Making Waves at The Bolivian Llama Party

I've been wanting to make it out to the Rockaways for a while and a recent day off (on my birthday no less) gave me that opportunity.  Dan and I started the day with an awesome surf lesson at the Locals Surf School on Beach 67th Street, which was a lot of fun and we were pleasantly surprised by our decent surf skills.

Unsurprisingly, all this activity made us super hungry, so we headed to the popular beach area between Beach 86th and 96th streets for some food and drink.  After properly exploring both concession areas, we found the food offering to be a lot richer on Beach 96th Street, especially at the Bolivian Llama Party stand.

About Bolivian Llama Party: 
Started by the Oropeza brothers with the mission to "create a unique food experience...to deliver Bolivian comfort food with a few veritable bells and whistles," Llama offers something new and interesting to the street food scene but in a familiar friendly setting.  Located at Beach 96th Street, they have a pretty prominent presence seven days a week, but you can also find them at the nearby Playland Motel and also at Smorgasburg.

Dan and I marveled at their colorful stand that's adorned with fun street art, including birds and (what do you know) llamas.  They open at about noon on most days, and change up their menu according to the latest, fresh ingredients.

Food:
Very interested in their BBQ dishes, Dan and I both went for the meat sandwiches which were embellished with fixins such as pickled onions, carrots and a slightly spicy green sauce.

Beef Brisket Chola - While this sandwich didn't look big, it was stacked high with hearty, delicious ingredients.  The brisket was smoked to perfection and sported a nicely charred exterior.  Rubbed with spicy ingredients such as locoto (type of chili pepper) and cracked peppercorns, the sandwich sang with flavor.  Luckily, the spice wasn't overpowering, as the pickled veggies such as the carrots and the onions dulled the heat.

Pulled Pork Chola - Just like the brisket, the pulled pork was also a winner and didn't look too much different.  Pulled from a beautifully marbled cut of pork shoulder, it had hints of sweetness and spice--also perfectly moist, no doubt due to the marbling.

Service and Cost:
I have to admit that the service was a tad awkward, as the staff didn't 100% know everything about the menu.  Since a lot of the terms on their menu cards were unfamiliar to us, we asked a lot of questions that were met with blank stares.  Not a deal breaker, but it made for an odd experience.

Costs are high for street food at about $11 for a small sandwich, but the flavors were so interesting and tasty that I can confidently say it's worth it.

3 Mmmms

The Bolivian Llama Party - Rockaway Beach 96th Street, NY 11693
347.395.5481
A Train to Beach 98th Street

King of Falafel Does it Again!

After an awesome video shoot last night for We Heart Astoria, together with graffiti artist, Louie KRONE Gasparro, I was totally hungry and in the mood to devour something good.  Having falafel and shawarma on my mind since last week, I headed over to the one, the only King of Falafel and Shawarma cart.

Atmosphere:
Freddy's cart was busy and bumpin' on this random Tuesday eve at 8 o'clock, but what else is new? You can't compete with greatness!  I got in line, which was about 10 people long, but everyone was in a good mood, including Freddy and his staff of course, infecting us with their endless positivity and cheeriness.  As they sometimes do, we got first dibs on some free falafel, which made the wait go even faster, the staff dishing out free smiles and jokes to boot.  Overall, it's always a pleasure to be surrounded by such great people, which makes me appreciate how much pride these guys have in what they do.

Food:
Since I was pretty ravenous on this evening (and knew Dan would be too), I opted for full meal options for both the falafel and the shawarma.  Anticipating us splitting both, that's exactly what we did when we got home, and even had leftovers for the next day.

Falafel Platter - Filled to the rim of the container, the falafel platter includes four big pieces of fresh falafel that are perfectly crunchy on the outside and creamy on the inside.  Resting on a bed of yellow rice and veggies such as jalapenos, tomatoes and lettuce, this platter is an explosion of flavors.  The falafel is quite hefty and nice to split into halves so you can stretch it further.

Shawarma Platter - Similar to the falafel platter, except for the protein of course, the chicken shawarma is also delicious.  Loving the expert way in which the chicken was cooked, it's all kinds of tender and flavorful, marinated in a carefully prepared mix of herbs and spices.  I chose to go with more creaminess on top through a generous helping of white sauce and tahini that rounded out the dish.

Service and Cost:

As I already hinted above, the service at the King of Falafel is second to none.  Every customer is treated with respect and is made to feel like they're important, which goes a long way, especially after a full day's work.  

Costs are super affordable, and since the portions are quite large, you're able to stretch the dollar.  The above mentioned meals set me back just $14 in total.  I can't wait to go back!

3 Mmmms

King of Falafel - 29-18 Broadway, Astoria NY 11106
718.838.8029
N/Q Train to Broadway
thekingfalafel.com

East Side King Paints the Town Yummy!

A week out of SXSW now feels like ancient history, but my delicious food memories remain.  Here, I wanted to shine a light on yet another awesome food truck experience I had at Paul Qui's and Moto Utsunomiya's East Side King, which came highly recommended.  In addition to the high praises sang by Austinites, I was also lucky to sit in on one of Paul's SX panels, further inspiring me to get a bite out of his cooking.

About East Side King:
For those of you not familiar with Chef Paul Qui, who's something of a local celebrity in Austin, the fact that he's also a Top Chef winner alum during season 9 may ring a bell.  Known for his adventurous cooking style, including winning a quickfire by incorporating the hottest ghost chili pepper there is, Chef Paul is always up for mixing things up and keeping it interesting.

While he owns a few upscale restaurants in Austin such as Uchi, Uchiko and Qui, Chef Paul puts just as much emphasis and attention into his street style mobile restaurant, East Side King.  Boasting a unique spin on Asian street food, East Side King's 5 locations deliver a funky Japanese street vibe in Austin's hippest neighborhoods.  Lucky enough to experience his pop-up locale downtown, especially positioned for SXSW, I got to see what the fuss is all about.

Food:
Admiring the many vegetarian, vegan and gluten free options, East Side King is a great choice if you're specific about the way you eat, but still want to enjoy great flavor.  Dan would be in heaven to see all that gluten free menu items, and I'm going to have to take him there next time we're in town.

Brussels Sprouts Salad - This dish came highly recommended, and wasn't a tough sell for me, as I always love to eat Brussels Sprouts.  It helped that most of the week was spent eating really rich foods, so some hearty veggies were certainly in order.  

While I can't say this salad was light, given the fried preparation of the Brussels Sprouts, it was flavorful as hell!  Coated in a sweet/tangy/spicy sauce, each bite gave your tastebuds a run for their money.  A sprinkling of fragrant herbs such as basil, cilantro and mint helped to freshen things up in the midst of all that fried deliciousness, including pieces of a deep fried bun.  When in Austin...

 
Beet Home Fries - I've never had deep fried beets before, but when I saw these babies included virtually in everyone's order, I knew I had to try them.  Happy to see I chose wisely, I enjoyed the beets' crispy exterior, which was fun to dunk into a creamy Kewpie Mayo (a popular Japanese mayo) further seasoned with spicy shichimi.  I've never had beets prepared in this way, which made the experience that much more unique and memorable.  

Service and Cost:
Due to the popularity of this truck, there's a bit of a wait (about 15-20 minutes), but I promise it's worth it.  The ladies who worked the truck were pleasant and totally accommodating, especially when it came to splitting up our payment into thirds.  It was also great that they accepted credit cards in addition to cash.

Lunch for two people, including drinks and a shared app set us back about $24 in total.

3 Mmmms

East Side King - 4 mobile locations and 1 brick-and-mortar location
Austin, TX
eskaustin.com

The Food Film Festival Brings on the Almighty Ramen Burger

Tonight, I attended one of my favorite foodie events in NYC, which is the 7th Annual Food Film Festival.  Attending the event now for five straight years, I always look forward to the enticing food films they showcase, as well as to the novelty of tasting the foods featured in each film.

Dan and I attended the official wrap party event tonight, which featured the world premiere of the film Biting into the Ramen Burger - a short documentary about the food phenomenon that is the ramen burger.  For those of you who've been following the mania around this culinary fad, you'll know how hard it's to come by, as hungry (or just curious) New Yorkers wait for hours just to sink their teeth into this thing.  It's been compared to the Cronut phenomenon, and the film touches upon this in a cheeky, endearing way.  Here's the trailer for all you ramen fans.

The Verdict - I liked that our path to the almighty ramen burger was a pretty civilized one, as the awesome Food Film Fest organizers got everyone to cash in their Ramen Burger tickets, which were called up in 20 person increments. Sure this resulted in a lot of anticipation and chatter, but it also avoided the chaos that often ensues at Smorgasburg, where this burger is regularly sold.

And now for the taste? Well...I'm happy to say that the hype was totally worth it.  Not only did I get to meet Keizo Shimamoto, the mastermind behind the Ramen Burger phenomenon, I got to sink my teeth into it.

Don't let its conservative size fool you, as this is one hearty burger that will definitely tide you over for the night.  The ramen buns are of course the most interesting part, as they're a little well done on the outside and really soft and spongy on the inside.  While the film talks about how crunchy the outside is, we unfortunately didn't get this at the festival, but I presume it's a lot crispier when you get it on a regular day at Smorgasburg.  The burger patty itself was juicy and flavorful and glazed in a secret soy sauce that Keizo came up with himself.  I like that you get a little bit of greenery and earthiness from the fresh arugula and the scallions, creating an overall well rounded bite.

Other Goodies:
In addition to the burger goodness, we also got to indulge in other tasties you see above such as fresh oysters from Open Oyster, shaved ice from Woolys, ice cream pops from La Newyorkina as well as the most bodacious black & white cookies from Leske's Bakery.  Sure there were a lot of sweet bites, but the following two reigned supreme:

La Newyorkina - Loving the concept behind this company, which was started by Fany Gerson, it brings Mexican style frozen treats to New York palates.  I've seen these guys (or ladies rather) selling their colorful "paletas" at the Highline, which has often piqued my interest.  Happy to see them at the Food Film Festival, we got a bite of their horchata paleta that was also glazed in some silky milk chocolate.  Savoring its comforting flavors, which weren't too sweet, I can see it being the perfect antidote on a really hot day.

Leske's Bakery - Spying the large and beautifully glazed black and white cookies, Dan and I decided to share one.  Immediately falling in love with its texture, they were really soft and crumbly on the outside.  Their almost pudding-like glaze created the most indulgent bite, which was nice to enjoy after the chill of the above mentioned paleta.

I'd like to thank the Food Film Festival for another smashing showcase of culinary creativity.  As usual, it's opened my eyes to the amazing food artisans who are creating little bits of magic in this fantastic city (and beyond).  I hope you get to check out the films featured in this year's festival.

Taco and Nacho Fun at the LIC Flea

Last weekend, Dan and I made it out to the LIC Flea again, which was fun, especially since he's never been. I was happy to see some of the awesome food vendors from last time, but was sad that Little Wrinkles wasn't there, as we really needed to replenish their bodacious raisins (really...the best raisins I've ever had).

We did however, try out the Oaxaca food stand, which actually comes from the popular taco shop with a few locations in the city and Brooklyn.  After indulging in tacos, Dan still wasn't completely satiated, so we went back to Bill's Balls for a meatball nacho platter.  Mmmm...

Korean Taco - I always get excited when I see even hints of Korean flavors in a dish, as I generally love this flavor profile.  Made up of bulgogi marinated steak, and topped with kimchi and a crunchy apple mango slaw, it provided a burst of flavor.  The slightly spicy sauce that tied it all together was delicious too and added a little smokiness.  My only negative about this taco was that it was so full that it was a little hard to eat.

Carnitas Taco - Dan got the classic carnitas taco with braised pork, pickled onion, cilantro and cotija cheese.  The pork was tender and juicy, but not so much so that it created a drippy taco - it made for a most delicious bite, and was also filling, given the generous amount of meat inside.

Meatball Nachos - We couldn't resist this innovative spin on nachos from Bill's Balls, with a Philly Cheesesteak flavor profile.  The meatballs were cut into bite sized pieces and embellished with grilled onions and a generous dose of beer cheese sauce.  What can I say, it was a perfect take on street food and was so shareable. And at just $3 a portion, it was also a great deal!

If you haven't yet tried these food vendors at the LIC Flea, they come highly recommended and they'll be there through this month.

LIC Flea - 5-25 46th Avenue, LIC
www.licflea.com  

Masala Wala Tasting - Healthy Indian Street Food

Another fun part of my Chicago trip included attending an Indian street food tasting at Kimberly's friend, Aditya's place. I was excited to attend, as I love Indian food and the thought of modern, healthy Indian eats intrigued me.

The story behind the tasting is that Aditya, along with his classmates at the University of Chicago are working on a business plan for Masala Wala, an Indian street food company, which they invented. Currently, Masala Wala is a finalist in the school's business plan competition, and if they win, they have the potential to bring their idea to life--very entrepreneurial and very exciting!

The Masala Wala Chicken Wrap - The main dish that we sampled was a very light yet filling chicken wrap, enveloped in a paratha (Indian flat bread). I liked that the chicken was fresh, with a lot of good, juicy white meat. Indian flavoring was definitely felt but it wasn't too overpowering or spicy--thus, appropriate for an American palate. My favorite part of the dish was the actual wrap (paratha), which was on the medium-well done side and it felt substantial enough for a starch. The tamarind chutney served alongside of it was fantastic, introducing an element of sweetness.

I would definitely buy something like this for lunch or even for a snack during the week.

I wish Masala Wala luck in the competition and I hope to be eating their delicious chicken paratha wraps next time I'm in Chicago. Chicagoans, look out for them!