Everyone came in from New Jersey where Sunny prepared them breakfast and then they boarded our bus with Tony in the Chinatown section of Manhattan and off we went!
Talde
Our first stop was Talde in Park Slope to meet with Owner and Chef Dale Talde who you might remember from Top Chef Chicago. We were treated to Korean Fried Chicken, Pretzel Pork & Chive Dumplings & Cashew Rice. Not only that, but everyone received a copy of Chef Talde’s incredible book, “Asian-American: Proudly Inauthentic Recipes from the Philippines to Brooklyn“.
The high-energy Pan-Asian menu is a must try, as you can see from the fun photos below!
Here’s Dale welcoming Sunny and our group from Extended Stay America.
Take a peek inside the beautiful restaurant which is covered in Asian mahogany wood carvings.
The Korean Friend Chicken is to die for. You have to try it!
Tanoreen
Our next stop was Tanoreen in Bay Ridge where we were met by mother and daughter team Raiwa Bishara and Jumana to try their Knafeh. Knafeh is a middle eastern dessert. It’s a cheese pastry soaked in a sweet syrup topped with a few drops of rose water or orange blossom water and crushed pistachios. Our guests also received a copy of Raiwa Bishara’s book, “Olives, Lemons & Za’atar: The Best Middle Eastern Home Cooking“.
Little Cupcake Bakeshop
Little Cupcake Bakeshop, also in Bay Ridge, is where all your cupcake dreams come true! There we met Louie who owns the family business with his brothers Mario and Sal. We were treated to a blackout cake cupcake, which was voted by Food & Wine Magazine as having the BEST Chocolate Cake in America! All our guests were given espresso and a gift tin and mug too. Boy were we lucky!
Di Fara
Our last stop was legendary Di Fara Pizza which is widely regarded as one of the best pizzerias in New York City! Domenico DeMarco, known as Dom, makes every pie himself and uses imported olive oil, San Marzano tomatoes and three different types of cheese for his pizza. To top things off, he snips fresh basil onto the pie with kitchen scissors.
“Welp…there he is next to me. The man. Dom. For more than 60 years he’s hand made pizzas …solo, for adoring fans. He immigrated from Italy at 20 and all his ingredients still come from there. He’s raised a family on this American Dream and there they are next to us. I can’t tell you how much I love and appreciate this family. This used to be my local pizza place, and little did I know when I moved into that hood that I would be so lucky to have the country’s BEST pizza just a 5 minute walk away. Thank you @BrooklynTours and@ExtendedStayAmerica for making this tour happen so more people can learn about this man and taste his work. I’m truly honored to know ALL of you. XOXO” – Sunny Anderson
Needless to say we were honored to put together Sunny’s first every food tour! Want to see more? Search hashtags #inbrooklyn & #travellikeapro!
