downtown (like Casa and Cafe La Palette in the West Village, and one place in the East Village, Esperanto) that serve pão de queijo, as well as a few in Midtown (Emporium Brasil) on what’s left of Little Brazil on 46th Street (“Little Brazil Street”) and also in Newark, and Astoria, Queens.

One AlwaysHungryNY.com favorite spot for pão is New York Pão de Queijo (right), a small café in Astoria. It has other treats including açai na tigela and a bevy of Brazilian fruit juices. Fair warning: once you’ve eaten one, it’s difficult to stop.

AlwaysLearning: Speculoos

Katie Reisert — August 26, 2009

Speculoos. What is it about Dutch and Belgian food words, like Speculoos (or Spekuloos) and Kapsalon that make them sound so epic? If you’ve eaten a Spekuloos covered waffle from the Wafels & Dinges truck you may find that the taste is epic too. It’s like Golden Grahams Cereal in dessert sauce form. But as good as it is, Speculoos didn’t originate as a spread.

Where it’s from: The Netherlands and Belgium.

What it is: Speculoos is actually a cookie, similar in composition to a biscuit or shortbread. Traditionally, it was baked to be eaten on St Nicholas’ Eve in the Netherlands (Dec. 5) and Belgium (Dec. 6). These thin, crunchy cookies are typically made using butter, sugar and a combination of spices including: cinnamon, nutmeg, cardamom, cloves and sometimes ginger. They were then stamped with depictions of St. Nicholas. These days the cookies are available year-round. But they typically remain stamped with images, sometimes relating to the story of St. Nicholas, sometimes featuring representations of people, animals and daily life.

It’s not clear exactly where the word Speculoos comes from. Some speculate it originated from the Dutch word for spice, specerij. Another possibility is the Latin word for mirror, speculum, which could refer to the mirrored wooden stamp relief which was used to decorate the cookie.

Where to get it in New York: You can find packaged Speculoos cookies at Le Pain Quotidien (pictured above). Their renditions are like thin cinnamon sugar cookies with tiny bits of lemon. Lotus Bakeries have been making their ‘caramelised biscuits’ since 1932. After being discovered the cookies were rebranded in United States as Biscoff (Biscuit + Coffee = BISCOFF), which you can find at Walgreen’s.

A Liège Wafel with Spekuloos Spread and Strawberries, $6.

As mentioned above, spreadable Speculoos (we’re talking delicious, next-level stuff, here) can be found at the Wafels & Dinges truck. They actually label it on their menu as “our favorite.” And believe it or not, you can get it for free —well, technically that is— because when buying a waffle, your first ‘dinges’ (topping) is on the house, or the truck rather. The Wafels & Dinges version is in the peanut butter and Nutella school of the spreadable world. It has hints of caramel and cinnamon, is thinner and lighter than peanut butter and more gooey than Nutella. But it’s less sweet and a tad saltier. Unlike a heavy hot fudge sauce that can hide the waffle’s flavor, Spekuloos complements it perfectly.

If you want to keep some Speculoos Spread on hand at home you can order a 28oz jar of the spread for $7.58 through the airline food supplier, Gourmet Center which distributes Lotus’ products in America.