Eating In Translation

New York-area food events, April 8-June 30, 2022

Season opener: Japan Fes New York
Saturday, April 9, 10:00-6:00; repeats periodically, at various locations, through October
Sixth Ave. between 24th and 26th Sts., Manhattan (very likely comprising two blocks of a longer street festival)
www.Facebook.com/events/433126645233971
Free admission

Indonesian bazaar at the St. James Parish House
Saturday, April 9, 11:00-4:30; repeats monthly
Parish house of St. James Episcopal Church, 8407 Broadway (St. James-Corona Aves.), Elmhurst, Queens
www.Facebook.com/IndonesiaFoodBazaar
Previously: www.Flickr.com/search/?user_id=61177627%40N00&sort=date-taken-desc&text=indonesian%20james&view_all=1
Free admission

Hoboken Mac & Cheese Festival
Saturday, April 9, 1:00-5:00
Various locations in Hoboken, New Jersey
www.Eventbrite.com/e/3rd-annual-hoboken-mac-cheese-festival-tickets-271349623027
Tickets: adults, $35; kids, $12

Our Lady of Czestochowa-St. Casimir Palm Sunday Cake Sale
Sunday, April 10, "after all masses"
Our Lady of Czestochowa-St. Casimir, 183 25th St. (Third-Fourth Aves.; take walkway to the lower rectory hall, in back), Greenwood, Brooklyn
www.Facebook.com/olcbrooklyn/photos/a.1950055778353179/7993372634021433
Previously: www.EatingInTranslation.com/2020/04/babka-cake-and-pierogi-sale.html
Free admission

Songkran Festival at Wat Buddha Thai Thavorn Vanaram
Sunday, April 10, 9:00-3:00
Wat Buddha Thai Thavorn Vanaram, 7616 46th Ave. (76th-78th Sts.), Elmhurst, Queens
www.Facebook.com/photo/?fbid=10228364112911585&set=a.4024347810742
Previously: www.Flickr.com/search/?user_id=61177627%40N00&sort=date-taken-desc&view_all=1&text=songkran%20buddha
In past years — it's unclear how the pandemic might change these practices — Thai dishes were doled out from a buffet, while it lasted, beginning at about 11:00; the line often formed a half-hour earlier. Any other stations served continuously while the food lasted. All are welcome to partake, bearing in mind the spirit of the occasion; a donation to the temple would be welcome

New York-area food events, April-June, 2022

Season openers: Smorgasburg
Friday, April 1: Westfield World Trade Center, Oculus Plaza, Manhattan
Saturday, April 2: 200 Greene St., Jersey City
Sunday, April 3: Breeze Hill, East Dr. at Lincoln Rd., Prospect Park, Brooklyn
June: Williamsburg
www.Smorgasburg.com
Free admission

Estonian pop-up brunch by Põhjaka
Sunday, April 3, 11:30-2:00
Estonian House, 243 East 34th St. (Second-Third Aves.), Manhattan
www.Eventbrite.com/e/pohjaka-restaurant-brunch-tickets-291838917057
More about Põhjaka restaurant: www.Pohjaka.ee/eng
Tickets: $34; advance registration required

Brooklyn Taco Takedown
Sunday, April 3, 1:00-3:00
The Bell House, 149 7th St. (Second-Third Aves.), Gowanus, Brooklyn
www.TheTakedowns.com/brooklyn-taco-takedown-2022
Tickets: $30; ages 21 and over only

New York-area food events, March 24-May 31, 2022

MAHAA Burmese fundraiser at the St. James Parish House
Saturday, March 26, 11:00-3:30
Parish house of St. James Episcopal Church, 8407 Broadway (St. James-Corona Aves.), Elmhurst, Queens
www.Facebook.com/events/992959478319712
Previously: www.Flickr.com/search/?user_id=61177627%40N00&sort=date-taken-desc&view_all=1&text=mahaa
Free admission; proceeds benefit the Myanmar American Humanitarian Aid Association

Chocolate World Expo
Sunday, March 27, 10:00-7:00
Cradle of Aviation Museum, Charles Lindbergh Blvd., Garden City, New York
www.TheChocolateExpo.com/tickets-cradle-of-aviation
Tickets: adults, $20; children ages 2 to 12, $15

Season openers: Smorgasburg
Friday, April 1: Westfield World Trade Center, Oculus Plaza, Manhattan
Saturday, April 2: Harborside Pl. at Hudson St., Jersey City
Sunday, April 3: Breeze Hill, East Dr. at Lincoln Rd., Prospect Park, Brooklyn
June: Williamsburg
www.Smorgasburg.com
Free admission

Estonian pop-up brunch by Põhjaka
Sunday, April 3, 11:30-2:00
Estonian House, 243 East 34th St. (Second-Third Aves.), Manhattan
www.Eventbrite.com/e/pohjaka-restaurant-brunch-tickets-291838917057
More about Põhjaka restaurant: www.Pohjaka.ee/eng
Tickets: $34; advance registration required

Brooklyn Taco Takedown
Sunday, April 3, 1:00-3:00
The Bell House, 149 7th St. (Second-Third Aves.), Gowanus, Brooklyn
www.TheTakedowns.com/brooklyn-taco-takedown-2022
Tickets: $30; ages 21 and over only

Angel Indian Restaurant: Divine Eats

" 'Simple but good.' This guiding principle is evident from the moment we step into Jackson Heights’ Angel Indian Restaurant, where the small dining room is almost bare of decoration. Until our food arrives at the table, the most eye-catching sights — just barely visible above the tall partition that screens the seating area from the open kitchen — are the flames that leap from a pan as chef and owner Amrit Pal Singh puts the finishing touches to our meal." Read more on Culinary Backstreets.

New York-area food events, March 17-May 31, 2022

Indonesian bazaar at Masjid al-Hikmah
Sunday, March 20, 9:00-5:00; repeats periodically (but not again till May, after Ramadan)
4801 31st Ave. (at 48th St.), Astoria, Queens
www.Instagram.com/p/CbDLSbhLvB8
Previously: www.Flickr.com/photos/EatingInTranslation/albums/72157623906730604
Free admission

Filipino pop-up market by Project Barkada
Sunday, March 20, noon-7:00
Kabisera, 151 Allen St. (Stanton-Rivington Sts.), Manhattan
www.Instagram.com/p/Ca8JiuNFh4C
Free admission

MAHAA Burmese fundraiser at the St. James Parish House
Saturday, March 26, 11:00-3:30
Parish house of St. James Episcopal Church, 8407 Broadway (St. James-Corona Aves.), Elmhurst, Queens
www.Facebook.com/events/992959478319712
Previously: www.Flickr.com/search/?user_id=61177627%40N00&sort=date-taken-desc&view_all=1&text=mahaa
Free admission; proceeds benefit the Myanmar American Humanitarian Aid Association

New York-area food events, March 10-May 31, 2022

Girl Scout Troop 6000 Cookie Sale
Thursday and Friday, March 10-11, 4:00-8:00; Saturday, noon-4:00
The Corner, 25 Fulton St. (at Water St.), Manhattan
www.TheSeaport.nyc/events/girl-scout-troop-6000-cookie-sale
Free admission; proceeds from cookie sales benefit Troop 6000, "a first-of-its-kind Girl Scout troop designed to serve girls and women living in the New York City shelter system"

Hungarian Artisan Market
Saturday, March 12, 10:00-2:00
American Hungarian Foundation, 300 Somerset St., New Brunswick, New Jersey
www.Facebook.com/AmericanHungarianFoundation/photos/a.1979413272069823/5310196895658094
Free admission

A Supper for Ukraine
Sunday, March 13, 5:00-9:00
Gertie, 357 Grand St. (at Marcy Ave.), Williamsburg, Brooklyn
www.Instagram.com/p/Ca5K3YIueWs
Free admission; first-come, first-served, pay-as-you-go counter service; proceeds benefit Razom for Ukraine

An Evening of Fine Food
Tuesday, March 15, 6:30-8:30
Terrace on the Park, 5211 111th St. (at 52nd Ave., inside Flushing Meadows Corona Park), Corona, Queens
https://QueensCP.givecloud.co/qcpfinefood
Tickets: $135; proceeds benefit the Queens Centers for Progress

MAHAA Burmese fundraiser at the St. James Parish House
Saturday, March 26, 11:00-3:30
Parish house of St. James Episcopal Church, 8407 Broadway (St. James-Corona Aves.), Elmhurst, Queens
www.Facebook.com/events/992959478319712
Previously: www.Flickr.com/search/?user_id=61177627%40N00&sort=date-taken-desc&view_all=1&text=mahaa
Free admission; proceeds benefit the Myanmar American Humanitarian Aid Association

New York-area food events, March-May 2022

Note: For many years I updated my roundup of food events every week, except during the winter doldrums, and focused on the week ahead. That changed with the onset of Covid. So many events were postponed, rescheduled, and ultimately cancelled outright that I suspended this weekly roundup and limited myself to occasional announcements on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.

In March 2022, far fewer in-person events are on the calendar than was the case in March 2020 — but the prospects are good for a busier spring and summer. This roundup, which looks ahead three full months, is much more attenuated than in years past, but I hope to fill it out as more events are planned and confirmed.

Good Shepherd Fish Fry
Friday, March 4, 7:00-9:00
Auditorium of Good Shepherd School, 620 Isham St. (Cooper St.-Seaman Ave.), Manhattan
www.Eventbrite.com/e/good-shepherd-fish-fry-tickets-258597129977
Tickets: adults, $20; children, $5

Indonesian bazaar at the St. James Parish House
Saturday, March 5, 11:00-4:30; repeats monthly
Parish house of St. James Episcopal Church, 8407 Broadway (St. James-Corona Aves.), Elmhurst, Queens
www.Facebook.com/IndonesiaFoodBazaar
Previously: www.Flickr.com/search/?user_id=61177627%40N00&sort=date-taken-desc&text=indonesian%20james&view_all=1
Free admission

Mac & Cheese Mayhem
Saturday, March 5, 11:00-7:00
Morristown Armory, 430 Western Ave., Morristown, New Jersey
www.MacMayhemFest.com
Tickets: adults, $7 advance/$10 onsite; children ages 3 and under, free

#CookForUkraine Bake Sale
Sunday, March 6, 2:00-6:00
Archestratus Foods, 160 Huron St. (near Manhattan Ave.), Greenpoint, Brooklyn
www.Instagram.com/p/Cam3DTiubZS
Free admission; proceeds from baked goods (from various culinary traditions, $25 per box, first-come first-served) benefit #CookForUkraine

An Evening of Fine Food
Tuesday, March 15, 6:30-8:30
Terrace on the Park, 5211 111th St. (at 52nd Ave., inside Flushing Meadows Corona Park), Corona, Queens
https://QueensCP.givecloud.co/qcpfinefood
Tickets: $135; proceeds benefit the Queens Centers for Progress

MAHAA Burmese fundraiser at the St. James Parish House
Saturday, March 26, 11:00-3:30
Parish house of St. James Episcopal Church, 8407 Broadway (St. James-Corona Aves.), Elmhurst, Queens
www.Facebook.com/events/992959478319712
Previously: www.Flickr.com/search/?user_id=61177627%40N00&sort=date-taken-desc&view_all=1&text=mahaa
Free admission

Neighborhoods to Visit 2022: Ridgewood, Queens

"Tischlein, deck dich" — "little table, cover yourself" magically with food and drink — a hand-painted illustration inspired by a fairy tale, as told by Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm, at Morscher's Pork Store in Ridgewood, Queens. Pull up a seat and read more about this wonderful neighborhood on Culinary Backstreets.

Rincon Criollo: Memories of Cuba, in Queens

"Everything had to remain the same."

In the dining room of Rincon Criollo, a Cuban restaurant in Corona, Esther Acosta recalls the pledge that she and her older brother, Rudesindo ("Rudy") Acosta, made to their great-uncles when they took the reins of the family business.

The surrounding community has changed in the years since the restaurant opened in 1976. Today it's easier to find chaulafan from Ecuador, chalupas from Mexico or chow from many other Latin American countries than to find the shredded, slow-simmered flank steak of a traditional Cuban ropa vieja.

Thanks to the younger Acostas, however, the home-style cooking, the red-and-white-checked tablecloths and the framed photos that nearly blanket the walls evoke not only the Rincon Criollo of the mid-'70s but also another Rincon Criollo from a quarter-century earlier, in Cuba itself. Read more on Culinary Backstreets — and, if you like flan de coco, save room for dessert.

Leticias: Ecuadorian Eats and Treats

At Leticias in Corona, Queens, "the menu is rich with traditional Ecuadorian fare such as encebollado, a fish stew bolstered by cassava, and a pork-heavy platter of fritada, hornado and chorizo dubbed 'tres chanchitos,' loosely, 'three little piggies.' We've particularly enjoyed the tripa mishqui, grilled pork intestines that are popular street food in Ecuador and in Corona Plaza, where at least two vendors specialize in this dish.

"Thanks to Fernando's laborious cleaning and marination of the offal, the flavor is not at all funky. In fact, it's 'mishqui' — 'delicious,' in the Quechua language still spoken by many Indigenous people in Ecuador. (A mini-glossary on the back of the menu taught us what little we know.)

"We did not, however, try the standard version of tripa mishqui — we enjoyed it in a trio of tacos. Corona is 'half-Mexican, half Ecuadorian,' Fernando explains. To celebrate the mingling of cultures in the neighborhood where he grew up, Fernando offers many dishes both in their classic form and cradled in tortillas from nearby Tortilleria Nixtamal. ..." Explore more of these cross-cultural connections on Culinary Backstreets.