Jess Eng

3 days ago | eater.com | Jess Eng

I can’t pinpoint my first experience with century eggs, but I’ve been consuming them my whole life. Bouncy, black, and semi-transparent, they are a reliable addition to congee, rice bowls, and stir-fries, and I often crave their pungent, creamy flavors. I always took their name at face value, believing they were created eons ago, perhaps before our country existed; I was captivated by the egg’s gripping, seemingly irrefutable lore.

1 month ago | fredericknewspost.com | Jess Eng

Nestled in Washington’s Mount Pleasant neighborhood, Bold Fork Books is an epicurean’s paradise. Inside the 500-square-foot shop, there’s a treasure trove of cookbooks, kitchen kitsch and glossy food magazines. The store holds nearly 2,000 titles, a collection that spans anthology and memoir, fiction and nonfiction, including stories from local D.C. chefs and writers. Everything can be opened, touched and read.

1 month ago | ny.eater.com | Jess Eng

At Perquín, a recently opened Honduran-leaning restaurant, messy eating is the point. Their pork tostadas and shrimp tacos arrive with utensils but will likely go untouched. Finger-licking sauces, from herby aji verde to creamy salsa blanca, invite diners to dive in. Just above the bathroom sink, fuzzy spray-painted script jests: “Aren’t you glad that you ate with your hands?”It’s become a neighborhood favorite since opening in November at 85 Morris Street in Paulus Hook, Jersey City.

2 months ago | tastecooking.com | Jess Eng

When the temperature drops to bone-chilling lows and the sparrows and tourists scuttle off to warmer pastures, the Gulf of Maine begins to stir with life. Divers wade through cold kelp forests in search of sea urchins for prized uni. Oysters, sweet and firm in the cold season, are harvested for immediate shucking and slurping, finding their way to some of the country’s best restaurants. Scallops, Jonah crab, and mussels are hauled from the depths, ready to impress with their bright, briny flavors.

2 months ago | eater.com | Jess Eng

Lily Fossett Somewhere in my childhood, between begrudgingly following my parents from restaurant to restaurant and spending my first allowance on dim sum, xiao long bao became my go-to dumpling order. If you’re eating with me, chances are I’m ordering a second round for the table. But while I’ve made my fair share of homemade dumplings, rarely have I ever considered making the time-intensive, many-pleated xiao long bao myself.