Grandma's Dim Sum, 40-24 College Point Blvd, Flushing Queens, NYC- Quarterly #GreedyGirlsUnite Food Tour- March 2015

My girlfriends since childhood and I started a new tradition outside of visiting one another in our respective cities/states during down time and holidays. We are meeting quarterly in a city or part of a city to sample the amazing food! This time we invited one my veterinary colleagues/mentors/friends.

#GreedyGirlsUnite

Our last meet-up was back in early autumn where we focused on lower Manhattan.  We started with the oldest dim sum purveyor in all of NYC, Nom Wah Dim Sum Parlor and ended with ToroNYC with fun stops along the way!  

We decided to make starting with dim sum our opening ceremony of sorts-no matter the neighborhood so we chose Grandma's Dim Sum in Flushing Queens, NY.  

This time we hired the driver we used at the end of our last tour as our personal driver for the day.  Five of us fit comfortably in this SUV and he was extremely professional, even mapping out the most sensible route plan for our list of restaurants.  

Big shout out to Samuel Moore, Uber/Personal driver and new friend to us all.

Located in a shopping mall, you're thrown into the mix of fast paced, almost exclusively Asian shoppers-groups of friends (young and old) and families, pushing baby carriages.  It's high energy.

For nostalgia's sake, I was tempted to grab a slice in the Chuck-e-Cheese located at the bottom of the escalator.  The shimmering costume jewelry and the traditional bakery were also great distractions as we made our way to and from Grandma's. 

We walk in and immediately, our cell phones lose service.  There's a slight, silent panic that ripples through the group until we turn around and face the wifi password on display near the hostess stand.  All is right in the world again.

We seated after only a few minutes by jovial staff.  We all observe the dishes at nearby tables and marvel over what we might order.  After being served a pot of tea, we briefly discuss the "Emperor's Pour" tradition and begin to dissect the dim sum and regular lunch menu.

Because Dumpling Galaxy was next on our list, we chose to not fill up on too much dumpling or shumai dishes.  We did succumb to shumai from the cart along with chicken feet.

I was pleasantly surprised that the chicken feet were more savory versus sweet.  I've had plenty where the cloying confectionery character was too much to bear.

Chicken feet and shumai

Sylvia sampling her very first chicken foot!

Most of my girlfriends aren't shy about trying 'exotic' foods, but I seemed to be the only one willing to order the spicy jellyfish in a group of women who are pretty adventurous eaters.  

It was served chilled and topped with white sesame seeds.  The texture was reminiscent of a seaweed salad-great comparison, Sylvia!  The spice was not at all overbearing and there was piquant notes on the mid-palate.  Each crisp bite resonated between the ears and the outer texture of each tentacle was not at as all off-putting as one might imagine.  It was simple, refreshing starter, but way too large a portion to finish.

We all agreed that a big bowl of bone broth soup was definitely in order, so we decided to share the braised beef noodle bowl.  

Unfortunately, we were all underwhelm.  The beef was certainly tender and the fatty bits superb, but the broth presented no real character, so I asked how long do the cook their bone broth and turns out it's a measly 20 minutes.  Certainly not enough to impart any real flavor from bone that's worth talking about.

I also could appreciate the toothsome, springy noodles.

The bowl of congee with abalone and frog, which both Sylvia and I were looking forward to was even more disappointing.

Lacking much flavor, it was unbelievable that the abalone and frog imparted little to the dish.

Even the delicacies alone fell flat.

The fried chicken with mouth-numbing Sichuan peppers and chili was an overall success with the group.  

Full of flavor and spice, the chicken was also supple and succulent!

The salt and pepper shrimp were simply fried shrimp, but a good batch.

The Dongpo Pork- Chinese pork belly cooked in brown sauce over sauteed bamboo shoots was major!  It's the definition of fat=flavor!

Dongpo Pork

Overall, I'd say that our experience at Grandma's Dim Sum was good.  The people were friendly (I vaguely remember one of the servers putting her number into my phone :0) and the food mostly great!  
I'd definitely check back in next time I'm in Queens.

Dinner @ Shojo (Extra goodies from Chef Mark O'Leary), Boston Chinatown

Credit: Shojo

I first 'met' Chef Mark O'Leary when I contacted him requesting an interview after I learned of his latest culinary venture "PawPupBoston" which, of course, as a veterinarian and food lover, I found intriguing

Knowing of his talents, as displayed at O Ya and alongside Chef Samuel Monsour (previously of jm curley) at The Future of Junk Food (review of last event coming soon), when I'd read about his new position as Executive Chef at Shojo, I had to pay a visit.  

Not too long after Shojo's opening, I had a pretty mediocre dining experience and was more than willing to have my opinion altered.

So when  friend decided to bring her grandmother in town from PA to see a play, I offered Shojo for our dinner plans.  

It was a wise decision.  We had a fabulous dinner
 in a great place!

We ordered abundantly and was also surprised by a few 'experimental' dishes sent out from Mark and Sous Chef Jessie.

Spag-n-Ball Z

Coconut Lime Broth, Squid Ink Shrimp Dumplings, Enoki Mushrooms

The soup (Spag-n-Ball Z), which thankfully has since made the menu, was a play on Tom Yum with sweet and sour yet creamy flavors and richness.  Enoki mushrooms functioned as a "noodles" in the dish reminiscent, in diameter, somewhere between soba or somen noodles.
 I am a big fan of 'faux noodles' (i.e calamari "noodles") and I loved their texture!
Bathing in the center of this amazing base is a tender shrimp meatball varnished with squid ink.  
Even more texture and complexity was added with scallion, black and white sesame seeds,  Thai basil, and chili oil toppings.

Fall off the bone tender, sticky Wu Tang Tiger Style ribs with Thai basil and crunchy bits of peanuts and shallots were delicious.

Wu Tang Tiger Style Ribs

More delicious pork (another dish I would love to see on the menu):

Tender pork belly points rest upon a spicy, sesame miso aioli with fried kimchi morsels and fried shallots makes a beautiful bite.

Another wonderful starter dish was the meatball on toast brushed with a generous amount of miso butter and avocado, topped with potato crisps and shallots...again, beautiful textures and flavors making a fantastic bite.

For our main course, were over-ordered the chicken and waffles which -WARNING- comes with 3 large drumsticks and a Hong Kong style egg waffle!

I can never resist ordering a Bolognese on just about any menu and I'm glad I kept tradition alive.  Shojo's Bang Bang Bolognese is made with slick hand-slapped broad noodles, beef , Szechuan peppercorn, firm tofu, bok choy.

Bang Bang Bolognese

A beautifully spicy kimchi fried rice with a sunny side up egg served as a perfect finale. 

Shojo definitely gets a thumbs up this time around thanks to Chefs Mark O'Leary, Jessie Merand and kitchen team as well as the attentive and friendly front of the house team!

Interview with Chef Mark O'Leary coming soon in 2015.

Disclosure:  Portions of this meal were provided gratis.  All opinions are my own.

Please feel free to send corrections/comments in the box below.

Chef's Window 6-Course Dinner @ East by Northeast, Cambridge, MA

I've always been a fan of the open kitchens at restaurants. Watching the chefs at work can be as entertaining as the dishes they are pushing out.  It also helps when the chef is personable and interactive with guests.  

Cue the Chef's Window Tasting Dinner at East by Northeast.

Of course Chef Phillip Tang has made an extraordinary name for himself over the past few years after Lumiere, Hungry Mother, and T.W. Food as he serves up pretty amazing Asian street and modern foods.  

He did reveal that a Korean street food event is coming in the near future so BOLO.

Cheesing with Chef Phillip Tang and Tamika!

I picked the perfect time to head over to EXNE after a number of nudges to cross the river by friends who've been and even by their manager Blayne.  

The week after my dinner experience, they are closing for summer vaca and revamping the place in the meantime.  

The space is perfectly understated so here's hoping for just a little sprucing up.  Chef says there will be new paint and such.  

I can't wait to see the new digs and set up my one on one interview with Chef Tang for the "At The Pass with DrFoodie" Series where he will join Chefs Gordon Hamersley of Hamersley's Bistro (Closing after 27 years in the South End at the end of October), Karen Akunowicz of Myers & Chang, Brian Poe of Poe's Kitchen, Tip Tap Room, and Estelle's, Carey Dobies of Savvor Restaurant and Lounge, and more.

The Chef's window seats only 4 people at a time.  Reservations are required at least 24 hours in advance.  

It's meant to be an exclusive one on 4 dinner experience where Chef Tang creates and personally serves each of the 6 courses, reviewing their contents and answering any questions posed by guests.  The menu changes nightly.

On this particular night, me and Tamika Francis, my newest foodie friend and Executive Director of theMove, enjoyed our evening of gluttony.

We started with a amuse bouche of housemade calamari chips served with an aioli of which the flavor profile escapes me.

Housemade calamari chips with cilatro and scallions

I am a lover of toro (Bluefin tuna belly -sashimi- the second fattiest of three levels of tuna belly, above Chutoro and below Otoro).  I enjoy its richness, its slippery tenderness, its superb fatty marbling.  

The belly of most animals has a fatty marbling that is uber appealing - consider pork belly (bacon), lamb belly, and the aforementioned tuna belly.

Chef Tang offered a belly I was not so familiar with on this next dish.  The belly of the swordfish, he says, is largely overlooked as a delectable portion of the fish.  Most of us, of course, focus on the filet (the steak).  While I prefer toro and otoro over swordfish belly.  It was not served sashimi style, but I somehow expected more richness.  It was treated as a ceviche would be and though I enjoyed its texture and mild flavor, it was not a favorite.  

The swordfish belly was served with cubed watermelon and sliced cucumber, asparagus spear tip pesto and watermelon radish ponzu with black and white sesame seeds.

  

Swordfish belly salad

 The chocking hazard-sized jumbo oysters from Cape Cod, were wisely chopped into smaller but still plump bits of creamy textured flesh, with crispy and crunchy panko coating. 

As a play on the classic Taiwanese dish-oyster omelet, the crisp oyster bits were seated upon a rich, soft egg prep with sweet soy and topped with mint puree and pickled dill all served on the half shell.

I love to hear stories behind a dish or ingredient from the chef.  After bringing a simple, but delicious arugula salad that served as a side for the lamb belly, Chef Tang shared how the poached pears adorning the salad are from a Norfolk Street neighbor's pear tree.  The neighbor offered them to chef as he had no use for so many pears - talk about local sourcing!

The small poached pear, arugula, and watercress salad smartly accompanied tender cuts of tea and peppercorn rubbed, lightly grilled lamb belly.  Pillowy sourdough pancakes served as fantastic bases for sandwich making.  Add a dollop of the red plum and ginger sauce and you've made an excellent edible.

Lamb belly

Everything was superbly spare and just enough to satisfy  until the congee which I happily stuffed my face with even though I thought I'd rupture.  

Congee, one of my favorite dim sum dishes, that can be eaten at any meal, is a porridge-style rice dish typically served with delightful and very diverse toppings from fried shallots to veg to seafood.

Chef Tang's congee was particularly interesting- very New England with a hint of, dare I say, molecular gastronomy.

Lobster congee

  I literally could not stop spooning the contents of this beautiful dish into my face.  

Chef Tang shaving dehydrated miso egg yolk onto my congee.

Chef Tang's congee was topped with poached lobster, lobster butter, fresh sweet corn, chantrelle mushroom, puffed hominy, and shaved dehydrated miso egg yolk created by one of his chefs (hence the molecular gastronomy comment above).  

It was a textural earthquake!

Simply amazing and addictive!

We ended on a sweet, spicy, & savory note.

A beautiful semifreddo was served.

This semifreddo featured a fabulous flavor profile of ginger and carrot with cherry and red wine reduction and topped with toffee and slivered toasted almond.  

The spice and crunch was a perfect combination.

The check came with lovely peanut and sesame cookies.

Thanks to Chef Phillip Tang and his entire team for such a lovely dinner and for endulging out late night stay!  

I will definitely be back for more!

Another Fantastic Feast: Toro - Barcelona-Style Tapas, South End, Boston, MA

I don't know of one person in Boston who's dined at Toro and not had amazing things to say about the cuisine - myself included.  See my last review, here.  The most common complaints are about not being able to snag a table in this busy joint and similarly, not being able to make a reservations for groups smaller than six.

My idea of a few bites...

Sous chef Mike Stark is one of my favorite chefs in the city...humble and fantastically talented, he puts up with my obsession with creating nicknames (his latest and official one being "Shammy Bandana"...gangsta, right?)

Chef Mike is infamous for sending out some amazing dishes for us to try. 

Chef presented us with a simple, bright, perfectly fatty dish Jamon Blanco: grilled sourdough points topped with slick, decadent La Quercia lardo (cured fatback),  the freshest of marinated Jonah crab, fresh herbs, crisp shallots, and cracked black pepper.

Lardo and Jonah crab toast

Crispy veal sweetbreads w smoked coco bean purée & preserved lemon vinaigrette and watermelon radish

The cappicola (coppa), the Italian salume of the day was newly cut on this particular day after a 5 month hanging/curing process.  Coppa is very similar to prosciutto, but unbrined.  It's the long, thin cut of muscle extending from the head to the neck and lateral thorax of the pig.

Chef was clearly excited about it, serving it with pride and a smile, and rightly so.  

It was a beautiful slice of meat with bright seasoning and perfect marbling imparting tender texture.

Coppa

Queso Mahón-Menorca with cracked black pepper and spices.

The chefs at Toro know how to handle and present lovely morsels of foie gras (Chef Mike Stark's griddled foie at Boston Bites Back was simple and amazing).  The Foie gras y Piquillo in house at Toro was no exception - smooth, rich foie gras center with delicately seared edges flanked by tender, roasted, bright piquillo pepper was served with sweet and sticky vinegar gastrique for additional acidity and a welcome piquant layer and topped with candied, crushed walnuts really rocked our world.  Every bite leaves you yearning for more and regretting the gluttonous sampling just before.

Foie gras y Piquillo

Then you have your staples...the dishes that you crave which initiate and activate your 'must go to Toro'  genetic code.  Shishito peppers (Pimientos el Padron), Roasted corn with cotija cheese (Maiz Asado con Aioli y Queso cotija), and the Patatas Bravas (Fried potatoes with aioli and spicy tomato sauce).

Pimientos el Padron

Maiz Asado con Aioli y Queso cotija

Patatas Bravas (Fried potatoes with aioli and spicy tomato sauce)

Hungry Yet?!?

How about thirsty?!?

Well, Ethan and Tyler both made me "just for me" cocktails.  The first being a cocktail - on menu - that I read about and immediately desired.  Even my good girlfriend who I joined said, "Wow, that sounds exactly like you."  And she was so right.  I am a bit on the extreme side of spirits and cocktail palatability (as you man know if you follow this blog).  

I am an extremist when it comes to the salinity, sour, bitter, strength of a spirit or cocktail.  

The "Butterfly's Revenge" spoke to me on paper and on the palate.  Ethan was our b-tender at the time:

Butterfly's Revenge is made with a good pour of Rye whiskey, Carpano Antica vermouth, Cynar, Brandy, Orange bitters, and ice cubes sprinkled with Jacobsen sea salt!

 For my next round, I requested an off-menu cocktail from Tyler based on Sam Ross (previously of Milk & Honey, NYC) "Room with a View" 

Great times!

Shanti-Taste of India, Roslindale Village, MA

"Shanti" means "Peace" in Sanskrit.  Their new space in Roslindale fits the bill (the older space is in Dorchester).  
A beautiful dining room draped in reds, orange, and metallics, it is both intimate and family-friendly- a place for a date or a family meal.

The walls were adorned with art pieces.

 

The Food

Shanti serves an abundance of diverse regional dishes, namely Bangledeshi recipes such as Bhuna, a "style of cooking, where spices are gently sauteed to bring out their flavors, the meat is added to the spices & cooked in its own juices resulting in deep strong flavors".  There are also classic Indian style dishes including Vindaloo (a spicy dish made with roasted hot chili peppers, citrus, and curried potato), Shaag (creamy, spinach-based dishes), Korma (dishes with spices, nuts, and cream), and many more, including Tikka Masala, Rogan Josh, Curry, and Jhalfrezie.

Of course we began out meal with papadum, a mild, crisp, lightly spiced, lentil wafer served with onion, mint, and tamarind chutneys.

A go to starter for me at any Indian restaurant has to the the Mulligatawny soup, a rich, warm soup made with lentils, vegetables and spices.  Shanti's is heavy on the coriander (cilantro), just as I like it and served uniquely with a lemon wedge.  The citrus added a lovely bite to the soup.

Mulligatawny soup

 

A dish which I'd never sampled before and absolutely loved was the chana masala-whole chickpeas with red onion cooked Indian style.  It came highly recommended by Andy, our courteous server, as it is his favorite dish.

Chana masala

The chef sent out a platter of appetizing starters including vegetable samosas (curried potato, peas, nut and spice filled turnovers), Aloo tikki (fried potato patties), Chicken tikka (skewered tender chicken, marinated in spices and yogurt, cooked in tandoor oven), and Nabaraton Korma (fritters of nine different vegetables cooked in a mild creamy sauce and garnished with nuts).

Appetizer platter

I was pleasantly surprised to see okra on the menu.  I tend not to focus much on vegetarian portions of any menu, but I cannot recall noticing okra on other Indian restaurant menus in the past. Bhindi masala is made of fresh okra delicately spiced and cooked with tomatoes and onions.  

 No one should leave such a phenomenal Indian restaurant without sampling something extraordinarily spicy!  We decided to try the goat vindaloo that we enjoyed with pine nut garnished Basmati rice and our other side dishes and garlic naan (roti bread) stuffed with garlic and topped with fresh coriander.

We ended our feast with a pretty unremarkable Kheer, a rice pudding cooked with sweetened milk, garnished with pistachios.  I think I'll sample the homemade kulfi (sorbet).

Have you been to either location of Shanti-Taste of India?  Let me know what you think in the comment box below.

If not, you must get there soon and try something new!  Shanti also features a daily lunch buffet, the perfect time to try different dishes for one low cost.

Owners Rokeya and Solomon Chowdhury were present during my visit.  They will welcome you will open arms and a smile.

I am also looking forward to checking out their other ventures, across the river, Moksa and Naga!

Disclosure:  This meal was provided at no cost to the author.  My opinions, however, are my own.