AUGUST 2013 | BOROMAG.COM | 17 Even the woman with ruby glasses is now engaged, and the two ask a few more questions before nally departing so we can eat. Everything is fresh. e rice is not oily at all, the noodles playfully crisp and chewy, the vegetables warm but crunchy, and the dumplings each addictive in their unique combination of llings and textures. e Ambassador Plate was introduced last month as a program intended to act as a sort of "Complete Dummies Guide to Eating in Jackson Heights", where language, culture, and ingredients can easily become intimidating barriers. e program was developed by Je rey Orlick, a Jackson Heights resident who is known for his unique food tours and crawls. It was birthed from the intimate personal relationships he has developed with chefs, owners and street cart vendors over the past several years. “What this does is create a universal language where anyone can walk into any restaurant and order what the locals eat,” explains Orlick. “What this does is eliminate playing darts with a foreign menu.” e passport works several ways, as one participant is a bagel shop, in the hopes of making the American pastry and accoutrements less intimidating to a Tibetan. Orlick believes that unlike restaurant week, eaters exploring the diverse landscape in Queens need a guide more than a deal. While the Ambassador Plates are a ordable at either $10 or $20, the intention is for the chef to choose a combination that best represents her\ his restaurant, culture and menu. Unlike a set prix xe, the selection could change daily, or from customer to customer, keeping the chef excited to share dishes with new customers. e Ambassador Program “is essentially like ordering ‘omakase’ at a random restaurant,” Orlick says. “I do not make the menus. I anticipate that what they serve each person will change by the day, and also evolve with a person’s familiarity with the place—just like omakase should.” So far, about a dozen restaurants are participating, indicated by an ambassador sticker on the door, though Orlick plans to gradually invite more kitchens to join in—and possibly even more neighborhoods eventually. A list of participating restaurants is available on his website (iwantmorefood.com/ambassador/). Each restaurant is about 20 minutes from Grand Central on the 7 train. Dumpling from Tibetan Mobile Veggie Thali plate at Dhauligiri Kitchen GangJong fried rice
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