tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33131346327584469112024-02-18T22:17:16.999-05:00Taking a Bite Out of LifeAfter my stint in Japan, traveling has become a strong passion of mine. Along with traveling comes culture and cuisine. I'll be spicing up my blog with travel experiences, culinary adventures, and life's debates. If you have any suggestions, feel free to comment and leave a message! Enjoy!Luluhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05983090161498219896noreply@blogger.comBlogger58125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3313134632758446911.post-12794782746505022012017-03-09T11:24:00.001-05:002017-03-09T12:20:26.422-05:00Cha Sau Pork Ribs - 叉燒排骨Have you ever wondered how Chinese BBQ Pork or spare ribs get that nice sticky texture? Growing up, I always thought the natural color of the Chines BBQ is bright red. Actually - that's food coloring! The natural color is a brownish color with slight charr. Feeling intinidated by Chinese BBQ? No need anymore! It is actually VERY easy!<br />
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Since I've been trying to use the InstantPot more, I decided to use the InstantPot to make my Cha Sau Pork Ribs!<br />
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Cha Sau Sauce: (I tripled this recipe so I have extra sauce to brush on the ribs when it was in the oven and left overs for chicken legs, etc)<br />
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3 TBS Soy Sauce<br />
1.5 TBS Oyster Sauce<br />
1.5 TBS Hoisin Sauce<br />
2 TBS Chinese cooking wine<br />
4.5 TBS Sugar (I used coconut palm sugar)<br />
4 TBS Honey (I used local honey but any would be okay)<br />
1.5 TBS Garlic Powder<br />
1 TSP Salt<br />
1 TSP Five Spice Powder<br />
2 pieces Fermented Tofu<br />
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Cooking Instructions:<br />
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1. Mix all of the above ingredients together to create your homemade Chinese BBQ sauce.<br />
2. Cover and marinate the pork (pork butt, ribs, etc) for at least 2 hours in the fridge.<br />
3. With Ribs, I used the InstantPot to initially steam and used the steamer basket. Slater the sauce all over the ribs before you steam, that will ensure extra tastiness!<br />
4. Cooktime - 18 min High Pressure on Steam, 12 min Natural Release (At 18 min, the mean was already fall off the bone, I think maybe 12-15 min would have been better)<br />
5. Once the ribs have been finished steaming, place ribs on a foil tray for the oven. Brush additional sauce and broil. Watch carefully as you broil so the ribs do not over cook. As it finished up, you'll find yourself with beautifully glazed pork ribs!<br />
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<br />Luluhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05983090161498219896noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3313134632758446911.post-32907965057888731892017-02-08T12:00:00.000-05:002017-02-08T12:14:47.025-05:00Sujiko to IkuraEver wonder how cured or marinated salmon roe gets to be the way it is?<br />
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I never did until I saw a beautiful orange sack of salmon roe at the Japanese Market. I took a closer look and to my surprise, it was an entire encased sack of it! First time I tried to make this was almost two years ago and since then I wasnt able to find it at the market again. Only recently (within the last 4-5 months) did I find some more. It is an extremely laborious process as the membranes need to be separated cleanly.<br />
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Ingredients:</div>
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- Sujiko</div>
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- Light Soy Sauce</div>
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- Mirin</div>
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- Sake</div>
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1. <span style="color: #3c3c3c; font-size: 16px;">While soaking the salmon roe in about 35°C water - about nearly hot water from the faucet , separate the skin/membrane from the eggs so they disperse. Once the membrane touches the warm water, it will turn white allowing it to be more visually effective to separate</span></div>
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<span style="color: #3c3c3c; font-size: 16px;">2. </span><span style="color: #3c3c3c; font-size: 16px;">Drain in a colander and gently use a knife to cut off and remove the remaining membrane. I ran my hands through this multiple times until the water had cleared and all I had left was the roe. The color of the roe will change slightly and decrease in size. Dont worry, this is normal - once you begin the marinade, osmosis will allow for the roe to plump back up and change colors.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #3c3c3c; font-size: 16px;">3. </span><span style="color: #3c3c3c; font-size: 16px;">Place the roe in a dish, add the mariade, and marinate for at least 5 hours. I would be conscious to use less salty marinade since I do keep it in the marinade over night. Watch as the color changes from a white-ish/pink roe to a clear brilliant roe color that you are used to seeing. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">(Osmosis in the process)</span></div>
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<span style="color: #3c3c3c; font-size: 16px;">4. Once marinating is complete, enjoy over white rice with avocado, wasabi, shisho leaf and seaweed!</span></div>
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<span style="color: #3c3c3c; font-size: 16px;">The texture of the freshly made ikura is different than the ones you'll find at the store or restuarants. They pop in your mouth and they're quite fun to eat! If you are unable to finish them, they're good in the refrigerator for about a week but also hold great in the freezer. It does not change the taste or texture. Enjoy!</span></div>
Luluhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05983090161498219896noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3313134632758446911.post-19965030605042245902017-01-30T13:31:00.000-05:002017-02-22T14:25:39.616-05:00Happy Year of the Rooster!Goodbye to the Monkey and hello Rooster!<br />
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For those that dont know, Chinese New Year (also known as Lunar New Year) is a huge holiday filled with festivities and lots of superstitions!<br />
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Growing up in NY, we were lucky enough that we were able to celebrate with other Chinese and Asian folks. We had access to all the decorations and the parades, lion dances, red envelopes, and more! Our family follows the basic rituals and traiditons but we don't follow them all. If we did, we probably would need the two weeks off that the Asian countries have! This was and still is always a time where my sister and I looked forward to. Nowadays, we really enjoy meal planning and throwing the party!<br />
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This year, my sister decided to host and about two weeks before the CNY dinner, we began to furiously plan. We knew we needed an entire chicken, a whole fish, noodles, meat, and dessert. We ended up with Hainanese chicken, whole steamed fish, Turnip cakes, Taiwanese mee fun, sweet and sour pork ribs, salt and pepper fried head on shrimp, fish cake soup, pan fried bottarga from Taiwan, and Taro tapioca dessert. Believe it or not, we made all of this from scratch!<br />
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Few days before the dinner, we were debating on where to order the Turnip cakes from. At the end of our debate... we just decided to make our own!<br />
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Let me just preface and say... turnips do not smell the best! My apartment smelled like turnip for a few hours... but it was so worth it!<br />
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I knew that getting the consistency of the turnip cakes was the most important part so I had to very careful in all my measurements. Another pro to this recipe is that I used the Instantpot to steam the turnip cakes. Here is my recipe and ingredient list:<br />
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Ingredients:<br />
2lbs coarsely shredded Daikon/Turnip, about 2.5- 3C (always buy a bit more because of water weight and you wont want to shred your fingers)<br />
1 Chinese Sausage steamed and finely diced<br />
Handful of Dried Shrimp<br />
5 dried Shiitake Musrooms, finely diced<br />
2.5 C Rice Flour (do not use glutionous rice flour)<br />
2 C water (split into 2 1 cups)<br />
Salt to taste<br />
White Pepper to taste<br />
Oil<br />
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Cooking Instructions:<br />
- Rehydrate the mushrooms and dried shrimp in lukewarm water. You can do this in the same or separate bowls.<br />
- Peel and shred daikon. I used a scale to measure grams to pound which is 453.5g to 1 pound<br />
- Mix the rice flour with 1 cup water and make sure the mix is smooth and not lumpy<br />
- Heat oil in a pan/wok/skillet, and stir fry the sausage, mushrooms, shrimp for a few minutes. Add the daikon, 1 c water, salt, white pepper.<br />
- Once the daikon starts to cook down and the liquid is bubbling/boiling, turn off the heat.<br />
- Since my pan wasnt big enough, I moved my daikon mix into a bowl and began to add the rice flour mixture. Stir thoroughly.<br />
- Grease lightly an aluminum loaf pan and pour the mixture in the pan.<br />
- Add two cups water to the Instantpot, make sure the steam rack is in the pot and place the loaf pan on top of the steam rack. I was able to fit two loaf pans criss crossed.<br />
- I steamed in the Instantpot for 40 minutes with a natural release (10 min)<br />
- After I took them out, I let it cool down and harden a bit.<br />
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The best would be to prepare this in advance and let the turnip cakes harden so it would be easier to pan fry. I found that the results two days after it was made was the best!<br />
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Once pan fried, garnish with cilantro and enjoy with soy paste!<br />
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Of course, photos below!<br />
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<br />Luluhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05983090161498219896noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3313134632758446911.post-53042568879660723872016-09-05T11:36:00.000-04:002016-12-01T16:09:43.102-05:00Hot hot hot!<div class="" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;">
Speaking of SE Asia, I just returned from a trip to Taipei, Singapore, and Kuala Lumpur! Let me tell you, it was HOT! Pretty accurate for this time of the year there. I actually havent been to Asia during the summer in countless years. It was always more convenient to go during the holidays due to work and family plans. This time around, my family was there and seemed like a great opportunity to travel with my sister.</div>
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Since I arrived in TPE later than everyone else, they had already been well accustomed to jetlag and sourced out all the new places we should check out. I won't go into details of every single place we went but one that is worthy of mentoning is Red Lantern, at Silks Place in (Yilan - outside of Taipei). They're most known for the Cherry Valley Duck, 5 ways. If you love duck, especially peking duck, this place is a must have!<br />
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One of their top dishes is known is the duck skin sushi. It was the most amazing duck skin I've ever had. It was crispy to the right amount without being overly dry, the duck fat oozed as you took a bite. I savored every single chew! I even stole a bite from my nephew... needless to say he was not so happy! (and still holds a grudge to this day and continuously brings it up - mind you, he's 6). The set meal also included shrimp, some starters, duck egg/spring rolls, duck soup with cabbage, 3-cup duck bones, and sweet dessert (red bean) soup. You can also order additional dishes as well. Photos below to show how amazing it was!<br />
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After a few days in Taiwan, my sister and I ventured out to Singapore and Malaysia. There was a lot of walking in both places, many times we walked so much and didnt ancipate it that we just got super hangry! Though we were determined to find the food we were looking for.<br />
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Some must eats in Singapore: Hainanese Chicken, Pepper Crab/Chili Crab, Assorted food from Tiong Baru Market.<br />
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We didnt actually get to eat the famous Tian Tian Hainese Chicken but we had an amazing Hainanese Chicken which is actually pretty well known as well. We went to Wee Nam Kee. You can pretty much customize your order (dark meat or white or mix). The chicken was tender, white meat wasn't dry and the sauces-- even if you're not a fan of spicy, you have to try the sauces. The ginger in the sauces, the umami of the flavors, cant beat it.<br />
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We love small hole in the wall places so we were having a hard time finding "No Signboard Seafood" that was not touristy or a big banquet like restaurant. We tried a few places and gave up on No Signboard. Ended up talking a walk through chintown - I know, touristy however came to a crab place in the middle of the square called Chinatown Crab Master. It wasnt over priced like the other places along the Quay and the lady was super nice. We really wanted to get multiple crabs but with just two people, it wanst feasible. We settled on Chili crab and fried man tou (fried buns). We brought it back to the hotel to chow down and it was sooooo amazing. The black pepper crab looked amazing too (we snuck a photo of someone elses pepper crab!) The aromas of the saltiness crab plus the freshness of the meat is an undescribable combination. In additon to that, you've got the chili sauce that you just want to dump over a nice bowl of hot rice! The buns were fried to golden perfecton so that instead of rice worked nicely.<br />
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Another fun place we checked out was satay street (Lau Pa Sat) right outside of Telok Ayer Market. We went later in the night for a snack and there are so many different satay stands! We really wanted to get something from every stand as a comparison. We ended up trying only two stands. Number 6 and 8. #6 was definitely the winner. The satay was grilled just right, the meat was still dripping with juciness and the peanut sauce was also spot on. We tried grilled skate wing at #8 but it wasnt what we eexpected, way over cooked and dry - that was a no go for us. I do hear skate wing is a must try though, maybe just not at #8.<br />
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Tiong Bahru market is a simliar to a wet market where they on the first floor is all produce and second floor is all food stands. Few thigns to know is the Tsui Kweh (steamed rice patties), the tofu pudding (BEST soy milk and dou hua - tofu pudding I've had in my life!)<br />
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After a few days in Singapore, we were off to KL! We were actually very much on the fence about KL during the planning phase. We LOVE LOVE LOVE Thailand and BKK but we've been there so many times that we wanted something new. So we decided to buck up and letter our inner curiosity take us for a whirlwind of a trip. I have to say though, it turned out more exciting and better than expected. First of, Malaysia/KL is a melting pot of so many different cultures. It really reminds me of the US in the sense that you've got people of Indian, Chinese, etc descent, however, they only acknowledget themselves as Malay no matter how many generations they've been there. It's pretty phenomonal. The Malays are extremely welcoming and it made us feel super comfortable.<br />
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Our first stop was W.A.W Restaurant - they're known for their bbq chicken wings. It was definitely good but I wouldnt say it blew my socks off. Definitely fresh and alot of manual labor in getting the wings to the perfect bbq taste. Maybe it was the weather but we had a bottle of Carlsberg beer and it was super refereshing and tasted so crisp!Probably also becuase it pairs well with the bbq! Their Hokkien noodles, which seems basic but was actually very tasty and well cooked. They were not stuck together and missing sauce, it was covered evently and consistency was just right.<br />
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Along Jalan Alor, we found a BBQ bacon spot. Imagine beef jerky but using bacon strips. We bought 200g of this and lasted us the entire time we were there plus some! Tasted almost like maple coated bacon but even better with a tinge of soy. It really had that sweet/savory umami flavor to it. Def must have.<br />
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Another must have is Ba-Kuh-Teh. I believe it is a national dish of Malaysia/Singapore and widely known. It is a pork rib soup cooked with some special spices. It's got some innards/intestines, veggies, mushrooms and you usually eat it over rice. One of our guides had taken us to a spot off the beaten path and it was phenomenal. It was quite herbally but that is just how its supposed to be. You can also buy Ba-Kuh-Teh packets to go and can make your own at home.<br />
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I know this is getting quite long but the last "food" thing I will mention is that since Malay is made up of such a large Indian population, one of my KL friends suggested that we MUST have banana leaf while in KL. Boy, was he right. It was the easily one of the top 3 meals we had on our trip. Keep in mind anyone going into this should be fairly open minded of a new culture and new way of doing things. We went to Sri Nirwana Maju Bangsar (Nirvana Restaurant in Bangsar). Bangsar is a pretty hip, young, up and coming area with lots of small local places. What is banana leaf? Banana leaf is a type of Indian cuisine where the curry, side dishes, are all served on a banana leaf! You would typically use your hands to eat what is served on the leaf and the tradition is that when you are done, you fold the banana leaf inwards to show your appreciation and show that you enjoyed the food. (i ended up folding the wrong way but they were appreciative of the effort, haha!)<br />
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We ordered fried squid, mutton curry, and chicken tikka masala. Sides that were included were yogurt sauce, fried gourd (I'm not a fan of bitter melon but this was exceptional), and onions amongst a few other items. Not sure what it was but the combination of all the items just worked. It was definitely spicy on some dishes but it was really really phenomenal. Looking around, you can see how intertwined all the different cultures was and it was an enlightening sight. I will definitely be back for this!<br />
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One of our last spots before leaving was Yut Kee, they're a famous breakfast spot known for old school chinese breakfast. They're known for their chicken chop and Roti babi. Again, one of our top meals in Malay! Yut Kee has been around for generations and was passed down. It is a mom and pop shop and even though it has been pased down from generation to generation, the friendliness and hospitality of a small shop still stands. They also sell kaya roll cake and freshmade kaya jam!<br />
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Here are some photos to show our trip from KL!<br />
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<br />Luluhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05983090161498219896noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3313134632758446911.post-10184422040654762922016-08-01T16:57:00.000-04:002016-08-01T17:10:05.992-04:00Blast the AC!If I didnt know better this summer, I would have thought we were in the south or SE Asia! The heat, humidity, and random thunderstorms in the last few weeks have been very un-NY like. July has always been hot and humid but we've never experienced flash thunderstorms as often as we have this year.<br />
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So, I thought... What is better than having Taiwanese style piping hot beef noodle soup <span 14px="" 19.32px="" arial="" font-size:="" helvetica="" line-height:="" quot="" sans-serif="">(紅燒牛肉麵) </span>in the middle of this disgusting heat? But at least I'll have the AC on, right?</div>
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I used to slave over the stove for HOURS on end trying to braise the perfect soup base and cook the meats down to the perfect texture. This time, the Instant Pot saved me again!</div>
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Growing up, Mom would seldom make this because it would take so long but we craved for it all the time. Back in Taiwan, Ah-Ma (my maternal grandmother) actually sold beef noodle soup out of the small porch of the house that I remember visiting when I was a kid. By the time I was born, she was no longer selling it but I would hear so many stories. On top of that, my dad even got involved with the business when him and Mom were courting/dating/or even beginning of their marriage. Dad was definitely a keeper ;)</div>
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So here is my authentic version of Taiwanese Beef Noodle Soup!</div>
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Ingredients:</div>
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2 lbs Beef (this can be shank, beef stew, oxtail, beef tendon, tripe, etc)</div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">*Beef shank is what is traditionally used as that is the cut that gives the noodle soup the rice collagen-filled soup base. This time around, I used Oxtail and Beef Tendon</span></div>
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2 small/med carrots - cut up in one inch pieces</div>
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1 small/med Onion - halved</div>
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3 Scallions - cut in halves</div>
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2 Tomato - cut in quarters</div>
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3-4 Garlic - peeled and smashed</div>
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1 Marinade packet</div>
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1/2 cup Soy sauce </div>
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1/3 Chinese cooking wine</div>
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1 stick Rock/Brown sugar</div>
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Water</div>
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1 TBS oil </div>
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Toppings:</div>
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Chopped cilantro</div>
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Sauteed sour cabbage</div>
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- 1 bag pickled mustard green (thai branded)</div>
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- 2 cloves garlic minced</div>
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- sugar to taste</div>
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- 1 TBS Oil</div>
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Noodles: I used Japanese Udon Noodles which is what I had in the pantry but hand pulled noodles or any other types of Chinese noodles would work too</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyZ5rLs2yWDxaATRK7aC2Gu7qv792uK-RDAfdYbXdhn_tbVSzkumQ_858DGC_z9wXA7ec2BHUBAhAD_xeVBoQ5qrgF_Tm_FEO_JA5GEAXvJ4PvWFaqJXj4tS1QWEGqc3WO8GthcRyI5uxi/s1600/noodles.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyZ5rLs2yWDxaATRK7aC2Gu7qv792uK-RDAfdYbXdhn_tbVSzkumQ_858DGC_z9wXA7ec2BHUBAhAD_xeVBoQ5qrgF_Tm_FEO_JA5GEAXvJ4PvWFaqJXj4tS1QWEGqc3WO8GthcRyI5uxi/s200/noodles.JPG" width="198" /></a></div>
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(tips on some of the ingredients)</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjL6Uwwdx0pSCz_udP6exBqvn3hgMb8nUDGRYGI800fwQcJZbTWTognWzPzft4zAr4uTDckJUTfl7UPpxUNkTyHkF3Z2zjlOV71QIdIjvb7kE6UAViSaq2QoFpQevOPdjHYWUht8hNmuBFA/s1600/lu+bao+2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjL6Uwwdx0pSCz_udP6exBqvn3hgMb8nUDGRYGI800fwQcJZbTWTognWzPzft4zAr4uTDckJUTfl7UPpxUNkTyHkF3Z2zjlOV71QIdIjvb7kE6UAViSaq2QoFpQevOPdjHYWUht8hNmuBFA/s200/lu+bao+2.JPG" width="128" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Marinating packet option 1</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJYP5ajPSRrmY5g5RKLlIpvBIbFCY1LH65gD7H8mzOUM_CFMZorff01kWRTJbvUcM3UZQQyBDwRvKcK5eZoevoHUF4f2u6uEIC1kqzAYRfTPOXIwkAHe6t3ZFfnlDYOQqQuq9jZV7s_cbb/s1600/lu+bao.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJYP5ajPSRrmY5g5RKLlIpvBIbFCY1LH65gD7H8mzOUM_CFMZorff01kWRTJbvUcM3UZQQyBDwRvKcK5eZoevoHUF4f2u6uEIC1kqzAYRfTPOXIwkAHe6t3ZFfnlDYOQqQuq9jZV7s_cbb/s200/lu+bao.JPG" width="127" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Marinating Packet Option 2</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjn8F-VnCEr2EeCtA7xUJdjXnbCTWm99Um2s8JITfF4Kw6FgdCxhNSAg62MEu9IX4GcW3sVZ-Sa_ymEuF_NFoc6VIR356nyUoeO-BZoOamlpML1pOmWojyAgSRQsopXMi_4dTGvMUJrnZJ/s1600/rock+sugar+1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="129" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjn8F-VnCEr2EeCtA7xUJdjXnbCTWm99Um2s8JITfF4Kw6FgdCxhNSAg62MEu9IX4GcW3sVZ-Sa_ymEuF_NFoc6VIR356nyUoeO-BZoOamlpML1pOmWojyAgSRQsopXMi_4dTGvMUJrnZJ/s200/rock+sugar+1.JPG" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Brown/Rock Sugar </td></tr>
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First, I put on a pot of boiling water so I can blanch my meat. This will clean the meat and rid it of any dirty blood and things. I prefer a clearer broth so this step helps me in getting there. </div>
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The pot will start to boil and there is a pinkish/brownish foam that will be created from the boil. I strain the meat and rinse it real quick with some clean water and leave it to the side. </div>
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Instant pot is amazing in that you can do everything in one pot! Add the oil, then sautee the scallion, onion and garlic (all the fragrant ingredients) until brown.</div>
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I then added tomato and carrots, and the beef or choice of meat. </div>
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Add soy sauce, cooking wine, sugar (I prefer this on the sweeter side so this can be adjusted to taste). Add water until it just covers the top of the all the ingredients. </div>
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Finally, add in the marinade packet. </div>
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Close the lid to the pressure cooker, make sure the vent is closed.</div>
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Press the manual function and adjust the timer to 75 minutes. I thought 75 minutes was a bit long so maybe 65-70 minutes would be slightly better. </div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAq8b63xF2Cecf2yoN8wiHs0-NeRq6wna-RiQhn61ndWL9cobfCMfMwfKO0yoFWs-JpGOTWAyJIiOn4hw2zRGjHYAXFpvlkCcwZFGUfUSxOF6NJ1v2Hs1KEZg_izv_jmu3IWvQtk2bOxt9/s1600/IMG_3360.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAq8b63xF2Cecf2yoN8wiHs0-NeRq6wna-RiQhn61ndWL9cobfCMfMwfKO0yoFWs-JpGOTWAyJIiOn4hw2zRGjHYAXFpvlkCcwZFGUfUSxOF6NJ1v2Hs1KEZg_izv_jmu3IWvQtk2bOxt9/s320/IMG_3360.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Final Product!</td></tr>
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Luluhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05983090161498219896noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3313134632758446911.post-46928050040099189742016-07-27T10:53:00.003-04:002016-07-27T10:59:29.226-04:00Black Friday... in JULY?So most of you, if not all of you know that a few weeks ago Amazon had their Prime Day. Some walked away with some pretty good deals. One of the biggest sellers was the Instant Pot. It is a 7 in 1 multi function cooker. <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Instant-Pot-IP-DUO60-Multi-Functional-Pressure/dp/B00FLYWNYQ">You can purchase on Amazon.</a><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGbCOUFC8MbYNywX5na3FKVljF65S06CjSO8EiqeDhrT_Qiov8yPLzjR9jFuEgL48LhHXHIdmTupEjfv48yR-fHc1t9-YCst80idXhO25oqqVJ3ggRZeZOANXNEyOGi11ij3f4Fur5RXry/s1600/instant+pot.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGbCOUFC8MbYNywX5na3FKVljF65S06CjSO8EiqeDhrT_Qiov8yPLzjR9jFuEgL48LhHXHIdmTupEjfv48yR-fHc1t9-YCst80idXhO25oqqVJ3ggRZeZOANXNEyOGi11ij3f4Fur5RXry/s200/instant+pot.JPG" width="182" /></a></td></tr>
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Truth be told, I was definitely a bit hesitant. Reason being that I wasn't sure that I would really make good use of all 7 functions and I thought that I'd just have a one week phase with it and then stop using it. Plus my kitchen doesn't have a lot of room so it was just another appliance that I could do with out. In my research phase, I read up on a bunch of blogs and reviews - everyone had positive things to say and people seem to use this appliance regularly! So I decided to purchase the pot! It was supposed to arrive with free two day shipping but ended up getting it the next day which was a nice surprise.<br />
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Recently, I had been craving a simple chicken soup and figured I can use the pressure cooker function to cook it in a just a short period of time. It was a weeknight and I didnt have a lot of time to make a full on chicken stock/broth. I was able to make the soup in 60 minutes. Just enough time for me to work out at the gym!<br />
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The result? Better than I could have imagined!<br />
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In addition, I had so much stock left over, I thought, why not make some chicken congee in the SAME POT! So that's what I did. All I had to do was add rice, turn the pressure cooker back on and by the time I had gotten ready for bed, congee was the perfect consistency and delicious.<br />
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Below is the recipe and some photos - enjoy!<br />
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<b>Soup: (can use pork ribs, carrots, daikon, etc)</b><br />
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2 corn, broken into thirds<br />
2 organic chicken thighs - can use any part of the chicken as you wish<br />
few slices of ginger<br />
4-5 dried shiitake mushroom<br />
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1. soak mushroom in water - 20 minutes should be fine<br />
2. fill up the instant pot with water to about the 6 mark<br />
3. once mushrooms are soaked and roughtly sliced, pour the mushroom water in the pot<br />
4. Add in all ingredients<br />
5. Press the "soup" setting, it should default to high pressure (make sure the valve is sealed)<br />
6. Set time for 45 min<br />
7. Salt/season to taste<br />
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<b>Congee:</b><br />
Soup base/water/liquid of preference<br />
Rice<br />
Whatever else you want<br />
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1. Liquid to rice ratio is 7:1<br />
2. Add in any other ingredients<br />
3. Press the "Porridge" setting, it should default to high pressure (make sure the valve is sealed)<br />
4. Set time for 60 minutes<br />
5. Salt/Season to taste - add any toppings (scallions, thousand year old egg, cilantro, etc)<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;"><br /></span>
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Luluhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05983090161498219896noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3313134632758446911.post-44507037519044780342016-07-26T18:44:00.000-04:002016-07-27T11:00:04.206-04:00It's Been a While!Wow, I can't believe it has really been 3+ years since I've last posted. Time certainly flies and life definitely happens.<br />
<br />
Since 2013, I've travelled quite a bit as well as taken on some challenges both in my personal life and career.<br />
<br />
To me, life is about the journey, and not about the end goal. The experiences and people we encounter in our lives help shape who we become. Those that have come and gone in our lives, I believe have a place and a purpose in our journeys. No matter the outcome of those relationships, always try to see the silver lining. You'll be much happier when you accept those things and see positivity stem from them. Of course, in the case that there are already positive outcomes, don't forget to show appreciation and thank those that have supported you.<br />
<br />
Those that have followed me for some time have seen some of the transformations in both my writing and my life. For a while, I've taken on some interest in street fairs, events, "fun" things to do around NYC. It really allowed me to appreciate NYC as a whole and I enjoyed every part of sharing that with my friends and family.<br />
<br />
So where am I going with this? Since I've [really] settled in NYC, I've had the opportunity to develop my second loves - CULTURE AND CUISINE!<br />
<br />
In NYC, you can practically find anything and everything! If you're talking about quality, that might be a whole other ball game but generally speaking, NYC is the epitome of what we consider a culture mash up.<br />
<br />
Anyone who follows my IG (@crewgrl19), Facebook, Snapchat (ID: crewgrl19) know that my life is consumed with trying new things, and finding the best food out there (whether it's homemade or found elsewhere).<br />
<br />
I'll be [hopefully] posting more consistently on my adventures of Pigs and Chicks (IG: @pigsandchicks or <a href="https://www.facebook.com/pigsandchicks/?fref=ts">Pigs and Chicks FB Page</a>), cooking, and dining out experiences.<br />
<br />
Lots of folks have asked for recipes of food I've put up on social media - I've decided to post them here so everyone can access. Would love to see the results if you decide to test out one of Luluish's receipes!<br />
<br />
Cheers to more yummy times!<br />
<br />
<br />
<iframe allowfullscreen="" class="giphy-embed" frameborder="0" height="293" src="//giphy.com/embed/97ZWlB7ENlalq" width="480"></iframe><br />
<a href="http://giphy.com/gifs/eating-eat-eatting-97ZWlB7ENlalq">via GIPHY</a><br />
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<br />Luluhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05983090161498219896noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3313134632758446911.post-46330105308997680592013-04-17T23:50:00.000-04:002013-07-17T11:51:29.090-04:00Sprummer Fun in the Sun 2013<span class="mainheadcoloronlyGrey"><span class="mainheadcoloronlyYELLOW"><span class="mainheadcoloronlyYELLOW"><i><b>Its that time of year again! Luluish's Spring/Summer Festival list!</b></i></span></span></span><br />
<span class="mainheadcoloronlyGrey"><span class="mainheadcoloronlyYELLOW"><span class="mainheadcoloronlyYELLOW"><i><b>I'll be adding to the list as we go. The list will have events running through October.</b></i></span></span></span><br />
<span class="mainheadcoloronlyGrey"><span class="mainheadcoloronlyYELLOW"><span class="mainheadcoloronlyYELLOW"><i><b>Please let me know if you have any suggestions or additions!</b></i></span></span></span><br />
<br />
<span class="mainheadcoloronlyGrey"><span class="mainheadcoloronlyYELLOW"><span class="mainheadcoloronlyYELLOW">April 6 - November 2013 (every weekend)</span></span></span><br />
<span class="mainheadcoloronlyGrey"><span class="mainheadcoloronlyYELLOW"><span class="mainheadcoloronlyYELLOW">Smorgasburg - Brooklyn Flea Food Market</span></span></span> (W'burg)<br />
East River State Park at Kent Ave and N. 7th St.<br />
Saturdays11am-6pm, Rain or Shine<br />
http://www.smorgasburg.com/ <br />
<br />
<span class="mainheadcoloronlyGrey"><span class="mainheadcoloronlyYELLOW"><span class="mainheadcoloronlyYELLOW">April 6 - November 2013 (every weekend)</span></span></span><br />
<span class="mainheadcoloronlyGrey"><span class="mainheadcoloronlyYELLOW"><span class="mainheadcoloronlyYELLOW">Smorgasburg - DUMBO</span></span></span><br />
Tobacco Warehouse (30 Water St.)<br />
Sundays 11am-6pm, Rain or Shine <br />
<br />
<span class="mainheadcoloronlyYELLOW">April 20 - Fall</span><br />
Fulton Stall Market<b><br />
</b><span class="mainheadcoloronlyYELLOW">Every Saturday & Sunday <br />
beginning April 20 & 21 from 11:00 am to 5:00 pm</span><br />
Under the awning of the Fulton Market Building at the South Street Seaport<br />
South Street between Fulton and Beekman Streets, across from Pier 17.<br />
http://www.fultonstallmarket.com/information <br />
<br />
Saturday April 27 - October <br />
Hester Street Fair<br />
Corner of Hester and Essex St <br />
11AM-6PM<br />
http://www.hesterstreetfair.com/<br />
<br />
Long Island City Food & Flea June 15 - November (weather permitting)<br />
46th St and 5th Street, LIC<br />
10AM - 6PM <br />
http://www.licflea.com/<br />
<span class="mainheadcoloronlyGrey"><span class="mainheadcoloronlyYELLOW"></span></span><br />
<strike><span class="mainheadcoloronlyGrey"><span class="mainheadcoloronlyYELLOW">Saturday April 27</span></span></strike><br />
<strike><span class="mainheadcoloronlyGrey"><span class="mainheadcoloronlyYELLOW">Tribeca Family Festival </span></span></strike><br />
<strike>10 a.m. to 6 p.m.</strike><br />
<strike>Greenwich Street from Chambers Street to Hubert Street</strike><br />
<strike>http://www.tribecafilm.com/festival/events/tribeca-family-festival-street-fair </strike><br />
<strike><span class="mainheadcoloronlyGrey"><span class="mainheadcoloronlyYELLOW"><br /></span></span></strike>
<strike><span class="mainheadcoloronlyGrey"><span class="mainheadcoloronlyYELLOW">Saturday, April 20</span> </span></strike><br />
<strike><span class="mainheadcoloronlyGrey">23rd Annual Upper Broadway Spring Festival Broadway</span></strike><br />
<strike>110-116 Sts., East Side of Broadway </strike><br />
<strike><br /></strike>
<strike><span class="mainheadcoloronlyYELLOW">Saturday, April 20</span></strike><br />
<strike><span class="mainheadcoloronlyPink">Greenwich Avenue Festival</span></strike><br />
<strike>on Greenwich from 6th to 7th Avenue </strike><br />
<strike><br /></strike>
<strike><span class="mainheadcoloronlyYELLOW">Saturday, April 20</span></strike><br />
<strike><span class="mainheadcoloronlyPink">Sunnyside Skillman Festival</span><span class="mainheadcoloronlyYELLOW"> </span></strike><br />
<strike>on Skillman Avenue from 43rd to 48th Street </strike><br />
<strike><br /></strike>
<strike><span class="mainheadcoloronlyPink"><span class="mainheadcoloronlyYELLOW">Sunday, April 21</span> </span></strike><br />
<strike><span class="mainheadcoloronlyPink">Chinatown Festival</span><span class="mainheadcoloronlyYELLOW"> </span></strike><br />
<strike>on Lafayette Street from Canal to Leonard Street</strike><br />
<strike><br /></strike>
<strike><span class="mainheadcoloronlyBeige"><span class="mainheadcoloronlyYELLOW">Sunday, April 21 </span> </span></strike><br />
<strike><span class="mainheadcoloronlyBeige">Church Avenue Street Festival </span><span class="mainheadcoloronlyYELLOW"> </span></strike><br />
<strike>East 10th street to Argyle Road - Brooklyn</strike><br />
<strike><br /></strike>
<strike><span class="mainheadcoloronlyGreen"><span class="mainheadcoloronlyYELLOW">Thursday, April 25</span> </span></strike><br />
<strike><span class="mainheadcoloronlyGreen">Foley Square Fair</span><span class="mainheadcoloronlyYELLOW"> </span></strike><br />
<strike>Worth Street At Centre Street</strike><br />
<strike><br /></strike>
<strike>Saturday April 27-28</strike><br />
<strike>Brooklyn Botanical Cherry Blossom Festival</strike><br />
<strike><span class="st">10AM-6PM<br />http://www.bbg.org/visit/event/sakura_matsuri_2013</span></strike><br />
<strike><br /></strike>
<strike><span class="mainheadcoloronlyPink"><span class="mainheadcoloronlyYELLOW">Saturday, April 27</span> </span></strike><br />
<strike><span class="mainheadcoloronlyPink">8th Avenue Festival</span><span class="mainheadcoloronlyYELLOW"> </span></strike><br />
<strike>on 8th Ave. from 14th to 23rd Streets </strike><br />
<strike><br /></strike>
<strike><span class="mainheadcoloronlyPink"><span class="mainheadcoloronlyYELLOW">Sunday, April 28</span> </span></strike><br />
<strike><span class="mainheadcoloronlyPink">Steinway Street Festival</span><span class="mainheadcoloronlyYELLOW"> </span></strike><br />
<strike>on Steinway from 34th to 28th Avenue </strike><br />
<strike><br /></strike>
<strike><span class="mainheadcoloronlyPink"><span class="mainheadcoloronlyYELLOW">Saturday, May 4</span> </span></strike><br />
<strike><span class="mainheadcoloronlyPink">Lexington Avenue Festival</span><span class="mainheadcoloronlyYELLOW"> </span></strike><br />
<strike>on Lexington Avenue from 60th to 66th Street </strike><br />
<strike><br /></strike>
<strike><span class="mainheadcoloronlyGrey"><span class="mainheadcoloronlyYELLOW">Sunday, May 5</span> </span></strike><br />
<strike><span class="mainheadcoloronlyGrey">25th Annual Broadway Spring Festival </span><span class="mainheadcoloronlyYELLOW"> </span></strike><br />
<strike>Broadway, 86-96 Sts., East ide of Broadway </strike><br />
<strike><br /></strike>
<strike><span class="mainheadcoloronlyPink"><span class="mainheadcoloronlyYELLOW">Sunday, May 5</span> </span></strike><br />
<strike><span class="mainheadcoloronlyPink">Court Street "Brooklyn" Festival</span><span class="mainheadcoloronlyYELLOW"> </span></strike><br />
<strike>on Court Street from Union to 9th Street </strike><br />
<strike><br /></strike>
<strike><span class="mainheadcoloronlyGreen"><span class="mainheadcoloronlyYELLOW">Sunday, May 5</span> </span></strike><br />
<strike><span class="mainheadcoloronlyGreen">Brighton 5th Street Fair</span><span class="mainheadcoloronlyYELLOW"> </span></strike><br />
<strike>Brighton Beach Ave-Brightwater Ct, Brooklyn</strike><br />
<strike><br /></strike>
<strike><span class="mainheadcoloronlyBeige"><span class="mainheadcoloronlyYELLOW">Sunday, May 5</span> </span></strike><br />
<strike><span class="mainheadcoloronlyBeige">Metropolitan Avenue Festival</span><span class="mainheadcoloronlyYELLOW"> </span></strike><br />
<strike>73rd street to 79th street - Queens</strike><br />
<strike><br /></strike>
<strike><span class="mainheadcoloronlyPink"><span class="mainheadcoloronlyYELLOW">Saturday, May 11</span> </span></strike> <br />
<strike>Beer Balls - Meatball and Craft Beer Festival</strike><br />
<strike>12PM - 7PM </strike><br />
<strike>Tickets:http://beerballs13.eventbrite.com/#<span class="vevent"><span class="description"><span style="vertical-align: baseline;"> </span></span></span></strike><br />
<strike><span class="vevent"><span class="description"><span style="vertical-align: baseline;"><a href="http://alewifequeens.com/" style="color: #336699; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: underline;" target="_blank">Alewife</a>: </span></span></span>5-14 51st Ave, Long Island City, NY 11101</strike>
<strike><br /></strike>
<strike><span class="mainheadcoloronlyPink"><span class="mainheadcoloronlyYELLOW">Saturday, May 11</span> </span></strike><br />
<strike><span class="mainheadcoloronlyPink">2nd Avenue Festival</span><span class="mainheadcoloronlyYELLOW"> </span></strike><br />
<strike>on 2nd Avenue from 14th to 4th Streets </strike><br />
<strike><br /></strike>
<strike><span class="mainheadcoloronlyPink"><span class="mainheadcoloronlyYELLOW">Saturday, May 11</span> </span></strike><br />
<strike><span class="mainheadcoloronlyPink">63rd Drive Festival</span><span class="mainheadcoloronlyYELLOW"> </span></strike><br />
<strike>on 63rd Dr. from Austin St. to Queens Blvd </strike><br />
<strike><br /></strike>
<strike><span class="mainheadcoloronlyPink"><span class="mainheadcoloronlyYELLOW">Sunday, May 12</span> </span></strike><br />
<strike><span class="mainheadcoloronlyPink">Broadway Festival</span><span class="mainheadcoloronlyYELLOW"> </span></strike><br />
<strike>on Broadway from 14th to 8th Streets </strike><br />
<strike><br /></strike>
<strike><span class="mainheadcoloronlyPink"><span class="mainheadcoloronlyYELLOW">Sunday, May 12</span></span></strike><br />
<strike><span class="mainheadcoloronlyPink">Upper Broadway Festival</span><span class="mainheadcoloronlyYELLOW"> </span></strike><br />
<strike>on Broadway from 60th to 65th Streets</strike><br />
<strike><br /></strike>
<strike>Tuesday May 14</strike><br />
<strike>Queens Taste</strike><br />
<strike>6PM - 9PM</strike><br />
<strike>Caesars Club, Citi Field</strike><br />
<strike>Tickets: http://www.queensny.org/qedc/queenstaste/</strike><br />
<strike><br /></strike>
<strike>Saturday May 18 </strike><br />
<strike>Taste of Tribeca </strike><br />
<strike>Duane Street (between Greenwich and Hudson).</strike><br />
<strike>11:30AM-3PM</strike><br />
<strike>Tickets: http://www.tasteoftribeca.com/ </strike><br />
<strike><br /></strike>
<strike><span class="mainheadcoloronlyPink">May 18-19</span></strike><br />
<strike><span class="mainheadcoloronlyPink">9th Ave International Food Festival</span></strike><br />
<strike><span class="mainheadcoloronlyPink">9th Ave (42nd - 57th street)</span></strike><br />
<strike><span class="mainheadcoloronlyPink">12PM-5PM Rain or Shine </span></strike><br />
<strike><span class="mainheadcoloronlyPink">http://ninthavenuefoodfestival.com/</span></strike><br />
<strike><br /></strike>
<strike><span class="mainheadcoloronlyPink"><span class="mainheadcoloronlyYELLOW">Saturday, May 18</span> </span></strike><br />
<strike><span class="mainheadcoloronlyPink">6th Avenue Festival</span><span class="mainheadcoloronlyYELLOW"> </span></strike><br />
<strike>on 6th Avenue from 23rd to 14th Streets </strike><br />
<strike><br /></strike>
<strike><span class="mainheadcoloronlyPink"><span class="mainheadcoloronlyYELLOW">Saturday, May 18</span> </span></strike><br />
<strike><span class="mainheadcoloronlyPink">Graham Avenue Fiesta</span><span class="mainheadcoloronlyYELLOW"> </span></strike><br />
<strike>on Graham Ave. from Boerum St. to Broadway</strike><br />
<strike><br /></strike>
<strike><span class="mainheadcoloronlyBeige"><span class="mainheadcoloronlyYELLOW">Sunday, May 19 </span> </span></strike><br />
<strike><span class="mainheadcoloronlyBeige">31st Street Astoria Festival</span><span class="mainheadcoloronlyYELLOW"> </span></strike><br />
<strike>Ditmars Blvd to 21st avenue - Queens</strike><br />
<strike><br /></strike>
<strike><span class="mainheadcoloronlyPink"><span class="mainheadcoloronlyYELLOW">Sunday, May 19</span> </span></strike><br />
<strike><span class="mainheadcoloronlyPink">Fabulous 5th Avenue Festival</span><span class="mainheadcoloronlyYELLOW"> </span></strike><br />
<strike>on Fifth Avenue from St. John to 12th Street </strike><br />
<strike><br /></strike>
<strike><span class="mainheadcoloronlyGreen"><span class="mainheadcoloronlyYELLOW">Thursday, May 23</span> </span></strike><br />
<strike><span class="mainheadcoloronlyGreen">Foley Square Fair</span><span class="mainheadcoloronlyYELLOW"> </span></strike><br />
<strike>Worth Street At Centre Street, Manhattan </strike><br />
<strike><br /></strike>
<strike><span class="mainheadcoloronlyPink"><span class="mainheadcoloronlyYELLOW">Saturday, May 25</span> </span></strike><br />
<strike><span class="mainheadcoloronlyPink">Greenpoint Avenue Festival</span><span class="mainheadcoloronlyYELLOW"> </span></strike><br />
<strike>on Greenpoint from Queens Blvd to 44th St. </strike><br />
<strike><br /></strike>
<strike><span class="mainheadcoloronlyPink"><span class="mainheadcoloronlyYELLOW">Saturday, May 25</span> </span></strike><br />
<strike><span class="mainheadcoloronlyPink">Waverly Place Festival</span><span class="mainheadcoloronlyYELLOW"> </span></strike><br />
<strike>on Washington Square North from University to 6th Avenue </strike><br />
<strike><br /></strike>
<strike><span class="mainheadcoloronlyGrey"><span class="mainheadcoloronlyYELLOW">Saturday, May 25</span> </span></strike><br />
<strike><span class="mainheadcoloronlyGrey">Annual Murray Hill Neighborhood Festival & Taste of Murray Hill </span></strike><br />
<strike>Park Avenue, 34-40 Sts., west side of Park Ave <span class="mainheadcoloronlyYELLOW"> </span></strike><br />
<strike>May be subject to change by the Mayors Office </strike><br />
<strike><br /></strike>
<strike><span class="mainheadcoloronlyGrey"><span class="mainheadcoloronlyYELLOW">Sunday, May 26 </span> </span></strike><br />
<strike><span class="mainheadcoloronlyGrey">26th Annual Livable West Side Festival </span><span class="mainheadcoloronlyYELLOW"> </span></strike><br />
<strike>Broadway, 73-86 Sts. </strike><br />
<strike><br /></strike>
<strike><span class="mainheadcoloronlyPink"><span class="mainheadcoloronlyYELLOW">Sunday, May 26</span> </span></strike><br />
<strike><span class="mainheadcoloronlyPink">Flushing Festival</span><span class="mainheadcoloronlyYELLOW"> </span></strike><br />
<strike>on Sanford Avenue from Main Street to Kissena </strike><br />
<strike><br /></strike>
<strike><span class="mainheadcoloronlyPink"><span class="mainheadcoloronlyYELLOW">Sunday, May 26</span> </span></strike><br />
<strike><span class="mainheadcoloronlyPink">Main Street Islip Festival</span><span class="mainheadcoloronlyYELLOW"> </span></strike><br />
<strike>on Main Street from Rte 111 to Smith Ave</strike><br />
<strike><br /></strike>
<strike>Saturday/Sunday June 8-9 </strike><br />
<strike>Big Apple BBQ Block Party </strike><br />
<strike>Madison Square Park</strike><br />
<strike>11AM-6PM</strike><br />
<strike>http://www.bigapplebbq.org/</strike><br />
<strike><br /></strike>
<strike>Sunday June 9</strike><br />
<strike>National Puerto Rican Day Parade</strike><br />
<strike>Fifth Ave (44th to 79th Street)</strike><br />
<strike>11AM</strike><br />
<strike><br /></strike>
<strike>Tuesday June 11</strike><br />
<strike>Museum Mile Festival</strike><br />
<strike>Fifth Ave (82nd - 105th Street)</strike><br />
<strike>6PM</strike><br />
<strike><br /></strike>
<strike>Sunday June 30</strike><br />
<strike>NYC Pride March</strike><br />
<strike>Fifth Ave (36th and proceeds South) </strike><br />
<br />
Saturday July 20th<br />
Earth Awareness Fair at Herald Square<br />
Broadway between 35th-39th St<br />
10AM-6PM<br />
<br />
Sunday July 21<br />
Fulton Street Fair<br />
Fulton Street from Water to Gold St<br />
10AM-6PM<br />
<br />
Sunday July 21<br />
Rio De Brazil Block Party<br />
46th St between 6th and 7 ave<br />
10AM-4PM<br />
<br />
Friday July 26<br />
Grand Central Carnival<br />
41st St from Lexington to 3Ave<br />
10AM-4PM<br />
<br />
Saturday July 27<br />
Festival of the Americas<br />
6th Ave between 42nd and 57th Street<br />
10AM-6PM<br />
<br />
Sunday July 28<br />
Madison Ave Summer Fair<br />
Madison Ave between 42nd and 57th Street<br />
10AM-6PM<br />
<br />
July 31 to August 4 <br />
Maine Lobster Festival<br />
Rockland, ME <br />
9AM-8PM<br />
http://www.mainelobsterfestival.com/<br />
<br />
Saturday August 3<br />
The Summer Seaport Festival<br />
Water Street from Fulton to Broad St<br />
11AM-6PM<br />
<br />
Sunday August 4<br />
Lexington Ave Summerfest<br />
Lexington Ave between 42 and 57 St <br />
10AM-6PM<br />
<br />
Saturday August 10<br />
Times Sq Summer Fair<br />
45th Street between 5th ave to 7th ave<br />
10AM-6PM <br />
<br />
Friday August 16<br />
Bowling Green Park Fair<br />
Broadway and Whitehall St<br />
9AM-6PM <br />
<br />
Saturday August 17<br />
The Great Irish Festival<br />
6th Ave between 42 St and 56 St<br />
10AM-6PM<br />
<br />
August 22-Sept 2 <br />
The Great NYS Fair<br />
New York State Fairgrounds in Syracuse, N.Y.<br />
8AM-9PM <br />
http://www.nysfair.org/ <br />
<br />
Friday August 23<br />
Irving Place Fair<br />
Irving Place from 14th - 15th Street <br />
10AM-4PM<br />
<br />
Sunday August 25<br />
52nd Street Jazz Fair<br />
52nd Street between 6th and 7th Ave<br />
10AM-4PM<br />
<br />
Saturday August 31<br />
World Trade Center Fair<br />
Liberty Street between Broadway and Trinity Place<br />
11AM-6PM<br />
<br />
Saturday August 31<br />
Herald Sq Block Party<br />
33rd St between 6th and 7th Ave<br />
10Am-4PM<br />
<br />
Sunday Sept 1<br />
Annual Brazilian Day Festival<br />
6th Ave between 42st and 56 St and 46th St from Madison to 7th Ave<br />
<br />
Saturday Sept 7<br />
Grammercy Park Neighborhood Fair<br />
3rd Ave between 14th Street and 23 St<br />
10AM-6PM<br />
<br />
Sunday Sept 8<br />
43rd St Block Party<br />
43 St between 6th and 7th Ave<br />
10AM-4PM<br />
<br />
Sept 12-22 <br />
San Gennaro Festival<br />
Mulberry St from Canal to Houson<br />
http://www.sangennaro.org/<br />
<br />
Friday Sept 13<br />
Midtown East Block Party<br />
54th St between Lexington and 3 Ave<br />
10AM-4PM<br />
<br />
Sunday Sept 15<br />
Eighth Ave Festival <br />
8th Ave between 42nd and 57th St<br />
10AM-6PM<br />
<br />
Saturday Sept 21<br />
Hammer and Claws Blue Crab Fest<br />
The Tunnel @ The Terminal Stores<br />
269 11th Ave, Chelsea, NYC<br />
http://www.hammerandclaws.com/<br />
<br />
Saturday Sept 21<br />
Broadway Autumn Fair<br />
Broadway between Waverly Place and 14th St<br />
10AM-6PM<br />
<br />
Friday Sept 27<br />
Grand Central Fall Festival<br />
41st between Lexington and 3 Ave<br />
10AM-4PM<br />
<br />
Sept 28-29 <br />
Hudson Valley Garlic Festival<br />
10AM-5PM<br />
Cantine Veterans Memorial Complex in Suagerties, NY <br />
http://hvgf.org/<span style="font-size: xx-small;"> </span> <br />
Saturday Sept 28<br />
Sixth Ave Fair<br />
6th Ave between 42nd St and 56th St<br />
10AM-6PM<br />
<br />
Sunday Sept 29<br />
NYC Oktoberfest<br />
Lexington Ave between 42nd and 57th St<br />
10AM-6PM <br />
<br />
Saturday/Sunday October 19-20<br />
Oyster Bay Oyster Festival<br />
Theodore Roosevelt Memorial Park<br />
http://www.theoysterfestival.org/index.php <br />
11AM-5PMLuluhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05983090161498219896noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3313134632758446911.post-2328641531291522262013-02-01T11:13:00.000-05:002013-02-01T15:29:05.527-05:00Luluish Uni Pasta vs Basta PastaLately, I've been into Japanese food more than normal. Hard to believe right!? I've been going to Yuba's a lot. Their quality is jut stand up and consistent. One of my favorite reasons why I go so often. Its just a cute and quaint place and the sushi is simple, no frills, and fresh without being over expensive.<br />
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With that said, I've also been craving Basta Pasta. The last time I was there, the uni pasta was a total miss! The uni was not fresh at all and I could barely finish my entree. So I decided to make my own! It also helped that my sister bought me a tray of uni from a local Japanese supermarket. The uni was darker than I normally prefer but its known that when they package uni, they sort by color and its not that there is anything wrong with it, it just makes it prettier in the tray. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGjryPkju6GIn3NtXN-iVyoiiVBwjm43hTVwMb2QZBQUefXsd92M9T6yjcU24oYsubanrulP0BZiRSJtHnbJY7jyw3DO3whegNgS1HCsYukNiQJ1Jb_fXDX6TmpAMBS_pGag9Ukn6vcbpm/s640/blogger-image--1526511371.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGjryPkju6GIn3NtXN-iVyoiiVBwjm43hTVwMb2QZBQUefXsd92M9T6yjcU24oYsubanrulP0BZiRSJtHnbJY7jyw3DO3whegNgS1HCsYukNiQJ1Jb_fXDX6TmpAMBS_pGag9Ukn6vcbpm/s200/blogger-image--1526511371.jpg" width="150" /></a></div>
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As you can see, my sister couldnt wait to try it so she took a few bites. That ended up being a good thing since she gave me the idea of making pasta! She didnt think these uni were up to par with the ones we had gotten before so this was the spark of the idea. After work, I went to the grocery store to pick up a few of the ingredients. Like many cream based sauces, I used the basic ingredients. These included heavy cream, garlic, shallots, olive oil, and salt. The shallots and garlic had to be chopped super fine because i didnt want it to be super chunky. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAiCTdXqHC4Vqp0UrGR2oqJm17zs5lsGXZXOF7WlcUQniBtxC5VtAc4VYjoqBKO5LFcb7uD4jMbin-mcLL83TL4EWeihFCigFunW1XgjrzBIDKjJyd2oIpDIK_uwU4JrSn7n6TyuVlFk5i/s640/blogger-image--1210378279.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAiCTdXqHC4Vqp0UrGR2oqJm17zs5lsGXZXOF7WlcUQniBtxC5VtAc4VYjoqBKO5LFcb7uD4jMbin-mcLL83TL4EWeihFCigFunW1XgjrzBIDKjJyd2oIpDIK_uwU4JrSn7n6TyuVlFk5i/s200/blogger-image--1210378279.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
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After the uni sauce was prepared (it tastes a lot better than it
looks!), I just mixed it up with some cream in my pan and threw in some
pieces of uni for a more rustic texture. Then threw in the pasta, making
sure it was al dente, mixed it up and plated it. There you have it - luluish uni pasta! Take your vote!<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Basta Pasta Uni Pasta</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Luluish Uni Pasta</td></tr>
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Luluhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05983090161498219896noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3313134632758446911.post-45983968569397646712013-01-16T14:50:00.000-05:002013-02-01T14:51:35.246-05:00Layover Tokyo en route Taipei!Will be posting soon! Luluhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05983090161498219896noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3313134632758446911.post-63810184704293510812012-09-12T14:48:00.000-04:002013-04-18T16:52:31.318-04:00Summer heats up in Espana and London!<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Early 2012, bunch of friends and I talked about going to Europe. The initial plan was to go to the Tomatina Fest. We've been on an international festival kick. We talked about it for a bit but timing just didnt work out. This year our focus was Ibiza and the 2012 Summer London Olympic Games!</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">We knew that Ibiza would be our last stop before the London games so we planned backwards. We played with a bunch of options of where to fly into and fly out of but we finally decided on roadtripping!! International driving is pretty intimidating since there is a language barrier and the roads are structured differently. We first flew into Madrid, which wasnt my top choice since I had been dying to go to Barcelona. My biggest recommendation when traveling abroad with a big group is to get phone service! We wasted too much time waiting to gather everyone and this happened in Germany too. Time is money especially when you dont have a lot of time! After we found everyone, we headed to check in at Petit Palace Italia on Gran Via. Hotel was good, nothing spectacular but it was nice because we were all together and had our own bathroom to share. Our first stop was Plaza Mayor and then of course headed to Mercado San Miguel.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">As we all know from my previous blogs, that I'm a total foodie so this was the best first stop! The first thing when you walk in is mounds of fresh fruit, smoothies, different tapas, and pan con tomato, last but not least, A LOT of jamon!!!! Anyone who was with us can tell you how obsessed I am with jamon! I'll just let the photos do its talking. After tasting the first pan, we immediately fell in love with anguillas (baby eels). Texture was smooth, not fishy at all, a little chewy and great flavor with toast.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwvYrV00lxOu2lerGw3eVL16ArPTXWcGVP0SmXw0_EmFLLPvUcuSm5GtPSj1H80aIvmCFOEwxlQn8yaY-_m08dQ766NzHnhs7Zk2jftNpQaYTEHkdSf1YgphUF43F3RV5O6yR8RFohR9wc/s696/P8040306.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwvYrV00lxOu2lerGw3eVL16ArPTXWcGVP0SmXw0_EmFLLPvUcuSm5GtPSj1H80aIvmCFOEwxlQn8yaY-_m08dQ766NzHnhs7Zk2jftNpQaYTEHkdSf1YgphUF43F3RV5O6yR8RFohR9wc/s200/P8040306.JPG" width="200" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIFCvqzKh3-d7hnK0OjFBlzhGm2Tb6cyRGkXKrfEdVNJ_4wMKN3_a4MrmbLkVPJHaiHwso5Mm6WClXnvFryOviaAInqLLdqN-LM7Kfr5qeMbmF7WIJTo1AaQv0CqUjmMCezXi51smO9SD0/s696/P8040302.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIFCvqzKh3-d7hnK0OjFBlzhGm2Tb6cyRGkXKrfEdVNJ_4wMKN3_a4MrmbLkVPJHaiHwso5Mm6WClXnvFryOviaAInqLLdqN-LM7Kfr5qeMbmF7WIJTo1AaQv0CqUjmMCezXi51smO9SD0/s200/P8040302.JPG" width="200" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXKzWOmj_gNI7OEPny1JPdUhlYcwJ2krUjJ4UT17H9QjdQN15XB0fRtKcq6bU6yl6Hz0JHKGU7kWJpjC8qNwrlz0gZqXaDWq7DxtAcNy0LdAX-n6D9147k1wTpLrJNMdMkDYVObJM86rKH/s696/P8040304.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXKzWOmj_gNI7OEPny1JPdUhlYcwJ2krUjJ4UT17H9QjdQN15XB0fRtKcq6bU6yl6Hz0JHKGU7kWJpjC8qNwrlz0gZqXaDWq7DxtAcNy0LdAX-n6D9147k1wTpLrJNMdMkDYVObJM86rKH/s200/P8040304.JPG" width="200" /></a></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">We didnt really have much time to explore each city in depth as we were driving throught 5 cities in 5 days. The next day, we went to pick up our car rental. This was an absolute nightmare. We had to split up because we had six people, three in each car. We had no way of getting in touch with each other and my group took about two hours to find where the actuall car rental office was. It was nicely tucked away on the upstairs corner of a train station which had a very obscure entrance. The estimated time when we left each other was about 45 minutes to an hour... when we finally got the car, we circled aroud a traffic circle and just parked and thankfully the other car just kept circling until we found each other. My friend Iris and I were the drivers of the trip so we coordinated our GPS' and headed to Bilbao. Bilbao is about 2-3 north of Madrid and we were there to see the Guggenheim. Cute little town but we didnt get to spend much time there as we stopped for an hour and half and continued onto San Sebastian which was a short drive of an hour.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">San Sebastian is the perfect retirement town. When we arrived and started to find our hotel, I knew this is a place that I'd have to come back and visit when I was older. It was gloomy as we arrive around early evening but in the morning, the sun was bright, the water turquoise, the sky was blue, and the sand was sparkling. Needless to say, we didnt spend much time here either. We did have an awesome dinner at Bernardo's Restaurant in the old town. We had these little seafoody creatures called barnacles and they were actually really good! I'm definitely looking forward to coming back to San Sebastian.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">After San Sebastian, we start driving south towards Valencia with a night over in Zaragoza. Zaragoza is a very different type of city. It was a bit more medieval and had a lot of history and definitely a quieter city compared to Madrid or from what I've heard about Barcelona. We had an awesome 4 bedroom apartment in Zaragoza and it overlooked town with a huge double balcony. We eventually made it to Valencia which is also a very historic town. We had to have paella of course and it was super tasty! This is where we did most of our souvenier shopping, it wasnt anything too crazy though. We did have a really nice duplex apartment in Valencia. We mainly walked around town, checked out the beaches, the port, and went to the really cool museums that were around. </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJHPb1m6a8bkUKtiRL-0Pv2KAat45bq77FGwZxly1SdYSIuSEmsbcdC-GH-pTIlrE1Dw6zXGnm3MJhPozmcezG6-X_ohkXA4becKNpIjgoUlP4NaI80K1xSwZS_4q1Kh_XsF9S6I9XFdov/s1600/IMG_0520.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJHPb1m6a8bkUKtiRL-0Pv2KAat45bq77FGwZxly1SdYSIuSEmsbcdC-GH-pTIlrE1Dw6zXGnm3MJhPozmcezG6-X_ohkXA4becKNpIjgoUlP4NaI80K1xSwZS_4q1Kh_XsF9S6I9XFdov/s200/IMG_0520.jpg" width="150" /></a><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfl8rQ56PPglBgZcyPCYtx8GG0M8KFNhBEcVtoG0Dl_SIxNQW4Qq4u_mZ8lZvONnntgMr8xZohXndWx7nmqrOjBHd3j7Hw4yE1bfwX1HlOQHPoa2alxGB_BcMHVwCifxGuYVNbGVv6iHBB/s200/IMG_0525.jpg" width="150" /></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span></span><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Finally, the last leg of our Spain trip had finally arrived! We were flying out of Valencia to Ibiza via Ryan Air!<span style="font-size: x-small;"> Stay tuned for <span style="font-size: x-small;">updates on Ibi<span style="font-size: x-small;">za, Ushuaia and Pa<span style="font-size: x-small;">cha Ibiza!</span></span></span></span></span></span>Luluhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05983090161498219896noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3313134632758446911.post-51524711859762820842012-06-04T11:26:00.001-04:002013-02-01T15:29:54.077-05:00Soba Totto<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Now that I am living in NYC, we tend to have random family dinners in the city. Though we have our favorite spots, we're starting to explore a bit more. We've gone to Soba Totto a few times and its never disappointed us. We had my 1.5 year old nephew with us and it wasnt a problem with noise or being kid friendly. Staff was attentive and service was good. We ordered a slew of tapas, rice dishes, and soba of course. Soba Totto is pretty intimate and space isnt huge but good for a smaller party. Some of the smaller plates (shown below) we ordered fried avocado, beef tounge, bacon wrapped inoki, 3 tastings of their homemade tofu, grilled fatty salmon (salmon belly), and fried chicken wings. It was unanimous that our ultimate favorite was the beef tongue. The first order was good so we ordered a second and it was grilled to perfection. It was fresh, thick cut, and well seasoned. I would go back just for that! The soba is freshly made so that was a real treat as well. My sister and I actually went to an event at Soba Totto where they demonstrated soba making and the process is quite complicated but the quality of the soba is totally worth it. One of the better izakayas around! Great date place too! </div>
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Soba Totto 5/11/12 </div>
Luluhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05983090161498219896noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3313134632758446911.post-61558524740646171202012-05-01T01:18:00.001-04:002013-02-01T15:31:00.892-05:00Celebrations all around!We, as a family are always looking for reasons to go out and eat! Perhaps thats where I get my foodie side from. This was a pretty special meal for us. We were celebrating my brother in laws belated birthday, my cousins early birthday/graduation, and the most special of all, my parents 35th anniversary. My sister picked out a wonderful restaurant right in Kips Bay called <a href="http://www.momokawanyc.com/">Momokawa</a> known for their shabu shabu/sukiyaki. I've heard great things about this place from her but we had to see it for ourselves. When I walked in, I was slightly confused since there was a hostess stand but no one in sight. After one family came in and walked up the narrow staircase, I followed and realized, there was no hostess on the first floor.<br />
<br />
Here is what we ordered:<br />
- hamachi (yellowtail) shabu pot - They are sold out extremely fast and we called 3 days ahead to make the reservation.<br />
- wayshu beef shabu pot + two extra orders of beef (alacarte)<br />
- uni: served with freshly grated wasabi and nori. Very fresh uni and I couldnt get enough!<br />
- homemade tofu: nothing too special, but refreshing and good<br />
- oyakodon with salmon flakes and ikura<br />
- grilled hamachi belly<br />
- grilled hamachi fish pocket <br />
<br />
There were so many dipping sauces for all of the dishes, it got confusing! Though it was confusing, given the right combination, it became a great marriage of flavors. The hamachi pot shown below came with vegetables, mushrooms, glass noodles, and sliced hamachi. The sliced hamachi could also be eaten as sashimi and they provided soysauce and wasabi (freshly ground). I think that was one of the best parts of dinner. Most of us didnt even want to shabu the fish! The pot for the hamachi was a daikon broth with lots of grated daikon. The beef shabu pot was very traditional and the beef was fatty and tender. 3 seconds in the brother and it was good enough to eat. Unfortuantely for the 6 of us, the beef wasnt enough so we added two more orders of the beef. The a la carte beef was not as tender or fatty as the wayshu beef so make sure you order wayshu. We also wanted the red snapper head but that was sold out as well. We settled on a yellow tail fish pocket and grilled yellowtail belly. It was probably the best grilled fish I have had in a long time. The skin was crispy and slightly seasoned with salt and the fish was very fine and fresh. No bones either which was a plus! At the end of the two pots, they gave us some udon which were to be cooked int he broths and tossed in wasabi salt combo. Delicious! We opted out of dessert since we had cake at home but I'd definitely go back again but never without reservations! <br />
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Luluhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05983090161498219896noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3313134632758446911.post-58317112672419970742012-04-28T03:14:00.001-04:002013-02-01T15:30:45.067-05:00Shop vs. Factory?<br />
So a friend asked if I wanted to join him for dinner at Meatball Factory recently. He bought a Groupon deal which was expiring soon (the only reason he asked me to go, but hey, I'm always down to eat) that included a bottle of wine, two salads, 3 orders of meatballs, truffled mac n' cheese and dessert. Not bad for $39! When we arrived at 5:30, it was fairly empty and we were able to choose our own table. People started to crawl in and full up the place around 6-6:15. The menu is pretty simple. Aside from apps and sides, you can mix and match 7 types of meatballs with 8 different kinds of sauces. Salad was pretty simple, just some mixed greens with a vinaigrette dressing. Our three orders of meatballs is as follows: meatzza meatzza with shroom central, old school with fire roasted
marinara, pork with truffle thyme, truffled mac n cheese, pig sticks. I was looking forward to trying the turducken meatballs but they were out. The shroom central and fire roasted marinara didnt wow me. The truffled thyme was great though. Creamy with a hint of thyme, great marriage of flavors. Truffled mac n' cheese was baked to perfection topped with some bread crumbs. You never feel great after a lot of mac n cheese but this was one of the better ones. The dessert was a peanut butter bar that I didnt get to take a photo of but it wasnt all that either. Tasted like dry pb with oatmeal that crumbled in your mouth. I added an order of pig sticks. Now, this was a great idea. Ive been looking for chocolate covered bacon in NYC for a while now and I know its out there but I just hadnt gotten a chance to find any yet. I was excited to see this on the menu but was very quickly disappointed when the waitress brought this out. There were about 6 slices of microwaved bacon. Sauces were barely warm and overall presentation was terrible. If it was up to me, I would have the bacon already dipped in the sauces and add a few sprinkles of Hawaiian sea salt to the caramel dipped ones. I would use Hawaiian sea salt because its slightly mellower and earthier which would be a great combo with the sweetness of the caramel. Anyway, great idea, terrible execution. <br />
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Shop vs Factory? Hands down Shop wins! I went to Shop about six months ago and waited about 45 minutes. Maybe the wait makes the balls taste a bit better but even if the meatballs were bad, I'd wait an hour just for the ice cream sandwiches. When I was at Shop, I ordered some naked balls with tomato sauce (figured I'd go classic) with family jewels. Eggs make everything taste better! The ice cream sandwich special was <span class="hasCaption">cocoa peppermint cookies with caramel white chocolate ice cream sandwich. Most amazing ice cream sandwich I've ever had. Cookies were baked with crunch on the edges and chewy center. Each bite of the ice cream had all the necessary flavors and it was just simply great. </span><br />
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<span class="hasCaption">The difference? Shop is opened up by an ex chef (Daniel Holzman) who began working at Le Bernadin, and after CIA, worked </span>with Jean Louis Paladin, as well as as Wylie Dufresne (who know owns WD-50). He co owns with Michael Chernow. Factory is opened up by <span class="st">Chef Dave Martin, who was a finalist on season one of top chef. He's definitely a chef with eccentric ideas. </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjG_LjXV_-gY9YTONrbs5JGgBTTENzW770naFwU7kkv7biQDl1HaNLTK10OahZEzUYVlQY50UE274t6mFnSxggXy4plaE5gGkryE187vIBJTIyoGclJygamHsmnBnMlZxZ-merwIq7MnVK0/s640/blogger-image--198858950.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjG_LjXV_-gY9YTONrbs5JGgBTTENzW770naFwU7kkv7biQDl1HaNLTK10OahZEzUYVlQY50UE274t6mFnSxggXy4plaE5gGkryE187vIBJTIyoGclJygamHsmnBnMlZxZ-merwIq7MnVK0/s200/blogger-image--198858950.jpg" width="200" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyRiaOJ0_sq5OUUTuiKaT3PpAPN8_ZAJvQ3gbM1rFdrtrUZgeq7MM7c_ncj5DhHtYrjCpHk3IQTHyszVxS0uoVV2ViD1hVSF7V0gY0Ghr99xlcaEgelG2mSzAkdpUPNXO3yFskyFaJEIym/s640/blogger-image-33723792.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyRiaOJ0_sq5OUUTuiKaT3PpAPN8_ZAJvQ3gbM1rFdrtrUZgeq7MM7c_ncj5DhHtYrjCpHk3IQTHyszVxS0uoVV2ViD1hVSF7V0gY0Ghr99xlcaEgelG2mSzAkdpUPNXO3yFskyFaJEIym/s200/blogger-image-33723792.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
Luluhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05983090161498219896noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3313134632758446911.post-32720140414438578762012-04-28T03:09:00.000-04:002013-02-01T14:46:22.578-05:00Summer 2012 is here!<span style="font-size: x-small;">As we round the corner into Summer 2012, I've compiled a list of events up through the Fall. Check back for updates and additions!</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: x-small; font-weight: bold;">Smorgasburg @ Brooklyn Flea</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">April 7 - Mid Oct 2012 (Every Saturday)</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">10am - 5pm</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">East River Waterfront (btw. North 6 + 7 St.)</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">http://www.brooklynflea.com/smorgasburg/</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><b>Hell's Kitchen Flea Market Gourmet Food Truck Bazaar</b></span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">April - Oct (Every second Sunday of the month)</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">11am - 5pm</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">Hell's Kitchen Flea Market - 39th st and 9th ave </span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">http://www.hellskitchenfleamarket.com/home/?p=659</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><b>Hester Street Fair</b></span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">April 28 - October 27 (every saturday)</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">10am - 6pm</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">Hester and Essex St. </span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">http://www.hesterstreetfair.com/</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><strike><span style="font-weight: bold;">Tribeca Family Fest Street Fair</span></strike></span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><strike>April 28, 2012</strike></span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><strike>10am - 6pm</strike></span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><strike>Greenwich Street (from Hubert to Chambers St) NY, NY 10013</strike></span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><strike>http://www.tribecafilm.com/festival/events/Family-Fest-Street-Fair-.html#.T5CoDY7NUbp</strike></span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><strike><br /></strike></span>
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><strike><span style="font-weight: bold;">Sakura Matsuri @ Brooklyn Botanical Garden</span></strike></span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><strike>April 28-29, 2012</strike></span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><strike>10am - 6pm</strike></span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><strike><span class="street-address">1000 Washington Ave</span><span class="locality">, Brooklyn</span>, <span class="region">NY</span> <span class="postal-code">11225</span></strike></span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><strike>http://www.bbg.org/visit/event/sakura_matsuri_2012/</strike></span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><strike><br /></strike></span>
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><strike><span style="font-weight: bold;">Queens Taste</span></strike></span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><strike>May 1, 2012</strike></span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><strike>6pm - 9pm</strike></span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><strike>Citi Field's Caesars Club, 123-01 Roosevelt Ave., Flushing</strike></span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><strike>http://www.discoverqueens.info/queenstaste/about/</strike></span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><strike><br /></strike></span>
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><strike><b>NoodlePalooza</b></strike></span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><strike>May 2, 2012</strike></span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><strike>11am - 2pm </strike></span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><strike>World Financial Center: Winter Garden </strike></span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><strike>http://www.artsworldfinancialcenter.com/cgi-bin/Go.cgi?q_id=1217</strike></span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><strike><span style="font-weight: bold;">LuckyRice Festival 2012</span></strike></span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><strike>May 1-6, 2012</strike></span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><strike>Multiple Events - see website</strike></span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><strike>http://www.luckyrice.com/</strike></span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><strike><br /></strike></span>
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><strike><span style="font-weight: bold;"> Cinco De Mayo at Grand Central Station</span></strike></span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><strike>May 4, 2012</strike></span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><strike>43rd St. from 3rd - Lexington Avenue</strike></span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><strike><br /></strike></span>
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><strike><b>The Fourth Annual Spring Handmade Cavalcade </b></strike></span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><strike>May 5, 2012</strike></span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><strike>11am - 5pm </strike></span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><strike>Littlefield: <span class="street-address">622 Degraw St,</span><span class="locality"> Brooklyn</span></strike></span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><strike>http://www.handmadecavalcade.com/</strike></span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><strike><br /></strike></span>
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><strike><span style="font-weight: bold;">Lexington Avenue Festival</span></strike></span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><strike>May 5, 2012</strike></span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><strike>Lexington Avenue between 60th and 66th Streets.</strike></span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><strike><br /></strike></span>
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><strike><b>The Vendy Award & New Amsterdam Market Present: International Meats Local</b></strike></span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><strike>May 6, 2012</strike></span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><strike>1230pm - 230pm </strike></span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><strike>New Amsterdam Market - <span class="blackTimes16">South Street between Beekman Street and Peck Slip</span></strike></span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><strike>http://www.newamsterdammarket.org/2012/05_06.html </strike></span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><strike><br /></strike></span>
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><strike><span style="font-weight: bold;">Amsterdam Avenue Fair</span></strike></span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><strike>May 6, 2012</strike></span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><strike>11AM-5PM</strike></span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><strike>Amsterdam Avenue between 96th and 106th Streets.</strike></span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><strike><br /></strike></span>
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><strike><span style="font-weight: bold;">24th Annual Broadway Spring Festival</span></strike></span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><strike>May 6, 2012</strike></span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><strike>Broadway between East 86th and 96th Streets</strike></span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><strike><br /></strike></span>
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><strike><span class="st"> <span style="font-weight: bold;">The Manhattan Cocktail Classic</span><br />
May 11-15, 2012<br />
Multiple Events - see website<br />
http://www.manhattancocktailclassic.com/</span></strike></span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><strike><br /></strike></span>
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><strike><span style="font-weight: bold;">Times Square Fair </span></strike></span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><strike>May 12, 2012</strike></span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><strike>Broadway from 47th - 57th Street</strike></span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><strike><br /></strike></span>
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><strike><b>Passport to Taiwan</b></strike></span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><strike>May 13, 2012</strike></span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><strike>12pm - 5pm </strike></span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><strike>Union Square North Plaza - 17 St & Park Ave</strike></span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><strike>http://p2tw.org/ </strike></span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><strike><b><br />
</b></strike></span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><strike><b>Restaurant Days @ Rockefeller Plaza</b></strike></span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><strike>May 16 - May 18, 2012</strike></span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><strike>11 - 2pm</strike></span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><strike><br /></strike></span>
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><strike><b>The Great GoogaMooga</b></strike></span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><strike>May 19-20, 2012</strike></span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><strike>Prospect Park, Brooklyn</strike></span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><strike>http://www.googamooga.com/about/ </strike></span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><strike><br /></strike></span>
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><strike><span class="st"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Ninth Ave International Food Fair</span><br />
May 19 - 20, 2012<br />
12pm-5pm<br />
9th Ave from 42st to 57st.</span></strike></span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><strike><br /></strike></span>
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><strike><b><span class="st">Taste of Tribeca</span></b></strike></span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><strike><span class="st"> May 19, 2012</span></strike></span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><strike><span class="st">11:30am - 3pm</span></strike></span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><strike><span class="st">http://www.tasteoftribeca.com/ </span></strike></span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><strike><br /></strike></span>
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><strike><span style="font-weight: bold;">Lower Third Avenue Spring Festival </span></strike></span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><strike>May 19, 2012</strike></span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><strike>3rd Avenue from 6th - 14th Street</strike></span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><strike><br /></strike></span>
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><strike><span style="font-weight: bold;">Murray Hill Neighborhood Festival</span></strike></span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><strike>May 20, 2012</strike></span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><strike>Park Avenue from 34th - 40th Street</strike></span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><strike><span style="font-weight: bold;">Crawfish Boil by CrawfishNY</span></strike></span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><strike>May 26-27, 2012</strike></span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><strike>Outside along the East River in Stuyvesant Cove Park, (solarONE 2420 FDR Service Rd East)</strike></span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><strike>http://www.crawfishny.org/main/events</strike></span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><strike><br /></strike></span>
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><strike><span style="font-weight: bold;">Lexington Avenue Spring Festival</span></strike></span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><strike>May 26, 2012</strike></span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><strike>Lexington Avenue from 42nd - 57th Street</strike></span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><strike><br /></strike></span>
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><strike><span style="font-weight: bold;">The Annual Spring Jubilee </span></strike></span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><strike>May 27, 2012</strike></span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><strike>Lexington Avenue from 23rd - 34th Street</strike></span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><strike><span style="font-weight: bold;">The Liberty Street Fair</span></strike></span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><strike>May 28, 2012</strike></span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><strike>Liberty Street from Broadway - Trinity Place<b><br />
</b></strike></span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><strike><span style="font-weight: bold;">Beekman Beer Garden Concert, Love Music + Crawfish Boil</span></strike></span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><strike>May 31 2012</strike></span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><strike>6pm - 1130</strike></span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><strike><span class="street_1">89 South Street</span>, New York, NY 10038</strike></span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><strike>http://beekmanbeergarden.com/events_inner.php?id=NTA=</strike></span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><strike><br /></strike></span>
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><strike><span style="font-weight: bold;">Children of the World Festival</span></strike></span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><strike>June 2, 2012</strike></span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><strike>6th Avenue from 42nd - 56th Street </strike></span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><strike><span style="font-weight: bold;">Third Avenue Spring Fair </span></strike></span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><strike>June 3, 2012</strike></span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><strike>3rd Avenue from 14th - 23rd Street</strike></span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><strike><b><br />
</b></strike></span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><strike><span style="font-weight: bold;">Lobster Rumble</span></strike></span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><strike>June 7, 2012</strike></span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><strike>6pm or 7pm</strike></span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><strike>125 W 18th St., New York, NY 10011</strike></span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><strike>http://www.tastingtable.com/entry_detail_pseudo/national/events/lobster-rumble-2012/home</strike></span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><strike><br /></strike></span>
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><strike><span style="font-weight: bold;">Big Apple BBQ Block Party</span></strike></span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><strike>June 9-10, 2012</strike></span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><strike>Madison Sq Park (Madison Ave and 23st-26st)</strike></span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><strike>11am - 6pm</strike></span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><strike>http://bigapplebbq.org/index.php</strike></span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><strike><br /></strike></span>
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><strike><span style="font-weight: bold;">The Annual Village Fair </span></strike></span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><strike>June 9, 2012</strike></span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><strike>Broadway from Houston - Grand Street</strike></span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><strike><span style="font-weight: bold;">Mattituck Lions Strawberry Festival</span></strike></span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><strike>June 15-17, 2012</strike></span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><strike>Strawberry Fields: 1175 route 48 Mattituck NY 11952</strike></span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><strike>1175 route 48 Mattituck NY 11952</strike></span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><strike><br /></strike></span>
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><strike><span style="font-weight: bold;">Grand Central Spring Festival</span></strike></span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><strike>June 15, 2012</strike></span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><strike>41st Street from 3rd - Lexington Ave.</strike></span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><strike><br /></strike></span>
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><strike><span style="font-weight: bold;">Times Square Expo</span></strike></span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><strike>June 16, 2012</strike></span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><strike>Broadway from 47th - 57th Street</strike></span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><strike><br /></strike></span>
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><strike><span style="font-weight: bold;">The Turtle Bay Festival </span></strike></span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><strike>June 17, 2012</strike></span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><strike>Lexington Avenue from 42nd - 54th Street</strike></span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><strike><br /></strike></span>
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><strike><span style="font-weight: bold;">Grand Central Festival </span></strike></span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><strike>June 22, 2012</strike></span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><strike>43rd St. from Lexington - 3rd Avenue</strike></span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><strike><span style="font-weight: bold;">6th Avenue Summerfest </span></strike></span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><strike>June 23, 2012</strike></span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><strike>6th Avenue from 34th - 42nd Street</strike></span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><strike><br /></strike></span>
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><strike><b>Times Square Block Party </b></strike></span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><strike>June 24, 2012</strike></span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><strike>46th Street from Broadway - 8th Avenue</strike></span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><strike><br /></strike></span>
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><strike><span style="font-weight: bold;">USO - Avenue of the Americas Summerfest</span></strike></span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><strike>June 30, 2012</strike></span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><strike>6th Avenue, 42nd - 56th Street</strike></span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><strike><b><br />
</b><span style="font-weight: bold;">Central Park Precinct Block Party </span></strike></span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><strike>July 1, 2012</strike></span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><strike>60th Street from Madison - 5th Avenue</strike></span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><strike><br /></strike></span>
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><strike><span style="font-weight: bold;">Great July 4th Festival </span></strike></span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><strike>July 4, 2012</strike></span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><strike>Water Street from Fulton - Broad Street</strike></span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><strike><br /></strike></span>
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><strike><span style="font-weight: bold;"> New York Unfolds Street Fair</span></strike></span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><strike>July 7, 2012</strike></span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><strike>Broadway from Houston - Grand Street</strike></span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><strike><br /></strike></span>
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><strike><span style="font-weight: bold;">NYC Celebration of Nations Festival </span></strike></span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><strike>July 8, 2012</strike></span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><strike>Madison Avenue from 42nd - 57th Street</strike></span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><strike><br /></strike></span>
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><strike><span style="font-weight: bold;">Times Square Summer Fair </span></strike></span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><strike>July 14, 2012</strike></span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><strike>Broadway from 47th - 57 Street</strike></span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><strike><span style="font-weight: bold;"><br />
Lexington Ave. Summer Spectacular </span></strike></span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><strike>July 15, 2012</strike></span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><strike>Lexington Avenue 23rd - 34th Street</strike></span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: x-small; font-weight: bold;">Earth Awareness Fair at Herald Square </span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">July 21. 2012</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">Broadway from 34th - 39th Street</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: x-small;">Annual Tribeca Fair</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">July 22, 2012</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">11am - 6pm </span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: x-small;">West Broadway between Barclay and Chambers Sts</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: x-small; font-weight: bold;">Grand Central Carnival </span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">July 27, 2012</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">41st Street from 3rd - Lexington Ave.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: x-small; font-weight: bold;">Festival of the Americas </span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">July 28, 2012</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">6th Avenue from 42nd - 56th Street</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: x-small; font-weight: bold;">Madison Avenue Summer Fair </span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">July 29, 2012</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">Madison Avenue from 42nd - 57th Street</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: x-small; font-weight: bold;">Maine Lobster Festival</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">August 1-5, 2012</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">9am - 8pm</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">Rockland, Maine 04841</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">http://www.mainelobsterfestival.com/</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small; font-weight: bold;"><br />
Seaport Festival </span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">August 4, 2012</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">Water Street from Fulton - Broad Street</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: x-small; font-weight: bold;">Lexington Avenue Summerfest </span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">August 5, 2012</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">Lexington Avenue from 42nd - 57th Street</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: x-small; font-weight: bold;">Times Square Summer Fest </span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">August 11, 2012</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">45th Street from 5th - 7th Avenue</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: x-small; font-weight: bold;">Chesapeake Crab and Beer Fest</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">August 18, 2012</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">Multiple Sessions (2)</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">National Harbor, MD</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">http://www.mdcrabfest.com/</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: x-small; font-weight: bold;">The Great Irish Festival </span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">August 18, 2012</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">6th Avenue from 42nd - 56th Street</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: x-small; font-weight: bold;">New York State Fair</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">Augist 23 - Sept 3, 2012</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">Multiple Days & Events</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">http://nysfair.org/</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: x-small; font-weight: bold;">Lexington Avenue Fair </span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">August 25, 2012</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">Lexington Avenue from 42nd - 56th Street</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: x-small; font-weight: bold;">Sixth Avenue Summer Fair </span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">August 26, 2012</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">Sixth Avenue from 42nd - 57th Street</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: x-small; font-weight: bold;">Astor Place Block Party </span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">Sept 1, 2012</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">Astor Place from Broadway to Lafayette</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: x-small; font-weight: bold;">Murray Street Block Party </span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">Sept 1, 2012</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">Murray Street from Broadway to Church</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><b><br />
</b><span style="font-weight: bold;">28th Annual Brazilian Day Festival </span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">Sept 2, 2012</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">6th Avenue from 42nd - 56th Street</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: x-small; font-weight: bold;">Hammer and Claws Blue Crab Fest</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">Sept 7-9, 2012</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">The Tunnel @ The Terminal Stores</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">269 11th Avenue, Chelsea, NYC</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">http://hammerandclaws.com/</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: x-small; font-weight: bold;">Gramercy Park Summer Festival </span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">Sept 8, 2012</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">3rd Avenue from 14th - 23rd Street</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: x-small; font-weight: bold;">San Gennaro Festival </span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">Sept 13-23, 2012</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">Mulberry Street from Canal to Houston</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: x-small; font-weight: bold;">Upper Broadway Autumn Festival </span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">Sept 15, 2012</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">Broadway from 110th - 116th</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: x-small; font-weight: bold;">Eighth Avenue Festival </span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">Sept 16, 2012</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">8th Avenue from 42nd - 57th Street</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: x-small; font-weight: bold;">Broadway Autumn Fair </span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">Sept 22, 2012</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">Broadway from Waverly Place - 14th Street</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><b><br />
</b><span style="font-weight: bold;">Central Park Autumn Fair </span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">Sept 23, 2012</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">60th Street from Madison - Fifth Avenue</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: x-small; font-weight: bold;">Grand Central Fall Fest </span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">Sept 28, 2012 41st Street from Lexington - 3rd Avenue</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: x-small; font-weight: bold;">Hudson Valley Garlic Festival</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">Sept 29-30, 2012</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">Cantine Veterans Memorial Complex in Saugerties, NY</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">http://hvgf.org/</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: x-small; font-weight: bold;">Union Square Autumn Fair </span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">Sept 29, 2012</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">Broadway from 17th - 23rd Street</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: x-small; font-weight: bold;">Upper Broadway Harvest Festival </span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">Sept 30, 2012</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">Broadway from 110th - 116th Street</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: x-small; font-weight: bold;">Oyster Bay Oyster Festival</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">October 13-14, 2012</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">11am-5pm</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">Theodore Roosevelt Memorial Park</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">http://www.theoysterfestival.org/</span>Luluhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05983090161498219896noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3313134632758446911.post-36679221190910507392012-04-23T01:31:00.001-04:002012-04-28T04:39:55.695-04:00One year older, one year wiserI picked <a href="http://www.robataya-ny.com/">RobatayaNY</a> for a close friends birthday not only because I heard great things about it but heard about the food and the intimate atmosphere. Since we didnt have reservations, we had to wait a bit but service at the front was great. I put my name down and when our table was ready, which was less than the promised time, I received a call on my cellphone. We walked in and was a little taken aback by the market like action going on. Once you walk past the front counter area, the back area resembled a Japanese garden. It was absolutely soothing and made you feel at home. We were able to catch up and eat at our own pace. Service was polite but not pushy. So the three of us girls decided to order a few small dishes and two main entrees. First up was the grilled uni topped with konbu which is a type of japanese seaweed. My take on uni is that if it's fresh, it should only be eaten raw. However I was pleasantly surprised. The portion was a good size for what it was. The texture was smooth and creamy. The konbu added a nice touch to it. Next came the 5 sashimi special. This included salmon, tuna, red snapper, seabass. All five types were fresh and it was a good selection of fish. A plus would be the freshly grated wasabi. Since its not so easily found in markets around here, I tend to overdose on it and make myself cry but my goodness its a great feeling. Third dish came the grilled stingray fin. We wanted to try something a bit unusual. This came with a small scoop of sweet miso and a slice of lemon. Very well paired and we were told the cartilage was edible. It was a bit hard. The meat of the fun was extremely fine and well cooked. Our other main dish was a grilled ribeye cooked medium rare and perfectly medium rare it was. It was served with a dipping sauce that resembled aujus with a bit of light soy sauce. Lastly we ordered two orders of grilled rice cakes. We didn't want to order rice or noodles but we needed substance. When I was in Japan I would eat this every morning. They're grilled mochi squares that are brushed with a light layer of soy sauce and ten wrapped in seaweed. Filling, simple, and delicious! Of course we couldnt leave without dessert. We ordered a green tea ice cream topped with soybean powder and brown sugar syrup and mung bean/green tea soup with strawberries an rice cakes. The soupy dessert was a bit sweet for me but the ice cream brought me home to Japan. I loved the experience here and I will be coming back except I'll be sitting at the front counter area where all the action is taking place! Anyway, happy birthday Melissa!<br />
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About a week after Vancouver, I hopped on a plane over to my beloved
Asia. This time with my sister, brother in law, and my little man,
Sebastian. Quick recap of the 7 weeks I spent there.<br />
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Taiwan which is always always amazing , Thailand which has really become my third home and Cambodia which was an eye opening experience for me and I am so thankful that I was able to go.<br />
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This time in Thailand, we decided to scrap most of the typical touristy stuff and venture on our own. Bangkok is a place that has great transportation, safe for the most part, and the food is nothing short of amazing. We stayed at a boutique hotel that was named top 10 in bangkok called Hansar. Hansar really was tiptop and location was wonderful. it was right outside BTS Skytrain Rajdamri station. It was convenient to everything we wanted to do and a very safe location. Service at Hansar was great as well, people were polite and attentive. Not to mention the assortment of food for the breakfast buffet. Along with an order of hot food (eggs, bacon, sausage, etc), you also had pastries, fresh fruit (and if you know anything about Thailand, you would know that fresh fruit here is not even comparable to USA, its 100000x sweeter and fragrant), as well as porridge, fried rice, and so much more. After breakfast, we headed down to Chaopaya river for a bot ride. We took a ride down to the Wat Pho (laying buddha) and walked around for a bit since I've never been. Then we hopped on the boat again and went to Wat Arun. Wat Arun is as beautiful as any and all of the pictures out there. The detail on the architecture is just pristine.<br />
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Chinatown was next and we walked through, or rather ate our way through. We ate these awesome cakes with raisins, i can still taste them! On our way to Chinatown, we saw fresh pomegranate juice! I hear they were end of season so it was a bit sad we didnt get anymore the rest of the trip. On the bright side, at least we go to have some! On the way out of Chinatown, becuase we always get lost, we took a tuktuk! my first and definitely not last tuk tuk ride!<br />
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One of the best parts of this trip was taking a trip to Amphawa. Amphawa is a small town outside of Bangkok about an hour away. Without knowing the language, it is quite a challenge to get out of town! You'd have to be REALLY adventurous... like a backpacker! So we were really out of our comfort zone. Anyway, we went into town at Victoria Monument station. I had read there were a lot of buses that head that way. We found a bus, hopped on another mini bus and an hour and a half later, we finally arrived! Oh I should mention that Amphawa is known for their floating market, similar to <span class="st">Damnoen Saduak but less touristy and populated. </span><br />
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<span class="st">As tradition, we HAVE to spend hours upon hours at Chatuchak (JJ) market and MBK. JJ market is a weekend flea market that sells EVERYTHING you can probably think of. MBK is a shopping mall that sells electronics and all sorts of crazy things. We spent about 4 hours at JJ market and then about 3 hours walking around MBK. The things we picked up were unbelieveable. During the night times, we'd check out Patpong... no we did not go to any pingpong shows, although i wanted to! It was just a pretty chill, relaxed, atmosphere. Eat as you go and go as you eat! Dont forget to get a massage while you are there too! And i'm not talking about a happy ending, although any time spent in Bangkok is happy ending ;)</span><br />
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<span class="st">And now on to Angkor Wat and Siem Reap, Cambodia! I actually joined a tour with my aunt, which is something I would have never done. Tours just arent my thing. This one turned out to be a lot of fun to my surprise. When we landed in Cambodia, we were shuffled into a bus in about 98 degree weather. The heat was practically unbearable. I actually think it was hotter than Thailand! One of the first things I learned about Cambodia was that their money is really worth nothing. They would rather tourists pay in USD than in their own money. I remember the exchange rate being completely absurd to the point their money was pretty much useless. Our first stop was the Tonle Sap River. This was a river village, very small, with not much going on. These people really bank on tourists to survive. After the river village, we headed back to the hotel which was pretty decent, a 4-5 star on their scale which is about a 3.5 in US star ratings. I laid pool side for a while before we went out again. Most of the trip was visiting the ruins that were really incredible. You see the photos of Angkor Wat and it was really just that. Completely mesmerizing and the stories behind all of the architecture was very interesting which says a lot since history bores me! I convinced my aunt a few times to stray from the group to do our own thing. We went to the old night market in Siem Reap, which was walkable from the hotel one night. We also went to the day market for some noodles and breakfast. It was bustling and busy busy. That was another market similar to JJ market on a smaller scale though that had a ton of random goods. Lastly but not least... i had really really wanted to try some balut (a duck egg but in fetal stage). It was an experience... It doesnt taste as bad as people thought but first bite was definitely scary. I was super nervous i'd have feathers in my mouth! It was just something I wanted to do and try to appreciate.. Not sure if i was able to appreciate it the way SE asians do but at least i was able to try it!</span><br />
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<br />Luluhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05983090161498219896noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3313134632758446911.post-11632506117485811662012-04-15T11:36:00.000-04:002013-02-01T11:50:04.989-05:00A little bit here...So here it is finally... I'm finally updating with my Canadian snowboarding adventures and my Asian travels!<br />
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Back in January, I ventured off to Whistler Blackcomb for some kickass pow. The plan was to stop over in Vancouver for a few days, of course to eat. What else is new?! One of the first things I did was check out Olympic village. It was pretty awesome to be so upclose to the rings. The rings mean a lot to me since I worked for the Beijing games and have a stint coming up at the London games.<br />
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The rings werent the only amazing thing though. The mountain itself was massive. Spent a lot of time on the Whistler side but I would say I prefer the Blackcomb side. Its definitely more boarder friendly. Unfortunately, it was quite a mild winter even for Vancouver so I wish they had more snow. Even with the limited snow, the space was just great and it was a pretty awesome experience. <br />
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The other part of Whistler was the well known Scandinave Spa. It is a Scandinavian Spa with outdoor baths. The scenery was breathtaking. To be sitting in the middle of a mountain in a bubbling hot bath was incredible. Completely serene and beautiful. <br />
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Vancouver is always fun in itself but the food adventures never miss a beat. I wont comment much about them since pictures are worth a thousand words!<br />
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(Green tea Bearded Papas, Crab from The lobster man, Japa dog, Tojo, Poutine)<br />
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<a href="https://sphotos-a.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ash4/405538_10100168335096992_895967441_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br /></a>Luluhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05983090161498219896noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3313134632758446911.post-73017467614671790552012-04-10T02:33:00.003-04:002012-04-28T04:40:44.797-04:00A Whirlwind of CrazyThings have been really crazy since the last time I blogged. Just finished doing a bit of traveling and trying to settle down in NY now. Its been a month since I've been back from Asia but I'm starting to feel antsy again. Since August, I traveled with some buddies to Munich for Oktoberfest, Kapadokya for some hot air balloons, and Istanbul for some spices and a good time. In January, I managed to make it to Whistler to get some boarding in since the east coast wasnt doing so well with the snow. Soon after Vancouver, I landed in Taiwan with stops in Bangkok and Angkor Wat for about 6-7 weeks.<br />
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Oktoberfest was an amazing experience and I highly recommend that everyone should experience this once in their life time. The energy, the lights, the people are all outstanding! We camped for two days in Munich for Oktoberfest and although it was a rough experience, I wouldnt have had it any other way. We met some interesting people, drank a lot of beer, and ate a lot of sausages and pretzels! I think we all gained a few pounds from all the carbs! After Oktoberfest, we ventured out to Fussen to see Neuschwanstein Castle... the castle that walt disney based his earlier classics on. Definitely a must see. Dont forget about the BMW musem either!<br />
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Turkey was another completely difference experience in itself. Our first stop was Cappadocccia (Kapadokya). Here there are known for their caves, rock houses, valleys, fairy chimneys, and wonderful hospitality. The first day we were there, we did a 9 mile? (close enough) hike through Red Rose. October is definitely a good time to visit. Very hot during the day and cools down at night. We ate at some local restaurants and smoked some hookah and called it a night. The next day, we woke at 5am for a hotair balloon ride over the colorful valleys of Cappadoccia. One of the most unique experiences in my lifetime. If you ever want a hotair balloon ride, this is the place to be. Balloons rose over the valleys and lit up the sky before sunrise. Wonderful silhouettes of the balloons hung in the background as the sun began to rise.<br />
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We flew back to Istanbul after as our last and final stop. The culture and history of this city is so fulfilling and makes you just say "Wow". From the stuffed mussels on the street, the pubs, the clubs, nightlife, to the Hagia Sofia, Blue Mosque, and to the Spice Market, Grand Bazaar, the density of things that happen in this city is amazing. I have to say my favorite part of this city is definitely the spice market and the grand bazaar. Wish I had more time to explore. Pierre Loti is gorgeous on a sunny day as well as the ferry ride down in the middle of town. If you ever make it to Turkey, do not overlook the hamams (bath houses). Another experience I will never forget... Women and men are separate, for good reason. You are scrubbed head to toe, felt nice afterwards but definitely exprience this with friends you are close with. Though we didnt get to visit the Asian side of Istanbul during the day time, we did have a very nice dinner at La Civert to celebrate a birthday, which is located right under a bridge and has a very nice outdoor area.<br />
<a href="https://fbcdn-sphotos-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/319251_957663293002_8104396_43161755_586564130_n.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" src="https://fbcdn-sphotos-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/319251_957663293002_8104396_43161755_586564130_n.jpg" style="cursor: pointer; height: 189px; width: 186px;" /></a><a href="https://fbcdn-sphotos-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/317503_957662484622_8104396_43161736_2057057986_n.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" src="https://fbcdn-sphotos-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/317503_957662484622_8104396_43161736_2057057986_n.jpg" style="cursor: pointer; height: 190px; width: 255px;" /></a><a href="https://fbcdn-sphotos-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-snc7/315529_957662319952_8104396_43161733_49454248_n.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" src="https://fbcdn-sphotos-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-snc7/315529_957662319952_8104396_43161733_49454248_n.jpg" style="cursor: pointer; height: 189px; width: 192px;" /></a><br />
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Since I'm on a travel freeze right now with school and babysitting my nephew, I'll be back soon to update Vancouver/Whistler and my Asia trip after I plan my next epicurean adventure, till then... Pleasantly EpicuriousLuluhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05983090161498219896noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3313134632758446911.post-90787426907545232172011-09-08T11:15:00.004-04:002012-04-10T03:24:00.188-04:00Just a numberIts scary how fast summer comes and goes. In a blink of an eye, its over. This past tuesday, I started my first class for graduate school. As scary as I thought, it was okay. It wasnt too terrible. The next class will be even better. I started to think, hmm.. this graduate school thing might not be as bad as it sounds.<br /><br />Ever just feel like a small fish in the ocean? I feel like I'm just a number, no one cares who you are. you pay all this money for people not to care about you and just to get a piece of paper. I guess when you are getting your Masters, you're supposed to fend for yourself. I'm not the first to in this program to or be getting this degree. Advisors are supposed to lead you and provide answers to questions, however, they dont even know your name. (yes, even after multiple emails and phone calls and meetings). Sometimes, I wonder why they even have a job. In any case, this program isnt too organized but we'll see how it goes. I'm sure the classes will be interesting and I'll meet a lot of cool people.Luluhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05983090161498219896noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3313134632758446911.post-9565932668221741072011-08-30T02:39:00.002-04:002011-08-30T02:56:20.150-04:00Powerless for 43 hoursHurricane Irene hit the east coast this weekend. I personally didnt blieve it was going to make a huge dent in the tristate area, more so NY/Long Island. Stores and restaurants all around shut down starting Saturday early afternoon. The buzz and hype about Irene was incredible. Supermarkets were cleaned out, gas stations were out of gas, the world seemed like it was really ending!There was slight drizzle and rain until about 9pm Saturday. The rain started to come down around 10pm, which is also when the winds started. I was playing mahjong with the family and around 230am, the power went out. We waited and waited and waited... power at my sisters went out around 5am and they live 2 miles away. Sunday morning, the sky had cleared a bit but still no power. Roads were closed, trees were down, parks were flooded, and traffic lights were out. We ended up making breakfast/lunch on a gas grill and might I say, it was damn delicious. We made cha siew fried rice, miso soup, chapaghetti, and instant noodles. Monday morning, the skies looked so clear and cloudless it looked like Irene never touched us. Monday afternoon, still no power! This was starting to get a bit absurd. After dinner tonight around 9PM, the power FINALLY was back! I have never been so happy see electricity. All in all, we made it through and everyone is safe.
<br />Luluhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05983090161498219896noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3313134632758446911.post-74779440432716774712011-07-20T11:43:00.002-04:002011-07-20T11:54:53.849-04:00Are you happy?A friend asked me earlier this week if I was content with my life. I wasnt quite sure how to answer. Being that we were both abroad for so long, no one else could really understand what it was like to come home. Luckily for me, my family is great. I was able to really gain a new and better perspective on what family really meant to me. One of the biggest mistakes that I am still regretful to this day, is something I cant look passed. I do have to take responsiblity for the mistake but this mistake took two. In any case, I thought about her question for a bit before I answered. I'm extremely content with where I am with my family. Socially, I could be doing better but its definitely improved a lot since last year so I'm def happy about that. Academically and profesionally... theres still a lot I need to work on. Essentially, I just want to do what I love.. its just a matter of turning that into a business or a career. In terms of relationships and romance... I cant complain. I mean no matter what happens and who you end up with... you have to love yourself and be happy witho yourself before you can be happy with someone else.<br /><br />BrunoMars says it best... <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BQaM5KhndhI">(Today My Life Begins)<br /><br /></a>Luluhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05983090161498219896noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3313134632758446911.post-52426642683807865162011-06-01T01:01:00.003-04:002012-04-10T03:25:29.806-04:00In Search of the Perfect French FryIn an order of french fries, how many do you have to eat before you find the perfect fry? And sometimes, you dont find one at all...Luluhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05983090161498219896noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3313134632758446911.post-51676331005708898762011-05-23T23:41:00.005-04:002011-05-24T00:16:47.733-04:00cute overloadRecently, I feel like i've been surrounded by babies. Not that its a bad thing but I feel like its making me grow up so fast. Hell, I dont even have a boyfriend to be able to think about marriage yet babies are everywhere i look! I love my nephew and hes the cutest bundle of joy ever but I know way toooo much. There are some things that should stay between the mother, father, and baby... Either way, I love infants way too much! Very excited that my friends and my sisters friends have a few more babies on the way. :) On another note, child photography is extremely hard. one out of ever twenty pictures is perfect. just gotta keep at it. I wish my creative eye was a bit better and i just had more motivation to work at it. I randomly found a friends blog and its a photojournal of the end of his college days, army days and events of his life. A photo a day is his theme and its definitely not easy. Time just flies and you dont even know where time goes. A year is quick in photos... - well said but def an understatement. sometimes i wish i could just slow time down and just freeze the good times. anyway, enough debbie downer talk... memorial day is almost here! lets keep our fingers crossed for the warm weather.<br /><br />i'll leave with you this cute face :)<br /><table style="width:auto;"><tr><td><a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/j5L5pVwfQC1j-mBNyXQRNQ8dTvx63rvEy_neerim0b8?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisM9aU5HgTbzS5nLtzid0RMemOvbOr0q3VJPLSPyXZPJ_fW9Undimed5-cJq3NhPnqin4rGgQaUCgTzoFe4L_2nKG6tt3nlgnV2ki4gE7ag5u632yiBquwPrmOxckNtNG2Sqsu-GzZKnZc/s144/IMG_0581.JPG" height="108" width="144" /></a></td></tr><tr><td style="font-family:arial,sans-serif; font-size:11px; text-align:right">From <a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/112946509157230668210/BasiSPhotobookMonth07?authkey=Gv1sRgCJC2xo_4wc_UKw&feat=embedwebsite">Basi's Photobook Month 0-7</a></td></tr></table>Luluhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05983090161498219896noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3313134632758446911.post-69416224208527417372011-05-16T23:58:00.002-04:002011-05-16T23:59:57.151-04:00one dayI thought i had it figured out by now.... in fact, i really have nothing figured out. time after time, i keep hoping and wishing and it all just keeps crashing down on me. I feel like i just dont have any hope anymore. I've finally decided to move on with everything. I'm no longer looking for anything. That doesnt mean i dont long for that special someone to spend my life with but i'm done searching. one day... he'll find me.Luluhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05983090161498219896noreply@blogger.com1