Limelight Marketplace

People who has lived in New York in the past 20 years have to know about the notorious "The Limelight".
A Gothic Revival Brownstone Church built in 1840's was converted to a night club in the 1990's.
The night club was synonymous with drugs, shut down by the police, changed owner, and closed again.
I never made it to the club, but I did check out the new Limelight Marketplace that just opened this summer.

The gourmet food shops definitely are the main attractions here.

Even though the interior was hip and trendy, you could still see it's religious past.

How dreamy was this?

House of Worship -- if shopping is your religion.

So, I guess this is an angel then?

Another reminder of its past.

When I visited a few months back, portions of the Marketplace was still under construction. 
Because of it's architectural design, it could feel like going through a maze.navigating the place.
But it definitely enhance the whole experience of shopping in a church. 

Meson Asturia -- Spanish restaurant in Jackson Heights

Our wedding anniversary was on a school night,
and the night before I just went to "One if by Land, Two if by sea" for dinner.
So, we decided to go local and check out Meson Asturia in our neighborhood.


For me, Spanish cuisine can do no wrong.
I especially love these old school Spanish restaurants.


Morcilla asturiana -- Blood Sausage
I tried blood sausage many times before and was never a fan of its flavor and texture. 
However, I actually liked this one! 
It did not have the chewy texture that I was scared of, 
and it was prepared with a lot seasoning that made the sausage quite flavorful. 
(code: the seasoning covered the gamy blood taste nicely)


Seafood & Lobster Paella 
One of my all-time favorite Spanish dish. 
H thought that the rice was one of the best he had ever tried. 


Pargo asado o frito -- Broiled red snapper
The fish was okay, perhaps the fried one would taste better. 
The pathetic vegetable side looked like it just came right out of a can, not very appetizing.


Flan -- Classic Spanish dessert
We were originally shocked when the waiter presented the dessert. 
The color just threw us off and of course, the child-like whip cream presentation totally did not help. 
However, we were pleasantly surprised! 
The flan had an interesting citrusy icing on top, 
and the rest of the flan was creamy and milky that tasted like creme brulee. 



Meson Asturia has its own charm.
The servers are attentive and the ambiance was unpretentious.
The restaurant also has live flamenco performance on Saturday night.
It is definitely a great neighborhood restaurant that I will be glad to return. 

Baohous, The casa Fox, Cafe Kajta -- LES food crawl

On this particular weekend, I was feeling nostalgic towards Manhattan.
We decided to hit the Lower East Side on a beautiful Saturday afternoon.


Baohaus is a small eatery that only offer Taiwanese style burgers.
I have heard about it, but never bothered to check it out.
Since we accidentally wandered to this place, we had to try it.


It is a common street food in Taiwan, and is called "Gua Bao".
The traditional Gua Bao uses slow cooked pork belly as the key ingredient.
Although a smaller portion, I was really impressed with Baohaus' Gua Bao.
It was very authentic and well prepared.


After the Taiwanese appetizer, we were hungry and ready to eat.
It was either Latin American cuisine or British Gastro food, and Latin American won tonight.
A Casa Fox was our main destination.


We love early dinners and being the only fews in quiet restaurants.


Encortido Salad
I really liked this pickled cabbage salad with the crunchy texture.


Mini Empanada samples
Among six different flavors, I love herbal chicken & olive, Portabello Mushroom & Smoked Guoda, and Queso Blanco.


Spicy Garlic Shrimp with Cilantro and Lime


On the left: Risotto Croquettes with Tocino + Queso
On the right: Red Pepper Crab Cakes with Chipotle Mayonnaise.


The risotto cro


Over the dinner, H mentioned that he has not been to Cafe Katja for a long time.
We decided to go there for beers & desserts.


Cafe Katja is an Austrian cafe that serves excellent food and drinks.
H especially likes to come here for a drink and talk German with the friendly owner & servers.


Forgot what beer it was....


Linzer torte/Schlag
Named after the city Linz, Austria, Linzer torte is the oldest known torte in the world.
It is made of hazelnut and red current jam.
I love the schlag (German word for whip cream). It is not your usual fluffy whip cream.
It is dense and rich with so much more substance.



It was such an spontaneous evening.
I loved hitting all these places and had small bites here and there.