Bing Me! Yes, Please!

On the topic of food carts, I must also tell you about last week's morning excursion to the Bing Me, Chinese crepe cart with my co-worker Molly.  I pass by this food cart each day on my way to work and have noticed people always standing by waiting to order.  Since it's so early in the morning, I always marvel at this, wondering what this place is all about, but I haven't stopped in to explore.  Well that all changed last week and I must say that I'll definitely be back soon.

About Bing Me Portland:
Specializing in this Northern Chinese crepe, just like at The Whole Bowl, there's just one thing on the menu.  Apparently they get really busy during lunch hours so your best bet is to try them in the early morning hours (they open at 7:30 a.m.), which is exactly what we did.  It only takes about 5 short minutes to prepare the crepe and it's best when eaten fresh.  Located in the prime food cart area in Downtown Portland on 9th Avenue between Alder Street and and Washington Street, the cart is hard to miss and makes for a great pit stop when touring Portland or for locals who are going about their day.

Jian Bing Crepe:
Never having anything like it, the Jian Bing crepe is all sorts of delicious.  Made of really thin pancake batter with some black bean paste, you'll encounter all sorts of textures when biting into this thing including both soft and crunchy.  The latter comes from a fried cracker that's placed in between the layers of the crepe, giving it an added element of surprise.  An eggy inside gives it that breakfast sandwich quality, which went a long way before the workday began, and you also get all sorts of flavor from the fresh herbs such as the lemony cilantro.  The only sort of off-putting experience is the smell of the hoisin sauce they put inside, but rest assured that it tastes great.

Service and Cost:
Lovely, hospitable service continued to grace us at this cart, as we were served with a smile and some expert advice (to eat the Bings as soon as possible!).  Since there wasn't yet a long line forming, we were in and out of there in about 7 short minutes, which was stellar.

Costs are totally awesome and worth every penny at just $6 for this delicious creation.

3 Mmmms

Bing Me Portland - SW 9th and Alder, Portland OR 97204
Red/Blue MAX line to Galleria Stop
bingmeportland.com

Sabores – Tasting the Flavors of Brazil with Chef Sue Torres

A few weeks ago, I had the pleasure to attend a nicely organized event by the folks from Brazilian Specialty Foods, to help us get acquainted with Brazilian-style cuisine and its many delightful flavors. Held at the International Culinary Center (aka The Center) in SOHO, I was excited to embrace this delicious topic in one of the best academic culinary settings in NYC.

Attending the event with new friend and fellow food blogger, Connie from Urban Bakes, we enjoyed learning about Brazilian cuisine through a three course tasting and food demo by esteemed NYC Chef, Sue Torres.

Course 1: Pao de Queijo
It’s always great to start a Brazilian meal with a classic pao de queijo appetizer. For those of you not familiar with this snack, it’s a typical Brazilian cheese bread that adorns the table prior to any sit-down meal. While the bread is bite sized and it’s easy to eat several pieces at once, it’s actually more filling than it looks, essentially being filled with cheese. Sue showed us that the process of making it is easier than you’d think, consisting of cheese and tapioca flour – no rising agent required.

Course 2: Brazilian Pork Sausage with Red Peppers and Onions
Since the theme of this meal was brunch, Chef Sue showed us how to prepare a Brazilian pork sausage dish, called Calabresa. Once again, the preparation was quite simple, using basic ingredients found in anyone’s pantry, including red peppers and onions. Sauteed and caramelized for a few minutes before combining it with the sausage, it was a dish that was high on aromatics and flavor. On a side note, we received a package of this sausage to take home, and I’ve been using it on things such as pizza, pasta and sandwiches—making them all that much more delicious.

Course 3: Guava Cream Cheese Crepe
Even though I’m usually not a huge fan of guava, I was surprised by how much I liked this dish. The filling for the crepes consisted of a thick guava paste you can find in any Latin market, which was then mixed with cream cheese for some additional silky texture and tang. The end product was fantastic and surprisingly light—another surprise coming in the form of crispy tortilla strips that served as a topping along with sticky strawberry jam.

I really enjoyed this event, and loved meeting Chef Sue in person, and further understanding her appreciation of Latin American food. Chef Sue herself is a Mexican American, and owns the popular Suenos restaurant in the West Village that I’m eager to try. Thanks for the exposure to this delicious, vibrant cuisine, BSF, Chef Torres and team!

Avenue Cafe - Ending Off on a Good Note

It's been quite a while since I've visited Avenue Cafe on 30th Avenue, and while a lot of people may think it's not one of Astoria's best hangouts, I happen to love, love, loove their crepes.  After a less than mediocre meal I had with friends, Meg and Mackenzi, at William Hallett, I was so ready to cap off the night in a good way and suggested we go to Avenue for a crepe.  Approval didn't take long to get and on our way we were (across the street) to redeem the pity of a dinner we just had.

When we got there, I wasn't surprised to find it to be loud and a little obnoxious.  I take this place for what it is - a modern, (and a bit tacky) cafe that nevertheless serves wonderful food and coffee.  We zeroed in on the crepe section of the menu and got to pickin'.  It didn't take long for us to decide on a slightly different than the norm crepe, which included pieces of biscotti and hazelnut chocolate sauce (aka Nutella).

Biscotti Crepe - The minute this plate landed in front of us, I could smell the warm, chocolatey scent emanating from it.  It was heavenly and I couldn't wait to take out my camera, snap a speedy pic and dig in.  As I remember from previous experience, it was just as yummy this time around.  The crepe texture was thin, smooth and really light.  I liked that it held its shape nicely and served as a handy pocket for all those crunchy biscotti bits. 

The biscotti was really interesting, as it provided a good juxtaposition between the soft crepe and the crunchy filling.  The hazelnut chocolate sauce helped to moisten it up a bit, as well as the big scoop of good quality vanilla ice cream that rested in the midst of our two crepes.  I loved mixing each bite of the warm crepe with the chilled ice cream - a wonderfully refreshing and at the same time indulgent treat.

Service and Cost:
As is usually the case here, the service was speedy and friendly.  We had no complaints about our waitstaff and although we only ordered a crepe and no beverages, we didn't receive any weird stares or judgements.  This...I liked!

Costs have definitely gone up since the last time I was here, and the crepe we tried was $11 (including a $2 surcharge for the ice cream).  But no matter, I still very much recommend it.

3 Mmmms

Avenue Cafe - 35-27 30th Avenue, Astoria 11106
718.278.6967
N/Q Train to 30th Avenue

Basic Crepes Turn into Fancy Crepes

I've always had a penchant for crepes.  Mostly sweet crepes, as prepared by my mom and grandmother with tangy farmer cheese with cinnamon, sugar and sweet preserves.  But over the years, I've tried some pretty darn great savory crepes too - some in Astorian cafes on 30th Avenue, others in Manhattan.

Although I love to eat crepes, I've never actually made them all by myself. Sure I've helped my mom and grandma prepare them, but never from start to finish. Always having a lonely, singular task such as buttering the pan or spreading the preserves on the crepes, rolling them up...but never being fully in charge.

So when I saw Martha Stewart's easy recipe for "Basic Crepes," I had to take the plunge.  Inviting some pretty discerning judges to taste my crepes, my parents joined us for an impromptu crepe breakfast.  Even though at times I got nervous that they didn't compare to the age old recipe that my family used, I had to admit that they looked and tasted pretty darn close to the real thing.  Actually, I downright loved them.

In addition to setting out the fixins for sweet crepes such as fruit preserves and even Nutella and bananas, I also made savory crepes with turkey, and an egg on top.  The recipe, if you can call it that is really simple, and once again it was inspired by Martha.  Here's what you do:

1.  Make your basic crepe - see recipe.
2.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees
3.  Take the crepe in your hands (when it's still warm) and fold it into a square by tucking the rounded edges in. Your crepe will now look like an envelope, with some room in the middle.
4.  Take store-bought turkey slices, chicken, veggies or anything else for that matter that you're in the mood for and wrap it around the middle area, leaving an empty space in the dead center of the crepe.
5.  Take a raw egg and crack in inside that "bulls-eye" you just formed

6.  Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper

7.  Pop this into the oven for about 12 minutes, with the egg still runny

8.  Sprinkle with chopped parsley for garnish

Bon Appetit!