NYC: Smorgasburg in Williamsburg

I absolutely love Smorgasburg. I went to it 2 years ago and I'm so glad it's a yearly thing! The weather was perfect on Saturday too! It was my 2nd thing to do in NYC (after Shake Shack). hehe. And it was about 20 min walk from our Airbnb apartment. It was such a great location! 

Smorgasburg 
90 Kent Ave. 
Brooklyn, NY 11249 
Saturdays 11AM-6PM 
(Sundays are in a different location) 
www.smorgasburg.com

We got there around 11:45 or so. There were already a lot of people walking around and standing in line. There were a few vendors still setting up. This is a lot bigger than Madison Square Eats so it took a lot longer to walk around and scope everything out. We made it thru about 2/3rds and then gave up. Oh... and I thought all the vendors would have Square or something to take credit cards... I was wrong. We were running out of cash, fast! So consider yourself warned! Estimate $8-10 per item per vendor. You do the math. 

While we were waiting for my fiance's sister to meet us, we stopped at the first vendor. This was new to me and they had displays set out. All looked yummy! 

Duck Season 
Crispy Duck Lettuce Wraps (I think it was $8 or $10~) 

This was a new item so it wasn't even on their menu. The duck was nice and crispy but the lettuce was too frail to hold everything together. It was a messy item to eat while walking around. haha. Every element was good, just needed a bit more sauce. His sister showed up and was able to get the last bite. 

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So now that we had 3 people, we decided to split up, get different foods, and meet back at a central location. Didn't really work too well.. haha. Since different vendors cook food at different pace. Oh well... 

Asia Dog 
WangDing Hotdog (chinese bbq pork belly, cucumber, scallions) $5~ 

Sounded good but quite disappointing. At least it wasn't as expensive as everything else. It was a puny little hotdog with some pork sauce on it. I guess flavors were ok but very unmemorable. 

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Bite Size Kitchen 
Braised Pork Belly Bun (cucumber,scallions, hoisin, pickled jalapenos) 

Duck Bun (sesame seeds, cilantro, pickled ginger, fried garlic and shallots) 2 for $9~ Both were good. The duck won out over the pork belly. I think it was the sesame seeds and fried garlic/shallots. 

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Bassanova Ramen 
Green Curry Ramen $9~ Plus Berkshire Pork (Chashu) +$1~ 

 

I had to wait a while for this because they were still setting up. It was cool that they torched the chashu on the spot but certain parts tasted burnt. The meat was tender though. I loved the texture of the noodles. Nice and chewy. And the green curry is more of a sauce, so it's considered a dry ramen. It was good! $10 for the portion tho, I'm not so sure. 

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Vaquero's 
Elotes (grilled corn served with mayo or butter, cheese and chilli) $4~ Who doesn't love elotes?? Yummmmm!! 

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Brooklyn Soda Works 
Apple Ginger Soda. Quite refreshing on a hot day. 

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BFC 
Buttermilk Fried Chicken (with a cheddar waffle and pickle garnish) $12~ 

This looked so awesome, but I was disappointed. Very expensive for fried chicken btw. I liked the waffle more too. The chicken was fried well but needed way more seasoning. They had hot sauce on the side, so that helped a lot. 

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Dough
Hibiscus Donut. 

Freaking love Dough. Their donuts are so big and fluffy! The hibiscus is good but their favorite of mine is still the Cafe au Lait!! 

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Palenque: Homemade Colombian Food 
Arepa (arugula, Oaxaca cheese, chipotle mayo, cilantro salsa) Vegetarian toppings: Tipica (mashed red beans and hogao) 4" for $8~ This is his sister's favorite. This time, however, it took forever for her to get her food. I think she waited like 20 minutes or something... It's good though. :) 

Overall Experience:

We were pretty full at this point and talking about leaving. So we were trying to think of things that we saw on the website that we wanted to try but haven't yet. The only thing I could think of is this spaghetti burger that sounded really good but I never saw it. Oh well... we started walking out. As we were walking, I saw it! And they had no line! They had some of the spaghetti burgers on display and it looked really good. I was full, but was contemplating getting one. 

Antica Pesa 
Spaghetti Burger (lamb ragu, parmigiano, fontina) $10~ 

 

 

I was a little weary of the lamb ragu since I don't like lamb. But this is something unique and it WAS something I wanted to try from the start. BIG MISTAKE. I think it was already fried, but they fried it again when you order it so it would be hot. It looked really good, but was sooooo greasy. It also came with a cheese dip on the side. After a few bites, I started feeling queasy. But it was freaking TEN DOLLARS so I felt bad for not eating it. But I couldn't. I soon admitted defeat. And it was the biggest mistake of the trip because it completely ruined my stomach for the rest of the day! Booooo. Serves me right for trying to cram in one last item. :( Next time, stay away from deep fried pasta and cheese!! And lamb. The gaminess made everything worse. 

Overall Experience:

It was a fun afternoon but I wasn't as satisfied this time around. The price to food quantity/flavor ratio just wasn't there. I wish I hadn't eaten certain things so I could have another dough donut. haha. And after the fried grease of a "burger" I was out for the count for the rest of the day. Probably good for me in the long run but still wasn't fun to feel nauseous all the time. 

~~ CHOMP CHOMP ~~

Victor Tangos

The birthday celebration continues! This past Saturday was my bf's bday dinner with his friends. I suggested Victor Tangos because from my experience in the past, they have an interesting menu and a pretty good bar. Also, they take reservations for large parties!

Victor Tangos
3001 N Henderson Ave.
Dallas, TX 75206
(214) 252-8595
www.victortangos.com
Price: $$-$$$

FYI. Parking on Henderson is pretty much nonexistent. But they offer complimentary valet. Trust me, just do the valet. haha.

We had a party of 17 people for 7PM. Most of us arrived early and they were able to seat us earlier. When arrived, there wasn't that many other people in the restaurant. I specifically made an earlier reservation because I knew VT gets super packed. And I was right. By 7:30 the entire bar was full and the dining room was getting there. And I was surprised for a restaurant that's not that big, there were 4+ groups of more than 12 people. One group had almost 30? The place gets pretty "energetic" so it's a little hard to hear when talking across the table. But I think it's the vibe at VT that draws a lot of people in.

Some people already got drinks at the bar. After we sat down, the waitress came by for more drink orders.

(Sorry for the grainy pictures... it was really low lighting in there.)

My bf got the Pepper Smash (gin, red bell pepper, local mint, lemon, clover honey) $10~ It was quite good! Sweet, so both of us liked it. You can taste the bell pepper but it just added a fresh sweetness to it. He really liked it.

I got the Passionfruit Gimlet (vodka, fresh thyme, passion fruit, freshly squeezed lime juice, extracted pineapple) $10~ I asked them to use gin instead of vodka. It was also really good. Definitely sweet enough for me but still strong. I enjoyed it very much. But it was time we got some food in our stomachs. haha.

We later got the Peach Blossom (gin, white peaches, Japanese basil, lemon, honey) $10~ (was too busy eating so I didn't take a picture, sorry. haha) But this was my favorite out of the 3 cocktails. Peachy and refreshing. Yum.

As we were looking through the menu, I noticed there were many changes from their online menu. I hate it when that happens! Cuz usually the dish that I want is the one that's not available anymore.. Same case this time. I wanted a pork belly dish that was no longer there... Same for one of the desserts. :( So it took me awhile to finally make up my mind. Most things sounded ok, but nothing really stood out.

Ahi Tuna Nachos $15~ 

 

Multiple people ordered this. My bf got one too. The dishes at VT are kind of made for sharing but I wouldn't say it's tapas style or anything. The nachos were good. Crispy chips with fresh bits of tuna. I really liked the chili cream sauce and the jalapenos on top. You know I like my spicy! Seemed to be a popular dish all around. I thought it was good, but I've had better.

I ordered the Summer Vegetable "Fried" Rice (green curry, poached egg) $11~ 

The waitress told me the rice was puffed rice. It sounded so interesting! It was delicious. The presentation was nice. The contrasting colors between the white puffed rice and green curry. She instructed me to mix it all together then eat. So I broke the perfectly poached egg and mixed it all up. 

Really enjoyed it. Although the puffed rice got soft pretty quickly, the first few bites where it was still crunchy was fantastic. Lots of textures and flavors and wasn't too heavy.

I also got the Roasted Mushrooms (leeks, black garlic and pea greens) $12~ 

 

I didn't mean to get 2 vegetable dishes, just happened that way. But I loved both of them. This was my favorite of the night. Different types of mushrooms gave it different textures. The black garlic sealed the deal. It had such bold flavors. I even scraped up the bits of garlic and sauce and ate it with the fried rice. Mmmmmm! So good. I wish the portion size was bigger!

Here are things other people ordered...

Jar of Pickled Baby Vegetables $4~ The sourness hits you like a truck, but then slightly mellows out. Had some sweetness to it. Not my thing, but I'm not a huge fan of sour stuff in general.

Mini Crispy Carnitas Tacos $10~ 

Also a popular item at our table. And probably the most bang for your buck! It was massive. Our friends said there was like 6 tacos or something, all loaded to the brim. And they said it had lots of flavor. I think at VT you take a chance with the portion size, some things are quite filling, and some are not. But they all taste good.


Tempura Asparagus with Olive Aioli $10~ Didn't get to try but looked good.

Sweet Tea Marinated Short Ribs (with Spring garlic and cucumber salad) $24~ 

Loved the presentation on the wood platter. The bright vegetables peeking out from the charred meat. It was tasty. You can't taste the sweet tea marinade though.

Whole Market Fish (crushed lemony potatoes, crispy capers, pimenton aioli). 

This was an impressive dish. Also served on a wood platter for some added drama. hehe. It was a big piece of fish! I think I overheard someone saying it was a branzino. Normally the whole branzinos I've seen in other places are 2/3rds of this size. The fish was cooked well and had lots of flavor. Only downside.. a lot of bones. But that can also make it a fun challenge to eat! hehe.

Green Bean Panzanella (avocado green goddess, smoked trout roe) $11~ 

Pretty dish, quite small. I got to try part of the egg topped with the trout roe with the green beans. Very good. All the elements worked together well. My friend said that if you don't eat all the elements together though, it didn't really work.

Warm Sticky Toffee Cake (with mascarpone cream) $9~ 

 

I ordered this when I ordered the entrees and asked them to bring it out later with a candle. Holy crap! This thing is massive! I saw pictures online and knew it was big but it was at least another 30% bigger than I imagined. It was literally the size of my face! (And believe me... I got a pretty big face. hahaha.) The cake was warm and the mascarpone cream was essential to it. The bites without the cream was a bit dry. But overall a good dessert. Doesn't compare to the whiskey cake at Whiskey Cake in Plano, but was still a success with the group. We passed it around and everyone was able to take a big bite or more!

It was a good dinner. I think everyone enjoyed themselves. Some people did say they were still hungry though since some of the portions were smaller. But overall everyone said the food was tasty. The service was good too. The waitress had no problems dealing with the big group. The food came quickly and she was always around when we needed something. The water glasses were always filled. And the checks were split with no issues.

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~~ CHOMP CHOMP ~~

Toko V

Saturday night we went to Toko V. In the old Village Marquee spot (and Marquee Grill before that) in Highland Park Village. They split the place into 2 restaurants... downstairs is Village Kitchen still headed up by Village Marquee's Chef Andre Natera. Upstairs is now the Asian fusion place, Toko V.

Toko V
33 Highland Park Village
Dallas, Texas 75205
(214) 522-6035
Price: $$$

I've been wanting to try both places but Toko V a little bit more since the menu seemed more interesting. A friend of mine talked to them Saturday around noon to see if we can make a reservation. He was told that they would take walk-ins not reservations. So our plan was to go check in around 7pm and hang out at the bar until we got a table.

The layout of the place was pretty much the same but the decor inside had been updated. The bar area is still really cool with a nice patio area above the theater. Our semi big group of 8 had turned into 12 by the time we arrived. haha. I was worried that we wouldn't be able to get a table. A few of my friends had arrived earlier and was talking to the hostess. Initially it was sounding like bad news, but by the time we got there, they were prepping a table for us! Apparently a large group cancelled and we took their table. Sweet! Although walking in, I saw plenty of open tables... which they said were reserved. But they told my friend we couldn't reserve? Weird...

Doesn't matter. We got a table! Time to look at the menu. :) I already knew what I wanted tho. hehe

A friend ordered Pork Potstickers (seared pork dumplings with champagne Tozsu sauce) $10~ 

Nice presentation in the steam basket but really? $10 for 4 small dumplings? And he said it was so-so. He'd rather go to Jeng Chi where it's cheaper and better.

Another guy got Fried Beets with Mayo (smoked and fried with Togarashi and Yuzu Wasabi Kewpie mayo) $8~ 

Interesting. Can't say I've ever had fried beets before. I liked the color. And the texture was pretty good too. But it completely lacked seasoning. And there wasn't enough mayo to help it out. :(

Pork Buns (char su braised pork, sriracha aioli, Asian slaw) $14~ It came 3 to an order. They looked pretty good. I didn't get to try it. But my friends didn't seem impressed.

Tuna Tartare (diced tuna, cilantro lychee sauce) $16~ 

My bf and I got this to start. It came with 4 pieces of shrimp chips to eat with. It was very good. The tuna was fresh and the sauce was refreshing. Slightly sweet and tangy. And the shrimp chips added a nice crunch. I also liked the strips of seaweed on top.

One friend got the Snapper Ceviche (crispy amaranth, compressed tomatillo, pickled peppers, chili threads) $16~ 

The portions here aren't very big if you haven't noticed... For the price anyways. The snapper was also very fresh and had great texture. I loved the crispy amaranth with the tender fish. The flavors were light but good. I think she got this as her main dish and it definitely wasn't enough!

Green Curry Bowl (coconut broth, ramen noodles, cilantro, Thai basil) $12~ Add Roasted Pork +$5~ 

This was my main dish. I knew I wanted to try this the moment Toko V opened. I love green curry. And I love ramen, so I'm hoping this would be good! And it was! The portion was pretty good. The roasted pork was super tender. The curry had good flavor, with a slight kick. There were cherry or grape tomatoes in there.. but they were kind of out of place. They didn't soak up any of the broth flavor so it was just like random tomato flavor. haha. Not sure if it was meant to be like that. The ramen was slightly overcooked, but still decent. But it was very rich... a friend of mine ordered it too and it was too creamy and heavy for her to finish. I finished mine though. haha. I really enjoyed it. Although thinking of the final price... $17. I'm not sure it was worth it.

My bf got the Lemon Grass Shortrib (braised short rib, steamed rice, fried egg, soy maple syrup) $17~ 

So did 2 other people at the table. The meat was a good size. But it was slightly dry. The roast pork in my curry was wayyyy better. But eaten as a whole (with the egg and rice and sauce), it was still very good. The sauce was the kicker. It was pretty sweet, just like maple syrup, but it worked! You need to mix everything together for the dish to work. I had my first bite without the sauce and it was just ok. My bf and another friend LOVED the sauce.... they scraped up every last bit. My other friend, though, said her rice was undercooked.

Miso Salmon (mustard Mirin glaze, steamed rice, grilled bok choy) $19~ 

This was a nice big piece of salmon and it was cooked well. I liked the glaze as well. But rice was seriously undercooked. I normally kinda like undercooked rice (for the texture) but this was still gritty. Eh...

One guy ordered the Steak with Wafu Sauce (charred marinated strip steak, Wafu sauce, watercress slaw) $28~ 

He had asked the waiter what would fill him up the most and this was the recommendation. It was tiny! I don't think it should be called "steak" since it was actually small cubes of beef. For $28??!? He was very disappointed. They did throw in a free bowl of rice, but he inhaled it so fast.. and was still hungry after. I'd say skip on this one!

Yellowtail & Super White Tuna Roll (diced spicy yellowtail, tempura flakes, topped with super white tuna, cilantro and sriracha) $13~ Sorry the picture turned out so blurry!!! :( My friend said it was pretty good. But the rolls were really small and it wasn't very filling.

Aside from the terrible steak recommendation, our waiter was great. He was very attentive and accommodating. The water glasses stayed filled and he was friendly the entire night even after I had all these questions and requests. :P

One of my friends wanted to try the Donut Croissants (with Mexican hot chocolate sauce) $8~ "Cronuts"!

They were technically a dessert at Village Kitchen which was downstairs, but the waiter asked and was able to get him an order of it. So he took it to go, and we all went next door for some gelato at Paciugo! haha!

Wasn't the best meal. Very expensive and not too satisfying. Most of my friends left hungry. Although I think me and my bf's choices were the best out of the bunch, so we still enjoyed it. I wouldn't recommend it and I won't be going back. I still wanna try Village Kitchen though. One of my friends went and said it was really good.

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~~ CHOMP CHOMP ~~