Dining by Design: The Great Googa Mooga!

People line up for food at the Great Googa Mooga

"What the heck is googa?!" my confused friend asked after I relayed my Sunday plans.  "Googa Mooga," I answered.  Based on the look on his face, I realized that I had just made the whole thing sound even crazier.

A month ago I was just as clueless as he was.  When I first heard the word, I had no idea what the strange cacophony referred to.  It turns out that "The Great Googa Mooga" is a festival in Brooklyn, New York that ushers in the summer season.  Rockers and chefs collide to offer a unique experience for foodies, fans, and people looking to spend the day in Prospect Park.  Think Woodstock meets Food & Wine Classic.  Hippies meet Locavores.  Awesome meets even more awesome.  (And even though I was still rocking my boot and getting over my fractured heel, I wasn't about to miss it!)

This year, Googa Mooga featured over 75 food vendors from quality New York City restaurants.  Two Tom Colicchio restaurants, Colicchio & Sons and Craft, drew enormous crowds. Culinary heavyweights Marcus Samuelsson and Daniel Boulud also had booths from Red Rooster and DBGB respectively.  The food lines grew to epic lengths as the day progressed.  My plan was simple: hit all of the best places and consume the most food upon arrival.  Some may percieve me as a small girl, but I love food and have confidence in the capacity of my stomach :).  So I set to work.

Pork belly taco and spicy watermelon juice from Colicchio & Sons

The first thing I tried, and my favorite dish of the entire day, was the pork belly taco from Colicchio & Sons.  The outer tortilla was perfectly crisp.  It also made the dish portable, a crucial detail in the festival setting.  The pork belly was succulent, moist, and warm.  On a hot day, the warm protein could have been off-putting.  However, Colicchio & Sons artfully counter-balanced the pork with shredded cabbage.  It provided texture and instant refreshment.  C&S served a "spicy watermelon juice" with the taco.  The iced beverage had a slight jalapeno kick.  Summertime perfection.

What amazed me most about the C&S booth though was how hardworking the crew was.  It was an all-hands-on-deck effort; I recognized the faces of the manager and the Food & Wine nominated pastry chef enthusiastically handing out tacos to the crowd.  Tom himself even made an appearance- a highlight of my day!  Although he was only scheduled for a demo in the special area of the festival, Extra Googa, he still jumped in with his crew and got his hands dirty cooking with them.  I have no idea how they kept it up all day!

Tom Colicchio takes time to talk to a dorky fan... me :)

Plantains at El Olomega Pupusas

I got the chance to taste some other dishes that morning, including the Dirty Duck Dog at Craft and plantain chips from Red Hook's El Olomega Pupusas.  Both were good.  And I always save room for dessert!  I paid a visit to legendary Momofuku Milk Bar for birthday cake truffles and a cornflake marshmellow cookie.  The birthday cake truffles were A-MA-ZING.  Momofuku served them cold too, so it was like eating cool cookie dough on a hot summer day.  Forget the concept of "birthday"...you don't need a special occassion to partake!

As you know, I am an avid fan of wine.  I certainly enjoy drinking it, but I mostly like approaching it from an educational perspective.  The nerd in me loves learning about the idiosyncrasies of the regions, varietals, and winemakers.  Googa Mooga was the perfect setting for that.  They had a large tent devoted to wines with representatives ready to pour tastes or glasses of high quality bottles.  I went for the tasting option so that I could explore wines I might not encounter otherwise.  One of my favorites was a Chardonney from Scribe.  The Chardonney was fermented in its skins.  Usually skin imparts the red color to red wines, but in this case that was avoided.  The wine retained the character of the skins, but the light familiarity of Chardonney.

After what I experienced, I can officially say that Googa Mooga is the Mecca of the NYC food world.  And I will certainly be making by haaj again next year :)!

For more information, visit the website: http://www.googamooga.com/about/

Dining By Design and Cooking Creations: Barcelona Spring Tapas with Mommy Couture *Special Guest Blog*



Bartender DJ and Chef Scott

This past Saturday afternoon (April 28^th) I had the good fortune to substitute for my injured foodie daughter as a student at Barcelona’s “Spring Tapas” cooking class.

We students were greeted by Bartender DJ, who offered us a cocktail invented earlier that day and as yet unnamed.  Concocted from G’Vine Gin, other spirits, and accented with fresh mint leaves, this refreshing beverage proved the perfect starting point for our celebration of spring flavors.  Throughout the afternoon DJ also offered us white (Alborino) and red (Sangiovese) wine.



Once all the students had arrived and gathered at the beautifully set bar, we were ushered into the kitchen by Chef Scott, who began our lesson with “simple” crostinis.  (Note:  while all these dishes are likely “simple” for chefs like Scott and foodies like my daughter, I was amazed at the steps and artistry that went into each dish.)  Scott began by offering us samples of ramps he had already pickled, then showing us how to “cook down” the tops of the ramps over medium heat with olive oil.  He then assembled the final dish in layers -- from bottom to top: a toasted crostini, a thin slice of pungent “cana de oreja” goat cheese, the ramps tops, olive oil and spices, and the pickled ramps – and passed it around for our enjoyment.  Our class size of five students in total allowed for wonderful “up close and personal” interaction with Scott, the food, and each other throughout the afternoon.

Scott also took us through preparation of two more dishes:  asparagus topped with spring vegetables and a sunny sideup fresh farm egg, and a warm fiddlehead fern salad with spicy meat and more spring vegetables.  In the process, he deftly and engagingly showed us how to get to the heart of an artichoke.  And throughout our time in the kitchen, there was fun and lively conversation about food in general, cooking techniques, and good sources for buying fresh springtime ingredients, like the Tarry Market in Port Chester and Grade A in Shippan. Scott is fortunate to also have local contacts who bring some of the more obscure products right to him at the restaurant.

The last phase of the afternoon took place back out at the bar, where we were served the delicious dishes we had watched Scott prepare, along with an incredible gnocchi dish and fresh bread to round out the meal.  I loved every minute of the entire event, even with my somewhat limited food/cooking expertise.  For anyone more knowledgeable, I’m sure the experience would be even better and richer.

 Please visit the Barcelona calendar for information on upcoming cooking classes and events at: http://www.barcelonawinebar.com/calendar.htm