It's almost too hot to post a message (air conditioning notwithstanding!). I did NOT go exploring this weekend (I have my limits, too!) As for this coming Saturday's Bronx Noshwalk: The heat wave should break before then, but there MAY be rain. I'm happier walking in cooler weather with my umbrella than sweltering in a constant throb of deep heat! And this is one of my more eclectic Noshwalks!
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5starTerrific experiencewith really lovely Myra who gave us unique and local insight into Washington heights food and cultur...e.
The walk took us through parts of the city that tourists don't normally go which was something you just wouldn't have done on your own. Knowing the places and the different cultures was invaluableand only possible with local knowledge. All in all it was much more than we expected, and not to be missed 5 star thanks again Andy , Morag , Megan , and Cameron from bonny Scotland See More
Free tomorrow (July 23)? I'm planning on doing some exploring. If you've taken at least two Noshwalks with me in the past, send me a message and I'll tell you where I'm going and you can join me in helping decide if a new neighborhood is Noshwalks-worthy!
Noshwalks added 17 new photos.
Here are some past photos of the "All Around the World in the Bronx" Noshwalk and a couple of photos of custom tours that stopped at some of the places we'll be going to... It's a very full tour foodwise and visually - lots of interesting history and current dynamics to show off how the Bronx is evolving. This Noshwalk lasts four hours instead of three and has a bus connection. It also starts earlier than most Noshwalks (11:30 AM instead of 1 PM). Enjoy... I hope these pictures whet your appetite to sign up!
The next public Noshwalk is "All Around the World in the Bronx" on Saturday, July 30. Meanwhile, I'll be leading an exploratory Noshwalk EITHER in an area of Queens or of Brooklyn this coming Saturday. Let me know if you are interested - details to follow. This is NOT on my Web site, but I'm game to have five people join in! These are two neighborhoods I've been contemplating creating tours in... Meanwhile, want to know how last-minute I can be? Got an e-mail from a family visiting from Miami - spoke to them at noon and am meeting them in Woodside at 3:30 PM to lead a hybrid tour that also includes a portion of Jackson Heights!
Gotta run!
Noshwalks added 6 new photos.
Getting ready now to go swimming at the Hansborough Pool (my favorite of NYC's great indoor public pools) and then cycling to the Port Morris Waterfront Festival. MEANWHILE - TOMORROW I'll be in Bensonhurst to meet folks at 1 PM at Cannoli Plus. Here are some photos from past Bensonhurst Noshwalks... see www.noshwalk.com for complete details - and be sure to check mta.info for possible subway service changes!
I changed the Bensonhurst Noshwalk from Saturday to Sunday in order to attend TWO events on Saturday that you might want to know about, too. One is a waterfront festival in Mott-Haven Port Morris, Bronx. For full details, go to the Waterfront Celebration page of Noshwalks. There's also an African food festival/street festival on West 116th Street in Harlem. I will try to attend both (riding my bicycle to connect them!). As many of you know, I'm doing ever more exploring in the Bronx and jump at any opportunity to learn about areas I don't know well. Two years ago I offered a weekday "Crossing 149th Street" Noshwalk that included a visit to a rum distillery in Port Morris (open weekdays only); a lot is happening in the borough!
I've just put together my August schedule. Here's a list of those tours... Detailed descriptions will soon be on www.noshwalks.com
CORONA (QUEENS)
Saturday, August 6
(Ecuadorean, Mexican, Colombian, Italian... Lemon Ice King, Louis Armstrong House & Museum)
EAST HARLEM DANCE OF THE GIGLIO (Manhattan)
Sunday, August 14
(West African, Caribbean, Mexican, Italian, Frech - plus a visit to La Marqueta and a traditional "Giglio" dance held once a year.
FRIDAY IN FLUSHING (Queens)
Friday, August 19
(All sorts of Asian and some Latin American tastes during a late summer afternoon when the area is less crowded; also several historic sites)
REGO PARK, QUEENS - Following the Silk Road, New York style!
Sunday, August 21
(Spices and aromas of Central Asia, Georgia, Persia, Uzbekistan, Russia - and, at the end, Israel. One of our new additions makes at least five different types of khachapouri bread. Another makes pumpkin and lamb dumplings.)
WOODLAWN & WAKEFIELD, BRONX - a new version of this tour Saturday, August 27
(Tweaking this visit to Caribbean and Irish markets, bakeries & eateries to enable us to have some sit-down time and not rush... The connection to the neighborhoods is new and very interesting...)
NEW ADDITIONS LATER IN THE YEAR:
ASTORIA, QUEENS
Saturday, October 8
I'm repeating this tour at customer request. Food: Brazilian, Venezuelan, Greek, Balkan, North African/Middle Eastern & Chilean.
AMSTERDAM AVENUE MEANDER (New!) , Manhattan
Saturday, November 19
This new Noshwalk, most of it on Amsterdam Avenue near and north of City College and side streets, offers Colombian, South Asian, Jamaican, Middle Eastern and Mexican tastes. Lots of great architecture. quite a mix!
Fee: $57 - includes all tastes but not personal beverages or tips if we have a sit-down taste
... and probably more will be added, including a late autumn Friday Greenpoint Noshwalk.
On some walks I take lots of photos - on others, like yesterday's in Jackson Heights, I took just one. It seems to sum up the neighborhood... Why NOT have a front yard full of corn? The gentleman in the picture, originally from Mexico, said he first planted it about 10 years ago. Here's what we tasted yesterday: Colombian cholados and baby corn arepas; Uruguayan spinach empanadas (from one restaurant) and tuna/hearts of palm arrollados from a Uruguayan cafe; alfajores from an Argentinian bakery; delicious llapingacho (spicy Ecuadorian mashed potato patties) from a food cart, and rotisserie chicken; empanada de platano; humitas and home-made plantain chips with salsa at a restaurant. A yummy day!
Despite the heat and possible thunderstorms, I will be heading out today to "prewalk" tomorrow's Latin American Jackson Heights Noshwalk. Cholados & arrollados, here I come!
Here's a really great article about refugee chefs in Paris. I discovered a new Syrian restaurant in Bay Ridge a couple of months ago and wonder how our local food scene is affected by the refugee crisis. http://www.nytimes.com/…/…/dining/refugees-chefs-paris.html…
Please note: Because of an event conflict, I am CHANGING the date of the Bensonhurst Noshwalk, previously scheduled for Saturday, July 16, to Sunday, July 17. It usually takes a day or two for my Web guy to implement updates. The meeting place and all other details remain the same. It's a delicious tour... Bensonhurst is changing in interesting ways. One stretch of our tour has some of the best produce markets around. I hope you'll join me then.
In NYC this coming weekend? Join me on Saturday, July 9, for the Latin American Jackson Heights Noshwalk! You'll have tastes of Colombia, Uruguay, Argentina, Ecuador, Mexico and possibly Peru. This tour includes one large market and MAYBE a smaller one. See www.noshwalks.com for complete details. Meanwhile, enjoy these photos from past Noshwalks in the neighborhood.
Photos to come soon of recent Noshwalks. Our Greenpoint Noshwalk on Friday was blessedly rain-free (the rain came around 5:30 PM). I'd found out prior to the walk that Steve's Meat Market, a warm family-owned kielbasa place had closed because Steve retired, so I brought the group to Adam's Deli, on the same block, where I recognized one of the countermen from Steve's, and we got our taste of kabanosy! (Adam's Deli is great and will now be on my map.) As always on this Noshwalk, we went to Acme Smoked Fish. LONG line... I should have expected this scheduling the tour before the July 4th weekend! I'll choose a different weekend next summer! I will also offer this tour in the fall or spring, since I've retired from my teaching job and have a lot more flexibility!
This FRIDAY, July 1, I'm leading my annual Greenpoint Noshwalk. It takes place Fridays (and meets earlier than usual) so we can take advantage of the only day a week that Acme Smoked Fish Company opens for retail sales. Please see
www.noshwalks.com for full details!
A general question to my followers: I'm about to add tours for August and unfilled weekends in the fall and winter. How many people would interested in WEEKDAY summer Noshwalks? Which days would be best? In the past I've offered Friday afternoon Noshwalks (meeting around 2:30 PM or 3 PM) to beat the heat and crowds. Any interest? Which tours?
Noshwalks added 10 new photos.
I'm off to the Summer Fancy Food Show at the Javits Center for opening day. In the past I went on the third day but I have to work tomorrow and Tuesday, so off I'll be soon! Here are some photos from past food shows...
Noshwalks added 3 new photos.
Next Noshwalk: Greenpoint, Brooklyn, on FRIDAY, July 1. (The Greenpoint Noshwalk is always on Friday!)
IMPORTANT TRANSIT ALERT for June 25 Noshwalk: The A train is NOT going through to Lefferts Boulevard! (Ugh!). There will be shuttle buses to take you there from the Rockaway Boulevard stop. These should go pretty fast - the route is straightforward and the bus will stop only at subway stations (just three). But you might want to add an extra 15 minutes to travel time. ALTERNATIVELY, you can take the E train to Kew Gardens/Union Turnpike and switch to the Q10 bus to JFK Airport. It runs frequently and follows Lefferts Boulevard. It stops near the library. Both bus options work well. We take the E, J or Z train (or LIRR, using the Citi-Ticket - much faster) to return.
If you're looking for a different type of Noshwalk, my June 25 tour of Richmond Hill and Southwest Jamaica offers just that! Richmond HIll is a bustling Caribbean/South Asian neighborhood in Queens that specializes in food of Trinidad and Guyana but also has Indian/Bangladeshi places and two eateries that offer food of Surinam. AND it has some wonderful fish and produce markets AND terrific bakeries. What I love about it is how many different food traditions are incorporated... into the baking and cooking. (Some Chinese-Guyanese places offer jerk chicken chow mein!) Next to Richmond Hill is small enclave of Portuguese places - two eateries, a bar, a club, a wine shop and a small market. Not much, although one of the restaurants is very big and still draws families that used to live here. It's included on my June 25th Noshwalk - this coming Saturday! Please see www.noshwalks.com
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Following up on the story I just posted, our other experience with Ramadan conflicting with food for the tour came when we arrived at Arth Aljanatain, a Yemeni place that I like a lot, at White Plains Road & Rhinelander Avenue. Although it was open, the regular dishes I order were not yet being prepared, including the wonderful hadramout bread that they bake on site. (I usually also get falafel, humus and fava bean dip, all exquisite here.) That would come later. They did hav...e a home made sweet called harissa, which I usually associate with hot sauce. But harissa as hot sauce appears to be Moroccan and Tunisian; Yemenis have a dessert called harissa, which is a delicious sweet confection made of peanuts, cocoa, flour and something else (I need to find out!). It had a soft consistency like a very buttery brownie, (The multiple use of one food word also applies to "arepa," "quesadilla," "halva/halwa" and surely other foods. I'm fascinated by it!) We got some pieces and also some vanilla custard. The markets nearby were open and some of us bought fresh ground coffee with cardamom. You can buy that coffee prepackaged but there's truly nothing like having it ground on the spot. I regret not taking photographs in that neighborhood yesterday, although I have in the past, and we'll going back there as part of my "Around the World in the Bronx" Noshwalk later next month.
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