It’s rare that a restaurant logo actually inspires me to step inside and order food.  But somehow Ghenet, a tiny Ethiopian restaurant on the corner of Douglass and 4th Avenue in Park Slope, won me over with its sign.  When I read the words, “Ghenet: Where angels eat,” I just had to know why.

Apparently ghenet means paradise.  (Where is that Ethiopian-English dictionary when I need it?)  Though it strikes me as a lofty statement to claim that angels eat only Ethiopian food, the ambience in this itty bitty joint seemed fitting for heavenly creatures.  With the lights turned down low and tall, intricately carved metal screens surrounding the tables, it felt like we were inside a secret chamber. more…

Last weekend my 3-quart container of super cheap olive oil dribbled out its last tasty drop and I found myself with a real dilemma: where could I find another cheap, flavorful olive oil without trekking all the way to Astoria?

by Robyn Lee via Seriouseats.com

Hallelujah! Someone at Serious Eats must have heard my panicked thoughts. Their staff tried nine reasonably priced olive oils and ranked them according to taste (mellow, bitter, like water, etc.). They even chose a best in show.

Thanks to them, I’ll never again stand before an aisle of olive oil wondering which overpriced bottle might suck less.

For Korean food in New York City, 32nd Street is where it’s at.  Sure, it’s one measly block, but it’s a block packed with Korean yumminess.  Tucked away in a nondescript building among all the Korean BBQs you’ll find Han Ah Reum.  This glorious gem of a supermarket features Korean classics like tangy kimchi–a fermented cabbage side dish, plus pan-Asian sauces, dried sardines and anchovies and all the supplies you’ll need to host a roll-your-own sushi party.

I recommend avoiding rush hour and lunch time.  Every shelf, refrigerator case and corner is filled to capacity, maximizing what little space the market occupies.  The store’s narrow aisles are already crowded with food and when you add hoards of hungry shoppers to the mix, you end up wasting valuable shopping energy dodging other shoppers and their baskets.  But if you can brave the crowds and tight space (seriously, claustrophobes beware), the trek to Midtown will be well worth your time. more…

There’s just something about rain that makes me want to lounge on the sofa, sip coffee and eat baked goods. And not just any baked good. I want a pastry that will transport me to a café in a far off land where the smell of coffee grounds hangs in the air and an array of eclairs, petit fours and Napoleon cakes dazzles my eyes. I want something truly sophisticated. I want something French!

Macarons à la rose by Foodbeam.com

Lucky for me, French Revolution, a food blog by Kerry–the child of a Parisian mother and New Yorker father–has just the recipe for a day like today. Kerry went to France to learn how to make macarons, those sublime cookies with crispy shells oozing ganache, pastry cream or jam. Here she shares the recipe she learned for turning out perfectly textured shells.

The fillings are endless–anything from lemon curd to sea salt caramel to rose cream–but if you need inspiration Serious Eats dug up a recipe for bittersweet chocolate ganache.

Salted cod. Some call it a humble staple, but I’d say it’s a fantastically tasty treat. What I can’t understand is why it hasn’t caught on in America. It’s portable, cheap and practically never goes bad. Everyone else in the world has figured out how awesome it is. The Europeans love it. West Indians dig it. And a whole lot of Catholics have incorporated the fish into their treasured Easter recipes. Lucky for me, I live in New York–the ultimate city for finding hard-to-find foods.

Stewed goat and potatoes

On a recent dreary, rainy day (in a stream of never-ending rainy days) I got a hankering for salted cod, so I decided to check out a place my friend had recommended. Fritz International Jamaican Restaurant in Bed-Stuy doesn’t look like much from outside. Well, it doesn’t look like much from inside either, but my stomach didn’t seem to care. more…

It doesn’t matter what language you speak, a nice, cold beer is the perfect remedy for a muggy, looks-like-it’s-going-to-rain-for-the-thousandth-time kind of day. Instead of cursing Mother Nature, swing by Eagle Provisions in Brooklyn’s South Slope and pick up one of the 1,500 brews in stock. Then sit back, prop your feet up, pop open that can/bottle/keg and let the cool, bubbly liquid take you away to a happier climate.

Known to many as “The Old White Eagle Market,” this grocery and delicatessen offers an impressive stash of imported European goods, fresh baked breads and kielbasa, but in the summertime I just can’t get past the beer. Everyone–from die-hard beer connoisseurs to those drawn to bottles with cute labels–can find what they’re looking for here. And don’t be mislead by the small offering of beer up by the front registers–there’s a whole beer room to your right! The selection can be a bit daunting, but friendly owner John Zawisny will eagerly help you navigate the stock and point out his current favorites. John and his brother Richard have been at the business for 30 years and watched the clientele (and their requests) change dramatically. more…

Sometimes I lie awake at night dreaming of the Greek isles. The pure blue sea, the salty air, the white washed houses…who am I kidding? That’s not what I crave. I miss the food! The honey-soaked pastries, the octopus caught just yards from my table at an outdoor café, the rich lamb kebabs…

Lucky for me, a taste of Greece is only an N-train ride away. On a recent sunny day I skipped lunch and made a mini tour-de-Astoria.

First stop: Artopolis, 23-18 31st St.

The second I walked in this bakery pastisserie, I felt like I’d entered a shrine to the god of all things baked. Tiers of platters brimming with perfectly crafted desserts dazzled my eyes while the sweet smell of honey drew me in. Grand displays offered up an enormous selection of sweets– pistachio shortbread cookies, diples (twisty curls of pastry made from vodka and flour, dipped in honey and sprinkled with walnuts), melomakarona (dark cookies made with flour, cinnamon, cloves, walnuts, nutmeg, sugar, orange juice and sunflower oil and dipped in honey), kourambiethes (butter cookies made with almonds and Greek brandy and then rolled in powdered sugar), baklava (ground walnuts and almonds, wrapped in layers of butter phyllo, baked and drenched in honey)–and breads. more…

The old adage says you shouldn’t go shopping hungry, but I dare you to spend more than 5 minutes in this Jackson Heights megamarket and not feel a little rumbling in your tummy.  It’s impossible not to dream up fantastic Indian feasts, or if you’re like me, plan what savory snack you’re going to buy for the long subway ride home.

I’m a lover of condiments, so I always head for the back right corner of the store to get a little inspiration.  There’s coriander chutney, sweet lime chutney, tamarind paste, gor keri (a relish of mango cubes, mustard seeds, fenugreek, red chili and spices), chhundo (a sweet & tangy shredded mango chutney with a touch of cumin and date palm sugar), tahini and sriracha (sun-ripened chilies ground into a paste with garlic, sugar, salt and vinegar). more…

If the busy storefront windows at Sahadi’s, on Atlantic Avenue in Brooklyn, don’t appeal to your minimalist leanings, just get over it. You’re going to love this place, even if it takes you years to try all the products. The narrow aisles form a sort of labyrinth through the cramped space, where at every turn you’ll discover bins and jars of dried fruits and nuts or refrigerator cases full of cheeses. This is the place to buy anything you could ever want to eat from the Middle East, along with a healthy dose of European specialty goods.

When I asked the man in charge of the olive bar how many varieties he sold, he did some quick mental math and came up with an estimate.

“Thirty-four?” he said as he scooped a heap of shriveled, oily, black, Moroccan olives into a plastic container. more…

No, seriously.  There’s nothing like lard for baking flaky pastries and frying tortilla chips.  If you’ve tried the stuff they sell in supermarkets in the city and aren’t happy with the subpar quality, it may be time for a new approach.  On her blog, The Homesick Texan explains how easy it is to make your own lard in NYC.  All you need is a pot, a wooden spoon, some jars and…a pound of pig fat, which is apparently available at the Union Square Green Market.   Click here to see how you too can render lard in your very own, tiny New York kitchen.

Still not convinced?  Check out Mother Linda’s for a flaky pie crust recipe and the skinny on the fat that makes international cooks go wild.  Or click here for a fantastic refried bean recipe (yep, you need lard for that, too).