Cream of the Crop by Pink Olive

after a FUN and busy day working at my shop in park slope, michael and i ventured out to red hook section of brooklyn saturday night for what we were about to experience a culinary delight! we found out about good fork after watching the show “throwdown with bobby flay” where chef sohui kim decisively defeated bobby flay in a throwdown for the BEST dumplings!  after having tasted her delicious and flavorful dumplings, i can attest to her victory.

the good fork is the perfect neighborhood spot with its warm and homey personality but the eclectic food will win the hearts of any manhattanites.  who knows we might end up moving right next door…

recommendations:

* LOVE the pork and chive dumplings featuring a superbly delicate dough wrapper and a vibrant dipping sauce.

* crab cake with chili aioli, radish sprouts and endives were mouth watering.

* the good fork burger was super juicy and came with these GI-gantic onion rings that were as big as the hamburger itself (but super light)- we give it A++

* shrimp scallion pancakes had a nice spicy kick to it. DELISH~

THE GOOD FORK
phone: 718-643-6636
location: 391 van brunt street, brooklyn ny 11231 (red hook)
getting there: A/C/F train to borough hall, transfer to B61 bus from jay and willoughby streets to van brunt and coffey streets; F/G train to smith/9th street, transfer to B77 bus to van dyke and van brunt streets. but really, just take a car there

there is something very spicy and homey about having a pumpkin treat.   whether it’s pumpkin pie to pumpkin soup to pumpkin latte, pumpkin is universal and can be made into a “sweet” or “salty” dish!  with all the veggies i recently acquired from the farmer’s market, i felt the urge to incorporate one of my fresh zuchinnis in the mix.  happy fall!! xo

zuchinni pumpkin muffins

2 cups flour

2 cups sugar

2 tsp baking soda

2 tsp baking powder

4 eggs

1/2 cup safflower oil

1 can pumpkin (16oz)

2 tbsp apple sauce

grated zucchini

pinches of: cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves

1 cup chocolate chips

mix all the ingredients together except for grated zucchini, spices and chocolate chips.  once the batter is smooth, stir in the grated zucchini, spices and chocolate chips to the mix.

spoon batter into bake-ware and put into 350 degree oven. for small muffins, bake for 15 minutes. for large muffins, bake for 23 minutes.

living in NYC and having some of the BEST restaurants at our fingertips, it’s hard to not get in the habit of going out or ordering in.  after all, there’s no time to waste and you want the food NOW!!  who knew that with the same amount of money spent on restaurants (and probably even less), you can cook a really delicious, fresh, organic meal at home.  i am not a vegetarian…. but love the sight of vegetables, the smell of vegetables and the color of vegetables.  put me in a farmers market and i’m like a kid in a candy store.

so in following angela’s tip on Sexy Green Lifestyle, i planned a trip to trader joes and the union square farmers market so my hungry stomach won’t deviate to take-outs this week.  i must admit…. i went a little overboard.  the veggies and fruits that were so abundant and plentiful…. i probably have enough to feed a room full of hungry men (and women too!)

you know what they say about “you are what you eat!” why not start each week by fueling your body with something good and healthy. it will make you feel good about yourself, which in turn will create positive energy for a productive day.