Hello. I’m Joanna.

I use “Joannie” because of my mom. My mom rarely ever says my real name. I probably haven’t heard her use “Joanna” in a couple of years now even though I speak with her on the phone pretty much every day. Yeah, I know, so what does she refer to me as? Well “Joannie” for one. Sometimes she says “kitten” (mao-mi) in Mandarin Chinese or “fuzzy fuzzy” (mao-mao – another embarassing nickname). I honestly don’t know why she never says my name, but it’s ok, that’s how “Joannie” was born!

Well, I’m a foodie. Yes I know, I’ve gone a little crazy with the photo posting, I’m experimenting with this new layout and how I will introduce you to my first love… yes, I am referring to food.

 

My Food Adventures.

I am from a food-oriented family. My grandma is a famous for her cooking in Taiwan (well, in some circles, but our family is weirdly famous in Taichung). My mom had a one-time stint as a chef. My dad’s sisters own a little hole-in-the-wall in Taichung that makes traditional Taiwanese foods. So I grew up around food and I love food photography. I don’t care if some people abhor the fact that people take photos of their food, but when I look at my food photos, the memory of the smell and taste come to mind and I can relive those moments.

So here are my first 5 photos:

I went to Stephen Starr‘s Granite HIll located in the Phildelphia Museum of Art. Granite Hill is a wonderful museum restaurant. Not only was the menu reasonable, the range of dishes had me at indecision. I did come to my senses and chose, The Hill Burger, while my friend chose the Warm Shrimp Salad. The Hill Burger was wonderfully complimented by their Pommery Moutarde de Meaux which was available on every table. The Warm Shrimp Salad was a bit too drenched in the lemon beurre blanc, but the flavors were excellent.

The Hill Burger
Charbroiled special blend beef, melted fontina, fried onion, truffled sesame bun & twice-fried Kennebec potatoes   $14

Warm Shrimp Salad
Mesclun greens, fines herbes, shaved fennel, avocado, lemon beurre blanc   $17

The taco photo is from the famous Country Boys (aka Martinez Brothers) Taco Truck. They have a location at the Red Hook Mercado, an open lot turned into a small open bazaar. There are 2 food stands along with 2-3 small stands selling jewelry and other handicrafts. There I had two very juicy pork tacos with all the fixings. A little spicy for me (I practically drank all of my friend’s water), but great for those who can handle the heat (I’m sorry! I’m a wimp!).

The latte and dessert photo are from a random spot on the Upper East Side called Terramare. No, I would not recommend going there, but it did give me my first taste of “Nonna Della Torta.” It’s a traditional Tuscan dessert w/ a pastry outside and inside can be either lemon curd, ricotta w/ lemon zest, and can be topped with anything such as pignoli nuts (my favorite!). It’s a wonderful dessert and I would like to try variations of it on my future trip to Tuscany (aah, a girl can dream, can’t she?). Oh yes, and the latte. My friend received her latte and found a surprise – a face! So hence the photo, nothing special about it besides the face!

Hopefully there will be more exciting food adventures in the future, but I’ll try to post detailed posts with photos, links and descriptions. Til then! Happy Food Adventures!

This place used to be known as King 5 Noodle, but now there’s only a sign labeled “牛肉麵” or “niu rou mien” in Mandarin Chinese. The best way to describe where this is located is: “It’s on Prince St in Flushing next to Sentosa.” Somehow, everyone knows what that means (well, I did not, but now I know). A giant bowl will put you back about $6.