FEATURES Times Newsweekly Community Profiles • Local History • Nightlife • Food Reviews • Neighborhood Events And Memories 21 • TIMES, THURSDAY, DECEMBER 11, 2014 Noshing Around Ridgewood NNootteedd AAuutthhoorr HHeellppss GGuuiiddee UUss OOnn AA TTaassttee OOff CCoommmmuunniittyy’ss DDiivveerrssee EEaattss Delicacies for sale at businesses along Seneca Avenue off Myrtle Avenue were part of Myra Alperson’s Noshwalks tour of Ridgewood scheduled for last Saturday, Dec. 6. A heavy rainstorm, however, forced the event’s postponement. (photo: Kelly Marie Mancuso) Sunday With Santa At Glendale School Children of all ages got to share their wish lists with Santa Claus during Redeemer Lutheran School’s annual “Brunch with Santa” on Sunday, Dec. 7, at the Glendale institution. Youngsters got a chance to take their picture with the North Pole’s most famous resident and participate in raffle drawings for some early gifts. (photo: Robert Pozarycki) by Kelly Marie Mancuso Long-time traveler, author and gastronome Myra Alperson was to bring her acclaimed culinary tour “Noshwalks” to the streets of Ridgewood on Saturday, Dec. 6—but heavy rains put a damper on those plans. Nonetheless, the night before the scheduled tour, I made my way to the Caribe Star restaurant (54-55 Myrtle Ave., at St. Nicholas Ave.) to meet Alperson for a preview of the event. She was seated in a booth by a window, enjoying a hot cafe con leche. As I made my introduction and slid into the booth, Alperson’s passion for culinary adventure and discovery was immediately apparent. “They have broccoli empanadas here,” she exclaimed as I sat down. “I have never seen a place with broccoli empanadas before;” I sat with Alperson as she explained the origins of her successful tour group between sips of cafe con leche. Noshwalks began back in August 2000 as a way to explore the culturally diverse neighborhoods of the city and all five boroughs by fork and by foot. Tour attendees, dubbed “Noshwalkers” by Alperson, engage in carefully crafted, threehour long epicurean walking tours through ethnic enclaves. The tours tend to veer off the beaten path, opting for smaller local establishments over newer, trendier hot spots. Noshwalks marks Alperson’s second venture into the city’s rich cultural and culinary landscape. Back in 1983, Alperson cofounded Hungry Peddler’s Gourmet Bicycle Tours, which treated cyclists to unique ethnic fare in previously unexplored Queens Library Lending Out Portable ‘Hot Spots’ BBoorrrrooww DDeevviicceess TToo SSuurrff TThhee NNeett The devices, which are smaller than most cell phones, provide internet access to any wifi enabled device almost anywhere. The mobile hot spots will provide an internet connection to computers, tablets, smart phones. First-time borrowers will be asked to show photo ID and fill out a borrower’s agreement. Hot spots are available for loan for one month, with up to three renewals possible. Hot spots are available for loan right now at the Central library, 89-11 Merrick Blvd. in Jamaica, and the Far Rockaway (1637 Central Ave.), Flushing (41-17 Main St.) and Forest Hills (108-19 71st Ave..) branches. They will also be available beginning tomorrow, Dec. 12, at th Jackson Heights branch (35-51 81st St.). All of these locations are also lending free Google tablets. Google’s $1 million donation, along with a $500,000 grant from the Knight News Challenge, an initiative of the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation, Open Society Foundations, and Robin Hood Foundation, has made this program possible. “Whether you’re a parent looking for a job, a child working on a school project, or a family looking for information on services, broadband access is no longer a luxury—it’s a necessity,” Mayor Bill de Blasio said in announcing the donations. “I commend both New York City Libraries and Google for their commitment to increasing accessibility to technology through the innovative Library Hotspot program, and I am thrilled to see thousands of New York City families get access to the Internet.” “Lending mobile hot spots, coupled with our Google tablet lending program, will put -SEE HOTSPOTS ON PG. 62- parts of town. Alperson went on to co-author “The Food Lover’s Guide to the Real New York” in 1987. After traversing the globe, Alperson returned to the Big Apple and began “Noshnews,” a quarterly online guide to the city’s ethnic cuisine, in 1999. Alperson’s motto is simple yet intriguing: “Nosh your way from Odessa to Bombay ... and never leave New York!” I was given the unique opportunity to walk with Alperson on a private tour as she prepared for her Ridgewood Noshwalk, which was set for the following morning. Shopping for delicacies Our tour began in the cozy booth of the Caribe Star, a Caribbean eatery housed inside a mid-century style diner. Alperson delighted over her discovery of the broccoli empanadas and ordered some to go. She also took home a rotisserie chicken salad on a leafy bed of lettuce, peppers and tomatoes. The generous portions yielded a wallet-friendly feast for under $13. We made our way eastbound on Myrtle Avenue, savoring the delicious aromas of plantains and pernil, a richly seasoned, slowroasted pork shoulder dish, emanating from Rico Pollo (55- 37 Myrtle Ave.). A short walk led us to the Fancy Fruits and -SEE NOSHWALK ON PG. 62- The Queens Borough Public Library is lending free mobile hot spots to library card holders. If You See Breaking News On Your Block... Contact The Times Newsweekly Call 1-718-821-7500 • Email info@timesnewsweekly.com
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