It had been almost a year since I last visited DanSavann Laos Cafe. It proved to be worth that first trek up to Olney. Now under new ownership and called Laos Cafe, I was glad to see authentic Laotaion food still on the main stage. To start, crispy and delicate quail, tangy lemongrass Laos sausage, meaty grilled pork ribs and their powerful Iced Tea (spiked with bourbon as it is BYO). Anticipating the herb and lime heavy salads, we got two. A spicy squid and a more mild beef. Both hosted plenty of mint and red onion. And who needs croutons when you have a side order of crispy pork skin chips (kiep moo)? Two of the more interesting plates were the khao piak sen and nam khao. Khao piak sen is
The Specialty Food Association's Fancy Food Show is one of my favorite days of the year. It is the absolute best reason to collapse exhausted from spending hours on your feet sampling high quality and new food products. The FFS comes in NYC every summer and to San Francisco every winter. While it would be nice to escape the cold and attend the S.F. show, budget allows me to only stick to the more local show. The three day food expo fills the Javitz center with an overwhelming about of tables showcasing food and food related products. In recent years, all the buzz words come out to play: sustainability, healthy alternatives, energy. I noticed a lot of fermented beverages (tons of Kombucha,
