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March 12, 2006
Sunset Park
Since yesterday's weather was gorgeous (Spring is coming!), we took the bus to Sunset Park and wandered around 5th Avenue (great for Mexican street food) and then 8th Avenue (Brooklyn's Chinatown). I think we started at 39th street, crossed over in the 50s and ended at 61st (the N/R stop). Each neighborhood is so ethnically distinctive that you feel like you're visiting another country. On 5th, nearly everyone speaks Spanish. On 8th, it's Chinese (I think). And of course, the best part of being in each is the opportunity to try the food.
On 5th, we started out with wonderful corn on the cob from a street vendor -- with crema and queso blanco and chile powder -- and then had a great tamale and some horchata. One particular tacqueria on a side street was packed and looked really good, but we didn't quite have the courage to be the only gringos in the whole place. On 8th, we shopped. I wandered around one store forever, wishing I knew what to do with the unidentifiable ingredients in bins at my feet. There were all kinds of ginseng and dried fish and buns (the same assortment you find in Chinatown, but cheaper). I finally bought a few things with English labeling: buns with red bean paste (you only need to pop them in the microwave for 2 minutes -- they make a great breakfast), dumpling wrappers (we made dumplings tonight), and fish crackers. I obviously need to rent old episodes of Yan Can Cook so I can take better advantage of the variety (and prices) there. Finally, we hit a bakery for fresh sweet (coconut cream) and savory (shredded pork) buns.
Posted by csageday at March 12, 2006 09:54 PM