Today at Smorgasburg - April 21, 2012

Asian-Inspired tacos (the crispy-shelled spicy tuna was my favorite; also pictured: short rib) and peach tea from Takumi Taco.




Porchetta sandwich and intriguing Skytown flatbread with feta and spinach pesto. Mint lemonade also from Skytown.




Laughter and Lemon ice cream sandwich (holy cow, good!  Salty lemon cookies!) from The Good Batch. I'll be back, The Good Batch. Overheard in the line: "Is this ice cream sandwich going to be worth $6?" My answer: yes, and it's a competitive price, though I'd rather it be $4.

Also eaten: New York Naturals kale chips with vegan cheese. They were great. And I do NOT generally approve of vegan cheese. Thanks go to Nick's mom for sharing them with me. The baby liked them, too.

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Gotta Empanada

Saturday's snacky Crest Fest lunch included a couple of empanadas.



Chimichurri and red pepper sauces enhanced the bites.



We got a glass of iced yerba maté tea, too.  I was iffy about the flavor.



Nothing iffy in me regarding my corn empanada, though.  Yes!

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Onigiri Girl

At Crest Fest on Saturday, Dan picked out a carob, banana, and peanut butter dessert onigiri to serve as part of our lunch.  An onigiri is a Japanese rice ball (often triangular), wrapped in seaweed.  They were being sold by Brooklyn Onigiri Company.


Skirt from ModCloth

I liked that it was wrapped in a banana leaf, but I don't agree with the Company founders when they say (on their website), "We try to re-package the traditional Japanese version usually not so attractive, and give it our own twist in terms of looks and flavor."  I think that traditional Japanese onigiri are often quite lovely.  For example, I enjoyed the aesthetics of the one I ate in Seattle.



This dessert onigiri was intriguing, but I would have loved even more filling. Wouldn't I always?

They're not all sweet.  Next time, I want to try the one with bok choy and peanuts.  Here's the menu:


 
Dan told me I shouldn't post this video unless I put music with it.  But I don't have time, so nyah!

Photo Essay: Crest Fest, 2010

I think it's awesome that this hardware store in my neighborhood wants to support and display local artists.  They hold an annual event that's part street festival and part gallery opening -- all centered in and around the Crest Hardware Store in Williamsburg, Brooklyn.

Walking around the store, looking for artwork "hidden" among the merchandise (and often greatly resembling the merchandise), was like participating in a treasure hunt.  Actually, there was a map to the artistic treasures, but it wasn't available yet when we stopped by on opening day.  We spent an hour or more just wandering and trying to spot everything.

Read more about the Crest Fest here. 


Dan's tool wallpaper.









Smitty's saws.




 


Made of tires!  What?!









In the garden at the hardware store.





Extended festivities on Saturday included food, crafts, face painting, other vendors, bands, and more!

I was glad to see that the major beneficiary of this event was The City Reliquary Museum, another local institution that's been in danger of going out of business for too long.








Expect details on lunch in my next post!

Somewhat Blurry, Boring Photo Essay: I Manage Not To Buy Anything at the Renegade Craft Fair, But, Man! If That Purse Had Been Affordable...

Apologies for taking all of these with my phone.  And that they're not great shots in terms of composition or subject, either.  But I was afraid to get too close to anything in the booths.  I would rather save than spend.  Mainly, I just wanted to give the girl with the lemonade stand some props.  Good idea, little girl!

Not pictured: Amazing cinnamon cherry-cheese babka roll from the nearby farmer's market and fresh mango bought at the edge of the track/soccer field. 

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As an aside...

I wish I were going to this event. And not because Duff Goldman is going to be there. (Though, what about Geoff? Is Geoff going? Or Mary Alice? Or Mary? Or the one with the cute haircut - Anna?)


[As an aside to this aside, which already sort of went off on a tangent, the photo here is from our trip to Paris last spring. It's a blurry iPhone shot of Les Macarons at Ladurée on the Champs-Élysées:

"Les Macarons
Petit gâteau rond à la fois moelleux et croustillant, le Macaron est le produit emblématique de la maison Ladurée. Chaque saison nous lui rendons hommage en créant un nouveau parfum."

note: When reading about these before our trip, I thought "macarons" meant "macaroons" like the coconut cookie we've eaten in the USA. But they're not the same thing, as you can see. The closest we found to the US version were called "étoile coco" in the Monoprix grocery store.]

Beet this.

Let's stay in today.

A grey afternoon + farmers' market beets + mustard + vinegar + buttermilk (granted, someone had to run to the store for the buttermilk) + Nigella Lawson's How to Eat* (I am in raptures over her. She is my first honorary aunt) = cups of comforting beet soup. The perfect accompaniment to PS3 video games on a stay-in Saturday afternoon.



But we don't have to stay in all day. After eating our beet soup, let's venture outside to see Pete Seeger in a family concert (with a grandson, Tao Rodríguez-Seeger, and the amazing Guy Davis) in Brooklyn at this year's Brooklyn Botanic Garden's Chili Pepper Fiesta.



That's better.

* In the wise words of Ms. Lawson, "although it's possible to love eating without being able to cook, I don't believe you can ever really cook unless you love eating...I have nothing to declare but my greed."

What I Ate at the Giglio Festival: Vol. 3

The best snack I ate at the festival was actually scouted by Dan and Matt.



These are fresh plantain chips served with salsa (medium cup only $2). The chips were made on the spot, shaved into a giant vat of oil. They came out wafer thin, crispy, not at all greasy and still warm. The salsa was mild but a good accompaniment. The festival lasts another week or so. If I go back it won't be for the dancing of the structure. It will be for more of these.



It figures that the booth with the least flash and signage would be the one with the best treat.

What I Ate at the Giglio Festival: Vol. 2

I think this was my first time trying the deep-fried Oreos. But I can see where I might have had one and forgotten. They actually aren't all that memorable.

Matt like these, and more power to him. At least he tried one (Dan ate half of one, but no one else would bite). But he only ate one. I ate two and a half. That makes me an expert, right? I really think these fried too slowly or at too low a temperature. I might have enjoyed them if the cookie inside had still been a little crunchy. Instead, I found it melted into a sort of sogginess - and the whole thing was just lukewarm and sweet. I like soggy Oreos, but I assumed the point of frying them would be to play textures of dough and cookie and cream against each other.



We've now visited 2 of the 3 snacks I had at the Giglio Feast last night in Brooklyn. Stay tuned for the third -- also fried, but not so sweet!

What I Ate at the Giglio Festival: Vol. 1

One is a zeppola.

Two or more are zeppole.



I've never bought less than 6, but I share them with my friends.



The best ones aren't too oily from their bath in the fry-vat. These were pretty good. The girl serving them up (they are shaken in a bag with powdered sugar before you get them) had interesting eye makeup. That's how I chose the booth I bought from over the 3 or 4 others I saw advertising zeppole. I was encouraged by friends to do a taste test from multiple booths and determine which was the best, but that seemed like a lot of fried dough to ingest. Maybe next time.

One last thing: powered sugar is dangerous. Don't inhale when you take a bite. Be prepared to get some extra sugar on your fingers, mouth, clothes, and feet.