The Bullseye Cookie is a compilation of recipes: The Chocolate Chip Cookie is the original Nestle recipe without the nuts. The Chocolate Cookie and Peanut Butter Cookie are both adaptations for versions found in “furniture re-arranging”.

Fore more on #NYCookieSwap 2011, check out blog posts by Justin, Jackie (includes video), and Gail. Hope to see you at the next one!

Bullseye Cookies
~18 large cookies

Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough

• 1/2 Nestle chocolate chip cookie recipe (sans nuts)

Soft Chocolate Cookie Dough

• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 tablespoon Dutch-processed cocoa powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, slightly firm
• 1/3 cup sugar
• 1/4 cup lightly packed light brown sugar
• 1 large egg
• 5 ounces bittersweet chocolate, melted and cooled
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Peanut Butter Cookie Dough

• 1 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup crunchy peanut butter
• 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
• 1/4 cup vegetable shortening
• 2 tablespoons honey
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1/3 cup lightly packed light brown sugar
• 1 large egg
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup coarsely chopped roasted salted peanuts

Instructions

1. Make 1/2 the Nestle Chocolate Chips Cookie recipe (don’t add nuts). Use parchment paper to form a 12″ long, 1″ diameter log. You can use a sheet pan (or any sturdy flat surface) to tighten it, by pushing at the seam of the parchment.

2. Chill the chocolate chip cookie dough log in the fridge while you make the Chocolate Cookie Dough. (Don’t forget to save your left-over dough. Cover in plastic wrap and save for making cookies later. )

3. To make the Chocolate Cookie dough, sift together flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.

4. Cream butter on medium speed in a stand mixer fitted with paddle attachment. When it looks light and fluffy, add granulated sugar in a steady stream. Add brown sugar and mix until smooth. Reduce the speed to low and add the egg. Scrape as needed. Add in chocolate and vanilla, mixing until combined. Add dry ingredients and mix just until blended. Cover with plastic wrap and chill for 30 minutes.

5. While the Chocolate Cookie dough is chilling, make the Peanut Butter Cookie dough. In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.

6. In a stand mixer fitted with paddle attachment, combine peanut butter, shortening, and honey. Increase to medium speed and add granulated sugar and brown sugar. Beat for one minute. Add the egg and vanilla and beat for two minutes, or until batter has lightened.

7. Reduce the mixer speed to low and add dry ingredients. Mix just until blended. Fold in chopped nuts and chill for one hour.

8. When the first two doughs are done chilling, roll out the Chocolate Cookie dough into a half-inch thick sheet, the same width as the chocolate chip cookie dough log. Place the Chocolate Chip Cookie dough log about an inch from the edge of the sheet and roll it up.  You should have extra, use a board scraper or knife to cut it to length.  Try get fairly precise.  Keep in mind your math, if the center log is one inch diameter, the length should be about 3.15 inches (pi * diameter).  Try to press the doughs tightly together, so there’s no air in between.

9. Wrap in plastic and place it back in the refrigerator until the Peanut Butter dough is ready. Roll out the Peanut Butter dough to a half inch thick sheet, about the width of the log. Place the previously rolled, two-layer log two inches from the edge and roll it up. Again, try to press the doughs together and avoid air in between layers.

10. Wrap in plastic and chill overnight.

11. When you’re ready to bake the cookies, preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Prepare a few baking sheets with parchment paper or silpat.

12. Try to slice the log into slightly more than half-inch thick slices. Place on prepared pans at least two inches apart.

13. Bake for 10 minutes. Cool for 10 minutes on baking sheets, then remove to cooling racks and cool completely.

*photo courtesy of Marc Matsumoto

The plan was to start at Dong Yi Feng (Jung Yi Fung) 135-29 37th Avenue, Flushing, NY 11354, 11am sharp I told everyone! Yet, I was late!! In my defense, there was a gas leak so they closed down part of Main Street, right at 37th Ave where Dong Yi Feng is! I had no idea how to get there. As we circled and I panicked, we spotted a police officer who told me what was going on and that in addition to various streets, several businesses were closed. OK, now severe panic! I called Dong Yi Feng and they were indeed open, and that’s when I spotted Liza, Kat, and Brendan. We walked the very long way there together.

Dong Yi Feng
135-29 37th Ave
Flushing, NY 11354

Note that Dong Yi Feng has “Jung Yi Fung” on the sign outside. This is one of those annoying things you just deal with in Flushing — the poor translations and signs. The menus, business cards, and signs all say something slightly different. Once you’ve found it, all’s good, just enjoy the dim sum! I highly recommend the shrimp in rice noodles, shrimp and snow pea leaf dumplings, shrimp cake fried in tofu skin, clams in black bean sauce, roast pork buns (baked, steamed, and pastry versions), and you must end with egg tarts!

*photos courtesy of Marc Matsumoto

Hong Kong Supermarket
3711 Main Street
NY 11354

Our next planned stop was Hong Kong Supermarket 3711 Main Street, Flushing , NY 11354, a local market in the area where you can see the typical offerings of a Chinese Supermarket. I’m not the biggest fan of the fish department in this one, but everything else is good. Unfortunately, we didn’t get to go because this was one of the businesses closed by the gas leak.

Apollo Bakery
13536 39th Ave
Flushing, NY 11354

I love Apollo Bakery 13536 39th Avenue, Flushing, NY 11354, this teeny little bread shop. It doesn’t stock as many cakes and pastries as the big chains like Tai Pan and Fay Da but I really love the soft puffy breads. My favorites are the plain white sliced bread, extra thick, and the square pork floss bun with the flaky top.

photo courtesy of Allison Mak

Flushing Mall
133-31 39th Ave
Flushing, NY 11354

The Flushing Mall Food Court 133-31 39th Avenue, Flushing, NY 11354 has several vendors, many worthy of tasting. Xi’an Famous Foods has been written about extensively for their Liang Pi, “cold skin” spicy noodles. The Lamb Face Salad is also out of this world!

*photo courtesy of Marc Matsumoto

Taiwanese food is still one of the more elusive foods, despite the rather large Taiwanese population in New York. Here, there is a popular vendor (I don’t think they have an English name) with many of the unique delicacies. Try Oyster Pancakes, Oyster Bean Thread Soup, Pork Chop Rice, and Stinky Tofu.

*photo courtesy of Allison Mak

Don’t forget to slurp down some bubble teas, and in warmer weather, the Taiwanese Shaved Ice.

Nan Xiang Xiao Long Bao
38-12 Prince Street,
Flushing NY 11354

Our last planned stop was Nan Xiang Xiao Long Bao 38-12 Prince Street, Flushing, NY 11354. I was hoping that by afternoon, in between meal times, we could grab some seats. Alas, this restaurant just doesn’t have a down time. There is always a wait. You cannot miss the soup  dumplings and the pan-fried pork buns though, so please go, preferably in a party of two.

Thinking on our toes, and because the weather was quite nice yesterday, we hopped over to a few window stops.

The Duck Window
Main Street and 40th Road
Flushing, NY 11354

Patrick and Marc suggested this duck window Main Street and 40th Road, Flushing, NY 11354 and it was a definite hit! They sell different duck themed things and most popular are the $1 duck buns. They are not true Peking Duck but who cares when it’s $1.

*photo courtesy of Allison Mak

Pastry Window
Main Street between 40th Rd and 41st Avenue
Flushing, NY 11354

I don’t think this place has a name but between the Duck stall and the Dumpling Window, you might as well stop when you see the pile of sweet and savory pastries. I’m particularly fond of the daikon pastry ($1.25 each).

*photo courtesy of Allison Mak

Dumpling Window
99 41st Avenue
Flushing, NY 11354

Our last stop, another window stop without an English name. At least they have some English on their menu now. Look for the red awning and some fried stuff sitting in the window. I recommend the small pork buns (4 for $1.25, such a steal!) and the hot and sour soup.

*photo courtesy of Marc Matsumoto

Follow conversations about #CNYFC on twitter and read Justin’s post on Just Cook NY. Let me know if anyone else writes a post!!

Chinese New Year Food Crawl Attendees:

• Adam Pasick (@adampasick)
• Alda Leung (@aldaleung)
• Allison Mark (@foodnatic)
• Amy Cao (@amyblogschow)
• Brendan Hayes (@fishguysnyc)
• Gary Reloj (@garyreloj)
• Jackie Gordon (@divathatateny)
• Jason Hembrey (@jlhv1)
• Jacquie Hembrey (@jacquielh)
• Jessica Binder (@foodmayhem)
• Justin Schwartz (@justcooknyc)
• Kat Popiel (@mamakitten)
• Kate Neuhaus (@khneuhaus)
• Keith Wagstaff (@kwagstaff)
• Ken Leung (@hungryrabbitnyc)
• Liz Matsumoto (@globalasianista)
• Liza de Guia (@skeeternyc)
• Marc Matsumoto (@norecipes)
• Mark Publico (@gastropublico)
• Mitche Rose
• Noel Cruz
• Patrick Chang (@appetiteforgood)
• Paul Lau (@paulingford)
• Sarah Mclellan (@sarahmclellanny)
• Ulla Kjarval (@nyculla)

Ok, back to what I was going to post. Right before leaving, I went to a lovely dinner at Eleven Madison Park 11 Madison Avenue, New York, NY 10010 hosted by POM, the company known for pomegranate juice. We enjoyed being in a small group of bloggers in one of the private rooms upstairs, where we could really talk and learn about their products: the fresh pomegranate fruit, the juice, concentrated juice, tea, and more.  Did you know those little seeds, the part we eat, are called arils? I didn’t.

Each course, amuse, appetizer, entree, and dessert was made with pomegranate. Cocktails too and a virgin one for me. Everything was a piece of modern art, almost too stunning to eat. The colors were vibrant and fall-perfect. We were especially impressed by the entrees because of the quality of meat. The chicken and lamb were some of the best we’ve tasted where their natural flavors were showcased in tender juicy pieces.

Do you eat the hard part inside the seed or spit it out? There’s no “right” way, just preference. Lon eats it. I spit it out.

And, if you’ve never tried a pomegranate, now is your chance to win some!! We left with a great goodie bag and we want to share it with one of our readers. It’s been months since our last give- away. (That was May but then I got pregnant in June and you know the rest…)

POM Goodies Give-Away: All you have to do is leave a comment here (and a way for me to contact you) by Friday, October 22 at 3 pm. One winner will be selected randomly. Sorry, shipping to the US only (but you can enter as a non-U.S resident and give your prize to someone you know in the US if you want). The POM Goodies include:

• Rubies in the Orchard (book) – The POM Queen’s Secrets to Marketing Just About Anything
• pack of 2010 Chef Series recipes
• 2 coupons for a free pomegranate
• 2 coupons for a free bottle of POM juice
• 2 coupons for a $1 off POMx

…and the winner is #26: Roxanne!

I swear I used random.org but my screenshot is not working.

Even better than any way I can put it, our friend Justin Kalifowitz wrote:

Restaurant Week done in the style of Ma Nishtana (Sung in the style of Ephraim Abileah’s 1936 rendition)

Q: “What has changed this week, from all of the other weeks?”
A: “That in all other weeks our meals are cooked to order, this week we only eat pre-cooked meals.”

Q: “What has changed this week, from all of the other weeks?”
A: “That in all other weeks we have a full menu to choose from, this week we only have a limited menu.”

Q: “What has changed this week, from all of the other weeks?”
A: “That in all other weeks we are not pressured to order drinks even once, this week we are pressured twice!”

Q: “What has changed this week, from all of the other weeks?”
A: “That in all other weeks, some food is good, some food is bland, this week all of the food is bland.”

To that, Lon added:

Q: “Why during all other weeks do we eat all kinds of food, but during this week only bitter?”
A: “Because the executive chefs have all gone on vacation leaving behind the second stringers to deal with cheap-o customers who don’t know veal from shoe leather.”

Sadly some of my favorite products may still be hard to buy in your local area. Many of these vendors are at the show trying to get distributors, so we don’t know if they’ll ever be in our market. I spent a lot of time encouraging my favorites to offer their products on-line either with their own website, or amazon who does sell food. One I am really hoping for is Olympus Yogurt, which is imported from Greece. They don’t have any distributors in NY yet or a web source, so someone pick them up!

Melissa’s has some very interesting fruits. I loved the Sherbet Melon that looks like, tastes like, and is a cross between honey dew and cantaloupe. Melissa’s is a wholesaler so you can’t buy from them directly, but go to their website for their store locator. They’re widely distributed.

This Rummo pasta is probably one of the best in dried pasta I’ve tasted and I will be looking for them, supposedly at many specialty markets. Some shapes are also sold on-line at Di Palo Selects.

Lon is big on cured meats and found two to be outstanding. You can buy the Black Forest Prosciutto by Abraham on-line for those prosciutto lovers who want a touch of something different from the juniper berries.

The Consorcio Serrano was irresistible, whole leg being sliced right there. There was no one to answer questions though, which I found pretty common at the foreign booths. Sometimes they were completely un-manned, with just a plate of samples.

I got to take a pic with Lidia Bastianich, who seemed to be enjoying promoting her pastas and sauces. I never buy jarred sauce, but it was surprisingly good, clean, and natural. Lon was so jealous he wasn’t there that day. She’s probably his favorite TV chef.

Some booths are purveyors who carry several lines, but they still get credit for picking great products. We spent quite some time sampling in the Sid Wainer & Son booth, delicious cheeses, cured meats, spreads, and produce. Our two favorites was a black garlic paste, and the white anchovies, both I could imagine cooking up lots of stuff with. Even though they are more of a wholesaler, you can buy retail from their website.

I loved the sweet and spicy cherry peppers by Norpaco, particularly the roasted and peeled. Unlike most jarred or canned, these had a firmness while still being tender, which reminds me of how my own freshly roasted peppers are. The sweet and spicy would make them a killer sandwich topper, and the best part is that they’ll be available in Costco this week!

Lon liked the sharp strength of the mustards by Domaine des Vignes, which are being imported by Encore Foods. That means some of us will be able to find it and others won’t. There is no on-line source yet.

Attending as press often means that vendors are trying hard to impress you, but I was disappointed to find that when I asked real questions, some were not able to answer. That really sets apart the booths who have their own staff working vs. the ones who hire a three-day person to just give-out samples. Then again, I think some were just escaping the questions.

There was one booth with dried apricots and had samples of one type that was organic and without nitrates. The other processed the natural way. The organic one was sweet but lacked the tanginess or acidity that I like in dried apricots. I asked whether this was a different kind of apricot perhaps, or was the difference from processing. They responded, do you not like these? I said, they’re sweet and not bad but I like the tang of apricots. They just asked, isn’t this one better? I repeated my question and then gave up and walked away…

Another booth stuck out in my mind, a BBQ sauce being promoted by a group of young men. They were eager to have me try their sauce and I tried to decline saying BBQ sauce is not really my thing. I find it too sweet. He swore theirs was different and not sweet, convincing me to try it and I relented. Of course it was sweet, so I tried to politely decline more information. Then they jumped in with saying we’re produced locally like 5 times. Ok dudes, local alone does not make you a great product.

All in all, it’s a wonderful experience, and I know I’ve left out a ton of products still but many will be sending me samples, and I’ll be posting more on this in the next few weeks.

When I arrived, I saw that appetizers were set out: Roasted Beets with Goat Cheese and Candied Pecans, Spinach Dip with Pita Wedges, and White Bean Zucchini Cauliflower Crostini. Everything was great, and everyone wanted the recipe for the White Bean and Veggies. Carol gave me a couple of tips so I will try to re-create this.

Lon opened up a bottle of Charles Lafitte Rose Brut Champagne and we toasted in the living room, munching and chatting away. I felt like the luckiest girl in the world. Carol created a menu and Lon chose wines to pair. My brother and his girlfriend Sophia were there to celebrate with me, and my friend Monica was only 15 minutes late. (If you knew Monica, you would know how special that is.)

When we moved over to the dinner table, we were brought plates of scallop ceviche. The fresh herbs were picked at a rooftop garden (Carol’s friends’).

Next, a creamy mushroom soup. The touch of truffle was heavenly!

The main course was a Coriander Crusted Pork Tenderloin with Rhubarb Sauce. I learned how to make pork tenderloin from Carol, and of course hers is melt-in-your-mouth tender. The Pumpkin and Rhutebega mash was the perfect sweet (but not-too-sweet) pairing.

I was now drinking the Helfrich Gewurztraminer 2005, because Lon knows I favor Alsatian wines.

In cool Italian fashion, we finished with a salad. It was a wonderful blend of blackberry, Asian pear, fennel, and watercress. We each had a little plate of blue cheese to add too.

We were all stuffed, but as my mother always says, there is a separate stomach for dessert. To that I will add that the dessert stomach grows when it’s your birthday cake. MMM, rich chocolate cake is always welcome.

Sometimes, I just know that I’m the luckiest girl in the world, and it’s not just that I have such delicious food in my life. I am blessed to know the most amazing and loving people. Thank you Carol!

Due to fortunate and unfortunate circumstances, I ended up on the same flight to Orlando with Carol, aka NYCityMama. Neither of us were originally scheduled for that flight but prior to the official beginning of festivities, I already had a new friend. We arrived at the hotel with under 20 minutes to check-in, change, and meet buses leaving for dinner. I didn’t make it to the press room but Carol made sure to sign me up for breakfast to make sure I was taken care of. That is one sweet mama.

Carol introduced me to Jennifer of In Jennie’s Kitchen, and Vanessa of Chef Druck Musings. These three have been long friends, but made me feel welcome all the way through, and made sure I didn’t miss out on a thing.

When we arrived at The Disney Chefs dinner, we were greeted with champagne. Several Disney chefs were showing off star dishes from their restaurant. First place was Sanaa from Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge. The Shrimp in Green Curry Sauce served over a fragrant basmati rice. I scooped it up with the thin crisps of pappadum. The cucumber raita cooled as the chili oil brought heat. It was such a well-rounded dish that Marc of No Recipes went back for more three times!

In second place, Lamb Sliders with Tomato Marmalade from Epcot. The meat was so juicy but I didn’t like the bread as much, which is how I decided to place it second. Overall, I was impressed with the Disney food. It has come a long way since my last visit in 1996.

That evening was so fast and furious for me, making new friends like Chris Barret of Think Gem and Stephen Fries of Cookbooks Live. Also, I finally met Carolyn Jung of Food Gal. She was here to judge the Pillsbury Bake-Off Sweet Treats category).

Sunday was a day full of seminars, my favorite being the first with Karen Page and Andrew Dorenburg. We even got a copy of The Flavor Bible, which is officially my favorite press gift ever.

After the presentations, some of the bloggers sat poolside. First, I chat with Amy of Cooking with Amy. A little later, Carol, Marc, Vanessa, Chris and Stephen were in the pool and I couldn’t resist taking some shots to use on them later.

I was so sad that I didn’t bring a bathing suit (ok not really, you know I don’t like water) but I wasn’t lonely. Lori of My Wooden Spoon/A Cowboys Wife and Babette, founder of BakeSpace, made the time fly by. Both are as sweet as they look. Really!

We headed to The Ravenous Pig 1234 North Orange Avenue, Winter Park, FL 32789 for dinner, which was supposed to be a gastro pub. Though I didn’t get that at all, I really enjoyed the Niman Lamb Loin. It was pink throughout and crusty on the outside.

Monday morning, we were all-up early for The Pillsbury Bake-Off, ready for crazy fun. I felt so privileged to have press access, which meant walking the floor with 100 kitchens set-up. We could talk to contestants and see everything up close. I’ve been watching contests like this on TV forever and it was all right in front of me. We didn’t get to taste all 100 finalists, but of the ones we tried, we unanimously agreed on a Blogger’s Choice Award: the Candied Bacon and Apple Canapes made by Stephanie. Jaden of Steamy Kitchen has a whole post about that and Vanessa gives out 3 awards.

I was impressed with the integrity of the rules and judging. Very strict guidelines were kept. The one thing that bothered me was that they were all using induction tops and two people (to my knowledge) were given the wrong pans to work with, which must have messed up their timing and added stress.  Lori gets more in depth here. Marc has some great photos here. Don’t forget to check out Carol’s photo montage too.

At a lunch break, (notice I said lunch break and not lunch, I couldn’t eat a single thing), I got to talk to Jaden, Marc, and Tina of Carrots ‘N’ Cake about blog ad networks and different ways to monetize. Then, it was back to poolside, followed by a short walking trip around downtown Disney with Marc, Vanessa, Chris, and Stephen. I bought a Minnie Mouse apron. Hot or Cute?

Back at the hotel, we had a cocktail hour, dinner, and the announcements of the final four finalists, presented by Sandra Lee. I couldn’t believe that I didn’t get to taste a single winner. Humph! There’s more about the awards ceremony on Carrots’N’ Cake.

I had such a great time. Thank you to Pillsbury for sponsoring my trip to the 44th Bake-Off. We have a reunion planned already!

Though I’m invited as press to this event, it is truly one of my favorite events to attend. I absolutely love seeing all the tablescapes (not the Sandra Lee kind), possibly even more than the food sampling. (Did I just write that?) There seemed to be less food this year but the quality was good all-around (which is so rare at food events) with Duck Tacos and Venison from Ilili, Tuna Tartare Tartlets from Kittichai, cheeses from Murray’s, Gougere’s and Mushroom Soup from North Square, 5 Spice Cured Salmon Crostinis from Wall & Water, Artichoke Dip from Bella Cucina, gelato from Taste, and Tuna Spring Rolls from Buddakan (Dale Talde from Top Chef is now the Sous Chef there). If you twist my arm for favorites, it would be the last two: amazing strawberry gelato (without food coloring) and I could down a plate full of those raw tuna spring rolls. Hey Dale, want to teach us how to make them?

It’s so fun to look around with hors d’oeuvres available every few feet. Museums should take a lesson.

Now, for some favorite tables. I love branches and vines so I loved this one with purple orchids.

There was an interesting one made with all recycled or re-purposed materials.

There was one with an India theme that even had a live guy sitting in meditation as part of the exhibit.

Benjamin Moore sponsored a table that featured ipods. Notice the candle flames.

Breakfast at Tiffany’s table.

There’s so many food events these days that it’s hard to pick which ones to go to. This one is definitely one of the top on my list. Don’t miss out next year! (Follow me on twitter for upcoming events!)

I guess I’ll point out a few highlights, though it’s not really saying much here.

Some parts of this event felt like a mini version of the Fancy Food Show (an industry food convention meant for buyers to taste products) but seriously, I can’t remember most of the products anymore. It was that exciting. We saw these Cholives, chocolate truffles shaped like olives and stuck on plastic sticks that can hang off martini glasses. It’s a cute concept and the chocolates were good enough.

While most of the wines we tasted bored us (we tasted from roughly 4 or 5 wineries and there was a lot so we could have made bad choices), Keuka Lake Vineyards had some distinctive Rieslings and Vignoles. Their style seems to be light but we were particularly impressed with their Goldman Vineyard (one of their three) 2008 Dry Riesling. It’s not out on the market yet, but we’re excited to try pairing this spicy white.

It’s always hard for restaurants to serve at events like this, cooking on little plug-ins or keeping stuff in chaffing dishes, so we weren’t surprised to be tasting cold or over-cooked food most of the time. We have to give kudos to Chef Wolfgang Ban, from Seasonal Restaurant and Weinbar (not a typo), for his Braised Veal Cheeks and Spaetzle. Braised food is a good choice because it reheats well and it was all served hot. Technicalities aside, it was all very flavorful, a rich meaty goulash sauce with a mildly tangy sour cream soft speatzle. Though it was a sample size it was a complete plate and Lon is interested in trying the restaurant now so perhaps a full review is coming.

2 hours later, I was full, burping sparkling wine, and sick of squeezing through the bridge and tunnel crowd. We couldn’t help but feel bad for those who paid for this event. At $65 per ticket, you could probably drink your money’s worth, but free wine tastings are not hard to find. I also can’t help but compare this to New Amsterdam Market, which was free and had better vendors, making me feel like this event was really more about quantity than quality.

This was also an extra special treat because we were walking the market with Jen (left) and Bianca (right), two friends I met while working at Aix (now closed). Jen was the sous chef who had to deal with me, the green little student doing an externship. Bianca was a waitress, putting herself through business school, and we’ve been friends ever since. The two of them are just such awesome people, especially to eat with!  Edible was giving out free magazines (Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens, Huson Valley, and more) and we were grabbing them.

Bianca and I were particularly fond of the cheeses at Bklyn Larder 228 Flatbush Avenue, Brooklyn, NY 11217 (sampling and selling). The guy was trying to explain the cheeses but at events like this, it’s loud and people are pushing to get in and I end up feeling bad if I’m standing in front and blocking people. I realized that it’s actually hard to learn this way so I decided to make this more of a tasting trip, and to learn more about the ones I like, later.

The sausage was good but expensive for $5 (one link with beans).

Lon loved the Mexican chocolate samples at Taza Chocolates, again, piles of people pushing to get chocolate. I couldn’t even get in so we came back later.

W & T Seafood was selling oysters at $1 per piece, $1.25 shucked. They had three types (I know there was Wellfleets but I don’t remember the other two, sorry) and they were all super fresh and juicy, with such clean tasting liquor. If I wasn’t already full, I might have hung around this booth for 10 to 20 more.

Luke’s Lobster was another winner with crab rolls for $9 and lobster rolls for $14. The soft potato rolls were warm and toasty. The lobster was so fresh, the meat was less dense, almost flaky, probably some of the best lobster I’ve had. I loved that it was not drenched in mayo, leaving you to taste the lobster.

The Bent Spoon had some wonderful ice creams. The pumpkin mascarpone had a really balanced and natural flavor. The feel was very smooth and it sold out quickly.

After several good samples of various charcuterie of pig parts, Lon bought some pate from The Piggery. Knowing Lon, he was already taken by the suitable name, but $4 for a 4oz jar is very reasonable for good pate.

Not everything was super though. I wanted to try these English pastries called Eccles ($2 per piece) by Saltie, but the currants were dense and chewy inside. Is it supposed to be like that?

I wasn’t a fan of the $5 little sandwich from Porchetta, it was fatty and cold, not a good combination, with a chewy piece of skin inside that doesn’t make sense in a sandwich.

The neighboring stand, Jimmy’s No. 43, also disappointed, although more reasonably priced at $1 per piece. The slow cooker beef was actually dry, then drenched in sauce, and the bread was hard and seemed stale.

The Bratwurst from The Meat Hook irked us and we each had different reasons. Jen didn’t like the texture, a large coarse grind. Lon didn’t like the lemon-y kraut. I didn’t like the overly herbly meat. I don’t have a good picture of it but here’s the stand. I’m not sure if one guys is giving the other a massage, or they’re fighting?

There was two kimchee vendors, Mother in Law’s Kimchee and Mama O’s. Neither were bad but they didn’t impress me either. They seemed to be toned down kimchee and can’t compare to Bill’s mom’s kimchee.

Some vendors were giving out samples, some were selling products, some did both (and this post does not cover them all). Some stands were there purely to educate and answer questions about their methods or philosophy. It’s a great mix going on and I highly recommend going (two more: Nov 22nd and Dec 20th) for education and/or a full belly. It’s a fun group activity and they couldn’t have picked a better location, where you’ll be reminded of how beautiful this city can be.