Meg Cotner – Page 5 – Harmonious Belly

August 20, 2013August 19, 2013

Eat the Web, August 20, 2013

The fresh mozzarella, tomato fresca, spicy mayo, crispy shallot crostini at Il Bambino in Astoria, Queens.

I’m a big fan of this video called El Panadero, about a baker in Jackson Heights.

Zen Kimchi talks about the delicious Korean noodle dish, naengmyeon.

Hunter Angler Gardener Cook introduces us to sea bean salt.

Serious Eats tries some unusual coffee drinks around the city.

The Clutch Society writes about “starvation mode” and dieting down, as well as its effects on the body.

Max from Serious Eats enjoyed the spinach fritters at the Shady Lady the evening we met up.

Here’s my piece on Real Cheap Eats about To Laiko, home to great frappes and Greek pies in Astoria.

Eating in Translation likes Malay Restaurant, a Malaysian spot in Flushing, Queens.

August 19, 2013August 19, 2013

In Which I Eat Adjarian Khachapuri at Brick Oven Bread in Brooklyn

Last month I mentioned that I really wanted to try khachapuri—Adjarian style, in particular—which is the traditional Georgian cheese bread. I’m pleased to tell you that I made it down to Brooklyn and my wish came true. The bread was truly delicious and I can’t wait to eat it again!

My two friends, Anne and Jen, traveled to BK with me—a straight shot on the N train to Kings Highway—and we met their friend Aleksey, who knows the neighborhood and speaks Russian. We planned to stop first at Brick Oven Bread, then walk a mile or so to Cafe Avat, make a stop in at Russian grocery Cherry Hill Market, and end our trip at Baku Bakery. Spoiler: Baku Bakery was closed, so I’ll have to go back.

When we got to Brick Oven Bread, we knew we wanted to get khachapuri, and settled on splitting among the four of us one Adjarian khachapuri. Jen also ordered a Mengrel khachapuri to take home, which was a flat circular bread with cheese both inside and out, and is placed in a pizza box. She said it was delicious the day after, too.

Anyway, our bread came out and it was super gorgeous.

It arrived piping hot with a knob of butter and a raw egg in the center. Aleksey stirred the egg and butter together with two forks, which eventually created something like a creamy scrambled egg.

We tore or cut off (it was quite hot to the touch) fluffy pieces from around the edge and dipped it into the egg and butter mixture.

The tangy cheese inside (a mix of mozzarella and feta, since the traditional sulguni is not available in this country, probably because it’s young and raw) added another great flavor to the mix and I loved the whole thing. I do believe I could eat one of these myself on a very hungry day (which is most days).

We drank a bright green tarragon soda with the bread, Zedazeni brand. The bakery owner sung its praises. Jen likened it to Jones Soda. Aleksey warned us that it would be very sweet, though I found I liked it. The color was amazing—this is not the color of the bottle, but of the soda itself. It didn’t really taste like what I consider tarragon to taste like, but that was probably because it was so sweet. It’s very popular in the Caucases, Russia, Ukraine, and parts of Central Asia.

This was a great way to start our visit to Brooklyn. More on Cafe Avat and Cherry Hill Market in a later post. Many, many thanks to Aleksey for being our guide and giving his time to our adventure!

Brick Oven Bread, 230 Kings Highway, Brooklyn, NY 11223, (718) 759-6250

August 9, 2013August 9, 2013

Chicharrón Preparado Spotted in Astoria

On the way home the other night from The Shady Lady (meeting Serious Eats NY Editor and neighbor Max Falkowitz! I love connecting with food-loving-writing Astorians), we spotted a woman walking past us with snack that looked like a flatbread with stuff on it. We turned and stared, trying to figure out what it was, but couldn’t. We turned back around and within a short time discovered what it was she was eating—chicharrón preparado.

I had only encountered this delicious snack on the Jackson Heights-Corona border—never in Astoria. But there it was, offered as a special dish from the El Rey Del Taco truck on 30th Avenue, confirmed by a handwritten sign. They once posted a fish taco special on a similar handwritten sign in the same place.

I first heard about chicharrón preparado in an article written by Sara Markel-Gonzalez about where to find them in Corona and Jackson Heights. They have origins in Mexico and are a popular street snack in the summer.

It’s basically a relatively flat piece of chicharrón—in this case, not fried pork skin but chicharrón de harina, which is still deep fried but made with flour. It’s topped with cabbage, tomatoes, avocado, crema, cotija cheese, and round rings of pickled pork rinds called cueritos. Usually Salsa Valentina (a hot sauce that is also common in making micheladas) is drizzled on top, pulling the whole thing together.

And I can tell you—it is delicious. The whole thing is a combination of crunchy/crispy, tangy, creamy, spicy, and a bit porky. So delicious. I was full from my meal, otherwise I would have eaten one. And I didn’t want to buy it and eat it later because soggy chicharrón (pork or otherwise) is really unpleasant.

I’ll be keeping an eye on this taco truck—and checking its availability at their Ditmars Blvd. truck, too—and hope to run into another opportunity for chicharrón preparado soon.

August 8, 2013August 9, 2013

Cooking Demonstration at Socrates Greenmarket, August 10

This weekend, Saturday, August 10, I’ll be doing a cooking demonstration at the Socrates Greenmarket, located in the Socrates Sculpture Park in Astoria. I did one last year, which was really fun, where I prepared a Mexican Panzaella. This year I’ll be making a corn and peach salad. Yum, summer.

The cooking demo will be from 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. It should be fun and delicious! Yes, there will be samples. Plus you can check out the rest of the market, which sells everything from produce to cheese, juice to coffee. The bread is also awesome. I’m definitely going to stick around and enjoy the day. The park has some works on display, too.

Socrates Greenmarket, Socrates Sculpture Park, Broadway and Vernon Blvd., Astoria, Queens, 11106 (map)

August 6, 2013August 9, 2013

Food Lovers’ Guide to Queens at the Broadway Library

On Monday, August 12, from 6-7 p.m. I’ll be speaking at at the Broadway branch of the Queens Library (40-20 Broadway, Astoria—map) about my book, Food Lovers’ Guide to Queens. I’ll be talking a little bit about how I put the book together, how I chose what to include, a little bit about the process of actually writing a book, and answering questions that come up from audience members. I’ll also have some books for sale!

The event is free and will be held in community room downstairs. It should be a really nice time! One of my favorites, The Queens Kickshaw—which is also in the book—is right across the street from the Queens Library. Their beer ice cream affogato is outstanding!

See you on Monday the 12th!

August 6, 2013August 9, 2013

Eat the Web, August 6, 2013

I’m looking forward to eating this Reuben Roll at The Shady Lady this week.

The Epoch Times interviews Patrick Rodemeyer, executive chef at David Burke Fishtail, who also lives in Astoria.

Technicolor Kitchen created a recipe for “Grown Up Oreos” that utilize white chocolate for the filling!

The NY Times published a recipe for Chipotle Gazpacho that sounds crazy delicious.

Zester Daily has a recipe for Hakka Salt-Baked Chicken that looks amazing.

Serious Eats visits Mtskheta Cafe in Bath Beach and praises the eggplant with walnut sauce. I’ll add it to my list of places to check out while I’m in Bath Beach in a couple of weeks.

Hunter Angler Gardener Cook teaches us how to clean and break down a bullfrog (sorry, Refrog).

NPR shares five futuristic ice creams. Whoa.

We Heart Astoria is home to this great piece on the “unsung tacos of Astoria.” I was just thinking about it yesterday. Still so awesome.

The NY Times features food sherpas. Check out my colleague Jeffrey.tastes, who does just that in Jackson Heights, Queens.

The Wall Street Journal reports on a new book profiling Novak Djokovic’s diet—among other things, no gluten, dairy, lots of warm water, and manuka honey.

This is a fantastic photo of the chocolate hazelnut torrone at old school Italian bakery La Guli in Astoria.

July 30, 2013August 9, 2013

Eat the Web, 7/30/13

Now that it’s summer, that means it’s cholado season—icy, fruity, sweet, and tangy magic from Colombia.

Hunter Angler Gardener Cook talks about gooseberries, and the fact that there are 100 varieties in North America. Amazing photos inside.

We Heart Astoria‘s contributor Anne Noyes Saini tells us where to have iftar—the meal that breaks the fast during Ramadan—in Astoria. So comprehensive!

Serious Eats published another “One Minute Meal” video—this time about the Sainted Arepa Lady (her arepas are outstanding) on Roosevelt Ave in Jackson Heights.

The NY Times shares two recipes for tomatillo salsa. I love tomatillos and these salsas look great.

Eating in Translation wrote about Cafe Avat, a Central Asian (Kyrgyz) restaurant in the Bath Beach section of Brooklyn. I’ll be eating there mid-August!

Hyosun Ro of Korean Bapsang shares gorgeous photos of some of her favorite things—vegetables, wild berries, blue crabs, and more.

Did you catch my meal report on Tacos Morelos yesterday? Tlacoyos!

On the subject of masa, the LA Times highlights the bone marrow sopes from Javier Plascencia’s Romesco in Bonita, CA (“just a few minutes south of San Diego”).

Tastoria Queens reports on a new arm of the awesome Arepas Cafe—Arepas Grill!

Jason Kottke, via market researcher Clotaire Rapaille, points out the differences in the way Americans and the French view cheese (dead vs. alive).

If you haven’t been yet, Hog Days of Summer is rad—whole hog barbecue, complete with fixins. Tickets here for the 8/17/13 LIC edition.

Serious Eats Sweet gives us a first look at Doughnuttery, a new donuts spot in Chelsea Market.