pommes frites.

One of my top guilty pleasures of all time are fries. The delicious, crisp, greesy, and starchy goodness always tickles my tongue in the most delectable of ways. Add some sauces to the mix and you've got quite a fulfilling, artery-clogging snack.

One of the better and relatively inexpensive Belgium fry places I've been to is Pommes Frites. Now, I've only been there once, to save my health and heart, and it was quite a while ago. But, if things haven't changed in the past year, this is a perfect place to indulge in a late night food rampage or after a drunken adventure on Saint Marks. The fries are fried to perfection, with a balance of a solid crunch and a meaty potato wedge (I like my fries thick). And, the best part is, the wide variety of sauces they offer! Ketchup, mustard, onion, tabasco, malt vinegar, and jalapeno are free. The ones I tried were: Curry Ketchup, Sweet Mango Chutney Mayo, and I think the Especial and the Vietnamese Pineapple Mayo. I wasn't too fond of the curry ketchup because the texture was like tomato paste, but the others were really good.

Overall, a fun hole-in-the-wall place with great fries and sauces. Definitely worth a try!

dim sum.

More likely than not, if I'm going out for a relaxing Sunday brunch, you can find me in Chinatown (or Little Neck/Flushing if I'm back home) for some dim sum! Dim Sum (a.k.a. yum cha) is best enjoyed in large groups, as you can order more dishes and taste more variety (and not feel like a fatty, though I tend to order the same amount in small groups =P). In Hong Kong, there was an awesome tradition of 4AM dim sum, since there was nothing better to do around campus. Though I can't say I had amazing dim sum in Hong Kong, it was always accessable and delicious.

The greesy, oily goodness on the right is wu gok, made with a mashed taro and meat/mushroom filling and fried in a crispy batter. Obviously, with my love of carbs, I am drawn to all the bao's and gao's - carbbbbbssss ::droool:: Some of my other favorites include: shrimp dumplings (ha gao), pork dumplings (siu mai), shrimp rice noodle rolls (ha cheong), pork buns (cha siu bao), phoenix talons (fung zau), intestines (niu du), Chinese sponge cake (ma lai gao), glutinous rice in a lotus leaf (no mai gai), sweet milk buns (nai wong bao), and egg tarts (dan tat)! Ha, and that's just the start of what I order.

You have the freedom to try anything and everything you want (and practice your Cantonese skills...or lack thereof).

Mm goiii!!

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Oh yea. Before I forget.
So, who's cuisine reigns supreme??

Iron Chef John BF!

And luckily, Derrick took it well.

Sammy's Halal?

Street food has always been a neglected culinary art in my book. Many people prefer the sit-down experience, but there's nothing I love more than to pick up some food from a sketchy street cart and enjoy the inexpensive goodness. I'm all about variety, not quantity, which is why I love Taiwan night markets so much. Though the nature of American street carts is different, especially when it comes to quantity given, there are still many jewels on the streets of Manhattan.

Other than my journey for the perfect burger, another fun adventure I'm embarking on is: the quest for the most drool-worthy chicken and rice. Though the city is littered with many many halal stands, quality among stands definitely varies tremendously. Whether it's the chicken, rice, sauce, condiments, etc., every chicken and rice is different. Since it's close to campus, I usually go to Sammy's Halal, on Broadway and West 4th Street. Now, apparently, this cart was the winner of the 2006 Vendy Award. But, after checking the website, the Sammy's Halal that won is actually located in Queens, on 73rd Street and Broadway. Unless they've moved from Queens, it makes me wonder, is this stand a fraud?? o_O! I mean, this is the "best" chicken and rice in the walkable area that I've tried so far. But, it definitely does not beat the well-known late night chicken and rice joint on 53rd Street and 6th Ave. The chicken just kind of falls apart in your mouth, lacking texture or impact. The rice is, mushy. Meh.

It seems like most of the good carts are midtown. Hmmmmm, I feel a late night adventure coming along.