There are plenty of books, blogs, and websites that can confidently guide you as an apprentice of Thai cooking and cuisine. I am currently building a list of these, and will provide them.. again, in another post on another day. The challenge is finding some of the ingredients that authentic Thai recipes call for. Galangal, Kaffir lime leaf, various curry and fish pastes, snake beans, and Daikon just to name a few. Most cities have gourmet shops that carry these specialty items or entire ethnic neighborhoods, like Chinatown and Little Korea, where you can travel to and find everything you need to stock your pantry. Small town groceries usually do not carry ingredients such as these and online purchasing or a day trip to the closest specialty store may be needed.

As for my town; we have an abundance of Thai food restaurants close by (which are curiously much more expensive than New York City Thai restaurants) and many specialty shops including a huge Chinese grocery in East Hanover, NJ called Kam Man Foods. Now, I have been eying this store for months, and only entered for the first time this past weekend. As for my first impression, all I can say is… woo-hoo.

The store is huge and bustling with Asian families. One side is a full-service restaurant, serving up every Chinese dish you can imagine, including Beef Tendon Stew which apparently is thought to improve leg strength if eaten but scarily looks like, well, tendons. The middle of the store holds rows and rows of packaged Asian goods from teas and spices to a million types of noodles and smooshed, dried squid. The other side is a fresh fish market, butcher and produce section with crazy big fish and packages of fancy mushrooms that are so cheap I held them up in the air and said, “hey, look how cheap these mushrooms are!” Don’t do that, by the way.

The place is nothing more than the norm to most Asian folk who cook their delicious cuisine on a daily basis. But to someone like me, a novice and admirer, it is a wonderland of flavors, sights, scents and people-watching that I truly crave and adore. I can get lost in places like this… exploring ingredients, looking at packaging and dreaming up my next meal. It’s way better than Disneyland. Check out some of my pics and look for my future Thai Food posts.

was at John Thomas Steakhouse in Ithaca, New York. Now, I am not claiming this is the best steak there is, I’m simply saying it’s the best steak I’ve had thus far, and I’ve had a lot of steak. It was a Small (10oz!) Filet Mignon, and I cannot even remember all of the delicious appetizers that preceded it and sides and desserts that accompanied and came after it. It was juicy and tender, but solid, so the knife easily sliced through creating a perfectly shaped bite. The seasonings were mild but intense enough that you didn’t need any type of sauce for enhancement. It was a beautiful site as well— tall, trim, crisp on the outside pink in the middle. And there was wine, oh wine… rich, spicy reds that accentuated every little taste. It was magical, really.

So why JTS in Ithaca? You see my husband went to Ithaca for undergrad, and I planned a surprise birthday gathering there for his 30th. Many of his college friends (now our mutual friends), live in the city and we all piled in cars and headed down for a fun weekend of eating, drinking and being very merry. It was a treat for all… those who were returning alumni and those who were there for the first time, like me.

Ithaca is Gorges. Known for its waterfalls, gorges, university and many other wonderful things, it is definitely a fantastic place to visit, even if you don’t have an alum for a husband.

During our visit we went to The Nines Pizzeria/Bar, which is divey ol’ pizza joint, just the way I like them, visited several wineries including Lucas Vinyards (where I distinctly remember seeing about fifteen of my friends surrounding the tasting bar, an exquisite site!), hiked waterfalls, ate a delicious steak dinner and ended the weekend with another unexpected and amazing treat, The Ithaca Farmer’s Market.

There we tasted all types of produce, baked goods and even thai noodles cooked right on premises! There was pottery, knitted goods, jewelry, paintings and let’s not forget the bluegrass band serving up a soundtrack for the entire event.

It was a great weekend in a great place, with great friends. Perhaps I will find a steak someday that puts JTS in second place, but I’m pretty sure it wasn’t just the cut of meat or the preparation that has put this meal on my ‘Steak Throne’.