A Spoonful of Sofrito: 10 Things You're probably doing wrong at a Chinese Buffet!

A Spoonful of Sofrito: A pinch of advice that will add a lot of flavor to your life.

10 Things You're probably doing wrong at a Chinese Buffet!

Sofrito Lovers,

There are certain skills every foodie should possess and knowing how to navigate a Chinese Buffet is one of the top ten!  Chinese Buffets aren't a simple way to dine, they're a test of your strategic skill and eating tactics.  

The goal of any buffet excursion is to eat like a glutton.  You want to fill your belly to capacity with yummy Chinese goodness until you have to unbutton your shirt.  If you finish your meal and you're still hungry, then you messed up.

Yes, folks, you can eat incorrectly at a buffet!  That's why I've posted the video below, originally posted by Off the Wall on YouTube, so everyone can learn how to navigate the treacherous pitfalls of Chinese Buffets.  

Watch it, learn, and go taste for yourself.  Remember, no salad; it's for suckers! ¡Buen Provecho!

A Spoonful of Sofrito: Uptowners Opening New Sweets Shop CHOCnyc in Inwood

A Spoonful of Sofrito: A pinch of advice that will add a lot of flavor to your life.

Uptowners Opening New Sweets Shop CHOCnyc in Inwood.

 

  

Sofrito Lovers,

It's only a matter of time before CHOCnyc opens up and when it does, I'll be the first on line getting my CHOCOLATE ON!

Inwood residents Chef Jemal Edwards and Brad Doles are opening up a bakery on the former site of Trattoria Inwood! I've never heard of Chef Edwards or of his work, but the idea of a good bakery and quality chocolatier close by is exciting.  

After reading the piece below from DNAinfo.com, I'm ready for CHOCnyc to make its debut.  Check out Carolina Pichardo's piece below!  Read, wait, and join me for some chocolate when CHOCnyc opens up!  ¡Buen provecho!

 Uptowners Opening New Sweets Shop CHOCnyc in Inwood

By Carolina Pichardo | February 18, 2016 11:22am 

@c_pichardo

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CHOCnyc

 

INWOOD — Choc it to me!

Uptown residents Jemal Edwards and Brad Doles will be churning out plenty of chocolate at their new bakery CHOCnyc at 4996 Broadway, in the space that previously housed Italian restaurant Trattoria Inwood.

 Check out the rest of this article!

A Spoonful of Sofrito: A Dozen Magnificent Mexican Breakfasts!

A Spoonful of Sofrito: A pinch of advice that will add a lot of flavor to your life.

A Dozen Magnificent Mexican Breakfasts!

 Sofrito Lovers,

If you've never had the pleasure of starting your day off with a Mexican breakfast, then you my friend have not lived.  Mexican breakfasts are incredible.  Now, I recognize that it's not for everyone-some folks don't want to eat refried beans or tamales for breakfast-and I get that, but it is still worth a try.

Mexican breakfasts can be incredibly creative, satisfying, and invigorating.  The combination of slow cooked well seasoned meats, sauteed veggies, and delicious corn meal tortillas can give any Lumberjack breakfast a run for its money.

Let me make something clear: I'm talking about a real Mexican breakfast, from one of the eateries in the Eater.com article below, not the Taco Bell Breakfast menu! That food is a one way trip down Diarrhea Road!

Tomorrow morning treat yourself to an incredible Breakfast Taco, a toasted pan dulce with butter, or a plate of Chilaquiles.  You'll be doing yourself a favor.

Read the article, get yourself some grub, and Buen provecho!

A Dozen Magnificent Mexican Breakfasts

 

Tortas, burritos, tacos, chilaquiles, and more

by Robert Sietsema, February 16, 2016

Few cuisines offer the breakfast latitude that Mexican does, from a lively range of fried egg platters, to giant heaps of chilaquiles made from last night’s tortillas, to hot tamales, to Texas-style breakfast tacos, to the cudgel-size bean-bearing burritos of California. And then we have the sandwiches called tortas and cemitas, each with its own special breakfast potential, and the colorful sweet rolls known as pan dulce, available in any Mexican bakery. Here, in observation of Eater’s Breakfast Week, we serve up some of the best Mexican breakfasts in town.

Check out the rest of the article here

A Spoonful of Sofrito: A One-Day Food Tour of Jackson Heights and Elmhurst...

A Spoonful of Sofrito: A pinch of advice that will add a lot of flavor to your life.

A One-Day Food Tour of Jackson Heights and Elmhurst, New York's Most Diverse Dining Destination

Sofrito Lovers,

Jackson Heights is truly an amazing culinary hotspot! I've only begun exploring this incredible neighborhood and I'm already impressed beyond belief. The restaurants, food shops, bakeries, and other assorted eateries are plentiful, high quality, and delicious. I've been meaning to post more about my adventures but haven't had the time.

A few days ago, Serious Eats posted this article singing the praises of Jackson Heights and Elmhurst. I consider this kismet! Read through this article and fall in love the multi-cultural culinary splendor of Jackson Heights, where South Asian, Eastern European, Latin American, and New American cuisine meet.

Read it, go out there, and taste for yourself! ¡Buen provecho!

A One-Day Food Tour of Jackson Heights and Elmhurst, New York's Most Diverse Dining Destination

by MAX FALKOWITZ

Whether you're just visiting New York or you've lived here all your life, chances are you haven't spent enough time exploring Jackson Heights, Queens. Take it from someone who lives there—truly knowing this immigrant-dominated neighborhood, where Colombians and Mexicans rub shoulders with Tibetans and Thai—is an impossible task. It's the New York dream writ small: astonishingly diverse, always changing, and endlessly interesting. Few other places on earth are as culturally rich and complex, and even fewer are dense enough to walk through in an afternoon.

Check out the rest of the Article.

A Spoonful of Sofrito: Chicken Fricassee/Fricassee de Pollo!

A Spoonful of Sofrito: A pinch of advice that will add a lot of flavor to your life.

Chicken Fricassee/Fricassee de Pollo!

Sofrito Lovers,

Once again, my girl Julie from CookedbyJulie saved my butt this weekend.  I wasn't sure what I was going to cook this weekend until one of her cooking tutorial videos piqued my curiosity.

Her Fricassee de Pollo estilo Cubano (Cuban Style Chicken Fricassee) recipe looked so delicious and easy I had to try for myself.  Not to sound immodest, but I rocked that recipe like no one's business.  The pic above is a plate of my one pot masterpiece.

Enough of my bragging!  Watch it, cook it, and taste for yourself! ¡Buen provecho!

A Spoonful of Sofrito: Chinese people try Panda Express for the first time!

A Spoonful of Sofrito: A pinch of advice that will add a lot of flavor to your life.

Chinese people try Panda Express for the first time!

Sofrito Lovers,

Once again I've posted another tasting video, but this is one is different.  Check out: Chinese people try Panda Express for the first time!  I love the idea of Chinese elders tasting Panda Express; the reactions are unexpected, surprising, and hilarious!

Panda Express is the McDonald's of Chinese food. It's pure fast food with little to no authentic Chinese flavor.  A few months ago, two locations opened in New York City, the first in the Bronx and the other in Manhattan. 

I remember the pure joy my partner David expressed when I told him about the Panda opening in the Bronx.  David loves Panda Express's signature dish, Orange Chicken, which is not Chinese.  We haven't gone there  together yet, but we've each purchased meals for each other there.  I have to admit it's not THAT bad, but I would never choose it over real Chinese food.

Without further adieu, check out the video posted below!  Watch, laugh, and go taste for yourself! ¡Buen provecho!

A Spoonful of Sofrito: Cooking with Drag Queens

A Spoonful of Sofrito: A pinch of advice that will add a lot of flavor to your life.

Cooking with Drag Queens

Sofrito Lovers,

Yes, that title is correct!  Today's post is about a web series I stumbled upon by accident: Cooking with Drag Queens. 

This fantastic YouTube channel is co-hosted by a married couple, Fausto Fernos and Marc Felion, and features famous drag queens (mostly from RuPaul's Drag Race) cooking their favorite dishes with the guys.

It's funny, irreverent, and campy as hell.  They cook amazing meals, all the while, laughing, talking, and entertaining the hell out of you.  I'm going to let these videos speak for themselves.  

I've posted one of my favorite videos which features Kim Chi, a Season 8 contestant on RuPaul's Drag Race.  Season 8 of the Race premieres on Logo Monday March 7th; I cannot wait!

Sit back, watch this video, and laugh!  ¡Buen provecho!