Umami Mart

Drunken noodles at SriPraPhai in Woodside, Queens. From Umamiventure #4 in 2007. The savory hot sweetness of the dish still hovers in my memory. Photo by Irwin Chen.

This is a red velvet cupcake topped with apple chips from Cupcake Stop at The Vendy Awards last weekend at the Queens Museum of Art. The annual Vendy Awards is an intense cook-off between the best sidewalks chefs in New York City, where food truck vendors all vie for the prized Vendy Award trophy. You […]

Who doesn’t love a hot dog at a ball game in the summer? The new Mets Stadium, Citifield, has some seriously good eats. Even better when you can sit at Modell’s Clubhouse right on the field like I did recently. If you want something fancier, try Acela Club, a resto by the owners of Tribeca […]

Hey everyone, sorry it’s been so long since I last posted. Here’s my fridge door, replete with post-its, film schedules, receipts, etc. Our fridge isn’t as impressively stocked as Ricky’s from last week (also in Queens), but what can I say? I like to keep it understocked, at least with fresh stuff, because that way […]

Preface: Umamiventure #13: Flushing Food Circuit, Pt. IUmamiventure #13: Flushing Food Circuit, Pt. II GOLDEN MALL41-28 Main StreetQueens, NY ON THE DUMPLINGS YAMAHOMODumplings were tasty, but to me a bit too chive heavy. HAMAMAMAI wasn’t feeling too adventurous – tried more dumplings (this time steamed — flavorful and fresh as well, but preferred our first […]

Preface: Umamiventure #13: Flushing Food Circuit, Pt. I DUMPLING TIMEZhu Ji Guo Tie40-52 Main Street (Entrance on 41st Avenue)T: 718.358.6265YAMAHOMOThey tasted good, and damn cheap. 8 huge dumplings for $2.50 were great. I thought I got vegetable and pork dumplings, but somehow something was lost, and I got fried pork bun. Good, but way too […]

I’m back!!! I have been terribly UM delinquent- it’s been totally crazy over here in the last two weeks, what with trying to finish up stuff at work (impossible) and packing up 6 years of my NYC life into little cardboard boxes (unfathomable). But I’m taking some time out for the post that everyone has […]

Went to the US Open on Friday- it was so neat! It’s a NY event that I’ve been wanting to do for a long time, so at the 11th hour, I snagged 2 day tickets from a coworker for me and Mariana. We got to the Tennis Center at 11am all bright eyed and giddy- […]

Despite the rainy, chilly weather, quite a few people came out for our monthly food field trip, this time to the infamous Czech beer hall, Bohemian, in Astoria, Queens. Such troopers! On top of the miserable weather, I think all of us had been stuck on the N train, or waiting for the N train, […]

Went to Elias Corner for Fish the other night- a reputable Greek seafood joint in Queens that Aya wrote about a few months back. It was awesome! Aside from the soft, char-grilled octopus, the gooey garlic musselfest, and the plethora of grilled fishes we ordered (red snapper, salmon, the kickass monkfish), my favorite part of […]