Everything's Better with Pork Belly!

First course, lobster roll from Red Hook Lobster Pound.

With my stomach finally recovering from Memorial Day weekend's overindulgences, I was prepared for another colon crushing food adventure.  Earlier in the week, Trish and I stumbled upon Madison Square Eats on our way home from a decadent 9-course dinner at Aldea.  But our poor distended stomachs couldn't handle another crumb, so we made a plan to return later in the week.

Apparently, this yearly (though after 20 years in the city, this is the first I've heard of it, LOL) food festival sets up shop in the Flatiron district for a month each May and showcases some of the top food vendors in the city.

Armed with a roll of Tums, I headed downtown to meet Trish.  With unseasonably high spring temperatures in the 80s, it was a perfect evening for al fresco dining amongst the throngs of confused tourists and pale New Yorkers finally soaking up some vitamin D after months of winter hibernation.

I made a beeline for Red Hook Lobster Pound where I ordered up a Maine-style, cold lobster roll.  And yes, it tastes as good as it looks.  Trish decided to go the pork route with an Asiadog.  I've driven by Asiadog's brick-and-mortar location several times on my many chauffeured drives home from Jersey (thank you, slave...I mean, Chris Grimm), so it was nice to finally satisfy my curiosity with a bite from one of their Asian fusion wieners.

Course #2: pork belly, pork bbq & spinach noodles

After enjoying our sandwich course in nearby Madison Square Park, Trish was able to snag a coveted Worth Square table right in front of Mighty Balls.  Since we've tasted their saucy balls down at the Hester Street Fair, we decided we'd pass in favor of trying some new vendors.

A sucker for all things pig, I was unable to overcome the siren song of pork belly buns calling to me from Hong Kong Street Cart.  We ordered 3 perfectly juicy, salty slabs of fatty pig each nestled in a slightly sweet, spongy bun.  Noticing the abundance of protein on our table, we also decided to include a "vegetable" in the form of spinach noodles smothered in a spicy peanut sauce.  Hey, they're green.

Trish can't decide what to eat next.

We needed a side dish to complete our Asian-themed meal so Trish got in line at Seoul Lee Korean Bar B Cue for a spicy pork bbq sandwich.  Technically, the sandwich is served in a dish which we then placed to the side of our meal, thus "side dish."

After all those exotic tastes, we decided to go old school for dessert and grab some ice cream at Dreamscoops.  Trish had the cookies and cream and I opted for salted caramel.

Anticipating the strenuous 20-minute subway ride home, we thought it best to swing by Macaron Parlour for some late night "emergency" macarons.  You never know when that blood sugar's gonna' dip and you'll need a handy pick-me-up.  They're practically medicinal. Like aspirin.