i only wish i’d anticipated there’d be so much fun food to try– i would have made a point to arrive on not-so-full a stomach.
here are a few photos…
i was able to squeeze in a bite or two of this “japanese soul food” — okonomiyaki. this has a comfort food/bar food richness that’s highly appealing though i can’t tell you exactly what was thrown in there. typically okonomiyaki is made with cabbage, squid, shrimp, pork, or beef and topped with a special mayonnaise-y sauce.
i tried to get the chef to break this one down for me, but he said it’s hard to explain: it's a pancake with whatever “i” want thrown in there. they’ve taken to calling it “teriyaki pizza” –at least at the festival–to make it easier for folks to comprehend.i’m always up for a bit more soul (and beef swaddled in pancakes and mayo sauce). i’ve also heard the octopus balls (takoyaki!) are authentic, not to be missed. so i’ll be heading down to otafuku (insert bawdy pronunciation here) on 9th street, near second avenue, sometime soon.
***
i mentioned photo ops, right?
koji hagihara of hakata tonton was there. grilling, what else?
pork...
***
shaved ice is all the rage these days (so says the ny times).
not surprisingly, there were colorful-looking shaved ice concoctions at the festival, hosted by astoria's karaoke shout. not sure if they sell shaved ice at the venue, or if they're just proving they're cool. in any case, between the "karaoke shout" tees and the snow cones, that table saw brisk business.
condensed milk over ice. yum.
i was in the mood for something a little smoother:
black sesame ice cream. exotic, but decidedly un-trendy.
