Eating In Translation

Food-Friendly Events, May 24-31

2012-05-24T10:30:00-04:00

Hester Nights
Opening Thursday, May 24, 4:00-9:00; continues Thursday evenings through October 25
Eventi Open Air Plaza, 851 Sixth Ave. (entrances on 29th and 30th Sts.), Manhattan
www.HesterStreetFair.com/more-hester-yes-please-introducing-hester-nights-opening-may-24
Free admission

Beer Here: Brewing New York's History
Opens Friday, May 25, through September 2
New-York Historical Society, 170 Central Park West (at 77th St.), Manhattan
www.NYHistory.org/exhibitions/beer-here
Museum admission: adults, $15; reduced for seniors, educators, students, and children; weekend mini beer garden, ages 21 and over only

Go! Go! Curry Eating Championship
Saturday, May 26, 5:00-???
Go! Go! Curry, 273 West 38th St. (Seventh-Eighth Aves.), Manhattan
www.GoGoCurryUSA-NY.com/event2012.html
Free admission; to reserve one of the limited audience seats, email ggc@notionsunited.com

Serbian Food Festival
Saturday and Sunday, May 26 and 27, 10:00-4:00
Serbian Orthodox Cathedral of St. Sava, 20 West 26th St. (Fifth-Sixth Aves.), Manhattan
www.StSavaNYC.org/index.php?option=com_content&id=149
Previously: www.EatingInTranslation.com/2007/06/serbian_orthodo.html
Free admission

5 Boro Picnic
Saturday and Sunday, May 26 and 27, 11:30-4:30, rain or shine
Governors Island
www.5BoroPicnyc.com
Tickets: $25

Dance Africa Bazaar
Saturday, May 26, noon-10:00; Sunday and Monday, May 27 and 28, noon-8:00; rain or shine
Near Ashland Pl., Fort Greene, Brooklyn
www.BAM.org/view.aspx?pid=4200
Previously: www.EatingInTranslation.com/2008/05/dance-africa-ba.html
Free admission

Crawfish Boil for a Song
Saturday and Sunday, May 26 and 27, 4:00-8:00 rain dates June 2 and 3
SolarOne, 2420 FDR Service Road East (at East 22nd St.), Manhattan
www.CrawfishNY.org/main/events
Tickets: $100; advance purchase required; ages 21 and over only; proceeds benefit Kids Need a Melody

Ecuafest
Sunday, May 27, 10:00-6:00
West 107th St. between Amsterdam and Columbus Aves., Manhattan
www.ExportWorld.com.ec/ecuafest2012/index.php/eventos/ecuafest-2012
Previously: www.EatingInTranslation.com/2009/05/ecuafest.html
Free admission

Veggie Pride Parade
Sunday, May 27, 11:00-5:00
The parade, beginning at noon, proceeds from the Meatpacking District to the festival site, Union Square North, Manhattan
www.VeggiePrideParade.org
Free admission

Loisaida Festival
Sunday, May 27, noon-5:00, rain or shine
Avenue C between 6th and 12th Sts., Manhattan
www.LoisaidaInc.org
Previously: www.EatingInTranslation.com/2008/05/casa-adela.html
Free admission

Food Truck Rally
Sunday, May 27, 11:00-5:00
Grand Army Plaza, Brooklyn
www.ProspectPark.org/calendar/event/food-truck-rally
Free admission

Haitian Day Parade and SpringFest
Sunday, May 27, 11:00-7:00
Parade proceeds south on Nostrand Ave. from Linden Blvd. to the festival site, near Foster Ave., Brooklyn
www.HaitianParade.com
Previously: www.EatingInTranslation.com/2009/05/haitian-day-parade-and-festival.html
Free admission

Santacruzan Street Fair
Sunday, May 27, 10:00-8:00
2nd St. at Erie St., Jersey City
www.CatholicActionOfMary.com
Previously: www.EatingInTranslation.com/2010/06/santacruzan-festival.html
Free admission

Plus Polish Festival
Sunday, May 27, noon-midnight
German Masonic Park, 89 Western Highway, Tappan, New York
www.PlusFestival.com
Free admission

Fifth Annual Ceremony of the Universal Peace Pagoda
Sunday, May 27, 9:00-early afternoon
ABBA New Jersey temple, 63 Gordons Corner Rd., Manalapan, New Jersey
www.MahasiMeditation.org
A friend of EIT writes that "there will be authentic Burmese home cooking from many members who will be donating for this annual wonderful fiesta."
Free admission; "you can contribute donation if you like"

Our Lady of Refuge Barbeque and Street Fair
Monday, May 28, 8:00-5:00
Vicinity of Our Lady of Refuge Roman Catholic Church, 2020 Foster Ave. (at Ocean Ave.), Ditmas Park, Brooklyn
www.OLRBrooklyn.org/news/2012/05/22/our-lady-of-refuge-barbeque-street-fair
Free admission

Inside the Jewish Bakery
Tuesday, May 29, 6:30-???
Tenement Museum, 103 Orchard St. (Delancey-Broome Sts.), Manhattan
www.Tenement.org/vizcenter_events.php
Tickets: $10

The Apple Pushers
Tuesday, May 29, 7:00-8:30ish
BAM Rose Cinemas, 30 Lafayette Ave. (at Ashland Pl.), Fort Greene, Brooklyn
www.BAM.org/view.aspx?pid=4256
Free admission

Taste What You're Missing
Wednesday, May 30, noon-???
The Beard House, 167 West 12th St. (Sixth-Seventh Aves.), Manhattan
www.JamesBeard.org/events/beard-books-053012
Suggested donation: $20 for nonstudents; reserve seats by calling 212-627-2308

How Would Julia Child Vote on the 2012 Farm Bill?
Thursday, May 31, 4:00-6:00
Elmer Holmes Bobst Library, New York University, 70 Washington Square South (at LaGuardia Pl.), Manhattan
www.NYU.edu/library/bobst/research/fales/eventstest.html
Suggested donation: $10; reserve your seat with an email to RSVP.Bobst@nyu.edu

9,000 Years of Cheese
Thursday, May 31, 6:30-???
Mount Vernon Hotel Museum and Garden, 417 East 61st St. (First-York Aves.), Manhattan
www.BrownPaperTickets.com/event/246936
General admission: $40; reduced for CHNY and MVHM members; advance registration required

Sold out: Pickling at Home, May 24

Call for entries: The Great Hot Dog Cookoff, signups close June 7

Ongoing: Hester Nights, Thursdays; Smorgasburg, Saturdays; Hester Street Fair, Saturdays; Red Hook Food Vendors, Saturdays and Sundays; Fulton Stall Market, Saturdays and Sundays; Brooklyn Flea, Saturdays and Sundays; New Amsterdam Market, Sundays; Dekalb Market, daily; Mad. Sq. Eats, daily through June 1; New York Greenmarkets, various days; Community Markets, various days

Classes: See the schedules of the Astor Center, The Brooklyn Kitchen, the French Culinary Institute, the Ger-Nis Culinary & Herb Center, Haven's Kitchen, the Institute of Culinary Education, the Japanese Culinary Center, Murray's Cheese, the 92nd St. Y, and the Whole Foods Bowery Culinary Center, and the roundup of classes on CourseHorse

Walking tours: Tag along with Big Onion, the Institute of Culinary Education, NoshWalks, NYC Discovery Walking Tours, Urban Oyster, and "Wildman" Steve Brill

Tickets on sale: Chocolate Fest, June 3; Taste of LIC, June 5; Lobster Roll Rumble, June 7; Sunset Bhangra, June 7; Big Apple Barbecue Block Party, June 9-10

Levi's Port Cafe

2012-05-23T10:00:00-04:00

Basics done right: fried pork chop ($8.95), collard greens, nice-and-loose mac 'n' cheese. A two-chop plate, fried or smothered ($10.95) serves customers not destined for several more meals in succession.

Levi's Port Cafe
1102 8th St. S.E. (near L St. S.E.), Washington, D.C.
202-547-6500
www.LevisSoulFoodCafe.com
Open through early dinnertime Monday through Saturday; closed Sunday

"Drink Coca-Cola, 5¢, it's refreshing"

2012-05-23T09:30:00-04:00

Senart's Oyster & Chop House
520 8th St. S.E. (Pennsylvania Ave.-E St. S.E.), Washington, D.C.
202-544-1168
www.SenartsDC.com
(Prices subject to change)

Mark's Kitchen

2012-05-22T21:30:00-04:00

In an earlier life the Mill Korean Restaurant, near Columbia University, in New York, was a luncheonette and purveyor of school supplies. Some years ago it began a slow-motion transformation and, for a period of 18 months or so, did business as an odd hybrid of greasy spoon and bibimbap joint.

For more than two decades Korean-American-owned Mark's Kitchen has straddled a similar divide, but on larger, cheerier, and better-ventilated premises. To accompany acorn squash ($9.95), stuffed with barley, spinach, red pepper, spring onion, and mushroom, sweet tea served me just fine. If I'd ordered the steak-and-kimchi omelet, however, I would have missed the sole legacy item on the Mill's menu; Mark's doesn't make a lime rickey.

Also shown: a gingerbread sundae ($5.95). The ice cream and the candied topping are ginger-flavored, too.

Mark's Kitchen
7006 Carroll Ave., Takoma Park, Maryland
301-270-1884
www.MarksKitchen.com

Food-Friendly Events, May 17-24

2012-05-17T10:00:00-04:00

TechMunch NYC
Friday, May 18, 9:00-7:00
Astor Center, 399 Lafayette St. (at East 4th St.), Manhattan
www.TMNYC12-esearch.eventbrite.com/?srnk=44
Tickets: bloggers, $150; PR/marketing types, $200

New Taste of the Upper West Side: Comfort Classics
Friday, May 18, 7:00-10:00
Columbus Ave. between 76th and 77th Sts., Manhattan
www.NewTasteUWS.com/comfort.html
Tickets: $95; ages 21 and over only; a portion of proceeds benefits Citymeals-on-Wheels

Ukrainian Festival
Friday, May 18, 4:00-11:00; Saturday, 11:00-11:00; Sunday, 1:00-5:00
East 7th St. between Second and Third Aves., Manhattan
www.Brama.com/stgeorge/#events
Previously: www.EatingInTranslation.com/2011/05/st_georges_dess.html
Free admission

Ethnic Festival of El Barrio
Saturday, May 19, 11:00-5:00
East 104th St. between Second and Third Aves., Manhattan
www.UnionSettlement.org
Free admission

Ye Olde Village Fair
Saturday, May 19, 11:00-4:00
Vicinity of Bedford and Barrow Sts., Manhattan
www.BBCBlockAssociation.wordpress.com
This event is more about crafts, accented by a few food vendors from far and wide: www.EatingInTranslation.com/2007/05/smiling_hill_fa.html
Free admission

Taste of Tribeca
Saturday, May 19, 11:30-3:00
Vicinity of Duane and Greenwich Sts., Manhattan
www.TasteOfTribeca.org
Tickets: $45 advance, $50 day of; proceeds benefit a pair of New York public schools

Turkish Day Parade and Festival
Saturday, May 19, 11:00-???
Parade proceeds down Madison Ave. from 56th St., then east to the festival site at Dag Hammarskjold Park, 47th St. between Second and First Aves., Manhattan
www.PRlog.org/11873852
Free admission

Viking Festival
Saturday, May 19, noon-5:00
Owl's Head Park, Colonial Ave. at 68th St., Bay Ridge, Brooklyn
www.May17ParadeNY.com/Events.html
Lighter on food than on atmosphere
Free admission

Uncorked!
Saturday, May 19, noon-4:00
Historic Richmond Town, 441 Clarke Ave. (at St. Patrick's Pl.), Staten Island
www.HistoricRichmondTown.org/events/details/843-uncorked%202012
Admission: adults, $30; children ages 12 and under, $10

Asian-American Heritage Celebration
Saturday, May 19, noon-6:00
Kensico Dam Plaza, Bronx River Parkway, Valhalla, New York
www3.WestchesterGov.com/news/2713-upcoming-heritage-festivals-next-in-series
Free admission

Slideluck Bikeshow
Saturday, May 19, 6:00-10:00
Hosteling International, 891 Amsterdam Ave. (103rd-104th Sts.), Manhattan
http://network.SlideluckPotshow.com/events/bikeshow
Tickets: $10

New Taste of the Upper West Side: Best of the West
Saturday, May 19, 7:00-9:30
Columbus Ave. between 76th and 77th Sts., Manhattan
www.NewTasteUWS.com/best.html
Tickets: $125; ages 21 and over only; a portion of proceeds benefits Citymeals-on-Wheels

Ninth Avenue International Food Festival
Saturday and Sunday, May 19 and 20, noon-5:00
Ninth Avenue between 42nd and 57th Sts., Manhattan
www.NinthAvenueFoodFestival.com
Free admission

Indonesian food bazaar
Sunday, May 20, 10:00ish-4:00
Outside the Al-Hikmah Mosque, 48-01 31st Ave. (at 48th St.), Astoria, Queens
Previously: www.EatingInTranslation.com/2011/05/indonesian-food.html
Free admission

Buddha's Light "Three Acts of Goodness" Festival
Sunday, May 20, 10:30-3:00
Fo Guang Shan Buddhist Temple of New York, 154-37 Barclay Ave. (at 156th St.), Murray Hill, Queens
www.FGSNY.org/english/events.html
Free admission

Murray Hill Street Festival
Sunday, May 20, 11:00-6:00
Park Ave. between 34th and 40th Sts., Manhattan
www.MurrayHillNYC.org/photos/Events/MH_Festivalrev.pdf
Free admission

New York Street Ramen Contest
Sunday, May 20, 1:00-4:00
Park Ave. between 39th and 40th Sts. (one block of the Murray Hill Street Festival), Manhattan
www.NYRamen.org
Free admission

Drums Along the Hudson Native American Festival
Sunday, May 20, 11:00-6:00
Inwood Hill Park at 218th St., Manhattan
www.DrumsAlongTheHudson.org
Previously: www.EatingInTranslation.com/2008/05/drums-along-the.html
Free admission

Bronx Food and Arts Festival
Sunday, May 20, noon-5:00ish
Mosholu Pkwy. North near Hull Ave., Bronx
www.ILoveTheBronx.com/content/bronx-food-arts-festival
Previously: www.EatingInTranslation.com/2008/06/bronx-food-and.html
Free admission

Park Slope Fifth Avenue Festival
Sunday, May 20, noon-6:00
Fifth Ave. between 12th and Sterling Sts., Park Slope, Brooklyn
www.ParkSlopeFifthAvenueBID.com/news/infivemoredays
Free admission

Seventeenth of May Parade
Sunday, May 20, beginning at 1:30
From Third Ave. and 86th St., Bay Ridge, Brooklyn, up to and along Leif Erickson Park, at 67th St.
www.May17ParadeNY.com
Previously: www.EatingInTranslation.com/2007/05/norwegian_refre.html
Free admission

Pray, Love, and Especially Eat
Tuesday, May 22, 7:00-???
New York Public Library, Fifth Ave. at 42nd St., Manhattan
www.NYPL.org/events/programs/2012/05/22/home-range-conversation-elizabeth-gilbert
Tickets: general admission, $25; seniors and students with valid I.D., $15

New York City Brewers Guild Founders Bash
Tuesday, May 22, 7:00-10:00
Brooklyn Brewery, 79 North 11th St. (Wythe Ave.-Berry St.), Williamsburg, Brooklyn
www.BrooklynBrewery.com/blog/event/new-york-city-brewers-guild-founders-bash
Tickets: $75; ages 21 and over only
Via Edible Brooklyn

Pickling at Home
Thursday, May 24, 6:00-???
Horticultural Society of New York, 148 West 37th St. (Fifth-Sixth Aves.), Manhattan
www.TheHort.org/programs_workshops_ talks_tours.html#pickles2012
Workshop fee: $35, reduced for HSNY members; RSVP to Info@TheHort.org

Sold out: The Great GoogaMooga, May 19-20 (except for VIP tickets); Pinch Tail, Suck Head, May 23

Call for entries: The Great Hot Dog Cookoff, signups close June 7

Ongoing: Smorgasburg, Saturdays; Hester Street Fair, Saturdays; Red Hook Food Vendors, Saturdays and Sundays; Fulton Stall Market, Saturdays and Sundays; Brooklyn Flea, Saturdays and Sundays; New Amsterdam Market, Sundays; Dekalb Market, daily; Mad. Sq. Eats, daily through June 1; New York Greenmarkets, various days; Community Markets, various days

Walking tours: Tag along with Big Onion, the Institute of Culinary Education, NoshWalks, NYC Discovery Walking Tours, Urban Oyster, and "Wildman" Steve Brill

Tickets on sale: 5 Boro PicNY, May 26-27; Crawfish Boil for a Song, May 26-27; Chocolate Fest, June 3; Taste of LIC, June 5; Lobster Roll Rumble, June 7; Sunset Bhangra, June 7

Passport to Taiwan

2012-05-16T15:00:00-04:00

The volunteer-staffed food stalls at this annual event, which also features arts and crafts and live performances, serve a number of dishes dear to the heart of the local Taiwanese community. This traditional glutinous rice delicacy, dressed with syrup and crushed peanut, had been prepared in advance; it's even more toothsome when plucked from a still-warm pot and enjoyed in the cool night air.

Also from the sweet side of the menu: vanilla ice cream, with peanut and cilantro, enfolded in a spring-roll wrapper. See that treat, and other menu items from festivals past, in the slideshow.

Passport to Taiwan
Union Square
www.P2Tw.org
May (the 2012 festival was held May 13)

Relax

2012-05-15T10:00:00-04:00

This Polish diner was newish when Irene Sax profiled it for her Eats Beat column in 1997, and, except for the addition of a flatscreen television, little seems to have changed with the years. It's a walk-down, well-maintained if somewhat dim and drab, with an unhurried air. On the day I visited, several couples and families had made it their destination for a late-afternoon meal.

Most were digging into plates as well-loaded as mine. While heavy, fatty soul food is in retreat at many Manhattan establishments — today often it co-stars with lighter fare — here in Greenpoint the Polish equivalent has hunkered down as resolutely as the decor. The sauerkraut that accompanied my pork hock dinner ($7.75) contained mushrooms as well as bits of fried kielbasa. Potatoes, alas, were dry.

Relax
68 Newell St. (Nassau-Driggs Aves.), Greenpoint, Brooklyn
718-389-1665

Fruit stand

2012-05-15T09:30:00-04:00

Wax jambu ($5) is a member of the Myrtle family; rose apple, wax apple, water apple, Java apple, and bell fruit are colloquial names for multiple species. When I've tried these in Bangkok, Xiamen, and Taipei, they've generally been crisp, and moist if not juicy, but to me the sweetness is almost a trick of the mind; it's more a lack of any balancing tartness.

These Florida-raised specimens don't have the vibrant hue, be it rosy or golden, of the fruits I've enjoyed in the past, and the flavor is correspondingly pale. Perhaps they're not quite ripe.

First noted on Chowhound's regularly updated Chinatown fruit report

Fruit stand
Canal St. near the southeast corner with Mulberry St., Manhattan

Buckley's Self-Service Market

2012-05-14T10:00:00-04:00

Until the early 20th century, grocery stores weren't self-service; customers would provide their shopping lists to a clerk, who would gather the goods. When Buckley's first opened its doors, the business model must still have been novel enough to receive second billing. That, and the typefaces, suggest the 1920s, or perhaps the early 1930s, when this much more ambitious self-service store whirred into action.

Buckley's Self-Service Market
251 Nassau Ave. (Monitor St.-Kingsland Ave.), Greenpoint, Brooklyn

Sunview Luncheonette

2012-05-14T09:30:00-04:00

Opened 1963, closed 2008. Here's Greenpoint has additional photos, as well as rumors of a possible restoration.

Sunview Luncheonette
Surviving signage (and interior), 221 Nassau Ave. (at Russell St.), Greenpoint, Brooklyn

Cup & Saucer

2012-05-13T10:30:00-04:00

Western omelet, home fries, rye toast ($8.50). The featured item, made of beaten egg studded with ham, onion, and green bell pepper, is also known as a Denver omelet, though apparently only out West. Barry Popik's entertaining and informative website The Big Apple has a little to say about the etymology and much more about the omelet's appearances in sandwich form.

Cup & Saucer
85 Canal St. (at Eldridge St.), Manhattan
212-925-3298

Moishe's Kosher Bakery

2012-05-13T10:00:00-04:00

This stiff, dense, deeply cupped hamentash ($2) had a raspberry filling; apricot, poppy, and prune were also available.

Moishe's Kosher Bakery
504 Grand St. (at East Broadway), Manhattan
212-673-5832
Closed Friday afternoon and all day Saturday

Taro cake vendor

2012-05-12T10:00:00-04:00

This young gal sold zhongzi, too, but it was her yutou gao ($2) that attracted attention from the moment she set out her wares. The body of this steamed "cake" is composed of rice flour and taro (or, elsewhere, yam); the top is dressed with dried shrimp, sausage, peanut, and spring onion. Ideally you'd enjoy your yutou gao immediately after it had been steamed; it can also be eaten cold or panfried just before serving. A little chili sauce never hurts.

Unlike the older lady I've referred to as a streetside "small eats" vendor, and who is a semi-regular along the Grand St. stoopline, this younger lady has appeared just once that I've seen.

Taro cake vendor
Grand St. (Elizabeth St.-Bowery, south side), Manhattan

51 East Broadway Market

2012-05-11T10:00:00-04:00

The aroma is familiar in Taipei and Fuzhou, and on East Broadway, too. Outside the market, beside the produce display, wave aside the steam to spot these still-warm peanuts ($3 per pound). A $1 bag is plenty, even for sharing.

51 East Broadway Market
51 East Broadway (Catherine-Market Sts.), Manhattan
212-374-9477

Food-Friendly Events, May 10-17

2012-05-10T10:00:00-04:00

Small-Space Container Gardens
Thursday, May 10, 6:00-???
Horticultural Society of New York, 148 West 37th St. (Fifth-Sixth Aves.), Manhattan
www.TheHort.org/programs_workshops_ talks_tours.html#smallspace
Free admission; RSVP to Info@TheHort.org

Grand Gourmet: The Flavor of Midtown
Thursday, May 10, 7:00-9:30
Vanderbilt Hall, Grand Central Terminal, Manhattan
www.GrandCentralPartnership.org/things-to-do/grand-gourmet
Tickets: $100; proceeds benefit the Grand Central Neighborhood Social Services Corporation

Build Your Own Bitters
Thursday, May 10, 8:30-10:00
The Meadow, 523 Hudson St. (West 10th-Charles Sts.), Manhattan
www.AtTheMeadow.com/shop/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=69_132&products_id=1571
Tickets: $45; ages 21 and over only

Borrowed Prey
Performances continue through May 13, various times
Dickson's Farmstand Meats, Chelsea Market, 75 Ninth Ave. (15th-16th Sts.), Manhattan
www.CarrieAhern.com
Tickets: $25 and up

The Manhattan Cocktail Classic
Friday, May 11, through Tuesday, May 15, various times
Various locations
www.ManhattanCocktailClassic.com
Ticket prices vary by event; ages 21 and over only

Brooklyn Food Conference
Saturday, May 12, 9:00-6:00
Brooklyn Technical High School, 29 Fort Greene Pl. (at Dekalb Ave.), Fort Greene, Brooklyn
www.BKFoodConference.org
Free admission

Agricultural Tour of the Bronx
Saturday, May 12, 9:00-3:00
Various locations; tour will pick up at the New York Visitors and Conventions Bureau, 810 Seventh Ave. (at 52nd St.), Manhattan
www.ILoveTheBronx.com/content/second-agricultural-tour-bronx
Admission: $20; register by calling 718-817-8026 or emailing BronxFoodSummit@gmail.com

Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Festival
Saturday, May 12, 11:00-5:00
Water St. at Anchorage Pl., Dumbo, Brooklyn
www.CAPAOnline.org/press
Previously: www.EatingInTranslation.com/2009/05/asian-pacific-a.html
Free admission

Fair @ the Square
Saturday, May 12, 11:00-6:00
Westchester Square (Westchester-St. Raymond Aves.), Bronx
www.BronxArts.org/fairatthesquare.asp
Participating local restaurants includes Bronx Grill, Caridad, Havana Cafe
Free admission

Contorted Mongolia
Saturday, May 12, 1:00-???
Jimmy's No. 43, 43 East 7th St. (Second-Third Aves.), Manhattan
www.UnitedNationsOfFood.com/2012/04/contorted-mongolia-fundraiser-with-mongolian-food-and-performances
Suggested donation: $35; proceeds benefit a young Mongolian circus performer; reservations, by calling 202-489-2731 or emailing UnitedNationsOfFood@gmail.com, strongly recommended

Pierogi Party
Saturday, May 12, 2:00-6:00
136 Lawrence St. (at Willoughby St.), Brooklyn
www.LuckyGallery.com/category/lucky-events/2012_events
Donation: $10-$20; proceeds benefit Lucky Gallery’s first international exhibition and performances in Berlin

Japan Day @ Central Park
Sunday, May 13; activity tents open 9:30, food tents, 11:30
Vicinity of Naumburg Bandshell, Central Park (enter at Fifth Ave. and 69th St.), Manhattan
www.JapanDayNYC.org
Free admission

Gourmet Food Truck Bazaar
Sunday, May 13, 11:00-5:00
Hell's Kitchen Flea Market, 39th St. at Ninth Ave., Manhattan
www.HellsKitchenFleaMarket.com/home/?p=659
Free admission

Passport to Taiwan
Sunday, May 13, noon-5:00
Union Square North, 17th St. at Broadway, Manhattan
www.P2Tw.org
Previously: www.EatingInTranslation.com/2010/06/passport-to-taiwan.html
Free admission

Cinco de Mayo Festival
Sunday, May 13, 10:00-6:00
Flushing Meadows Corona Park (near the Unisphere), Queens
www.VoicesOfNY.org/2012/04/not-just-for-mexicans-cinco-de-mayo-festival-seeks-to-unite-latinos
Previously: www.EatingInTranslation.com/2008/05/cinco-de-mayo-f.html
Free admission

Fast Food and Junk Food
Monday, May 14, 6:30-8:30
Mid-Manhattan Library, 455 Fifth Ave. (at 40th St.), Manhattan
www.NYPL.org/events/programs/2012/05/14/author-library-presents-fast-food-and-junk-food-encyclopedia-what-we-love
Free admission

The Flavor Lab
Tuesday, May 15, 7:00-???
French Institute Alliance Francaise, 22 East 60th St. (Fifth-Sixth Aves.), Manhattan
www.FIAF.org/events/spring2012/2012-05-15-flavor-lab.shtml
Tickets: general admission, $45; FIAF members, $35

Beard on Books: Hugh Acheson
Wednesday, May 16, noon-???
The Beard House, 167 West 12th St. (Sixth-Seventh Aves.), Manhattan
www.JamesBeard.org/events/beard-books-051612
Suggested donation: $20 for nonstudents; reserve seats by calling 212-627-2308

Call for entries: The Great Hot Dog Cookoff, signups close June 7

Ongoing: Smorgasburg, Saturdays; Hester Street Fair, Saturdays; Red Hook Food Vendors, Saturdays and Sundays; Brooklyn Flea, Saturdays and Sundays; New Amsterdam Market, Sundays; Dekalb Market, daily; Mad. Sq. Eats, daily through June 1; New York Greenmarkets, various days; Community Markets, various days

Walking tours: Tag along with Big Onion, the Institute of Culinary Education, NoshWalks, NYC Discovery Walking Tours, Urban Oyster, and "Wildman" Steve Brill

Tickets on sale: TechMunch, May 18; New Taste of the Upper West Side, May 18-19; Taste of Tribeca, May 19; Slideluck Bikeshow, May 19; The Great GoogaMooga, May 19-20; Home on the Range, May 22; Pinch Tail, Suck Head, May 23; 5 Boro PicNY, May 26-27; Crawfish Boil for a Song, May 26-27; Taste of LIC, June 5; Lobster Roll Rumble, June 7; Sunset Bhangra, June 7

El Guerrero Deli Grocery

2012-05-09T15:30:00-04:00

Soft drinks bottled under the Jarritos brand are widely available in the United States as well as Mexico, in flavors whose names are translated very directly, with one exception: Mexican cola (370 ml., $1.50). Evidently this is meant to signal authenticity-seeking North-of-the-border soda drinkers that the sweetener is cane sugar and not high fructose corn syrup (the ingredients label confirms). I can't imagine that in the Jarritos hometown of Jalisco one would ask for a "Mexican" cola, but I haven't found a Spanish-only label to support that supposition.

El Guerrero Deli Grocery
448 East 138th St. (Willis Ave.-Brown Pl.), Mott Haven, Bronx
718-401-1337

Old Coke, New Stella

2012-05-09T14:30:00-04:00

West Broadway at Grand St., Manhattan

Doma Na Rohu

2012-05-08T14:00:00-04:00

Grandma slices.

In the Czech language, "babička" (bah-Beech-kah) doesn't denote any one menu item; it simply means "grandmother." At Doma Na Rohu the gently Anglicized spelling, babicka ($10), is bestowed on French toast plumped with cream cheese, "like Grandma Ruth made it." To enjoy hers, I'll bet, you couldn't be a slugabed, but at Doma, breakfast or brunch is served every day till late afternoon.

Also seen, nearby, and shown below: a workaround for "post no bills" policies.

Doma Na Rohu
27 1/2 Morton St. (at Seventh Ave. South), Manhattan
212-929-4339
www.DomaNYC.com

Bari Restaurant & Pizza Equipment

2012-05-08T09:00:00-04:00

Typography recapitulates availability of equipment for Chinese restaurants and American bake shops. The Italian lettering does taper slightly, to less dramatic effect.

Bari Restaurant & Pizza Equipment
240 Bowery (Prince-East Houston Sts.), Manhattan
212-925-3845
www.BariEquipment.com

Prima

2012-05-07T11:00:00-04:00

Very fresh seafood is the order of the day.

Showcasing it to good effect, seasoning is sparing. Fish entrees are offered with a choice of sauces on the side but are better undressed; even on the superbly flaky hake sandwich, you'll do well to go easy with the housemade tartar sauce. Raw bar items, which can be dear when purchased a la carte, are a good value as a tasting platter for the table.

Atypical of many raw-bar combos, you'll encounter not only crustacea and bivalvia but also univalvia — snails, for short — presented with pushpins and toothpicks with which you twist free the meat. Below, beside a bowlful of marble-size periwinkles, are a quartet of English whelks. Compared with the channeled whelks you may espy in Chinatown markets, this species is much less common in New York waters (Prima's, I believe, come from Maine), and the meat is more tender. Also shown, above: meltingly fresh mackerel ceviche.

Prima
58 East 1st St. (First-Second Aves.), Manhattan
646-559-4823
www.PrimaNYC.net

Hai Zhun Zhu

2012-05-07T10:00:00-04:00

This stall offers a short lineup of seafood to be mixed and matched with your choice of seasonings.

In the company of salad and rice, softshell crab ($8.50) is shown "Hong Kong style," a preparation that seems to rely on salt and pepper. Apparently most menu items are kept on ice, but the lobsters ($14) are lively enough.

Hai Zhun Zhu
New World Mall Food Court, stall 5
136-20 Roosevelt Ave. (Main-Union Sts.), Flushing, Queens
718-886-5868

West Side Market

2012-05-06T10:00:00-04:00

If you like balut, here you can buy 'em in bulk ($1.50, or three for $4); these were commercially produced at a Pennsylvania farm. If you don't care for fertilized, unhatched, cooked duck eggs, likely you also won't care for the photo that follows.

Once you're cracked through the thick shell, peeled away the membrane, and poured off (or sipped off) the liquid, what remains is a yolk that tastes like yolk and an unhatchling of irregular texture, in the vicinity of firm and chewy. If you didn't know, you probably wouldn't peg the flavor as duck.

West Side Market
512 West Side Ave. (Union St.-Clendenny Ave.), Jersey City
201-860-9280

Corte & Co.

2012-05-05T15:00:00-04:00

(This venue is closed.) The building, reportedly erected in 1900, seems to have been vacant for some time.

Corte & Co.
Surviving signage at 414-416 Hoboken Ave. (at Central Ave.), Jersey City

Orwasher's Bakery

2012-05-04T16:30:00-04:00

A full loaf of this massive "levain locale" would tip the scales at more than six pounds.

My wedge (about a pound, $5) provided the armature for not a few sandwiches, though I confess to eating several slices straight up. The levain — a limited edition for the New Amsterdam Market, risen through "100 percent natural fermentation" and "no yeast" — had a rapturous sour flavor.

Previously: seeded corn rye; hot cross buns.

Orwasher's Bakery
308 East 78th St. (First-Second Aves.), Manhattan
212-288-6569

Food-Friendly Events, May 3-10

2012-05-03T10:30:00-04:00

Food Fight! A Close Look at the 2012 Farm Bill
Thursday, May 3, 4:00-6:00
Elmer Holmes Bobst Library, New York University, 70 Washington Square South (at LaGuardia Pl.), Manhattan
www.NYU.edu
Suggested donation: $10; reserve your seat with an email to RSVP.Bobst@nyu.edu

Adventures in the Global Kitchen: Tequila and Chilies
Thursday, May 3, 6:30-???
American Museum of Natural History, Linder Theater (enter on 77th St., between Columbus Ave. and Central Park West), Manhattan
www.AMNH.org/calendar/event/Tequila-and-Chilies
Tickets: $30

Borrowed Prey
Performances continue on various dates through May 13
Dickson's Farmstand Meats, Chelsea Market, 75 Ninth Ave. (15th-16th Sts.), Manhattan
www.carrieahern.com
Tickets: $25 and up

Introduction to Rooftop Urban Agriculture
Friday, May 4, 8:30-noon
Horticultural Society of New York, 148 West 37th St. (Fifth-Sixth Aves.), Manhattan
www.cvent.com/events/introduction-to-rooftop-urban-agriculture-new-york/event-summary-573a9c686d0a49cc9dddae6e9c015563.aspx
Tuition: HSNY and Green Roofs for Healthy Cities members, $175; non-members, $199; optional tour and lunch afterward at Brooklyn Grange, $40

Umami Festival: Cooking-Art Challenge
Friday, May 4, 6:30-8:30
The Brooklyn Kitchen, 100 Frost St. (at Meeker Ave.), Williamsburg, Brooklyn
www.TheBrooklynKitchen.com/web-store/index.php?product=5-04+Umami+Festival
Tickets: $15

Mad. Sq. Eats
Opening day: Friday, May 4, 11:00-9:00; daily through June 1
Worth Sq., near Fifth Ave. and 24th St., Manhattan
www.MadisonSquarePark.org/news/blog/mad-sq-eats-is-back-and-were-hungry
Free admission

Food Book Fair
Friday, May 4, 8:45-7:00; Saturday, 8:45-9:00; Sunday, 9:00-6:30
Wythe Hotel, 80 Wythe Ave. (at North 11th St.), Williamsburg, Brooklyn
www.FoodBookFair.com
Tickets: per panel, $15; one-day pass, $65; three-day pass, $215

Romania Day Festival
Saturday, May 5, 11:00-6:00
Broadway near Bowling Green, Manhattan
www.RomaniaBroadway.com/en
Previously: www.EatingInTranslation.com/2009/05/romania-day-festival.html
Free admission

Mex Fest on the Seaport
Saturday, May 5, noon-7:00, rain or shine
South Street Seaport, Manhattan
www.MexFestNYC.com
Free admission

Beyond Takeout: A Culinary History of Chinatown
Saturday, May 5, 2:00-???
Tours begin at the Museum of Chinese in America, 215 Centre St. (Grand-Howard Sts.), Manhattan
www.yp.MOCAnyc.org/events?type=upcoming
Tickets: general admission, $30; MOCA members, $25

Fiesta Queens
Saturday, May 5, noon-6:00
Corona Plaza, Roosevelt Ave. at 103rd St., Corona, Queens
www.FiestaQueens.com
Free admission

Where the Wild Beers Are
Saturday, May 5, 1:00-5:00
The Gutter, 200 North 14th St. (Berry-Wythe Aves.), Williamsburg, Brooklyn
www.WhereTheWildBeersAre.com
Admission: bring a commercially made sour/wild beer to share, and $10; online registration required; ages 21 and over only

4th Street Arts Chili Cook-Off
Saturday, May 5, 1:30-6:00; rain date May 6
4th Street Arts, 371 4th St. (at Newark Ave.), Jersey City
www.BrownPaperTickets.com/event/244239
Previously: www.EatingInTranslation.com/2010/02/4th-street-arts-chili-cookoff.html
Admission: $5, or $25 for advance-purchase, hour-early VIP entry

Ramp Fest Hudson
Saturday, May 5, noon-4:00
Basilica Hudson, 110 South Front St., Hudson, New York
www.RampFestHudson.com
Tickets: adults, $20; kids under 12, $10

Gowanus County Fair
Saturday and Sunday, May 5 and 6, 11:00-6:00
The Brooklyn Lyceum, 227 Fourth Ave. (at President St.), Gowanus, Brooklyn
www.LyceumMarkets.com
Free admission

Cinco de Mayo Festival
Sunday, May 6, 10:00-5:00, rain or shine
East 116th St. between Lexington and Second Aves., Manhattan
www.Eventbrite.com/event/3301981315/eorg
Previously, a related festival from the same organizers at the same location: www.EatingInTranslation.com/2007/09/mexican-indepen.html
Free admission

International Meats Local
Sunday, May 6, 12:30-2:30
New Amsterdam Market, South St. between Beekman St. and Peck Slip, Manhattan
www.InternationalMeatsLocal.eventbrite.com
Tickets: $20, or $30 for hour-earlier VIP admission

Celebrate Queens Farm!
Sunday, May 6, 11:00-4:00
Queens County Farm Museum, 73-50 Little Neck Parkway, Floral Park, New York
www.QueensFarm.org/events.html
Admission: $5

Historic Richmond Town/1819 Guyon Tavern Tour and Lunch
Sunday, May 6, 11:00-5:00
Historic Richmond Town, 441 Clarke Ave. (at St. Patrick's Pl.), Staten Island
www.BrownPaperTickets.com/event/241605
Tickets: adults, $55; Les Dames d'Escoffier members, $50; mature young adults 10 and older, $25

Hofstra Dutch Festival
Sunday, May 6, 11:00-5:00, rain or shine
Hofstra University, South Campus, Hempstead, New York
www.Hofstra.edu/Community/Fest/Fest_dutch.html
Admission: adults, $6; seniors, $4; children under 12 and Hofstra students, faculty, and staff, free

Introduction to Artisan Salts
Wednesday, May 9, 8:30-10:00
The Meadow, 523 Hudson St. (West 10th-Charles Sts.), Manhattan
www.AtTheMeadow.com/shop/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=69_132&products_id=1572
Tickets: $25

Small-Space Container Gardens
Thursday, May 10, 6:00-???
Horticultural Society of New York, 148 West 37th St. (Fifth-Sixth Aves.), Manhattan
www.TheHort.org/programs_workshops_talks_tours.html#smallspace
Free admission; RSVP to Info@TheHort.org

Grand Gourmet: The Flavor of Midtown
Thursday, May 10, 7:00-9:30
Vanderbilt Hall, Grand Central Terminal, Manhattan
www.GrandCentralPartnership.org/things-to-do/grand-gourmet
Tickets: $100

Sold out: Foodstock, May 5; LuckyRice Festival, continuing through May 6; Guactacular, May 6; Brooklyn Uncorked, May 9 (except for VIP tickets)

Ongoing: Smorgasburg, Saturdays; Hester Street Fair, Saturdays; Red Hook Food Vendors, Saturdays and Sundays; Brooklyn Flea, Saturdays and Sundays; New Amsterdam Market, Sundays; Dekalb Market, daily; Mad. Sq. Eats, daily, May 4-June 1; New York Greenmarkets, various days; Community Markets, various days

Walking tours: Tag along with Big Onion, the Institute of Culinary Education, NoshWalks, NYC Discovery Walking Tours, Urban Oyster, and "Wildman" Steve Brill

Tickets on sale: The Manhattan Cocktail Classic, May 11-15; Contorted Mongolia, May 12; The Flavor Lab, May 15; TechMunch, May 18; Taste of Tribeca, May 19; Slideluck Bikeshow, May 19; The Great GoogaMooga, May 19-20; Home on the Range, May 22; Pinch Tail, Suck Head, May 23; 5 Boro PicNY, May 26-27; Crawfish Boil for a Song, May 26-27; Taste of LIC, June 5; Lobster Roll Rumble, June 7; Sunset Bhangra, June 7

Famous Cuisine

2012-05-02T11:00:00-04:00

Compared with a resplendent plate of lychee pork ($5), fried spare ribs with taro (likewise $5) were much less colorful but scarcely less sweet. This small, family-fun Fujianese storefront has already attracted a local following and deserves further investigation.

Famous Cuisine
4606 Eighth Ave. (46th-47th Sts.), Sunset Park, Brooklyn
718-853-8083

Boat House

2012-05-02T10:00:00-04:00

Though this Asian-Cajun restaurant appeared on my radar in January, I didn't make time to try it till a Chowhound observed that the menu matches that of Cal-Tex chain The Boiling Crab. I came at the menu sideways, testing the kitchen's skill with calamari ($9.99), which was underfried, and gumbo ($5.99), whose thin roux tasted of bouillon.

During my midafternoon lunch the restaurant was nearly deserted (it's open from 3:00 weekdays, noon weekends), but, later, through the window, I observed seafood bibs and metal buckets at more than one table. The "down n' dirty" seafood boils — choose a crustacean, a seasoning, and a spice level, mix and match as you please — are formulaic, but folks seemed to be having fun.

Boat House
4807 Eighth Ave. (48th-49th Sts.), Sunset Park, Brooklyn
718-633-5880

Handsome Hank's Fish Hut

2012-05-01T20:00:00-04:00

This tented enterprise offers a choice of three whiting sandwiches, as well as fish-and-chip and shrimp-and-chip combos. The Nguyener (roughly, "winner"; $8) was dressed with a not-very-Vietnamese "cole slaw and herb salad." But, boy, there's plenty of fried-just-right fish — more than enough to share, if only you can figure out how to divvy it up.

Handsome Hank's Fish Hut
At Smorgasburg, North 7th St. at the East River, Williamsburg, Brooklyn
Saturdays during the warmer months

Marshall's Smoked Fish

2012-05-01T19:30:00-04:00

Marshall's Smoked Fish
Surviving sign near Anthony St. and Morgan Ave., Williamsburg, Brooklyn

What's Eating In Translation?

2012-05-01T09:00:00-04:00

This website began as a collection of field notes on interesting food I'd tried, or planned to try, in and around New York. Since its launch, in January 2005, I've visited thousands of venues, from white-linen restaurants to elbows-on-the-table eateries, as well as street vendors, fairs, festivals, grocers, and greenmarkets — and my "to eat" list is longer than ever.

The only way to trim it is to hit the road. Four or five times a week I track down, or happen upon, food from all over the world. Much of this food is foreign to me (that's where the "translation" comes in), but I always have an appetite for something new. If you feel the same, Eating In Translation can help point the way.

To follow along on my future travels, you might like to sign up for a free subscription, by email or by RSS. For up-to-the-minute reports (when I have them, which won't be always) on the weekend food festivals that are worth a visit, as well as the ones that aren't, you'll want to follow me on Twitter, too. To dig into my archives, many readers use the categories in the right-hand column (underneath the blue "live activity" box). Most categories cover some part of New York, but others reflect day trips (Jersey City, or perhaps Port Chester) or more-elaborate road trips (Cape Cod, Luang Prabang); a few reflect other themes (say, Fairs and Festivals).

Some readers also enjoy browsing through my Flickr photo sets, where you'll find all the photos that appear on Eating In Translation and many others that don't make it onto the site. Another avenue of approach is to click on any Eating In Translation photo; you'll be taken to a page where you can look at a larger version, or see other photos taken on the same day.

Though I can't possibly visit every venue on my "to eat" list, I always appreciate tips on where to go, as well what to order and how not to look like an absolute beginner when my food arrives at the table. Add your comments to any post, or drop an email to DaveCook [at] EatingInTranslation [dot] com.

Magasin Wells Diner (M. Wells)

2012-04-30T10:00:00-04:00

(This venue is closed while the owners prepare a new brick-and-mortar location.) Fois gras poutine ($10) from a guest appearance at Smorgasburg.

Previously: It may have been the only diner in town with a copy of the Larousse Gastronomique behind the counter. Did that stout maroon volume weigh in on the judicious addition of hot sauce to bacon, egg, and hash ($7), or the heft of potato in a tortilla Española ($4), or a fit number of blueberries to enliven peach upside-down cake (special, $3)? Possibly; je ne lis pas bien le français. The unprompted refills of my coffee ($1.50), however, were strictly old-school.

Magasin Wells Diner (M. Wells)
www.MWellsDiner.com

First Prize Pies

2012-04-30T09:00:00-04:00

My instinct on visiting a pie stand is to seek out what's seasonal, but the springtime rhubarb frangipane was outshone by this well-brûléed s'mores pie (slice, $4). It's firm enough to be finger food, just like the campfire favorite.

First Prize Pies
646-338-6812
www.FirstPrizePies.com
At Smorgasburg, North 7th St. at the East River, Williamsburg, Brooklyn
Saturdays during the warmer months

Bibi Caribbean Kitchen

2012-04-29T09:30:00-04:00

When prepared by a Guyanese baker, "pine tart" means pineapple tart ($1). When gently detached from a cookie sheet, still cooling on the stovetop, by Bibi — who also prepares a compact menu of savory chow — there's none better.

Bibi Caribbean Kitchen
114 Mallory Ave. (at Ege Ave.), Jersey City
201-433-5114

Blue Ribbon Cafe

2012-04-29T09:00:00-04:00

Despite the name, the baseball-sized, breadcrumb-dusted Filipino rolls called pan de sal tend a little more toward sweet than salty. This one features a common filling, corned beef ($1.50).

Blue Ribbon Cafe
195 Mallory Ave. (Clendenny-Lexington Aves.), Jersey City
201-938-0838

Merchants Green Stamps

2012-04-28T09:00:00-04:00

This frequent-shopper program was a smaller competitor of S&H Green Stamps, Plaid Stamps (awarded by A&P), and Gold Bond Stamps. Date of demise unknown.

Merchants Green Stamps
Surviving sign on Baldwin Ave. near Newark Ave., Jersey City

"Drink Coca-Cola"

2012-04-28T08:30:00-04:00

This faded ad is all but hidden by the overgrowth of billboards, storefront signage, and traffic signals (click for a somewhat closer look).

"Drink Coca-Cola"
Seen from the vicinity of Tonnele Ave. and John F. Kennedy Blvd., Jersey City

Pok Pok Ny

2012-04-27T14:00:00-04:00

In some obvious regards, my hoi thawt ($14) wasn't a ringer for the "broken crepe" served at Bangkok's expansive Aw Taw Gaw wet market. Pok Pok's was fresher-looking and considerably fatter, down to the individual mussel meats. Yet the hoi thawt held together, thanks to a minimal not-too-crispy batter, at least till I had at it.

I don't know what hot sauce was served with that Bangkok hoi thawt, but one wouldn't imagine that Huy Fong sriracha sauce — the ubiquitous American-made "rooster" brand found in squeeze bottles throughout New York — would have many takers in Thailand. Possibly it was the well-balanced Shark brand sriracha, made in Thailand, and served at Pok Pok, too.

Pok Pok Ny
127 Columbia St. (Norfolk-Suffolk Sts.), Brooklyn
718-923-9322
Wednesday through Sunday, 6:00-11:00 only
www.PokPokNy.com
Sister location Pok Pok Wing is open seven days, but with a much more limited menu, and no hoi thawt

Food-Friendly Events, April 26-May 3

2012-04-26T09:00:00-04:00

Mushrooms Wild and Cultivated
Thursday, April 26, 6:00-???
Horticultural Society of New York, 148 West 37th St. (Fifth-Sixth Aves.), Manhattan
www.TheHort.org
General admission, $30; Hort members, $20; register online or by emailing Info@TheHort.org

Taste of the Lower East Side
Thursday, April 26, 7:00-10:30
82 Mercer, 82 Mercer St. (Broome-Spring Sts.), Manhattan
www.TasteOfTheLowerEastSide.charityhappenings.org
Tickets: $175 and up; proceeds benefit the Grand St. Settlement

Borrowed Prey
Performances begin Thursday, April 26, and continue on various dates through May 13
Dickson's Farmstand Meats, Chelsea Market, 75 Ninth Ave. (15th-16th Sts.), Manhattan
www.carrieahern.com
Tickets: $25 and up

Hester Street Fair
Opening day: Saturday, April 28, 10:00-6:00
Hester St. at Essex St., Manhattan
www.HesterStreetFair.com
Free admission

Food Blogger Bake Sale
Saturday, April 28, 10:00-5:00
Inside Brooklyn Flea, 176 Lafayette Ave. (Clermont-Vanderbilt Aves.), Fort Greene, Brooklyn
www.BakeSaleNYC.tumblr.com
Free admission; proceeds benefit Share Our Strength

Brooklyn Wort
Saturday, April 28, two sessions, beginning at 2:00 and at 4:00
Public Assembly, 70 North 6th St. (Wythe-Kent Aves.), Williamsburg, Brooklyn
www.BrooklynWort.com
Tickets, $35 per session, are sold out online, but "there will be some tickets available at the door"

Sakura Matsuri
Saturday and Sunday, April 28 and 29, 10:00-6:00, rain or shine
Brooklyn Botanic Garden, northeast corner of Prospect Park
www.BBG.org/visit/event/sakura_matsuri_2012
"A menu of Japanese food is offered under the tent in Cherry Esplanade."
BBG admission: adults, $15; students with ID, seniors, $10; children under 12 and BBG members, free

Red Hook Food Vendors
Opening weekend: Saturday and Sunday, April 28 and 29, mid-morning till late afternoon
Near the corner of Columbia and Bay Sts., Red Hook, Brooklyn
www.RedHookFoodVendors.com
Previously: www.EatingInTranslation.com/2011/04/red-hook-ball-fields.html
Free admission

TAP New York Craft Beer & Fine Food Festival
Saturday, April 28, 1:00-5:00, Sunday, noon-4:00
Hunter Mountain, New York
www.TAP-NY.com
See website for details on ticket prices and charter-bus information

New Amsterdam Market
Opening day: Sunday, April 29, 11:00-4:00
South St. between Beekman St. and Peck Slip, Manhattan
www.NewAmsterdamMarket.org
Free admission

Gourmet Food Truck Bazaar
Sunday, April 29, 11:00-5:00 (postponed from April 22)
Hell's Kitchen Flea Market, 39th St. at Ninth Ave., Manhattan
www.HellsKitchenFleaMarket.com/home/?p=1011
Free admission

Food Writing Today
Monday, April 30, 6:00-8:00
Atlantic Gallery, 135 West 29th St. (Sixth-Seventh), Manhattan
www.BrownPaperTickets.com/event/237762
Tickets: general admission, $30; New York Women's Culinary Alliance members, $25

Taste of the Nation
Monday, April 30, 7:30-9:30
82 Mercer, 82 Mercer St. (Broome-Spring Sts.), Manhattan
www.NewYorkTaste.org
Tickets: general admission, $225 advance/$250 door, or $200 more for hour-earlier VIP admission; proceeds benefit Share Our Strength

Queens Taste 2012
Tuesday, May 1, 6:00-9:00
Citi Field, 123-01 Roosevelt Ave., Queens
www.QueensTaste-esearch2.eventbrite.com
Tickets: $100, or $185 per couple

LuckyRice Festival
Tuesday, May 1, through Sunday, May 6, various times
Various locations
www.LuckyRice.com
All but sold out; see website for details

Transforming Cities: How Food Systems Shape Cities
Wednesday, May 2, 8:00-5:30 and 6:30 to 8:00
Solo Event Space, 40 Broad St. (at Exchange Pl.), Manhattan
www.BrownPaperTickets.com/event/235406
Tickets: $125, or $20 for the evening panel only

Revelations from the Weird World of Mushrooms
Wednesday, May 2, 6:30-???
Jimmy's No. 43, 43 East 7th St. (Second-Third Aves.), Manhattan
www.CulinaryHistoriansNY.org/events.html
General admission: $40; reduced for CHNY members

Ongoing: Smorgasburg, Saturdays; Hester Street Fair, Saturdays; Red Hook Food Vendors, Saturdays and Sundays; Brooklyn Flea, Saturdays and Sundays; New Amsterdam Market, Sundays; Dekalb Market, daily; New York Greenmarkets, various days; Community Markets, various days

Walking tours: Tag along with Big Onion, the Institute of Culinary Education, NoshWalks, NYC Discovery Walking Tours, Urban Oyster, and "Wildman" Steve Brill

Tickets on sale: Food Book Fair, May 4-6; Beyond Takeout: A Culinary History of Chinatown, May 5; Where the Wild Beers Are, May 5; Foodstock, May 5; Guactacular, May 6; International Meats Local, May 6; Historic Richmond Town/1819 Guyon Tavern Tour and Lunch, May 6; Brooklyn Uncorked, May 9; Grand Gourmet: The Flavor of Midtown, May 10; The Manhattan Cocktail Classic, May 11-15; Contorted Mongolia, May 12; The Flavor Lab, May 15; Taste of Tribeca, May 19; Slideluck Bikeshow, May 19; The Great GoogaMooga, May 19-20; 5 Boro PicNY, May 26-27; Crawfish Boil for a Song, May 26-27; Lobster Roll Rumble, June 7

Name This Shop

2012-04-25T09:00:00-04:00

The shop around the corner — which, like the movie of that name, gave rise to a Manhattan remake — has a certain pre-war charm, owing in part to the celebrated size of its servings. Can you name this shop? (Please post your answer in the comments.)

Haylemon

2012-04-24T18:00:00-04:00

My young waiter pronounced the name of this old-school Chino-Latino restaurant "Hey leh-mun"; I like to imagine that his older colleague, who spoke Cantonese to the chef and Spanish and English to other customers, would have said "Eye leh-Moan." (Admittedly, for that pronunciation the spelling isn't quite right.) After the customary wonton noodles with duck sauce and this workaday roast pork chop suey ($8.95), the thought of flan, touted by a handwritten sign behind the counter, was uninspiring. Instead I took my check; with it came the fortune "Your home is a cheery place to live" in a cookie tasting of stale breakfast cereal.

Haylemon
2496 Elm Pl. (East Fordham Rd.-East 188th St.), Fordham, Bronx
718-295-2099

Queens Bazaar Food

2012-04-23T21:00:00-04:00

Even pistachio lovers may find their patience tested by shurdanak.

The kernels inside these roasted apricot pits (about a pint, $3.99) were accessible, but just barely. I needed more leverage than a half-pit could provide, as you might guess from the photo below; the fold-out file from my metal nail clippers did the trick.

Some say this is for the best. Apricot pits, like those of almonds, contain a precursor to hydrogen cyanide (also called prussic acid). Professional literature offers admonitions that one shouldn't eat too many shurdanak too quickly, and, indeed, when they're sold in unpitted form one can't. The Oxford Companion to Food offers additional reassurance, stating that the prussic acid is "destroyed" by the roasting process. The flavor of the kernels, should you make it so far, is similar to that of almonds, and sometimes strong to the point of bitterness.

Previously: Dried aluche (about $5 per pound) are a sort of sour plum, for flavoring stews and other long-cooked dishes. (Mind the pits.) The bin identified their origin as Samarkand; might they also be used in the manufacture of tkemali sauce? The counterman, whose first home was the Middle East and not Central Asia, couldn't say.

Among its other virtues, this tidy and well-stocked shop carries noklod chi and many other sweets from Tabrizi Bakery of Watertown, Massachusetts, delivered each week. Thursday, I think.

Queens Bazaar Food
94-02 63rd Dr. (at Booth St.), Rego Park, Queens
718-459-5536
Closed Saturday

Steam Dumplings

2012-04-22T21:00:00-04:00

One specialty of the proprietors, who come from the inland Chinese province of Hubei, are dumplings that hold a delectable combo of pork, shrimp, and chive ($3.50 per dozen). The contents are hinted at, but not spelled out, by a Chinese-only, two-character description that promises "three fresh" — colloquially, "three treasures" — shorthand that is also employed at nearby White Bear for dumplings that feature pork, shrimp, and sea cucumber. The treasures depend on the dumpling maker; these are especially worthy of the name.

Steam Dumplings
Savoy Fusion food court (a.k.a. Savor Fusion, Savory Fusion, Maple Snacks), stall 1 (the rearmost)
42-01 Main St. (at Maple Ave.), Flushing, Queens

Tianjin stall

2012-04-21T09:30:00-04:00

On weekday mornings in Midtown, the coffee-and-donut carts see a lot of action. In Flushing, there's equal call for the calorie-intensive chow of Tianjin, a northern Chinese neighbor of Beijing. Last time I looked, this peanut-butter pastry (shown in biteaway view) was one of the few items whose name wasn't translated on the menu, but the words "peanut butter" and a buck twenty-five should seal the deal.

Tianjin stall
Savoy Fusion food court (a.k.a. Savor Fusion, Savory Fusion, Maple Snacks), stall 5
42-01 Main St. (at Maple Ave.), Flushing, Queens
646-944-6888

Grand Noodle House

2012-04-20T22:30:00-04:00

This afternoon "eel fish" hand-pulled noodles had been 86'ed, to my dismay, and the exotica immediately above them on the menu, "aromatic" noodles — as in aromatic big intestine — weren't appealing. These noodles ($5) did feature pork-filled balls of minced fish, but the bowl as a whole lacked a certain something.

Grand Noodle House
Fei Long Shopping Center & Food Court, stall 9
6301 Eighth Ave. (63rd-64th Sts.), Sunset Park, Brooklyn
646-379-5660

Food-Friendly Events, April 19-26

2012-04-19T14:00:00-04:00

Appetite for Life: The Biography of Julia Child
Thursday, April 19, 6:30-???
Elmer Holmes Bobst Library, New York University, 70 Washington Square South (at LaGuardia Pl.), Manhattan
www.NYU.edu/library/bobst/research/fales/eventstest.html
Free admission; reserve your seat with an email to RSVP.Bobst@nyu.edu

Umami: Food and Art Festival
Continues on various dates through May 4
Various locations
www.UmamiFestival.org/program/full-program-info
See website for more details

Heritage Seed Celebration
Saturday, April 21, 11:00-3:00
The Old Stone House, Washington Park, 3rd St. between Fourth and Fifth Aves., Park Slope, Brooklyn
www.TheOldStoneHouse.org/calendar/6th-annual-heritage-seed-celebration
Free admission to the celebration; $10 suggested donation for a permaculture presentation, 9:30-10:30

Sikh Day Parade and Festival
Saturday, April 21, 11:30-3:30
Parade, Madison Ave. and 36th St. to Madison Square Park; festival, Madison Ave. between 26th and 23rd Sts., Manhattan
www.NYCSikhDayParade.com
Previously: www.EatingInTranslation.com/2008/04/sikh-day-parade.html
Free admission

The Munch Around Chinatown Scavenger Hunt
Saturday, April 21, 1:00-???
Begins at Columbus Park, near Mulberry and Bayard Sts., Manhattan
http://web.OvationTix.com/trs/pe/9545715
Tickets: $24.50, advance purchase required, plus $10 cash for food purchases; adults only

Viking Extravaganza
Saturday, April 21, 10:00-3:00
St. Paul-St. Luke Lutheran Church, 186 Decker Ave. (at Catherine St.), Staten Island
www.SILive.com/northshore/index.ssf/2012/04/festivals_and_fairs_on_the_nor.html
Free admission

New York City Chili Cook-Off
Saturday, April 21, noon-4:00
Historic Richmond Town, 441 Clarke Ave. Staten Island
www.HistoricRichmondTown.org/events/details/836-nyc-Chili-cookoff
Admission: adults, $10; children ages 12 and under, $5

New York City BBQ Cook-Off
Sunday, April 22, 2:00-6:00; rainy-day plans unknown
Historic Richmond Town, 441 Clarke Ave. Staten Island
www.HistoricRichmondTown.org/events/details/837
Admission: adults, $10; children ages 12 and under, $5

Indonesian food bazaar
Sunday, April 22, 10:00ish-4:00; rainy-day plans unknown; during warmer weather these events are held monthly, more or less
Outside the Al-Hikmah Mosque, 48-01 31st Ave. (at 48th St.), Astoria, Queens
Previously: www.EatingInTranslation.com/2011/05/indonesian-food.html
Free admission

They Eat That?
Monday, April 23, 6:30-8:30
Mid-Manhattan Library, 455 Fifth Ave. (at 40th St.), Manhattan
www.NYPL.org/events/programs/2012/04/23/author-library-presents-they-eat-cultural-encyclopedia-weird-and-exotic-f
Free admission

Jewish Cuisines: The Local and the Global
Tuesday, April 24, 6:00-???
The New School, Eugene Lang Building, 66 West 12th St. (Fifth-Sixth Aves.), Manhattan
www.NewSchool.edu/eventDetail.aspx?id=75875
Admission: $5; free to all students and New School faculty, staff, alumni with I.D.

Masters of Gastronomy: Fake Meat
Tuesday, April 24, 7:00-10:00
Public Assembly, 70 North 6th St. (Wythe-Kent Aves.), Williamsburg, Brooklyn
www.Facebook.com/events/357332614317463
Free admission; online RSVP requested
Via The New York Times

Good Dairy
Wednesday, April 25, 6:00-9:00
Openhouse Gallery, 201 Mulberry St. (Spring-Kenmare Sts.), Manhattan
www.GoodDairy2012-esearch.eventbrite.com/?srnk=17
Tickets: $25

Knish History
Wednesday, April 25, 7:00-???
Brooklyn Historical Society, 128 Pierrepont St. (Clinton St.-Monroe Pl.), Brooklyn Heights, Brooklyn
www.BrooklynHistory.org/visitor/calendar.html#b0425
Tickets: general admission, $10; BHS members, $8
Via Time Out New York

Mushrooms Wild and Cultivated
Thursday, April 26, 6:00-???
Horticultural Society of New York, 148 West 37th St. (Fifth-Sixth Aves.), Manhattan
www.TheHort.org/programs_workshops_talks_tours.html#mushrooms
General admission, $30; Hort members, $20; register online or by emailing Info@TheHort.org

Sold out: The Brooklyn Beefsteak, April 22; Choice Streets, April 24

Calls for entries and support: NYC Food Film Festival, deadline, April 20; Food Blogger Bake Sale, deadline, April 28

Ongoing: Smorgasburg, Saturdays; Brooklyn Flea, Saturdays and Sundays; Dekalb Market, daily; New York Greenmarkets, various days

Classes: See the schedules of the Astor Center, The Brooklyn Kitchen, the French Culinary Institute, the Ger-Nis Culinary & Herb Center, Haven's Kitchen, the Institute of Culinary Education, the Japanese Culinary Center, Murray's Cheese, and the Whole Foods Bowery Culinary Center, and the roundup of classes on CourseHorse

Walking tours: Tag along with Big Onion, the Institute of Culinary Education, NoshWalks, NYC Discovery Walking Tours, Urban Oyster, and "Wildman" Steve Brill

Tickets on sale: Brooklyn Wort, April 28; TAP New York Craft Beer & Fine Food Festival, April 28-29; Queens Taste 2012, May 1; LuckyRice Festival, May 1-6; Food Book Fair, May 4-6; Foodstock, May 5; Where the Wild Beers Are, May 5; Guactacular, May 6; Brooklyn Uncorked, May 9; Slideluck Bikeshow, May 19; The Great GoogaMooga, May 19-20; Lobster Roll Rumble, June 7

Al-Baraka Place

2012-04-18T11:30:00-04:00

The owners of many Ghanaian restaurants in New York are Ashanti; at Al-Baraka, they are Hausa.

The Ashanti people are concentrated in the central and southern regions of Ghana, as well as the Ivory Coast. I'm told that Papaye is Ashanti-owned; this was also very likely true of the former Ghanaian-Ivoirian restaurant Florence's.

The Hausa people live predominantly in Nigeria and Niger, as well as northern Ghana. The proprietress of Al-Baraka — previously, she operated a namesake restaurant nearer the ferry terminal, called Zube's — maintains that the two regional Ghanaian cuisines are different. I can't divine just how, based only on a single sampler platter. I did note that Al-Baraka's egushie, the bright squash-seed-based hash in the first photo, has a firmer and chunkier consistency than the saucy preparation at Florence's. It's delicious.

Also shown: wakye (behind the egushie), a combo of rice and black-eyed peas; okra sauce with lamb and fish, probably tilapia, and banku, fermented corn meal and cassava dough that's used to scoop it; and shito, a hot sauce.

A backyard with seats, and a grill, is scheduled for summer.

Al-Baraka Place
646 Bay St. (Thompson-Canal Sts.), Stapleton, Staten Island
347-426-1912

Wafa's

2012-04-17T18:00:00-04:00

My review of this restaurant and its homespun food, prepared by Lebanon-born chef-owner Wafa Chami, appears in the April 18, 2012 edition of The New York Times. For photos, see my slideshow.

Khmer New Year celebration

2012-04-16T23:30:00-04:00

The Cambodian celebration of the New Year coincides with the Thai festival called Songkran.

Wat Buddha Thai Thavorn Vanaram, in Elmhurst, Queens, is one local site of those observances, which are supported by many of the city's Thai restaurants. New York's Khmer community is comparatively small, and the event at Wat Jotanaram — formerly a two-family house in the Bronx neighborhood of Bedford Park — was a more modest affair.

Those circumstances still allowed ample opportunity for home cooking, however. Perhaps my favorite dish (above) was a fish soup with vermicelli and vegetables. Though the mung bean topping had been inflected by hot pepper and fermented shrimp paste, it had an overall sweetness that balanced the sourness of the soup. According to the lady who served me, this dish is specific to her home province of Battambang.

Also shown: assorted rice dishes at the buffet; a pair of sampler plates, including ground fermented fish at the top of the first and a taro fry athwart the second; pickled vegetables, alone and with a skewer of grilled beef; shrimp, pork, sprouts, herbs, and rice vermicelli about to be wrapped in a lettuce leaf (many in the congregation simply used a fork, and made less of a mess than I did); two desserts, pumpkin in coconut milk and a quintet of palm-sugar based cakes; and the Cambodian, Buddhist, and U.S. flags flying at the former private residence that now is home to the wat.

Khmer New Year celebration
Wat Jotanaram
2738 Marion Ave. (East 196th-East 197th Sts.), Bedford Park, Bronx
Mid-April
www.Jotanaram.wordpress.com/2011/04/09/4774

Mexican sidewalk vendors

2012-04-15T17:00:00-04:00

Accompanied by satellite vendors selling churros and brand-name paletas, two large canopies sheltered a cooked-food operation. I spotted tacos, huaraches, and the suggestion of several other items that exceeded my capacity at the moment. (No telling how those peppers were put to use.) Champurrado was on offer, as was the thin atol (small, $1) shown here; toward the bottom I encountered a shard of cassia.

Mexican sidewalk vendors
Outside Our Lady of Mercy School
2510 Marion Ave. (East Fordham Rd.-East 188th St.), Fordham Heights, Bronx
Sundays only, 9:00ish till midafternoon)

Streetside snack stand

2012-04-14T23:30:00-04:00

"Crema" is the name that street vendors have cited, on more than one occasion, for this airy sweet that (somewhat disconcertingly) is held and served at the ambient temperature. Jeff Orlick has recorded the alternative name "espumilla," which connotes merinque and evokes the texture, too, though this dessert is not baked and lacks a crisp exterior. A little gelatin may help it hold form.

In this serving ($1), both colors are guava-flavored; the pink has been tinted by the addition of a little raspberry.

Streetside snack stand
Roosevelt Ave. near 90th St., Jackson Heights, Queens