Whenever I’m in New York City’s Chinatown, I can’t resist stopping by Tai Pan Bakery for one of their soft and sweet raisin twist breads. The bakery is easy to find, right on Canal Street between Mulberry and Mott, with purple lettering in the window and a constantly shifting sea of people inside. Don’t be intimidated by [...]

This recipe is a variation on the enchilada sauce recipe included in the incomparable Veganomicon. It also has the right consistency to make an awesome curry sauce if you are so inclined. 2 tablespoons olive oil 1 onion, diced 1 4-oz can roasted green chiles, chopped 1 red bell pepper 1 yellow bell pepper 2-3 [...]

Tucked among the brownstones in Manhattan’s Greenwich Village is a take-out bakery called Batch, operated by Chef Pichet Ong. I had heard about this place a while ago, and as someone who makes it her business to know NYC cupcakes, I paid it a visit after brunch at the ever-crowded Jane last weekend. Batch cupcakes [...]

My friend and I were making our ways home around 12:30 AM this evening after a leisurely dinner at Khyber Pass, an Afghani restaurant on St. Marks Place in the East Village. Icy pinpoint sprinkles swirled in the frigid air, slowly coating the quiet city sidewalks and making my meal of mantoo (steamed dumplings filled [...]

From the people who brought us HanGawi comes a vegan Korean tea house on Park Avenue called Franchia. Situated across the street from Norman Thomas High School in Murray Hill, Franchia offers a wide range of green and herbal teas. The menu also includes my favorites dishes from HanGawi, as well as a prix fixe [...]

I wandered through the gourmet grocery store called Balducci’s on 8th Avenue and 14th Street last weekend. In addition to being a winter wonderland of cheeses, it also had these cute holiday cupcakes I couldn’t resist photographing. The store itself is visually striking, occupying a domed 1897 landmark building that used to be a bank. [...]

I had been meaning to go to HanGawi restaurant for months but had an unbelievably difficult time getting anyone to go with me. Something about the phrase “Korean vegetarian place” made most people immediately lose interest. Fortunately, I finally made it to this little K-Town gem last weekend and enjoyed a meal that was well [...]

During my time in Taiwan, I was always well-fed. The tour bus would drop us happy vacationers off in front of a restaurant, and we’d sit down family-style and eat whatever was placed in front of us. Most of the time this turned out fine, since I obeyed the one rule required for foreigners to [...]