Googa Mooga and Homemade Hummus

This weekend we ventured out to the Great Googa Mooga in Brooklyn. If you aren't familiar, it is a food and music festival that allows eateries around the city to showcase their finest eats while guests sway along to the tunes of up-and-coming bands. While there are some booths that cater specifically to foodies (Foie gras donut? Come on.), there was great representation of simple food done very well.

We started on the foodie end of the spectrum - Rabbit and Snail Paella from Toro. Set to open its doors in the Meatpacking District this fall, Toro is hoping to make a name for itself with standout dishes like this. Luckily, they have plenty of time to perfect this dish between now and then. The snails had a muddy taste that did not play nicely with the gamey rabbit.

Some NYC institutions like Big Gay Ice Cream and Blue Marble were representing but I ultimately went with a delicious ice cream cookie sandwich from Melt Bakery. Simple, well-made vanilla ice cream artfully sandwiched between two of the most lovely chocolate chip walnut cookies I've seen in a while.

Then we decided to go traditional and pick up chicken fingers at Dirty Bird. These folks are doing it right. Juicy, flavorful chicken with a light and savory crust. The honey mustard sauce was the perfect blend of sweet and punchy.

As we strolled along and sipped our overpriced Blue Moon, the unmistakable smell of lobster wafted our direction. Red Hook Lobster Pound and The Lobster Place were somewhere in the area, but I went straight to my favorite - Luke's Lobster. These people do a lobster roll right. There's no photo because I did not even care about getting a picture. I just wanted to devour that sweet, buttery piece of heaven.  Why even bother with the others? That would be like cheating on your perfect girlfriend with her evil twin. I'll never stray, Luke's Lobster. You're the only roll for me.

We had a good time eating our way through the grounds - or passing up things that were simply laughable. (Again, foie gras donut? Why?) But honestly, you could get an even better experience by creating your own food safari in the city. Prices at the festival were twice the in-house prices for these restaurants and you'll probably enjoy exploring the city. So make a list of the restaurants you've really been wanting to try and make a plan. Go out and share one thing at each place and enjoy good food and conversation with your best friend.

After leaving Googa Mooga, we decided we'd go exploring. We came upon a great specialty food shop called Sahadi's. They sold zataar bread, a wide variety of spices and some well-priced dried fruits and nuts. We snatched up a little bit of everything and were inspired to whip up some hummus today.

Roasted Red Pepper Hummus

1 can garbanzo beans (14 ounces), drained
1 tbsp fresh cilantro
1 medium roasted red pepper
1 large clove garlic
1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
pinch of salt

Put all ingredients in a food processor and blend well. You can add more olive oil if you like a creamier texture. Garnish with some cilantro and a squeeze of lemon and it's time to eat!