Up in my neck of the woods, there was the Greek Festival at Saint Sophia Greek Orthodox Cathedral. Saw the signs for it last year and made a mental note not to miss it this time around, especially after several people told me about all the food and pastries.

Saturday was just a perfect spring day. Stunning weather. The crowds turned out for the festival, but they were extremely manageable. My group and I got on the food line and it moved surprisingly quickly.

Behind these guys manning the grills were two carcasses roasting on spits. Looked like lamb.

Mmm, the smell of roasted meats.

My gyro sandwich. You can’t see it, but under the tzatziki was very tender and flavorful sliced beef and lamb.

We managed to work out way into the cathedral itself (when in doubt, knock on locked doors) to catch the tail end of a tour. Very beautiful inside. I’m glad we got to see it.

In the cafeteria was a whole other area of food, being served buffet style. I sort of screwed up because I think this is where the real authentic stuff was. I had dinner plans in a few hours, otherwise I would have sampled the moussaka and other home-cooked specialties. Oh well, next year.

However, there is always room for dessert. The variety of Greek pastries being displayed made me woozy. Had to rely on the menu on the wall to decipher what was what.

This is a diples, a flaky pastry dipped in honey and sprinkled with nuts and cinnamon. Reminded me of a cannoli without the filling.

It was the loukoumades though, being sold outside at a stand, that almost brought me to my knees.

What are loukoumades, you ask?

They’re little fried dough balls of goodness that Pete Schweddy himself would be proud to hawk on NPR.  The outside is crispy and the balls themselves aren’t terribly sweet — good thing because they arrive swimming in a honey syrup.

A small order was six loukoumades. Unless I planned on rolling myself home, I wasn’t eating six. Two of us split a small order, and then I shared some of my portion.

A perfectly sweet end to a sweet time spent at the Greek Festival.

Saint Sophia Greek Orthodox Cathedral
36th St. & Mass Ave. NW
Washington, DC
202-333-4730

Back on a Sunday in late June, a few friends and I piled into a car and headed west into Virginia to pick berries, have lunch and visit a vineyard.

Our first stop was Hollin Farms, about an hour outside of DC.

Beautiful rolling hills.

And rows of strawberry patches. This was the last weekend for the strawberries, so the patches were well picked out, but there were still gems to be found. The four of us split up and began searching for strawberries with intense concentration.

We weren’t alone. These plump chickens were rooting around the patches as well, looking for bugs. Apparently they had wandered over from a neighboring farm. “I’d love to fry one of those up,” I said, only half kidding.

My pint of freshly picked berries. Not the biggest strawberries in the world, but so sweet.

At Hollin Farms, you can also pick vegetables. I dug up a head of lettuce.

And these short but fat carrots.

Further up on the hill were the raspberry patches. They had some nasty thorns, requiring extra care not to get pricked.

Filled up another pint with ripe raspberries.

A little grimy and a lot hungry, we drove to Hunter’s Head Tavern in Upperville for lunch. The inside resembles a rustic, old-timey tavern. Outside is a nice patio.

I’d worked up quite an appetite picking berries and opted for something hearty: good old fashioned meatloaf.

After lunch, it was off to Bluemont Vineyard.

The vineyard, and the whole area, really, reminded me so much of the Shawangunk Wine Trail in my former home of NY.

Spectacular views.

And a large outdoor seating area to take in all the sights.

We shared a bottle of red.

And a cheese plate plus baguette.

Doesn’t get much better than kicking back on a vineyard patio while sipping wine and noshing on local cheese.

This sign, spotted on the drive back, required a picture. Must be quite the adventurous feline to warrant its own crossing sign.

So yes, I highly recommend adding berry picking and vineyard hopping to your summer bucket list. Strawberry season is long over at Hollin Farms, but there’s plenty left to pick, including peaches, pears, tomatoes and a whole raft of veggies. Get out of the city for a bit, pick some fruit and drink some wine.  Makes for a very good day.

Hollin Farms
11324 Pearlstone Lane
Delaplane, VA
540-592-3701

Hunter’s Head Tavern
9048 John S. Mosby Highway (Route 50)
Upperville, VA
540-592-9020

Bluemont Vineyard
18755 Foggy Bottom Rd.
Bluemont, VA
540-554-8439

2,400 exhibitors
180,000 specialty food products
320,000+ sq ft of exhibit space

My friend Rishi and I went to the Show in 2008, where we learned a great deal from the experience, including the importance of wearing comfortable shoes and pacing oneself with food samples. You don’t want to fill up right away on bread, olive oil and cheese — that takes you right out of the game before it’s even begun.

It appears, if it’s possible, that there was even more food to be eaten this time around. Every exhibitor offered samples, and lots of them; it’s unfathomable how much there was to try. We did a lap around one of the exhibit floors without sampling — just to get the lay of the land — and then it was on. From 11:30am – 4:30pm, we’re talking full-on, food-to-mouth graze-fest, with only one quick break to hit the restrooms.

It was impossible for me to photograph everything — and technically, cameras aren’t allowed at the event — but I grabbed shots on my phone when I could. These pics represent maybe 1/3 of what I ate.

A peek at the carnage:

This mime was at the entrance to the exhibit hall. Kind of freaky looking.

Bacon spread from Skillet.

Bacon caramel toffee from Vosges.

(Bacon was a major player at this event — there seems to be a trend of including its flavors in everything, from Bacon Pops popcorn to cheddar and bacon dip).

A plate of Indian food.

Misoyaki pork.

Ginger lemonade.

Artisanal cheese was everywhere. Competition in the cheese market must be fierce, with all these competitors vying for the public’s attention.

Loved the smooth creaminess of this Humboldt Fog.

Tried a Midas Touch beer from Allagash Brewing Company.

Grapefruit juice.

Endless olive offerings.

One of our favorite stops of the day at The Salt Superstore stand, where cherry tomatoes were available to be cut up and dipped into the exotically flavored sea salts.

The smoked bacon chipotle salt was great.

Ciao Bella, offering both sorbet and gelato.

A cup of their Belgian chocolate s’mores gelato.

Fresh veggies.

The Calendar Islands Maine Lobster booth.

Where we tasted the hearty lobster stew.

The PreGel America booth (I have no clue what that company name means). But I do know they served some tasty desserts.

One of many aisles devoted to Italy.

The Stubb’s barbecue sauce booth, where they had set up serve-yourself sausage and ribs. Needless to say, this was a huge hit. People were diving into those like wild dogs on an impala.

Tortas from Ines Rosales.

A cooking demonstration.

Chocolate mousse and quinoa with gooseberry.

Caviar.

Prosciutto was ubiquitous — especially in the Italy aisles.

This prosciutto slicer would make a fine decorative piece in the home.

I get star struck around chefs, which is pathetic, I know. I just don’t know what to say without turning into Chris Farley.

Rick Bayless in the house.

I was too intimidated to initiate a conversation, but I did sample his line of Frontera skillet sauces, served on these shrimp tacos. Very good.

Cat Cora.

And Jose Andres — in the pink shirt. (Rishi and I ate at Oyamel last night, so one of us should have sucked up and told him how much we loved it).

I believe The Summer Fancy Food Show is back in DC in 2012, before returning to its permanent home in NYC in 2013.  I’m already counting down the days until next year.

This was my first time at a barbecue competition, and it’s hard not to be impressed with the teams.  Not easy work for these folks — they have to 100% concentrate on cooking, all while putting up with us gawking spectators lingering around and taking pictures. Must be distracting, to say the least. It’s like visiting the National Zoo and entering an exhibit where you can “See barbecuers in their natural habitat.”

Here are a few pics:

The smell of wood, smoke and grilling meats is everywhere. You can’t escape it. And I mean that as a good thing.

It’s fascinating watching the competitors assemble the judges’ plate. They’re meticulous about it, and the whole team gathers around like a surgery is being performed. This plate was garnished with a sprig of parsley. I guess you only have one shot to make a good impression.

Food bloggers take photos, and so do barbecue teams. I saw many teams taking pics of their masterpiece.

The only thing more compelling than the cooks? Their equipment.

This enormous grill was set on an 18-wheeler.

A giant smoker.

And another.

I should also mention the awesome names of some of these barbecue teams, like “Walk the Swine” and “Serial Grillers.”

Of course, at a barbecue festival one does want to eat.  The lines at most of the restaurant stands were epic (especially at the “Sampling Station”), and my friend and I decided we’d rather just find the shortest line we could find and hope for the best.

The line at The Tender Rib wasn’t terrible and it moved fairly quickly.

I enjoyed this four rib sampler — good flavor to the meat.

It wasn’t just barbecue being sold at the festival…

There are no words.

I kept thinking (hoping) this was a joke, but I did spot the deep fried bacon, so the butter couldn’t have been far behind. And people were actually buying the stuff!

Deep fried butter. God bless America.

Recently, I met a friend at Georgetown Cupcake, effectively doubling my knowledge to “No Way Out” and cupcakes.

But now, thanks to an informative, fun and super-tasty afternoon on a Georgetown Food Tour, I know a little more.

For the price of a ticket you get a three and a half hour guided tour of Georgetown, with sit-downs at five restaurants for tastings and small meals. The groups are kept compact (ours was around 12?) — ideal for making acquaintances. A nice mix of people: some newcomers to D.C. like me, a few couples and longtime residents who felt like exploring a new neighborhood.

Along the way, while walking from restaurant to restaurant, we also learned about the history of Georgetown itself, including who Georgetown was named after, where John and Jackie Kennedy lived, and what those metal plaques on the outside of homes signify.  It’s all interesting stuff.

Of course, this being a food tour, the dining is the focal point of the afternoon.  Our first stop was along M St – the main drag in Georgetown – at Fino Italiano.

We each enjoyed a plate of three types of ravioli: mushroom, pumpkin (my favorite) and a third that I’m forgetting now, I think it was spinach.

And then we left. No doubt the other diners at Fino were wondering what was up with the big group that arrived, sat for fifteen minutes, and bolted.

Stop number two, the stylish Puro Café.

Nice décor here – trendy but still comfy.

And some very good food, starting with these bites of zucchini and brie, and prosciutto and mozzarella.

The fig, prosciutto, arugula and parmesan flatbread was killer.

This definitely took the edge off our hunger, but we still had three more stops to go.

I just have to point this out: the line at Georgetown Cupcake on a Saturday afternoon, stretched back along Potomac St. all the way up to N St.

I’ve seen lines like this for an iPhone release, but cupcakes? What the hell???

Up next, Dean & DeLuca.

Such a beautiful store — the sort of place where characters in a Nancy Meyers movie would shop.

Back in the wine section was our wine and cheese tasting, where we drank Pinot Noir and munched on Coppa, olives, cheddar and smoked gouda.

I also snagged a hot sample of garlic-grilled halibut that was prepared at a demo station nearby. The aroma of garlic was intoxicating, and I hustled over there as soon as it hit my nose. They ran out soon after. You gotta be quick!

I could have stayed at Dean & DeLuca for the rest of the afternoon, but it was time to move on again. We walked down to Sea Catch, along the C&O Canal.

Another gorgeous setting, with canal views, exposed brick, wood beams and a huge fireplace. I realized I’d been here before, about 11 years ago, with co-workers on a D.C. trip.

As you might expect from the name, this tasting was all about seafood.

Shrimp and risotto croquettes.

Oysters Rockefeller.

Clams Casino.

I loved all three of these and couldn’t have been happier. That’s old school luxury, right there. Clams Casino and Oysters Rockefeller will never go out of style.

For our last stop, dessert. Since I’ve moved here everyone’s been telling me about Baked & Wired, and that’s exactly where we went.

Another deep line, but since we were with the food tour and they were expecting us, we were able to pop right in without waiting, like Baked & Wired VIPs.

The line to the left was for cupcakes.

To the right, coffee and other desserts.

I can’t think of a better way to finish off the afternoon, than with a strong cup of coffee and these two desserts, a s’more and a bee sting.

Honestly, they were so good I can hardly describe them, other than to say we were debating which one was better, and I don’t think there was a clear-cut winner. The s’more was gooey and out of this world (not the kind of s’more you cobble together on a camping trip), and the crunchy/chewy bee sting oozed of honey and butter.

And that was my introduction to Georgetown. I’d say it was a success.

Fino Italiano
3011 M St. NW
Washington, DC
202-333-1111

Puro Café
1529 Wisconsin Ave. NW
Washington, DC
202-787-1937

Dean & DeLuca
3276 M St. NW
Washington, DC
202-342-2500

Sea Catch
1054 31st St. NW
Washington, DC
202-337-8855

Baked & Wired
1052 Thomas Jefferson St. NW
Washington, DC
202-333-2500

And so off I went, taking the red line to Metro Center, and the blue line to the Eastern Market stop. The market itself is one block north of the Metro station. Follow the crowds, you can’t miss it.

The market is open six days a week, but apparently weekends are the best time to go — that’s when all the vendors are there, plus the flea market.

Art, crafts, jewelry, furniture… it’s all there at the flea market. I was drawn to these vintage prints of food ads and magazine covers.

There was a print of a Gourmet Magazine cover from 1959 that I liked. I think I’ll pick that up the next time I go.

The indoor market with its vendors selling meat, produce, cheese and seafood resembled a smaller version of my old Central Market in Lancaster, PA.

Don’t know why I took this pic of jamon serrano and prosciutto de parma. I think they just looked good.

The bulk of the market is situated outdoors. The produce vendors are mixed in with the crafts and art vendors, so you kind of just have to walk around and see everything. The nice thing is that while the market is definitely crowded, it still has a relaxed and laid-back vibe to it. In NY, it’d just be crowded.

Is the produce locally grown? I’m not sure, but I’m guessing some of it’s not. I bought a few oranges from one stand, which I doubt are a local item. Prices for produce were reasonable (art and jewelry prices are on the high side).

If you’re a grazer, there are plenty of free samples to nosh on. The tortilla chips and guacamole stand was getting a lot of traffic, and several of us huddled around one vendor cutting up apples. The York apple in particular was delicious.

Buying produce and nibbling on samples was fun, but I wanted some food food. Found it back near the William H. Rumsey Aquatic Center, where all the food vendors were set up.

I’ve been to many markets, and I’ve never seen a line at a pickle stand like the one here. They must be good pickles.

Picked up a soft pretzel at this stand.

The two longest lines: the lines waiting for BBQ and crepes.

This reminded me of the food truck fest my friend Danielle and I went to over the summer in NYC — only here, they actually had food, instead of completely running out.

The BBQ from Uncle Fred’s BBQ Smoke Shack sure does look enticing, doesn’t it? All kinds of meats being slow cooked and smoked. It smelled amazing.

Judging from the Yelp reviews, the Crepes at the Market guy and his savory and sweet crepes are something of a local legend.

While I was taking a picture I heard one girl rave about her crepe to her friends: “Oh my god, that was amazing! So worth the trip.”

Crepes sounded great, but a cup of gumbo sounded even better.

Chicken and chorizo gumbo. A little oily, but full-flavored and spicy.

Impulse shoppers beware (especially if have a thing for jewelry) — you could blow a lot of money at Eastern Market. For the rest of you, it’s a great place to poke around, seek out some good deals, pick up food items, people watch (very attractive people milling around — just an observation) and grab lunch. This is the sort of place I’d take friends who are in town visiting. There’s a palpable community vibe to Eastern Market and I could feel that it’s an important part of D.C.’s history. Well worth the visit.

Eastern Market
225 7th St SE
(between S C St & S North Carolina Ave)
Washington, DC
202-698-5253

The key info: I’m fanatic about food, am an enthusiastic cook and have a slight obsession with mochi ice cream and banh mi sandwiches; I frequent all types of restaurants but am especially drawn to hole-in-the-wall ethnic spots; one of my high priorities is seeking out the best burgers and BBQ in the area; I’m picky about what constitutes good pizza; I adore Vietnamese and Ethiopian food and am fall-to-my-knees grateful to live in a city where there are multiple options for both (Westchester has no Vietnamese restaurants and up until last year, had no Ethiopian.)

What you’ll find on this blog are write-ups on restaurants, food finds, recipes and when I have time, food videos. The videos are what I’m most passionate about, so if you have an idea for a good one, or even want to be in one, feel free to get in contact with me.

Mostly, I try to keep the tone light and not take food blogging too seriously. If I can give you a few minutes of reprieve from the stresses of your day, I’ve done my job.

So let’s review what I’ve eaten so far.  Keep in mind, I’m fairly clueless right now about where to go; mostly I’ve been grabbing bites here and there while doing errands and making runs to the Container Store (my new favorite – I tweeted that it makes you become OCD about kitchen organization).

In Tenleytown, had a Latino chicken breast sandwich and fried plantains at Crisp & Juicy. The chicken was a little salty, but I enjoyed the messy sandwich, and the plantains were a treat.

In Cleveland Park, a chicken shawarma at Fresh Med (good shawarma but smallish), spring rolls and a bowl of pho at Nam-Viet (not the best flavored pho I’ve ever had, but still, Vietnamese in my neighborhood, how great is that?!)…

And my current addiction, Vace Italian Deli.

I’d say I’ve stopped in at Vace four times already. Can’t get enough of those slices. It’s simple pizza – no crazy toppings – but jeez do they do it well. Try the white onion or the spinach, and get them heated. The crust is nicely salted and has the thickness to crunchy balance down pat.

In my ‘hood of Woodley Park, the newly opened Frozen Yo.

Twelve (?) flavors of self-serve yogurt, assorted toppings, priced by weight.  Here’s my mix of mango and peach mango, sprinkled with fresh fruit.

Mmm. You will find me here a LOT during the summer.

Near U St., American Ice Co… went there last week for a DC food bloggers happy hour, which was a whole lot of fun. The food knowledge and passion of these bloggers is immense.

Try the dark, malty Duck-Rabbit beer – it’s a winner. So-so brisket sandwich, but it was much improved by the side of barbecue sauce.

After leaving American Ice Co, three of us headed to Mount Pleasant to the tiny Korean/sushi restaurant, Adam Express, where I ordered what I thought to be a small appetizer, but was in fact a meal in itself.

This seafood pancake was bursting with scallions and shrimp and served with a soy-vinegar dipping sauce.  We ate with gusto while perched on the stools at the counter. This was my kind of place – small, unassuming, inexpensive, with fresh, good food. A brisket sandwich followed by a Korean seafood pancake? Yup, that’s how I roll.

So that’s what I’ve eaten in my first week and a half in D.C. As I slowly discover more restaurants and hidden gems, you’ll hear about them. If you’ve got recommendations, please, keep them coming. That’s the beauty of moving to a new city: everything is waiting to be explored. I’m excited to be here. Looking forward to sharing my food adventures with you!

Crisp & Juicy
4533 Wisconsin Ave.
Washington, DC
202-966-1222

Fresh Med
3313 Connecticut Ave. NW
Washington, DC
202-244-3995

Nam-Viet
3419 Connecticut Ave. NW
Washington, DC
202-237-1015

Vace Italian Deli
3315 Connecticut Ave. NW
Washington, DC
202-363-1999

Frozen Yo
3000 Connecticut Ave. NW
Washington, DC
202-290-1277

American Ice Co.
917 V St. NW
Washington, DC
202-758-3562

Adam Express
3211 Mount Pleasant St. NW
Washington, DC
202-328-0010

Without spoiling Terry’s article, I will say that a) we ended up sampling at three restaurants, which was about all we could handle before our stomachs exploded, and b) we really hit a home run on this outing. Each dish was uniformly excellent. Not a bad one among the bunch. Whether it was pure luck or a reflection of the quality of New Canaan restaurants, I came away impressed.

Here’s what we ate:

First up, Farmer’s Table, a cozy eatery and bakery utilizing locally sourced ingredients from chef/owner Robert Ubaldo’s farm in Pound Ridge, and his brother’s John Boy Farms in Cambridge, NY.

These tasting cups of butternut squash soup (smooth and silky) and lentil chorizo soup (earthy and a little spicy) were a great way to rev up the appetite and warm up on a cold day.

Beneath these greens — a bright salad of lentils and quinoa tossed with vinaigrette.

Normally at a restaurant, I’d probably gloss over an entree of grilled chicken, considering it too pedestrian a dish to take a chance on. But this grilled chicken with vegetables changed my thinking. Just outstanding. Chicken can dry out so quickly; this one was cooked to the perfect level of doneness. It was juicy and moist, and deeply flavorful from the mustard vinaigrette marinade.

We were off to a great start. Next on the list, the Japanese restaurant, Plum Tree.

For starters, the usuzukuri, a delicate serving of thinly sliced fluke with ponzu sauce.

Then it was on to this beauty of a sushi plate. Let’s see, we’ve got yellowtail and salmon nigiri, tuna sashimi and a “Flower” maki of tuna, tobiko, avocado, cucumber and lettuce.

So artful, it was almost a shame to eat anything. But we did.  Wonderfully fresh fish and clean flavors all around.

For our third restaurant, Cava Wine Bar & Restaurant.

I should have taken a pic of the interior because it’s really warm and inviting inside. The aroma from the wood-burning oven doesn’t hurt either. This is a restaurant tailor-made for a romantic dinner on a cold winter night.  Or, for two dudes researching a food article.

Here’s our P.E.I. mussels appetizer.

The mussels were huge and plentiful, drenched in a garlicky-wine tomato sauce and served with chewy, warm foccacia. With a side salad, this could be a complete meal.

Roasted salmon with sauteed veggies and a pinot noir reduction.

Like the chicken at Farmer’s Table, the salmon was perfectly cooked; crusty on the outside, moist on the inside.

Last, but certainly not least, my favorite dish of the day: pappardelle with chicken, wild mushroom and truffle oil.

Simple, rustic and utterly delicious. I’m assuming the al dente pappardelle was homemade. Sure tasted like it. And I just loved those meaty wild mushrooms. I wanted to eat this dish in front of a fireplace after a day of snowshoeing, and then take a nap afterwards.

As you can see, eight dishes, all winners in their own way. I wish I had something to nitpick, but I don’t. We ate well on this day, my friends. It was a fine afternoon in New Canaan.

Farmer’s Table
21 Forest St.
New Canaan, CT
203-594-7890

Plum Tree
70 Main St.
New Canaan, CT
203-966-8050

Cava Wine Bar & Restaurant
2 Forest St.
New Canaan, CT
203-966-6946

And yet, I’m willing to bet that 85 percent of the unfortunate souls who attended the Parked Food Truck Fest on Sunday would agree with me that it was without a doubt, one of the most abysmally organized events ever.

Am I exaggerating?  I don’t think I am.  Can a food event be considered a success when the majority of people leave on an empty stomach?  You’re supposed to eat at these things, right?

But let’s backtrack.  What was The Parked Food Truck Fest?  It was a promising idea: a gathering of the city’s best food trucks on Governors Island. Wander around, sample from the various trucks, fill up your belly, go home.  Everyone’s happy. Right?

Wrong.

Danielle’s and my first inkling that we were in for an afternoon of futility came when we arrived at the Governors Island ferry terminal, and spied an interminable line of people snaking back almost a half mile along FDR Drive.

This thing was long.  DMV + Disney World Space Mountain long. But, being that it was a gorgeous Sunday, if we had to stand in line a bit — even though we had both skipped lunch in anticipation and were already starving — then so be it.

Ferries to Governors Island leave on the half hour, and to be fair, the line moved more quickly than expected, about an hour’s wait. The ferry ride itself takes about five minutes.  We arrived on the island, picked up an event flyer and immediately made a beeline towards the food truck area — along with thousands of other lemmings, like zombies from a B-horror movie. 

Danielle was looking over the flyer. “There aren’t as many food trucks as I thought there’d be,” she pointed out.  We saw something like 14 trucks listed. Some quick computing in my head: 14 trucks, tens of thousands of people (the final count was 17,000)… uh oh. I’m no mathematician, but to paraphrase Milton from Office Space, “The people to food ratio is too big.”

Welcome to the tenth circle of food truck hell.

14 trucks (seemed more like 10, but who’s counting) arranged around a grassy green in a large circle, with hordes of hungry people forming winding, criss-crossing lines. We made a lap around to survey the situation.

The Jamaican Dutchy line was monstrous.  The Rickshaw Dumpling line too, was epic.  There was no sign of the taco trucks, nor the Red Hook Lobster Pound truck, our first choice. (Apparently they were there, but I swear, neither Danielle nor I saw them).  My heart sank. And my stomach continued eating itself.

We spotted a hot dog truck (not part of the festival, just a random hot dog truck) near the fringes of the green. Danielle suggested we get a few dogs to tide us over. Evidently, everyone else had the same idea, since the hot dog line was not much shorter than the food truck lines.

Getting vaguely desperate now, we braced ourselves and settled into the Jamaican Dutchy line. Which… did not… move… at all. In 20 minutes we inched forward about eight feet — and that was only because people were giving up and abandoning the line.

Meanwhile, a buzz was filtering through the crowd that the trucks were running out of food.  This was confirmed when people began drifting away from the Indian food truck, and the vendor pulled the window cover down to indicate that he was closed.

Now we were left with a decision: stay on the Jamaican Dutchy line and face the very real prospect of waiting for another hour and having them run out of food, or get off the island, forget this ever happened Memento-style and go to an actual restaurant.  The third option was to gnaw off my own arm.

We decided to get off the island.  Only, so did everyone else, all of whom had come to the realization that this event was a complete disaster, and were queuing up for the ferry. Comments in the crowd ranged from “We’re never getting off this island,” to “I can’t believe there’s no food” and “This is the worst fucking event ever.”

At this point, I was mildly panicked — the hunger I was feeling was no joke now (it was after 4pm), and I was becoming light-headed.  Danielle was feeling the same.  We had seen a cafe on the island when we were first got off the ferry; Danielle held our place in the ferry line, while I went to investigate.

I called her from the cafe: “There’s still a line, but it’s not terrible.”

Down she came to join me on yet another line (are you sensing a pattern?), where we watched people walk out of the cafe with wraps, muffins and bagels. Looked promising.  But then the pace slowed and the inevitable happened — a woman stepped out with this update:

“They’re out of food, but they’re not telling anybody.”

What was going on??  Were we on a culinary version of Punk’d, with Ashton Kutcher about to run out and tell us it was all a joke and that, haha, there was in fact plenty to eat?

“Let’s just go,” Danielle and I said to each other.

Back to the ferry line, where we were stood wilting like un-watered flowers. I pulled up Yelp on my phone to find the nearest restaurant for when we got back to Manhattan. A couple of Japanese restaurants came up.  That settled it, after this debacle, we were treating ourselves to sushi.  Hell, we’d earned it.

A not-too-terrible wait, another ferry trip, and we were back in Manhattan. We made the ten minute walk to Ise Japanese Restaurant in the Financial District, which… was closed.  On to the next restaurant, Koodo Sushi, which didn’t seem to exist — there was a Starbucks where the restaurant should have been. This was becoming a cruel joke.

But then, there it was, like an oasis in the desert. (On a different street from where Google Maps directed us.)

“It’s open!” I yelped with joy.

The Koodo staff looked surprised to see us, as if they had just opened for dinner service. The hostess took us to a back table, turned on several lights, cranked up a floor fan and disappeared into the kitchen — I think to tell the cooks that there were customers.

I’m calling the rest of this story “Danielle & Doug Go To Koodo Sushi,” because if you’ve seen the denouement of the movie, Harold & Kumar Go To White Castle, you’ll understand the moment.  If it’s possible to make love to your food, we did. I wanted to marry it.

We shared everything.  Like Age tofu.

Pork and cabbage gyoza.

Chicken katsu.

Sushi rolls — spicy scallop and spicy crunchy yellowtail.

And dessert — red bean ice cream.

Tempura green tea ice cream.

(Danielle and I have a feeling the staff saw the desperation in our eyes, felt sorry for us and gave us extra food.  The chicken katsu came with two large pieces of chicken – usually there’s just one — and the tempura ice cream was the size of my head.)

Rapturous, rapturous enjoyment of this meal.  My brain began functioning again. My stomach untangled itself from its knots.  I could once again speak in complete sentences.  Food will do that to you.

In the end, the absurdity of the previous five hours was worth it. I’m not sure if I dreamt the Parked Food Truck Fest in a nightmare, or if it actually happened.  To those people who did in fact consume food there, I applaud you.  To the other 16,700 people, I hope your day eventually turned out as well as ours.  And by that, I mean I hope you got off that damn island.

Koodo Sushi Corp
55 Liberty St.
New York, NY
212-425-2890

Eric Gabryonwicz made a comment during our Tavern interview that didn’t make it into the video. He said, “The Hudson Valley is growing into a food capital.”

As I surveyed the enormous Harvest-on-Hudson dining room at the HV Restaurant Week kick-off reception, I understood what he meant.  This was a gathering of chefs, restaurateurs, farmers, food suppliers, tourism leaders and media members, all celebrating the bounty of the Valley.

It’s quite a bounty.  There are amazing products coming out of our region: award-winning wines, craft beers, artisanal cheeses, farm-raised meat and poultry, locally grown produce… not to mention the tremendous restaurants, many of which utilize those local ingredients. Eric was right, we are growing into a food capital!

And this will be the biggest HV Restaurant Week yet, running from March 15th-March 29th, with more than 135 participating restaurants.  Had your eye on a particular restaurant?  Now’s the time to try it!

Small Bites guest blogger, Linda Lombroso, wrote a nice post about the kick-off and the various attendees.  So as not to repeat what she already covered, I’ll report on a different angle: what we ate.  Harvest-on-Hudson not only hosted the reception but provided an impressive spread of food; local purveyors and sponsors also set up tables throughout the room, serving up samples of food and drink.

Conclusion: We ate and drank well.  Very, very well.

First off, isn’t Harvest-on-Hudson a beautiful space for an event?

I brought along my friend Jillian because she’s a food lover and I knew she would have a good time.  The two of us prowled the room sampling everything there was to offer.

We had barely walked in the door when we were presented with these strawberry cocktails.  I’m not even sure what alcohol was in them, but they went down real easy.

So did these: Hendrick Hudson gin with a piece of cucumber.  Who knew cucumber went so well with gin?

We were served two types of pizza: one sprinkled simply with basil, and another of fig, goat cheese and prosciutto — one of our clear favorites of the night.

I was horrified to learn that Jillian dislikes prosciutto.  She had me pick it off her slice and put it on mine, which I did, gladly. Prosciutto must never go to waste.

There were juicy lamb spring rolls.

Plus bacalao, beef empanadas, and a first for both of us, rabbit rillete on garlic toast.

I hesitated before taking the bite, unsure of what to expect. Would it be gamey? Rabbity?  Surprisingly, neither.  Just intensely flavored and smooth, almost like a bean dip.

A bite of American caviar.

Baldor Specialty Foods had a table where they showed off their meat and poultry products.

For the second time in my life, I tried foie gras.

There’s a texture and finish about foie gras that I’m just not able to enjoy yet.   May require a third try.

But the spicy pulled pork sliders with cucumber — those I could get behind.

We ate carrot bread, sunflower pesto, and another huge favorite, duck tacos with guacamole and bruschetta. Drippy and messy and delicious.

But for Jillian and me, nothing topped the crispy/creamy white truffle potato croquettes, which I believe we snagged on the first, second and third passes.

I think it was at this point when one of the servers pointed out, “I keep coming around to you two because I know you’re going to eat it.”  Yup, pretty much!

There were so many excellent local cheeses, like these huge hunks of parmesan and romano.

Here one of the vendors pointed out the drunken manchego to Jillian.

I love drunken manchego; it was served with a brightly flavored quince paste.

Holy Chicken!  Chicken bacon.

And chicken sliders.

Several vineyards were represented with their wines. Tuthilltown Spirits showed off their products, including their Hudson River Rum. One sip almost knocked me out — that was seriously potent and oaky rum.  I also tried their absinthe.

Hands down though, the drink that wowed us was the Kopparberg pear cider.

Served on ice, it was incredibly cooling and refreshing.  We just couldn’t get enough of that stuff, and the vendor gave Jillian a bottle to take home with her.

Of course, Harvest also provided an ample selection of desserts.

Our plate of cake, brownie, key lime pie and cream puff.

Lastly, at the Red Barn Produce table, they were taking photos of guests and putting them on complimentary fridge magnets.  So here it is on my fridge, a reminder of a fun night with interesting people and great food.

Where will you be heading for Restaurant Week?