46 The Courier sun • october 10, 2013 FOR breaking news visit www.couriersun.com LICFLEA&FOOD Flea celebrates Japanese culture Announces holiday market! YEAH DAWG www.facebook.com/yeahdawgvegan Marina Bendetto realized that there weren’t many options for vegan hot dogs in New York, and she decided to do something about it. After founding Yeah Dawg in June, Bendetto has been opening “pop-up” stores around New York and visiting flea markets and festivals, selling her special soy and gluten free vegan hot dogs. Yeah Dawg’s hot dogs come with as many, if not more, toppings as regular hot dogs, and these toppings are always organic, homemade, and fresh. In addition to hot dogs, Yeah Dawg best-selling platter right now is their Loaded Dawg Platter, which comes with all of their toppings along with a Raw Kale Caesar Salad. Among Yeah Dawg’s toppings are cashews, mayonnaise, various seeds, coconut bacon, ruby red caraway seeds, cucumber dill pickles and many others. In addition, many of their toppings are seasonal, so the selection is always guaranteed to be fresh. Yeah Dawg is on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram, and information can be found on those websites as to where customers can find them that week. Yeah Dawg will be at the LIC Flea until the last day of the market on October 27. ALOBAR 46-42 Vernon Boulevard www.alobarnyc.com Jeff Blath’s dream was to open his own restaurant, and after years in the business, he struck gold when he opened Alobar, which he proudly describes as the “best food in Queens.” Alobar offers rustic new American cuisine, and places a special emphasis on buying locally. Even the meat served is purchased from local farms, and Alobar has become well known for its butchering process. In fact, interested people are encouraged to come in and take one of Alobar’s butchering classes (the next of which takes place on October 27), which feature detailed instruction. Blath describes Alobar as a “no-nonsense” establishment, and operates with an open kitchen so that people can see the emphasis and diligence they put into their dish preparation, and it also features an amazing beverage menu consisting of an extensive list of whiskey, beers, cocktails and more. Some of Alobar’s best selling foods include their Maple Bacon Popcorn and Mushroom Toast, which are at the LIC Flea every Saturday and Sunday, along with some of its delicious pork belly dishes. Alobar will be throwing a party to celebrate its two-year anniversary in November; call or visit the website to purchase tickets. For more information on Alobar’s menu and anniversary party, visit www.alobarnyc.com.. OAXACA TACQUIERIA www.oaxacatacos.com Five years ago, husband and wife David and Patty Schneider opened Oaxaca Tacquieria and have been bringing New Yorkers an authentic taste of Mexico ever since. In order to guarantee a fresh, unique taste every day, everything is made from scratch daily, including the salsa and spices Oaxaca uses. “Oaxaca is meant to be a very typical and very authentic experience,” said Patty. “It’s mostly counter seating, and from there you can see everybody making your tacos from scratch while you wait.” Oaxaca Tacquieria not only serves standard chicken and beef tacos, but also their homemade Revolution Tacos, which blend together different flavors to create something entirely new. Of these Revolution Tacos, the Korean Taco, Al Pastore and Barbacoa Tacos are among the most popular. Unlike other stores in its genre, Oaxaca also offers traditional vegetarian options, truly making it an eating experience everyone can enjoy. Oaxaca has stores in Manhattan and Brooklyn, and is at the LIC Flea every Saturday and Sunday. O LIVE BROOKLYN 60 Broadway www.olivebrooklyn.com O Live Brooklyn is coming up on its one-year anniversary of offering a fantastic variety of premium olive oils, aged balsamic vinegars, specialty oils and much more. The owner, Greg Bernarducci, brings a small portion of O Live Brooklyn’s wide selection with him to the LIC Flea & Food Market every Saturday and Sunday, and always looks forward to working with Queens residents. Bernarducci brings a mild and robust vinegar, along with traditional balsamic vinegars. O Live Brooklyn also sells beautiful and unique items such as cutting boards, tongs, spoons and bowls made from olive wood and handmade in Tunisia. It also offers themed gift boxes, such as the Salad Lover or the Gourmet Box. For more information on O Live Brooklyn, visit www.olivebrooklyn.com or visit them at the Flea. A few clouds did not put a damper on a fun-filled, successful weekend at the LIC Flea & Food celebrating Japanese culture. On October 5 and 6, LIC Flea and vendor Oconomi hosted the very first Weekend of Japanese culture at LIC Flea & Food, which brought in regular visitors and brand new faces. “It was fantastic,” said Kazuko Nagao, owner of Oconomi. “We think we brought a new audience that had never been to LIC Flea and regulars also enjoyed something new.” Nagao also said she saw a large presence of the Queens Japanese community at LIC Flea for the weekend celebration. “We got a lot of foot traffic because of the Japanese shows, so I’d say it was a good weekend,” said Eric Henshaw with LIC Vendor Khao Man Gai, which sold out on Saturday. Oconomi, which regularly serves Oconomiyaki, Japanese vegetable pancakes, extended its menu to include stir fried noodles known as Yakisoba, Japanese curry, rice balls and “creative” sushi. The celebration also featured separate booths dedicated to the Japanese culture where LIC Flea visitors tried their hand at Japanese calligraphy with Masako Inyo, who taught participants how to hold a brush. In another booth guests turned paper into art at an origami station. Visitors were able to take home whatever they finished. “The Flea is always a good time,” said LIC Flea visitor Fallon Gardener. “I love everything about Asian cultures.” Along with the delicious Japanese treats and activities, guests also enjoyed three unique performers. Female geisha dancers in costume performed in a group called Salme and Japanese pop singer Reni Reni also made an appearance. The final performers combined music with audience interaction as the Poku Poku Boys played Koto, a traditional string instrument, while translating names from English to Japanese in calligraphy. “I really enjoyed the singing and dancing,” said visitor Maria Walker. “Things like this are why the Flea never gets boring for me.” Along with taking visitors on a trip to Japan and celebrating the Japanese culture, and allowing children to pick their own pumpkins at the pumpkin patch, LIC Flea announced that a holiday market will be opening in December. The market will be located at the same address but within the warehouse next to the LIC Flea lot. The holiday market will be open for the three weekends leading up to Christmas. There are still three weeks left to enjoy LIC Flea & Food so come down to 5-25 46th Avenue and see what other surprises are coming your way.
SC10102013
To see the actual publication please follow the link above