Eating In Translation

What's Eating In Translation?

This website began as a collection of field notes on interesting food I'd tried, or planned to try, in and around New York. Since its launch, in January 2005, I've visited thousands of venues, from white-linen restaurants to elbows-on-the-table eateries, as well as street vendors, fairs, festivals, grocers, and greenmarkets — and my "to eat" list is longer than ever.

New York-area food events, March 21-28

A Woman's Place
Friday, March 22, 7:30-8:30
Books Are Magic, 225 Smith St. (at Butler St.), Carroll Gardens, Brooklyn
www.Facebook.com/events/897187260618154
Free admission

Dessert Goals
Friday through Sunday, March 22-24, various sessions
Sound River Studios, 4-40 44th Dr. (at the East River), Long Island City, Queens
www.DessertGoals.com
See website for ticket information

Indonesian bazaar at the St. James Parish Hall
Saturday, March 23, 11:00-5:00; repeats monthly, by and large
Parish hall of St. James Episcopal Church, 84-07 Broadway (St. James-Corona Aves.), Elmhurst, Queens
www.Facebook.com/events/602499460176596
Previously: www.Flickr.com/search/?user_id=61177627%40N00&sort=date-taken-desc&text=indonesian%20james&view_all=1
Free admission

Coffee & Tea Festival NYC
Saturday, March 23, noon-5:00; Sunday, noon-4:00
Brooklyn Expo Center, 72 Noble St. (Franklin-West Sts.), Brooklyn
www.CoffeeAndTeaFestival.com/nyc
See website for ticket details

The Brooklyn Chocolate Takedown
Sunday, March 24, 2:00-4:00
Lot 45, 411 Troutman St. (St. Nicholas-Wyckoff Aves.), Bushwick, Brooklyn
www.TheTakedowns.com/bkchocolatetakedown2019
Tickets: $25

Unagi Aburi Ittetsu

Sauce or salt? My first portion of freshwater eel — each week the shop imports them live from Japan — was coated in a sweet soy sauce, then charcoal-grilled. My second (on the house) was simply salted before grilling. What was meant to be a taste-off proved inconclusive; perhaps my diet is lacking in eel.

Unagi Aburi Ittetsu
60 Kenmare St. (Mott-Mulberry Sts.), Manhattan
212-257-2335
www.UnagiNYC.com

Bacchanal Sauce

Like its West Indian relatives, which answer to names such as blue drawers, tie-a-leaf, paime, and conkie, the Antiguan ducana (Doo-kah-nah) is rare in New York. This sweet dumpling blends grated sweet potato and coconut, and spices such as nutmeg and cinnamon, into a soft dough that's snuggled in a banana leaf, then boiled or steamed. Salt fish, as shown here, is the customary pairing for the sweet ducana. It's by purest chance, on the other hand, that my first slice exposed a golden raisin.

H/T Elias-John Kies

Bacchanal Sauce
Through May 2019, inside Urbanspace @ 570 Lex, 570 Lexington Ave. (at 51st St.), Manhattan
www.BacchanalSauce.com

Burkindi Restaurant

In Burkina Faso, tô is a doughy paste combined with various sauces and stews — on this day, spinach-based babenda. It's finger food, but only for practiced hands (I made good use of my spoon). This halal restaurant also serves a tempting sauce arachide, or peanut sauce; in the final photo, it enrobes exquisitely tender lamb.

Burkindi Restaurant
492 Clinton Ave. (Bergen St.-Chadwick Ave.), Newark, New Jersey
973-732-3310
www.Facebook.com/Burkindis

Lithuanian Scouts St. Casimir Festival

Featured item illustrated here.