May 13, 2008

To Do: Wednesday, May 14

photo taken by ultraclay.com at Brooklyn Uncorked 2007

What: Brooklyn Uncorked
When: 4-8 p.m
Where: BAMCafe at Brooklyn Academy of Music, 30 Lafayette Ave, Fort Greene, Brooklyn, 631-537-4637
Fees: $50/per person. For tickets go to Edible Brooklyn.

Try some delicious local Long Island wine and sample dishes from of Brooklyn's best restaurants. There are rumors that our favorite Brooklyn restaurant, Little D Eatery, will be at the event, doing what they do best: dishing up little delectable tastes.

Other highlights:
Sample a selection of award-winning Long Island and New York microbrews, including Blue Point Brewery, Brooklyn Brewery, Heartland Brewery, Sixpoint Craft Ales, and Southampton Publick House.

In addition to cheese from Stinky Bklyn and Whole Foods Market, Long Island potato chips, palate-coolers from Wine Cellar Sorbets, freshly pressed coffees from Bodum, and natural sodas from Grown-up Soda (GuS), favorite neighborhood restaurants will be serving up samples, including Bonita, Flatbush Farm, iCi, La Maison du Couscous, Palo Santo, Smoke Joint, and Stonehome Wine Bar, as well as Great Performances caterers. Music will be provided by WLIU radio.

Posted by Cakehead at 01:59 PM | Comments (0)

May 05, 2008

T-Whipped Taste Test

The dual is on: Reddi-wip against Cool Whip

Now that real whipped cream and dairy-free Cool Whip topping both come in an aerosol can, it's time for a taste test. Decide for yourselves which whipped topping tastes better.

Over at Glam Dish they're giving away three gift packages which each include a year's supply of Reddi-wip. [thanks for the tip Amy Sherman]

Now all you need is to run out and purchase the Cool Whip spray.

Winners, check back here, to find out all you can do with a year's supply of Reddi-wip.

Posted by Cakehead at 08:57 PM | Comments (0)

December 04, 2007

Activities: The weekend starts early this week!

Thursday, December 6th
What: Rwanda Journalism Benefit Party
When: 6:30 pm - Midnight
Where: Supreme Trading, 213 North 8th St. (Driggs & Roebling), Williamsburg, Brooklyn. Map
**Two blocks from the Bedford L-train stop.
Directions:Take the L-train to Bedford Avenue. Exit at the Driggs end of the train. Walk north on Driggs for 1 block to North 8th Street. Take a right (going west, away from the water). Supreme Trading is 1 1/2 blocks on the left.
Fee: $20 for a good cause
About: Open Bass Ale Beer bar from 7-8 pm, great music including Big Lazy & Francis and the Lights AND a chance to sample one of the most difficult cuisines to find in New York City: Rwandan. Your donation will support the production of a documentary about Rwandan and Western journalism students covering post-genocide Rwanda. For more info about the event and the film click here.

Friday, December 7th
What: Brewtopia V: The Great World Beer Festival
When: 7-11 PM
Where: Pier 90, Pier 92 and Pier 93, 51st Street at 12th Avenue, New York, NY
About: Taste hundreds of different beers brewed by the world's biggest and smallest beer companies. Unfortunately, they won't be serving up one of our favorites, Geary's.
Fee: $40-$50

Saturday, December 8th
What: Bust Magazine Holiday Craftacular
When: 10 AM – 8 PM
Where: Metropolitan Pavilion, 125 West 18th Street (between 6th and 7th Avenue) in New York City.

Sunday, December 9th
What: Make a New Foodie Friend
Fee: Free
About: It's the holiday season, so make a new friend with this self-described foodie who posted on Craigslist: He or she (there is no indication of gender) says,

"Most of my friends have moved or married or coupled up. I like eating out (sort of a foodie) and seeing movies and going to the theatre. Just saw the new Coen Brothers film. If you are employed, professional, educated, and want someone fun and bright to hang out with...please let me know. Please I am not looking for romance or any alternative relationships. Just looking for someone that wants to occasionally see a film or meet for dinner (preferably below midtown)."

Posted by Cakehead at 06:44 PM | Comments (1)

December 03, 2007

Activity: Benefit Party Presents Tastings of Hard to Find Cuisine

If you haven't lined up a holiday party for Thursday, Dec. 6th, head over to Supreme Trading for an open Bass Ale Beer bar from 7-8 pm, great music including Big Lazy & Francis and the Lights, AND to sample one of the most difficult cuisines to find in New York City: Rwandan. We've done some research and short of buying a plane ticket to Kigali, this may be your only opportunity to taste Rwandan dishes, since there are no Rwandan restaurants in the five boroughs.

Your donation will support the production of a documentary about Rwandan and Western journalism students covering post-genocide Rwanda. Proceeds raised from the film be used to create a scholarship fund for Rwandan journalism students.

Where: Supreme Trading, 213 North 8th St. (Driggs & Roebling), Williamsburg, Brooklyn
**Two blocks from the Bedford L-train stop.
When: Thursday, December 6th, 6:30pm-midnight
Directions:Take the L-train to Bedford Avenue. Exit at the Driggs end of the train. Walk north on Driggs for 1 block to North 8th Street. Take a right (going west, away from the water). Supreme Trading is 1 1/2 blocks on the left. Map
Fee: $20 donation
For more info about the event and the film click here.

Posted by Cakehead at 04:19 PM | Comments (0)

October 31, 2007

Activities for Halloween: Free Beer and Pig Ears for Halloween Dinner

What:R.I.P.P.E.D. A Halloween Masquerade Bash
When: Wednesday, Oct. 31st
Where:29 Wythe Street (@ North 13th Street) Williamsburg, Brooklyn
Fee:Free with RSVP, Complimentary Bass Pale Ale bar all night, no cover with RSVP.
About:
Live Performances by: Apes & Androids, Totally Michael, DJ Dirtyfingers, Andrew Andrew, DJ Kingdom
With crazy hosts Darryl Nau and Krystyna Printup ( Peace of Pizza), who dress like it's Halloween every day, and huge n' scary punk-rock pinata, made by the guys who made this. Plus, cheap cash bar for any non-Bass Ale Pale drinkers, and... more candy!
[from Freewilliamsburg.com via MyOpenBar]

Pigs Ears, It's What's for Dinner...on Halloween
Even when The New Yorker magazines pile up, we always find time to read the "Table for Two" column. This week's column points us to an appropriate spot to dine on Halloween. El Quinto Pino features Pig Ear Salad.

A more unconventional option was the pig's-ear salad, served cold and with a vinegary dressing. The ears, carved into bite-sized chunks, were a little gray, and gristly; one could easily imagine them flapping against a porcine skull. (It didn't taste bad, exactly, but it was the only dish left unfinished.) Slightly less shocking (and infinitely more appealing) was the sea-urchin panini, a slim cylinder of baguette slathered with butter, spice, and briny, aphrodisiacal roe.

[from The New Yorker by Andrea Thompson]

Posted by Cakehead at 03:59 AM | Comments (0)

October 19, 2007

Activities for the Weekend

Friday, October 19th
What: Ben Sherman CMJ Bash
When: 7-10 pm
Where: Ben Sherman Store, 96 Spring St, SoHo
Fee: Free Bass beer with RSVP. RSVP to iwanttogo@filtermmm.com
About: DJ Andy Smith of Portishead is the main attraction at this SoHo Ben Sherman Store stop n' shop, with the free Bass Pale Ale coming in a close second. [from Myopenbar.com]

What: The Gourmet Institute
When: Friday, Oct. 19th-Sunday, Oct. 21st. Click here for full schedule.
Where: Time Warner Center, 10 Columbus Circle at 60th Street
Fee: Requires sponsorship or deep pockets for the $1,395.00 pricetag. If you have either, call 888-308-6133 to register.
About: The epicurean world's top talents will come together under one roof for a very special weekend of insider-only seminars, cooking demonstrations, tastings and more. Get an exclusive sneak peak into the world of Gourmet with A-list chefs, including Anthony Bourdain, Thomas Keller, Gray Kunz, Masaharu Morimoto, Charlie Palmer, Michel Richard, Eric Ripert, and Marcus Samuelsson.

Saturday, October 20th
What: The Red Hook Harvest Festival
When: 10 am-5 pm
Where: Columbia & Signourney Street, Red Hook, Brooklyn. Click here for directions.
Fee: Free
About: Explore the Red Hook Community Farm, New York City’s largest urban agricultural project and take a tour of the facility led by a member of Added Value

Sunday, October 21st
What: The Food Theater Project presents: Milk-n-Honey and the After Show Cafe
When: Opening, October 21, 2007 3:00 pm running through November 18, 2007
Where: 3-Legged Dog Art & Technology Center, 80 Greenwich Street @ Rector St, NYC
Fee: $15 each. Buy tickets by clicking here.
About: Milk-n-Honey, a multimedia play about the politics and pleasures of eating. Followed by the After Show Cafe, where audience members can eat Fair Trade treats and hang out with artists, scholars and activists. Milk-n-Honey was created from interviews with farmers, waiters, migrant workers, flavor chemists, advertising executives, dumpster divers, grocery clerks, diabetics, activists, and eaters like you.

Posted by Cakehead at 02:22 PM | Comments (1)

October 12, 2007

Activities: Spend Your Weekend Thinking About Food Systems

from Julia Mandle's performance of'Come and Have a Chicky Meal, Cuz, You're Gonna Love This Deal'

Friday, October 12th
What: Opening of King Corn, a feature documentary about two friends, one acre of corn, and the subsidized crop that drives our fast-food nation.
Where: Cinema Village
When: Opens tonight. The film is only scheduled to be at Cinema Village for four days, unless enough people go to see this important film. Help to extend the run and buy your ticket now.
Fee: the cost of a movie ticket.

Saturday, October 13th
What: Performance Artist, Julia Mandle's 'Come and Have a Chicky Meal, Cuz, You're Gonna Love This Deal'
Where: The Art Directors Club gallery, 106 West 29 St
(betw 6 & 7 Ave)
When: Oct. 9-Oct. 13th, Gallery Hours: Weekdays 10am – 6pm; Sat. 12 – 5pm
Performance Times: Wednesday-Friday at 7pm; Saturday at 5pm
Fee: Free
About: In 2005, during a visit by England's cricket team to Pakistan, a bombing at a Karachi KFC killed 5 and wounded 15. Performance artist Julia Mandle remembers the event, and has created an installation called "Come & Have a Chicky Meal, Cuz You're Gonna Love This Deal." The title is taken from a sign found in the rubble. The work fuses ensemble performance, visual art, embroidered costumes and architecture to ask, "What is the 'deal' that American democracy offers the world today? Is our consumer culture larger than our sense of civic responsibility?"
[from Gothamist]

What: Bluegrass on the Hudson - Concert & Family Picnic
Where: 109th Street on the Riverside Park promenade; Take the 1/9 train to 110th Street
When: Saturday, Oct. 13th, 4 pm
Fee: Free
About: A foot-stompin’ bluegrass concert featuring James Reams & the Barnstormers. Start Halloween early; join the Puppeteers Cooperative and get a chance to be a life-size puppet! The Flour Patch Bakery will have a table where you can Decorate Your Own Cookie! And there will be free free popcorn from Dale and Thomas® Popcorn, and free drinks from Purity Organic.

Posted by Cakehead at 12:45 PM | Comments (0)

October 05, 2007

Activities: Autumn is here. You don't have to go far for NY apples.

Saturday, October 6th
What: Candy Camp
Where: Sapa, 43 W. 24th St., near Broadway, New York, NY
When: 10 am-11:30 Am
Fee: $40, for tickets call 800-939-2990
About: It's the first Saturday of the month which means, it's time for Candy Camp at Sapa. Renowned AIX pastry chef Jehangir Mehta holds confectionery classes for kids. Candy Camp includes a brief education on the healthy stuff as well. What? Healthy candy?

Sunday, October 7th
What: Apple Festival
Where: Queens Farm Museum, 73-50 Little Neck Pkwy., nr. 74th Ave., Glen Oaks, Queens
Directions: Subway: E, F at Kew Gardens-Union Tpke., then take the Q46 bus to Little Neck Pkwy.
When: 11 am-4 pm
Fee: Free
About: The Queens County Farm Museum's apple festival, has freshly pressed cider and the nation's largest apple cobbler (baked on site), neither of which contains fruit from the museum's 80 or so Newtown Pippin, Delicious, and Cortland specimens. While you're there, be sure to pick your own pumpkin.

What: Pastry Scoop Fall Conference
Where: French Culinary Institute, 462 Broadway, @ Grand Street, New York, NY
When: 9:30 am-6 pm
Fee: $55, click here to read about workshops and buy tickets
About: The city's finest talents gather to host workshops on a variety of topics including fanciful wedding cakes, desserts with international flavor, and the latest in the high-tech pastry revolution.

[from NY Magazine]

Posted by Cakehead at 02:10 PM | Comments (0)

September 28, 2007

Activities: The First Annual Hot Tomato Dance Picnic

[art by Shawn Dell Joyce]

This weekend all the fun is happening on Sunday. So, get your churchin' in on Saturday and free yourself for all the good stuff on the Lord's Day.

On September 30th, 1820 Colonel Robert Gibbon Johnson ate a bushel (24 kg) of tomatoes in Salem, Massachusetts, proving that the tomato is not lethal. Now you can eat a whole bushel of tomatoes too!

What: The First Annual Hot Tomato Dance Picnic
When: Sunday, September 30th, 3-6:30 pm
Where: At the Naumberg Bandshell in Central Park
(On the central promenade, mid-park between 66th and 70th streets)
Fee: Free (donations appreciated)
Michael Arenella and his 11-piece Dreamland Orchestra, in collaboration with Central Park Swings , invite you to join us in Central Park, for a late afternoon of Hot '20s jazz, dancing and picnicking. And of course to celebrate the induction of the tomato as edible, non-poisonous fare. Prizes will be awarded to the best tomato-based picnic recipe!

What: Medieval Festival - get your turkey bones...need we say more.
When: Sunday, September 30th, 11:30am - 6:00pm
Where: Fort Tyron Park (directions)
Fee: Free

Chile Pepper Fiesta. Click here for more details.

And if you're in Atlanta, GA this weekend, be sure to check out the JapanFest for

- cooking demonstrations by Koichi Mimura, official chef of the Consul General of Japan, and Kuniaki Yoshimura, former chef and owner of Satsuki Restaurant in Atlanta; tea ceremony demonstrations; a green tea house; a tea ceremony demonstration by Hisashi Yamada, director of the Urasenke Chanoyu Center in New York, and many more exciting attractions.
- a display of the art of Japanese plastic food. In the Meiji era at the end of the 19th century, Japanese restaurant-goers were frequently confronted with strange new Western foods on their menus.
- a wide selection of Japan dishes, ready for sampling

Posted by Cakehead at 04:33 AM | Comments (0)

September 27, 2007

Activity: The Great Gathering of Chefs

If you have money to burn and want to do some serious sandwich eating tonight, why not head to the Atrium of the Trump Tower for The Great Gathering of Chefs, presented by Battman Studios to Benefit the Children's Storefront (a tuition-free school in Harlem).

When: Thursday, Sept. 27, 3-5 pm - Meet the Chefs / Sandwich and Wine Tasting
6-8 pm - Second Course
Where: Trump Tower, 725 Fifth Ave. at 56th St.
Fee: $250 Meet the Chefs / Sandwich and Wine Tasting / first and second course and an autographed book, Sandwiches of the World. $100 Sandwich and Wine Tasting / second course.
To purchase tickets click here.

Posted by Cakehead at 08:39 PM | Comments (0)

September 26, 2007

Welcome Back to the Blogosinterweb, Rumproast

Obviously, we don't know our cuts of meat. We accidentally made a Welcome Back Steak Cake instead of the more appropriate Rumproast Cake

He's back, and we're so relieved. Our cakes have been coming out dry and sunken, but with Rumproast back in the blog world to point us to the correct ingredients, we know that we'll be baking those rich decadent cakes again soon. And to get things started with a kick of spice, he recommends that you head to The 15th Annual Red Hot Chili Pepper Fiesta in Brooklyn this weekend.

When: Sunday, September 30, Noon-6 pm
Where: Brooklyn Botanical Gardens
Fee: Free with Admission
What: Join us for New York's hottest fall tradition. It's like a big Brooklyn block party where the grooves are smokin', the chile peppers are scorching, and the dancers are calling for water. You can learn the Cajun two-step, master Indian chutney-making, discover traditional Peruvian dance, attend movie screenings, pick up peppery gardening tips from "the Chile Goddess," or join other endorphin-inspired workshops, demonstrations, and exhibits for the whole family. There's hot food and cold beer too!

Posted by Cakehead at 11:06 PM | Comments (1)

July 23, 2007

Restaurant Week: Monday, July 23-Friday, July 27

It's back. For all you poor souls who want to eat where the important people dine, this week you can. Restaurant Week is here. At participating restaurants, order a three-course, prix fixe lunch for $24.07 or dinner for $35. Call and make your reservations now.

Posted by Cakehead at 08:35 PM | Comments (0)

May 29, 2007

Activity: Crawfish Festival

When Flavorpill announced that the Crawfish Festival in New Jersey next weekend, we cleared our weekend and booked tickets for a getaway to the Garden State. With a large contingent of family members in Louisiana, we have have a direct access to the very best ettouffee and pecan pie recipes. But to have the authentic dishes brought to our neck of the woods by the Louisiana natives makes for an event not to be missed.

Cajun Eats 'n Beats - Crawfish Fest
What: Four tons of live crawfish are bound from Louisiana to New Jersey for this year's Crawfish Fest, a mini jazz-fest that combines hedonistic eating with music that could only have originated in the funky swamp of New Orleans.
When: Saturday, June 2 and Sunday, June 3
Where: Sussex County Fairgrounds, 37 Plains Rd, Augusta, NJ, map
Travel: Catch a direct bus from Port Authority.
Fee: $30 / $25 advance, A two-day festival pass is $45.
Music: The four swinging (trom)bones of Bonerama and the stinging riffs of blues master Sonny Landreth set up headliners the New Orleans Social Club — pianist Henry Butler, the Meters' George Porter Jr and Leo Nocentelli, with Ivan Neville, and Raymond Weber. Lafayette's Cajun upstarts the Pine Leaf Boys will get you to the dance floor, and zydeco master Geno Delafose will keep you there, working off the beignets, jambalaya, po-boys, and boiled crawfish.

Sunday music: Day two of the fest features Dr. John, Cowboy Mouth, and Jon Cleary and the Absolute Monster Gentlemen.

Posted by Cakehead at 05:10 PM | Comments (0)

May 25, 2007

To Do this Memorial Day Weekend: Books, Beer, Crisco & BBQ

Friday, May 25
What: Dance Dance Library Revolution
When: Friday, May 25th, 10:30pm
Where: Enid's (560 Manhattan Ave), Williamsburg
Subway: L to Bedford Ave, G to Nassau Ave
Cost: Free
Tonight check out Dance Dance Library Revolution, Dewey Decimal themed cocktails help librarian groupies find what they're looking for at Enid's. The fashion-forward folks of The Desk Set (a group of librarians devoted to soaking in the area's literary and alcoholic offerings) host. Jonathan from New York Night Train spins tunes to unravel the tightest of buns and fog everyone's glasses. Prepare to be shushed!
**First drink free with a donation of a non-fiction paperback to Books Through Bars.

What: Diamonds, Rings, & Cutlass Supremes 2 - free barbecue & cheep drinks, no cover (with RSVP)
When: Friday, May 25, 9-10 PM
Where: Hope Lounge, 10 Hope Street (Grand and Metropolitian), Williamsburg
RSVP: mastro@takeovertheory.com
Music by DJs Evil Dee, Yamez and Iron Lyon. Giftbags to those who RSVP with goodies from Skullcandy, Day in the Lyfe, Connected Mag, Takeover Theory, and Methods Clothing. The crowd swings toward hip-hop but if you bring enough friends, you bring your own crowd.
[via MyOpenBar]

Saturday, May 26th
What: Barbecue at Flatbush Farm
When: Saturday, May 26, 2-6 PM
Where: 78 St. Marks Avenue and Flatbush
Memorial Day weekend is meant for barbecuing and that's what Flatbush Farm does best.

Sunday, May 27th
What: Bike Brooklyn's Beer Blitz
When: Sunday, May 27, 2-5 PM
Where: Start at The City Reliquary, 370 Metropolitan Ave at Havemeyer and Withers, Williamsburg
Fee: $25, includes two beers from the Brooklyn Brewery
Bike throughout North Brooklyn with licensed NYC tour guides and learn the history of Bushwick's Brewing community on the site of Brewers Row - 14 blocks that once hosted over 20 Breweries throughout the 19th century. From Brewers Row we head to The Boulevard - Bushwick Avenue - and gaze upon the last standing mansions of the Beer Barons' heyday. Biking further East, we visit Evergreen Cemetary and visit a veritable post-mortem Brewers' Row - the plot of land where many old German Brewing families are buried. Finally we return to Williamsburg and the Brooklyn Brewery where we raise a toast to the Breweries of yesteryear.

What: Disco Crisco Twister
When: Sunday, May 25th, 7 PM
Where: Arlene's Grocery, 95 Stanton St between Orchard and Ludlow St
Fee: $8
When you marry our favorite music genre, with our favorite cooking ingredient and our favorite game, you're guaranteed a night of fun. Audience members will have the opportunity to form teams of four to six people and compete for pride and prizes, playing games such as Name That Tune, Truth or Dare Jenga, Live Band Musical Chairs, Flip Cup, Intimate Orange Relay Race, and Twister (with a twist).

Posted by Cakehead at 03:22 PM | Comments (0)

May 22, 2007

Activity: Tomorrow Night Stuff Your Face to Help Fight Childhood Hunger

It's not too late to buy your tickets for Taste of the Nation NYC 2007 - an evening of tasting and toasting to support the fight against childhood hunger. As always, you can sample from a smörgåsbord of tastes from more than 50 of the finest restaurants in New York. Tickets are a little steep this year at over $200 a pop. But if you can spare the change, it's a worthy cause and you're guaranteed some good eating.

When: Tomorrow, Wednesday, May 23rd, 2007
Time: 7:30 - 10:30 pm
Where: Roseland Ballroom
239 West 52nd Street (b/w Broadway and 8th Avenue), New York, NY 10019
212.247.0200

Posted by Cakehead at 12:56 PM | Comments (0)

May 02, 2007

2nd annual Crafty-Pie: A Williamsburg craft fair featuring Handmade Crafts and Homemade Pie

We know you already plans in place for the Kentucky Derby. But do you have plans for the after party, on Seiso de Mayo? We can think of nothing more fun than eating pie and buying crafts.Take a trip to Williamsburg to do just that!

When:Sunday, May 6th, 12-6pm
Where:Union Pool, 484 Union Ave (at Meeker Ave) Williamsburg, Brooklyn
Diretions:Take the L or G to Metropolitan/Lorimer- it's right next to the BQE

What do derby girls, Brooklyn artists, trapeze troupes, and their friends do in their spare time? They create cool crafts & tasty treats for dogs and people alike! Come check out the 2nd Annual Crafty-Pie! The backyard is open at Union Pool, so come have a drink and slice of pie and waltz through the display of handmade wares including: screened shirts & unmentionables, accessories, handbags, pillows, pies, dog treats and more!

Posted by Cakehead at 03:05 AM | Comments (0)

February 16, 2007

Celebrate the Golden Pig: Dine your way through the Chinese New Year

suckling pig roasted like a crispy duck

The year of the pig occurs every 12 years. But when the Chinese Lunar New Year begins on February 18th it will not just be the year of any pig. It's the year of the Golden pig, something that only occurs every 60 years. Because it's such an auspicious year, hospitals across China are expecting a baby boom. But for us here in the States it is simply reason to rinse off the dumpling steamer and prepare the feast.

If you don't feel like cooking, here's where you should go for parades and celebratory Asian snacks. But be prepared for crowds and chaos. And if you plan to eat adventurously bring a friend who speaks and reads Mandarin or Cantonese so you can actually read the secret menu.

To properly celebrate the Chinese New Year this year, skip Chinatown, Manhattan and head to Flushing, Queens or Bensonhurst, Brooklyn.

Flushing Chinese New Years Parade, 2006

Flushing, Queens
Event: Lunar New Year Parade
When: Saturday, February 17, 11 am - 1 pm
Viewing Stands: At Flushing Library (Main and Kissena) and at the parade's end (Main and 37th Ave). Most people watch on Main St.
Route: Begins, Union St at 37th Ave >> south on Union >> right on Sanford >> right on Kissena >> right on Main >> ends at Main and 37th Ave. For more celebrations, the Chinese performers then head to the Flushing Mall, and the Korean contingent goes to Korea Village.
Food in Flushing:

Flushing Mall Food Court for that "this feels like Asia" experience. The Xinjiang stand and Ramen King are both authentic, good and cheap.
133-31 39th Ave, two blocks west of Main Street, a couple of blocks north of the 7 train

Imperial Palace (Chinese name is East Lake) for the best dim sum in Queens
136-13 37 Av (near the 7 train)
Flushing, Queens
718-939-3501

Waterfront It'l Enterprises
40-09 Prince St. at 40th Rd.
Flushing, Queens
718-321-1363

Bensonhurst, Brooklyn
We know. Everyone's talking about how Sunset Park is Brooklyn's Chinatown. But we have scoured the neighborhood in search of good Chinese for our readers and came up short. Save Sunset Park for Karaoke at the Rainbow Cafe at 5th Avenue and 39th Street. Head to Bensonhurst and Bayridge for a breakfast of Dim Sum this Chinese New Year.

Ocean Port Seafood Restaurant
6202 18th Avenue (62nd Street)
Bensonhurst, Brooklyn
(718) 236-8118

World Tong
18th Avenue & 62nd Street
Bensonhurst, Brooklyn

Ming Gee's Seafood Palace
618 62nd Street (corner of Sixth Ave.)
Bayridge, Brooklyn
Subway: R train to 59th St. and Fourth Ave.
Buses: B63 on Fifth Ave., B70 on Eighth Ave, B9 on 59th St.

If you don't feel like leaving the island, here's where you should go to dine in Manhattan:

Amazing 66 Restaurant
66 Mott St near Canal
(212) 334-0099

New Yeah Shanghai Deluxe
65 Bayard St., at Mott St.
212-566-4884
The name of this restaurant is especially appropriate for the holiday. You’ll be guided by your waiter to the soup dumplings, the de rigueur Shanghai-joint appetizer, but they’re only one example of the kitchen’s dexterity with dough—fried or steamed, stuffed with pork or springy snow-pea greens, the dumplings alone are worth a visit.

To learn more about traditional dishes eaten for the fifteen days of the Lunar New Year click here.

Posted by Cakehead at 12:46 PM | Comments (0)

June 23, 2006

Let them eat lettuce: Anemia-prevention Event

When our friend Kevin suggested that we push our non-red-meat-eating spouses in the direction of a lettuce patch and head to a combination documentary screening/hamburger tasting event this Saturday, we felt a great sense of relief to have someone else looking out for our slipping iron levels.

Here are the details:
Event: Screening of Hamburger America, George Motz’s documentary about the country’s favorite sandwich and all its variations.
Sample the burgers featured in the film and reproduced at Harry’s—like Wisconsin’s Butter Burger (served with a pat of butter) or the Guber Burger from Missouri (smeared with peanut butter).
When: Saturday, June 24
Time: 6-10 pm
Location: Water Taxi Beach, Hunter’s Point, 2nd St at Borden Ave, Long Island City, Queens.
Fee: Documentary screening is free, but you have to purchase advance ticket to ensure a taste of the burgers featutred in the documentary.
For more information and to purchase tickets, visit watertaxibeach.com.

[Time Out via Kevin K]

In other Hamburger news, a Florida restaurant has been selling 20 oz burgers for $100. The burger is made of ground chuck from three continents and proceeds from the pricey sandwich will go towards the Make a Wish Foundation. We saw this ah-shucks style story while watching the morning news. It goes without saying that we've lost all respect for this version of the news. But we couldn't go without commenting on how the morning shows are becoming free publicity avenues for savvy businesses and how reporters are letting it happen.

The reporter presented the story as though its relevance was how the high pricetag of a hamburger was benefitting the Make-a-Wish Foundation. Curious about how much of the hundred bucks the foundation would see, we did a little digging and discovered that the restaurant will keep $90, passing on a mere $10 the Make-a-Wish Foundation. Once again we're left wondering who the fools are who are producing the local news stories.

Posted by Cakehead at 01:55 PM | Comments (0)

June 09, 2006

How to Spend Your Friday

Friday, June 9

EAT: Free Godiva Ice Cream
Time: 10:00am - 2:00pm
Location: Luna Park (1 Union Square East at 17th St)
Fee: Free
Description: To kick off their "Diva Dreams" Series, Godiva "butlers" will be serving up "complimentary Godiva Ice Cream (while supplies last)... under a 16-ft. model of the Eiffel Tower constructed from more than 10,000 wooden Godiva ice cream sticks and hundreds of Godiva pints. The model is being designed and built by Pratt Institute's School of Architecture."
[WUNY via FreeNYC]

LISTEN: Body Rock Radio
Time: 12PM
Location: Rosie Live Music, 345 Grand St between Marcy Street and Havemeyer, Brooklyn, 718-599-0069
Train: L Train to Lorimer
Fee: Free
Description: Be old-school and listen to some B-side and 12inch remixes.

WATCH: Stalkers, Hit Men and other Lousy Friends
Rooftop Films
Time: 8:30PM
Location: Automotive High School
50 Bedford Ave between North 12th and Lorimer, Brooklyn
Train: L Train to Bedford Ave.
Fee: $8
Description: Incredible animations about unlikely and unlikable companions.

Posted by Cakehead at 01:33 PM | Comments (0)

April 25, 2006

Cookie Baking Rock Stars

DJ Scratch & Sniff are two baker/music makers - made up of duo of German Cassis and Serena "Swiss Miss" Jost. While they mix beats they stir and cook. We stumbled upon them a couple of weeks ago at PS 1 as they were pulling a batch of cookies out of the oven, mid-beat. They placed the tasties on a little serving tower and fans ran up to for samples. Their cookies are chocolate chip - not jam filled, but that doesn't mean they can't jam.

Posted by Cakehead at 02:05 PM | Comments (0)

April 20, 2006

"Feed Desire: Design and the Tools of the Table, 1500-2005"

The Cooper-Hewitt National Design Museum presents "a journey through the evolution of Western dining from the Renaissance to the present" in their Feed Desire: Design and the Tools of the Table, 1500-2005 exhibit. The exhibit will examine social and design history with a collection of dining implements that includes some of our favorite utensils: Ice cream scoops and grape shears.

When: May 5-October 29
Where: The Cooper-Hewitt Museum, 2 East 91st Street at Fifth Avenue, New York City

Posted by Cakehead at 02:12 PM | Comments (0)

February 02, 2006

Park Slope Restaurant Opening

We don't live in Park Slope, Brooklyn but that won't keep us away from Little Dishes, a new restaurant that's opening tonight where the Cornbread Cafe used to be.

Owned by husband and wife Colin Wright and Mira Friedlaender, Little Dishes offers the American eating community delicious mezze such as salt cod fritters, the most tender octopus salad we've eaten since Spain, cauliflower soup that tastes like Ambrosia from the Gods. You could easily make a meal of the little dishes or try one of the larger dishes. Dishes like pork chops, skate and our favorite: the fall-off-the bone lamb shank that seemed to melt in the mouth. They're opening tonight, so be sure to call early for a reservation.

Little Dishes
434 Seventh Avenue
Park Slope, Brooklyn
718-369-3144
(F train to 7th Avenue)
http://www.littledishes.org/

For all of you mourning the loss of the Cornbread Cafe's passing maybe this will change your mind. When the new owners moved in they found boxes and boxes of Jiffy's cornbread mix hidden in the basement. Guess the cornbread they were serving wasn't a secret family recipe afterall.

Posted by Cakehead at 01:24 PM | Comments (4)

Restaurant Week

Only two days left. Get in before it's too late. Restaurant week

Posted by Cakehead at 07:15 AM | Comments (0)

January 31, 2006

Bowls of Super Cake (or how we learned to love Super Bowl weekend)

We hate the sport, but love the sin. The sin of gluttony that is. While friends and family are placing bets on which the winning team will be, we're not even sure who's in the finale. Is that what they call that final football game played on Superbowl Sunday?

We're too distracted by the circulating Superbowl Evite menus to pay any attention to whether it's the Patriots and Redskins duking it out on the green or not. We must dedicate our time to determining where the evening should be spent to guarantee that we get the tastiest of Superbowl hors d'oeuvres offerings. Everybody knows that the Super Bowl Sunday venue is chosen based not on screen size but on quality of table spread. This year to accomplish our mission properly, we will divide, conquer and reconvene with sampler platters from around Brooklyn.

We know from past experience where to go to get the heavenly cheesy spinach squares that have more butter than cheese & spinach combined. Then there's the invitation to sample the slowest smoked ribs on the planet. And since Whole Foods has overstocked their football cake supply, you're guaranteed free football cake samples if you're content to avoid the TV screens and hang around that cute sample man.

Posted by Cakehead at 03:33 AM | Comments (0)

August 04, 2005

New Television Comedy about Eating Disorders

We find eating disorders bizarrely funny since we can't imagine ever depriving ourselves of food. Apparently, so does the creator/director of the new FX show Starved which premieres tonight at 10 PM.

Starved chronicles the lives of four thirty-something friends who reside in Brooklyn and are battling various eating disorders.

Eric Schaeffer's character, Sam, is a neurotic, commitment-phobic commodities broker who is recovering from compulsive overeating. If you don't identify with that character, how about "Adam" an active bulimic and stubborn NYPD cop. Or "Dan" who is an overweight, compulsive over-eater who works as a writer. Then there's "Billie," a bisexual recovering anorexic/bulimic and an aspiring singer/songwriter.

The show sounds funny, but we do have a major ax to grind with the people in charge. Studies show that men account for 16% of eating disorder cases. Based on our calculations, that means women make up the remaining 84% of the cases. Why is it then that the show's primary cast is 75% men?

Posted by Cakehead at 04:17 PM | Comments (2)

July 19, 2005

Lessons in Mixology

Mix Master George Delgado in action
We told you that the mixology craze has hit New York City hard. Tomorrow you can learn how to mix your own drinks from an expert. Warning: This event is not free. But we bet you can drink your $35 worth at the class. [From Litinform.com]:

July 20: Tomorrow's Classics - Creating Your Own Cocktail
Master of mixology George Delgado shares his methods for creating original cocktails at this seminar, presented by the Museum of the American Cocktail. See if you can create one called "the Gothamist." $35 per person in advance, $40 per person at the door. Register online. 5:30 - 7:30 pm, Ruth's Chris Steak House, 148 West 51st Street.

Posted by Cakehead at 04:03 PM | Comments (0)

June 26, 2005

Restaurant Week: June 27-July 1

It's Restaurant Week again in New York City. That means it's time to make your reservations at that restaurant you've been wanting to try, but just couldn't afford.

Posted by Cakehead at 07:15 PM | Comments (0)

June 21, 2005

Picnic Season

With that fluke of a heatwave far in New York City's past and with free the concert season kicked off, it's time to mark your calendar and prepare your picnic basket.

This week's free picnic-friendly events include:
Tonight, June 21, 2005, 7 PM: The Metropolitan Opera performs Samson et Dalila by Camille Saint-Saëns in Prospect Park's Long Meadow.

Wednesday, June 22, 2005, 7 PM: The Madison Square Park Conservancy is presenting Dar Williams

Thursday, June 23, 2005, 6 PM: Smithsonian National Museum of the American Indian, One Bowling Green Movie: Chac: The Rain God - Based on Tzeltal and Mayan ceremonies and stories and the Popul Vuh, the film focuses on a small village in the Chiapas region of Mexico desperate for rain during a terrible drought.

Friday, June 24, 2005, 5PM: Swedish Midsummer Festival at Wagner Park in near Bowling Green - Celebrate the longest day of the year the traditional Swedish way – picnicking on the grass, making flower wreaths for headdresses, listening to traditional fiddle music, and dancing until dark.
Directions: Take the 4/5 to Bowling Green, or take the 1/9 to Rector and walk down Greenwich.
Walk west along Battery Place until you pass Historic Battery Park and enter BPC.
Bus: The M9, M10, and M22 buses all stop in Battery Park City

Friday, June 24, 2005, 7:30 PM: Pack your picnic baskets and join us in gluttoneous sin before the eyes of the great Christian Crusader, Reverend Billy Graham. For three free days you can picnic in Flushing Meadows Corona Park amid the Saved. Look for us non-believers with our yuppily packed gourmet picnic baskets. Take the 7 train to Willets Point/Shea Stadium. Be prepared yourself for a 15 minute walk.

Every night:
The Downtown Boathouse provides free kayaking weekends and weekday evenings, perfect for a floating Picnic-on-Hudson.
Pier 26 Between Chambers Street and Canal Street on the Hudson River.

Click here for delicious picnic recipes.

Posted by Cakehead at 06:00 PM | Comments (0)

Drink Spanish Wine, Help City Harvest

We missed last year's Spanish Wine Festival to benefit City Harvest, but you can bet we'll be sipping fine Spanish wine this Thursday.

Where: The tasting will take place at the dramatic and richly historical setting of "Landmark on the Park," a Universalist Church built in 1897, located at 160 Central Park West across from Central Park at West 76th Street
When: 6:30 - 9:30pm, Thursday, June 23, 2005
Cost: $75.00 per person
Further information call: 212 567-5500

Posted by Cakehead at 03:57 AM | Comments (0)

Where to Eat in July

Usually the Jacob Javit's Center is the #1 place to avoid, but not in July between the 10-12th. The National Association for the Specialty Food Trade is holding the 51st Annual Fancy Food Show. We would recommend making that long trek West to a fine food-lover's heaven.

For a mere $60 you can wander from booth to booth tasting imported oils from Morocco, plates piled high with chocolates, Kosher Wines and organic fruit juices. Plan to skip breakfast and graze on samples for a day or two. $60 may sound like a lot for one meal - but think of it as nine meals: 3 days, 3 meals/day.

Posted by Cakehead at 03:23 AM | Comments (0)