My Favorite Bites at Choice Eats 2012

Choice Eats 2012 took place three weeks ago (in fact, it was the day I started my new job!) and this year's edition was the biggest to date, with more than 80 restaurants in attendance.

JoeDough's The Strong Island sub

Unfortunately, more restaurants did not equate to more vegetarian options - in fact, there were fewer vegetarian dishes this year as compared to last year. And, unlike last year, I didn't have a VIP pass, so I didn't have access to the subterranean vault full of sugar (which was probably a good thing). We had about 15 dishes, maybe a third of which were sweets. Keep in mind there were more than 80 restaurants there! So there were slim pickings for vegetarians. But among the few dishes we had, there were several standouts.

A Tasting of Shawn Gawle's Desserts at Corton

For years, I’ve lamented the fact that dessert gets the short shrift. It’s not that I have a sweet tooth – I’m more of a savory craver – but, as an avid baker and scientist, I really appreciate the skill, precision, creativity, and beauty of a well-executed dessert.  Why, though, is it that dessert is always an afterthought, even in restaurants with dedicated and talented pastry chefs? Many restaurants relegate dessert to a separate menu that is often not seen until after several courses have already been consumed. Why isn’t the work of pastry chefs given equal attention? This holds particularly true for restaurants with only a prix fixe menu, leaving those of us who have no desire to wade through multiple courses of seafood and meat (or not terribly inspired last-minute vegetarian substitutes) unable to indulge in the exquisite creations of renowned pastry chefs.

Several weeks ago, I asked that question out loud with respect to Corton’s pastry chef Shawn Gawle, who was recently named one of the best pastry chefs in America by Food and Wine magazine, and his gorgeous “Birch” dessert.  I was beyond surprised to get the response that I did.

The Village Voice's Choice Eats 2012

It's that time of year again...80+ restaurants dishing up amazing food in the massive 69th Armory means only one thing: The Village Voice's Choice Eats!

I was totally overwhelmed last year - and I didn't even eat about half of the offerings - but this year's event, which is the 5th annual and is taking place next Tuesday, March 13, at 6:30 pm - is bigger and better than past years.

Jackson Heights Indian Food Crawl - Sunday February 12

A few weeks ago, my friend Amy asked me if I wanted to host an Indian food crawl in Jackson Heights in February and there was no way I could say no to her.

So, this coming Sunday, Februrary 12, at 1 pm, I will be leading a small group on a culinary tour of Jackson Heights.  We'll stop at three places to sample samosas, chaat, dosa, and sweets such as gulab jamun, kulfi, and falooda, and we'll cap off the trip with a visit to my favorite grocery store in the neighborhood, where you can stock up on ingredients to try your hand at making Indian food at home (or just buy a bag of Lays Magic Masala potato chips, which are apparently my kryptonite).