I’ve been back on campus for almost a month now, I’m on a 7-meal plan (I get 7 meals per week) and I have a stocked pantry. Although my pantry is stocked, a majority of it is junk food, canned goods, and instant noodles. Truthfully, I am quite proud of my pantry and I hope to make the best of every last canned item on it. I also hope not to gain a lot of weight from the chips and chocolate on it either.

But of course the college kid’s pantry cannot be compared to the meals back at home and its restaurants - even with extreme amounts of innovation.

Before I left New York City, a number of co-workers and I had a "farewell" dinner at Zabb Queens. It was the alternative choice because Sri was closed, but I’m happy to note it wasn’t a horrible one.

Many Chowhounders say that Zabb Queens comes second to Sri in food but wins in decor. Zabb successfully creates a chic ambiance through lighting, color scheme and table setting. Because of this, although it is pretty, the created atmosphere I feel has a negative effect on the dining experience. For a bunch of awkward young people, I think it restrains their ability to fully enjoy a meal because it puts them in a situation where they must maintain a higher standard of order. This effect was initially very large on the group, but toned down after one of us started easing the atmosphere.

We ordered a good range from the menu - noodles, curries, beef, and seafood.

The first dish was a spicy beef appetizer called Nuea Yang. It was marinated well and had hints of soy and lemongrass. Although the spiciness was not evident in the dish, it was very juicy and tender. The adjacent picture was Tod Mun, a mixture of fish and curry paste in a sweet chili sauce. Once again, although I felt that it lacked spice, it was still a well made enjoyable dish. The entree that I chose is the bottom picture, was a ground chicken dish with baby corn, tomatoes and onion in a basil sauce. Although I do not remember the exact name of the dish, it is similar to a Pad Kra Prow. The sauce was very light and it complimented the sweetness of the other ingredients and also went well to the heaviness of the appetizers.

After trying our numerous dishes, my friends and I came to the realization that many of our dishes tasted like those in other parts of Asia, not what we relate to Thai cooking. Most of this came from the lack of spice, sweetness, and heat. Although they were Thai dishes, I came to the conclusion that many of the noted dishes (not the popular Pad Thai, Tom Yum, etc.) are Thai variations of the many fluid dishes that show up in all Asian cuisine. Therefore, if you are looking for the more intense flavors in Thai cooking, it may be better to go to Sri. However, if you like the flavors of Thai cooking, but think some of the flavors are too overpowering, and if Sri is closed, then Zabb is a great alternative.

Thursday marked the last day of my internship for a small non-profit organization. For two and a half months, I slaved in front of a computer, worked overtime, and never received compensation. But for those two and a half months, I learned about the details and functions necessary for non-profits to work, along with the fulfillment and disappointment that follows. So as sappy as this may sound, I’ve grown attached to the organization and value all the experiences I gained from it.

Yesterday, I woke up and realized that I didn’t have work at all. It was an odd feeling – well, more relieved than anything, but it had been so long since I had a day off I did not know where or how I should start relaxing.

I think I began cleaning, and then I turned to yoga, breakfast, the treadmill, a shower, and finally lunch. My grandmother grew a great batch of tomatoes this year so I decided to make a balsamic reduction to dress them up. I just love the sweet and subtle tartness of the reduction – but as my friend Ted says, “Always use good balsamic vinegar because if you reduce bad balsamic vinegar, the reduction will be twice as bad.”

Some time during my second round of scrounging for more tomatoes to soak in vinegar, I receive a phone call from Ami. It began with the usual, “so how was your day?” or, “so what you been up to?” To fast forward to the food, it ended with my suggestion, “Why don’t we see if that tea shop is open in Manhasset. We could go to Buttercooky. And we could finally get your fruit bars at Whole Foods!”.

Well, when we got there, the tea shop (SerindipiTea) was not opened yet, but we did get to go to Buttercooky (140 Plandome Rd Manhasset, NY 11030). I’ve been there before to buy their butter cookies and wasn’t very impressed, but after talking to a friend, he said that if you go, you should always go for the pastries – so we did.

Many of their cakes and pastries were wonderfully crafted. After taking a good look and narrowing down our choices, we asked the worker to make the final decision for us. He chose the chocolate tiramisu. It was a wonderful balance of chocolate mascarpone cheese and coffee liquor, covered in a layer of bittersweet chocolate. Although it sounds rich, the dessert was light on the palate and sweetened just enough – if not just the smallest tab over.

The most enjoyable part of the tiramisu was its overall freshness. This was revealed after dipping my fork into the cake and saw that it cut through without a glimpse of give or hardness.

I think most Asian desserts get a bad reputation because of its own culture’s concept of what a dessert is, compared to those of many other countries. Instead of cakes and creams, many Asian desserts are made from rice, beans, root vegetables, and gelatin. Oddly enough, the sweet buns and tarts that you may see in most Asian bakeries are considered a quick breakfast or a snack.  

When I have more time in the future, I would like to do a showcase of the more traditional Asian desserts such as Chinese sweet soups, Chaozhounese sweet rice, and Pilipino cassava cake.

But as for now, I am trying more fusion recipes – and below is my adaptation of Durian Cream Puffs (or Pate a Choux) from a blog I frequent called Quick ‘n’ easy Treats from Zu’s Kitchen and Mr. Alton Brown.

Cream Puff:
3/4 stick butter
1 cup water
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon sugar
1 cup flour
4 eggs

            Preheat oven to 425.
            In a small saucepan, bring the water, butter, salt and sugar to a boil. Take saucepan off the flame and pour in the flour while stirring constantly. Put the saucepan back on the stove and continue stirring until a ball forms. Turn off the heat and let the dough cool for several minutes.
            Place the dough into a mixer on low speed. Add one egg at a time, making sure each gets thoroughly incorporated before you add the next. When fully incorporated, transfer the mixture into a piping bag and pipe into whatever size puff you desire. Bake at 425 for 10 minutes, and then lower the temperature to 350 for another 10 minutes until golden brown. One you take them out of the oven, make a slit in each puff to release the air in the puff and cool.

Durian Filling:
4 durian pulps
1 cup heavy whipping cream
Castor sugar to taste

            In a food processor, blend the durian pulps until smooth.
            In a cold mixing bowl, beat the whipping cream until peaks form. Fold in the durian pulp. Add sugar for desired sweetness, but if your durian is ripe, sugar is not necessary. Pipe the filling into each puff and enjoy!

I also made these with non-dairy whipping cream, which surprisingly went well because of the lightness of the choux and cream. If you do not have access to durian or do not like it, you can substitute it for whatever flavor you like, or just put a teaspoon of vanilla into the whipping cream for simple vanilla cream puffs.

One of my most favorite areas in Queens is Forest Hills. Not only does it have decent shopping, it is one of the most diverse and busy neighborhoods I’ve been to. It is also because of this that great food is everywhere.

When I’m not interning, I work at a lovely Starbucks Coffee Company in suburban Queens. I hate to admit it at times, but working there does make me feel like a bad college stereotype - especially if I add that I’m an aspiring writer. Anyhow, I had a shift there today and got off with an empty stomach - and it wasn’t just any empty stomach, it was the bottomless empty stomach.

My bottomless empty stomach occurs usually on "off-center" days, when I wake up and forget what day it is and act just a little odd the entire day without a clue as to why it is. Today, I had to fix too many mistakes and had one too many soy cafe ole’s (in Starbucks terms it is a coffee misto). It was bad. I needed what Harold and Kumar would say is "the perfect food" and all I could think of was falafel.

In Queens, with the abundance of Middle Eastern residents, falafel (and kebab) can be found anywhere - even in street carts. However after trying a number, even those in Manhattan, I’ve found that the most satisfying falafel is in Forrest Hills at Pahal Zan (10612 Continental Ave, Forest Hills, NY 11375). It’s a quaint spot right underneath the Forrest Hills LIRR station which also happens to be kosher. I ordered the falafel pita with all the fixings, including the hot sauce, as shown here after a few bites:

Their falafel had great texture, it is not overly mashed or fried, which couples well with the other fillings. Although I enjoy my pita a little more toasted, the bread was still warmed thoroughly so it could handle a stuffing of hummus, tabbouleh, tahini, Israeli and Mediterranean salad, pickles, and of course, hot sauce. Once I took a bite, I realized that I was right - it was the perfect food.

In short:
1. The creaminess of the hummus is brought out by the warmth of the pita.
2. That warmth is then offset by the coolness of the salads (a combination of cucumbers, cabbage, tomatoes, peppers, lemon juice, yogurt, etc.)
3. All of this adds to the depth in texture of the falafel, which you will realize when you cleanse your palate with the tartness of the pickles on the first bite.
4. It costs around 5 bucks.

True to it’s name, it did resemble a country home, with sanded pale wooden tables and chairs and a humble dim rose lighting. I ordered what they called a raspberry macaroon. Usually when I think of a macaroon, I picture a piped out dense bite of toasted coconut - and if flavored, a small spoonful of jelly or a cherry on top. This is how theirs looked

It had a shortbread bottom, topped with raspberry preserves, and then had a piping of coconut about it (think coconut linzer tart). However, in spite of the name, it was a well-balanced cookie in terms of flavor - if not a tad bit too sweet because of the preserves. The linzer was crumbly and light, the coconut was airy and not dense, which went well with the richness of the preserves. After the cookie, I knew I would be stopping by again, but for a better experience, on a day that isn’t as humid and maybe arrive a tad earlier.

On Wednesdays I usually play intern for a small non-profit residing near City Hall. It’s a nice place - cozy, laid back, although sometimes my boss needs some organizational assistance (not with papers but with people), but overall I don’t have many complaints. Well…until this week.

 Yesterday, we moved into a quaint space in Astoria, where both the people and the food can be traced and made from ages ago - just nice and authentic.

 However after work I didn’t get the chance to explore the neighborhoods, for They Might Be Giants were in town, and Ami (the boyfriend) and I were supposed to get tickets.

 You see where this is going don’t you?

We wait on the line in front of the Bowery Ballroom only to find out an hour later that they were SOLD OUT. So what better way to compensate than to a good meal?

Ami’s a vegetarian, and as for me, I always did enjoy my broccoli as a child. So we headed up 1st Ave to COUNTER - a hip-ish vegetarian joint, whose decor seemed like a modernized diner.

Out of sheer greed, I ordered the Vegetable Tasting Mosaic, hoping it will fulfill all my childhood vegetable fantasies. Alright, so that was exaggerated, but it was the general point of the decision.

I was disappointed. It was to an extent where I began making excuses for its shortcomings, such as, "I should’ve gone with my gut and ordered the risotto!" But I was, especially with the hype and the well-worded menu, I could not accept it.

It wasn’t as if the entire dish was a short fall, the juiciness of the mushroom roulade was brought out very well by its tomato paste filling and the green beans were fork tender. But as these descriptions sound, the dish did fall short.

So we paid the bill and walked out a little tired and off-center, I thought, "what better way to compensate for a disappointing dinner than to have a good dessert!"

So we hopped on the R to 49th St and walked to Kyotofu, a dessert bar on 9th Ave between 48th and 49th St. The spot was busy, a clear handful for the waitresses, but we were immediately seated. Out of recommendation by the friendly waitress, I ordered a raspberry mochi chocolate cake, accented with green tea-anko cream.

The cake was moist and sweetened perfectly so the flavors of the chocolate and raspberry were complimentary, not just brought out with sugar. The cream acted as the medium for the different textures of the cake, and mellowed any clashing of flavors. I would recommend the mandarin ginger green tea to go with this.

I then had the opportunity to dip my fork into Ami’s sorbets, which were raspberry shiso and citrus yuzu, all spooned perfectly into little square dishes adjacent to sesame seaweed cookies and whipped cream.

Boy was I happy. Although the zest in the yuzu sorbet became too overpowering after time, we were both more than content with the course. I even bought one of their famous chocolate soufflé cupcakes to go and ate it outside. I could see why it was voted the best cupcake, the creaminess of a frosting was not needed because that texture and flavor tasted like it was baked into the cake.

Oh yeah, there isn’t a picture of the cupcake, for I devoured it before I got the chance to whip out my camera. Well, in my defense I’m still new to this, and I had another day of playing intern ahead. 

Slotted Spoon will be a food blog dedicated to the eats of New York, focusing specifically in the Queens Area. It will also have recipes and tricks for any collegiate who is looking after their health and weight.