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The King of Queens Takes 150ish on a culinary tour in Flushing August 22, 2019 | Photo courtesy Lena Pardo This past weekend my friend Ann, who lives in Ashland, Oregon, came to visit. It seems whenever she travels, she includes a food tour because, in her words, “it’s a really fun way to see a city from a different perspective”. Since I had never taken a food tour, I thought this could be fun activity and booked us on a culinary extravaganza with Joe DiStefano. Here’s the dish: About five years ago I met Joe DiStefano whose company New York Epicurean Events hosted The Catskills Comes to Queens. He graciously invited me to that event (kind of a backyard BBQ) and subsequently to others he’s curated like the Charcuterie Masters (now in its fourth fabulous year) and Great Northeast Cheese Fest, all featuring chefs and local culinary artisans. In addition, Joe has been promoting and exploring the borough’s diverse cuisines for more than a decade, and has become a renowned Queens-based food writer and culinary tour guide. This was finally my opportunity to book a long-anticipated tour with him. Joe offers five culinary experiences, and after a mouthwatering review of them all, Ann and I decided on his Feasting on Flushing tour. A delicious deep dive into what Joe calls “America’s Greatest Chinatown”. We boarded the subway from the Upper West Side of Manhattan, connected at Times Square to the 7 train and rode to the last stop–about a 45-minute ride. Wearing his signature ball cap with the words “Queens” emblemized above the brim, we spotted Joe at the pre arranged location–the lobby of Duane Reade at the corner of Roosevelt and Main Street in downtown Flushing. Joe gave us a warm welcome and presented each of us with a pair of red plastic chopsticks. After admiring them, we followed the “King of Queens” in and out of small shops, food halls/courts, and grocery stores (where he pointed out a covered bin with live bullfrogs inside–not your usual grocery fare). We tried one amazing dish after another including steam rice rolls, filled with shrimp, egg and green onion, topped with fish balls, soy and peanuts (like nothing I've ever tasted); a pork Chinese hamburger; delicate and flavorful soup dumplings; two styles of warm Dou Wua–flower tofu (a silky tofu with a texture similar to panna cotta), one topped with a ginger syrup and the other with soy, preserved vegetables and shrimp; Peking duck bao sandwiches and even a Chinese tea tasting (so meditative and relaxing). Our last stop, and the highlight for me, was our visit to the Hindu Temple of North America, who’s main deity is Lord Ganesh, the remover of obstacles, and patron of arts and sciences and deva of intellect and wisdom. After a brief history of the temple and tour inside, Joe escorted us to the downstairs canteen, where we drank refreshing mango lassi’s and shared one of their giant foot-long dosas! Visions of India came to me and I can’t wait to return (both to Flushing and India!). Before jumping back on the subway, Joe insisted we try the Golden Eggies, small mini balls made from batter cooked in what seemed to be a multi-holed waffle iron from the cart of a lovely street vendor. Warm and delicious. A perfect ending to the perfect day. Our tour lasted about 4 hours and along with food and drink Joe enjoyed telling us about the history of the neighborhood and the various flavors of China that come from Sichuan and Shanghai to Guangzhou and Xi’an. If you haven’t boarded a transcontinental flight for your summer vacation this year, or even if you have, I recommend booking a culinary tour with Joe, you certainly will feel like you’ve traveled the globe. Joe DiStefano is the founder and publisher of the Queenscentric food blog Chopsticks + Marrow, and author of 111 Places in Queens That You Must Not Miss. His tours have been featured in The New York Times, Serious Eats, The Daily News, and The Wall Street Journal. You can follow him on Twitter @JoeDiStefano and on Instagram @joedistefanoqns, just make sure to eat lunch before you view! |
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