If you’re looking for that “kid in a candy store” feeling, there is nowhere better to visit than Sockerbit (89 Christopher St New York, NY 10014) in New York City. The best part about Sockerbit is that, unless you are Swedish, you have probably never seen any these candies before, which makes the adventure all the more fun. All of the bulk candy in Sockerbit is sold by the pound ($12.99) so you can grab a bag and pick out your own perfect selection from the dozens (hundreds?) of varieties. Here is a preview of a few of the candies you can get.
- There is a huge variety of gummy candies, in any shape you could ever want, including old favorites like bears, worms, cola bottles and fish. But the fun doesn’t stop there, the beauty of Sockerbit is that there are also dozens of particularly unique shapes like sour apple skulls, pink dolphins and raspberry Ferarris.
- Hard candies like the wrapped mint Marianne variety and fizzy raspberry balls
- Traditional Swedish licorice in both hard and soft varieties, some of which is super strong and almost spicy, like the hard Napoleon variety. Other varieties like Salmias are salty!
- Flavored Sockerbitar marshmallows in flavors like strawberry (the Swedish word for marshmallow is the namesake of the store)
- Wrapped toffees and caramels, both hard and soft, in some more unusual flavors like the Swedish Christmas cookie Pepparkakor
- Chocolate with fillings like muesli, toffee or hazelnut
In addition to the overwhelming amount of candy, Sockerbit also has a small assortment of Swedish ingredients like coffee, jam and flour along with boxed candies and cookies. You can also buy modern Dala Horses and and housewares, if you are looking for something a little more durable. Plus, Sockerbit is also one of the few places you can find the famous Swedish Polkagris candies in the US. If you can manage to save some of your candy haul, these also make a great souvenir!
Today is Fat Tuesday – aka Mardi Gras – which means it is 
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It seems that there are two main categories of Mardi Gras food, rich, sweet cakes meant to use up all the sugar and fat before Lent, and savory,”lucky” foods. In the sweet camp are Polish 
By now, it is pretty much common knowledge by now that Rick Bayless has something of a Mexican food empire in Chicago. In 2016, that empire grew by two more – Leña Brava (900 W Randolph St, Chicago, IL) and Cruz Blanca. These two restaurants are more modern, updated spots in the always-buzzing Randolph Street corridor in the West Loop. Cruz Blanca’s is a brewery with a taco bar, and Leña Brava is all about the wood-fire grilled seafood, Baja California-style. When choosing between the two we knew we had to go with the wood fire! In any case, they are basically connected, so you don’t necessarily have to choose -if you want to grab an after-dinner drink at one or the other.
The interior of Leña Brava is sleek and stylish, and seems to draw a similar crowd, fitting with the location. The massive wood-fire grill is one of the features of the restaurant, and it is in full view of diners on the first floor. Not everything is wood-fired, though. The menu is divided into both hot and cold items – in sections called “ice” and “fire.” The cold menu is composed of oysters, ceviches, seafood cocktails, aguachiles (similar to a ceviche, but with a super-spicy broth) and laminados (raw sashimi-style fish – above). On the hot side of the menu, you can get grilled fish, pork belly, scallops or even roast chicken for two. We decided to sample items from both the hot and cold sides.
As we enter mid-February, Carnevale / Mardi Gras / Carnival is right around the corner! It’s never too early to start planning some sweet treats for the festivities. In Italy, Carnevale is a big deal, and Mardi Gras (or Shrove Tuesday) is celebrated with sweet, fried dough fritters called Chiacchiere. The simple-to-make Chiacchiere is popular throughout Italy, and goes by 
The history of the 
We have had a lot of Middle Eastern and Mediterranean food in our day, and to be honest, a lot of it tends to run together. So we are always glad to happen upon spots that serve more regional dishes beyond the ubiquitous kebabs and hummus. At an unassuming strip mall in Avon, we found a hidden Turkish gem doing just that: Istanbul Grill (35840 Chester Rd., Avon, OH). One thing that sets Istanbul Grill apart is that it serves some slightly more unusual (and authentic) Turkish dishes you won’t see elsewhere. For example you can get kebabs over diced bread, a serving style that is common in Turkey, but I haven’t really seen much in the US. They also serve Lahmacun ($13.49) on Sundays – a Turkish pizza-style flatbread topped with ground lamb. 
Who would have thought that Logan Square in Chicago would be home to a cafe with amazing hommade Chai and Nepalese food? We wouldn’t have either, until we came across the eclectic 
At first glance, it may seem that Chiya Cafe is trying to be too many things at once. As if the current options were not enough, for dinner, they also open up the larger dining room in the back and serve more substantial meals and alcohol. However, somehow it all works. The Nepali small plates and the chai work well together, and we were happy with everything we sampled. If you are a tea fan, make sure you sample some of the real stuff at Chiya Chai cafe. You’ll never be able to drink boxed chai again.
Saturday is Chinese New Year – kicking off the year of the horse! Chinese 
This year, Lunar New Year falls on a Friday! If you will be celebrating Lunar New Year in Korea the festivities are called 
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Eating The World 