vip in the city

Sunnyside Strawberry Fair 2007

I arrived in Sunnyside early for SYB’s pot luck dinner party, in time to catch the tail end of the annual Strawberry Fair that had taken over 46th Street, north of Queens Blvd. Though small in scale, this was one street fair that had a distinctly local feel — not a mozzarepa in sight! – setting it apart from almost every other street fair in New York City.

There were fold-out tables and wheeled racks ladened with clothing, accessories and assorted knick-knacks, but strangely enough, not a strawberry in sight. (Sunnyside also hosts a “Pumpkin Fair” in October for which, presumably, there may or may not be pumpkins.)

That warm, sugary smell could only mean one thing: cotton candy! (Maybe we should try renting a truck like this for the August road trip.)

Inside the courtyard of the All Saints’ Episcopal Church, which offers Sunday services in 4 languages: English, Spanish, Korean and Hindi. Despite the conspicuous yellow banner outside, there were no strawberries to be found there either.

We did get our berries eventually, compliments of JD who brought a quart, hand-dipped in dark chocolate, as her contribution to tonight’s red-themed dinner. (New friends SH and AP wowed us all with a delicious and beautiful homemade cherry pie.) Chocolate is always delightful, to be sure, but one of my favorite treatments for the season’s fresh strawberries is drizzled — or better: marinated — in aged balsamic vinegar, topped with crème fraîche, mascarpone, or fresh ricotta. Or perhaps over scoops of olive oil gelato?

Or simpler still: dusted with cardamom sugar?

Critics’ favorite new restaurant Sfoglia, located across the street from the 92nd Street Y, is owned by husband-and-wife chefs Ron Suhanosky and Colleen Marnell-Suhanosky. (The pair met as line cooks in 1994 . “One look at her, he says, and he saw it all: marriage, a restaurant of their own. It took him about six months, he says, to bring her around.”) The trattoria – their second – is renowned for Marnell-Suhanosky’s house bread and Suhanosky’s simple, yet sophisticated take on Italian comfort food, as in Sfoglia’s signature pasta, an unusual-sounding dish of Spaghetti with Strawberries.

In their recipe, the berries are cooked with balsamic vinegar and tomato puree, and tossed with spaghetti. Not a flavor combination that would have come to my mind readily, but the intriguing mix of savory and sweet, and the seemingly straightforward preparation, makes this one to try at home.