Pacificana was introduced to us by friends one Sunday afternoon. Dimsum brunches are among my favorite things so I am always on the lookout for new places. We usually just make the trek to our favorite joint in the city (Golden Unicorn) since it’s logistically easier for us, but Pacificana now gives us a reason to make the trip to Brooklyn’s Chinatown in Sunset Park, usually followed by a shopping spree at Hong Kong Supermarket.
Fried dough wrapped in rice noodles.
Having lived within a five-block radius for the past ten years, we have seen restaurants come and go, analyzed reasons for their success or failure, and even made predictions when new places sprout up.
Kulushkat is one of those fresh faces in the neighborhood, a stone’s throw from the upcoming stadium and beside another new place we happened to try first (Va Beh). I had to make do with my camera phone that evening as the excursion was unplanned.
Eggplant a la Yafa
We had the spicy falafel which was tender, well-seasoned and deceivingly spicy; and the eggplant a la Yafa which was so flavorful that I had gobbled it up with their awesome hot sauce before I could be stopped. Continue reading
Alan Richman’s Top 10 New York Restaurants has named Chef’s Table at Brooklyn Fare its #1 pick for 2012. I don’t disagree. We tried this place before it was huge, before the NYT feature, before they raised the prices over $200, and while it was still BYOB (score!). Even then the experience was otherworldly, and I have said that it’s more bang for the buck than Per Se, although you definitely pay for a lot more than just the food at Per Se.
Photos are not allowed at Brooklyn Fare, so I used one of mine. God knows that meal has inspired many of our own creations, like the one above (uni-stuffed rigatoni and seaweed).
Every small town needs a go-to place for a nice meal, a restaurant that takes its time to create a unique experience for its diners, no matter how small the town is or how close it is to an urban center. Mrs. K’s Tollhouse does this for Silver Spring, Maryland. A short drive from DC, this historic building has been preserved from its early 1900s roots to a restaurant that has been serving treats for the past seventy years. The service was quick, warm, and friendly, and we thoroughly enjoyed the meal and the wine along with great company. Some treasures from that evening:
The Greek meatballs were juicy and full of meaty cumin flavors.
Our Vietnamese friend was on a mission during our trip to DC, and she would not be dissuaded. She loaded ice packs into the trunk in preparation for her haul, something I probably would have done if I believed a one-stop shop of Filipino goodies was in close proximity to a place we were visiting.
Eden Center
Eden Center is that kind of savior for the Vietnamese in Virginia. Housed in the rows of a beige and red strip mall were stores upon stores of freshly made delicacies and snacks, restaurants, salons and jewelry stores. We had lunch at Pho Xe Lua after which our friend went into a zone, raiding one store after the other for some treats you simply cannot find in New York.
Here are some photos of Eden Center’s treasures. Continue reading
