Creamy and nutty dou fu fa from Soy Bean Flower Chen.

The Real Cheap Eats Winter Edition hit the frigid streets of our fair city earlier this week. The 22 entries span a dozen cuisines with plenty of ways to warm up from Yemeni beef stew in the Bronx to Nigerian goat pepper soup in East New York. Queens is well represented too with entries on pizza, fried Thai catfish, Thai noodles, and pan-fried Shanghai buns from a spot better known for its soup dumplings.

Best of all every item in the winter edition is under $10. My own entry wins the cheapo prize hands down. Flushing's Soy Bean Flower Chen signature soft tofu—dou fu fa—with sweet syrup can be had for less than the cost of subway fare to Flushing. Stay warm, well fed, and within your budgets this winter kids!

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The staff meal at Ayada Thai incudes fish with a sidecar
of the the fiery dip known as nam prik, two soups and an omelet.

"Do you want to try some?," the waitress at Ayada Thai asked as I stared slack-jawed at the spread on the owner's table. It was laden with an impressive array of dishes: an omelet with sweet chili sauce, two soups,and the fiery dip known as nam prik along with okra and Thai eggplant. Normally I would jump at such a chance, but I was quite full after a meal and dessert at Thai Thai.  Nam prik, is a condiment of sorts that has many number of variations, including tamarind. In any case it doesn't appear on Ayada's menu, but they sometimes prepare it upon request.

When asked why nam prik  isn't on the menu the waitress said Americans don't know how to eat it. As much as I relish the idea of being able to order a secret off-menu relish at Ayada, I wish they'd take the small leap of faith and put it on the menu. I think they'd be surprised by how many people order it. As for the rest of the staff meal, I am considering  a stage there for a chance to eat it.

Ayada, 77-08 Woodside Avenue, Elmhurst, 718-424-0844

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A wealth of tropical products, including  homemade Thai
desserts and snacks lies behind this nondescript storefront.

Back in the day when I used to live in Brooklyn many a bodega bore the words “tropical products” on its awning. Despite the use of that language on its nondescript sign the market across the street from Ayada Thai in Elmhurst isn’t West Indian. Like Ayada itself, it's Thai. In fact it used to be owned by the folks from Ayada. These days it’s owned by Noi Sila, who despite appearances has changed the name to Thai Thai.

On weekends the counter is lined with DIY
papaya salads and a half dozen Thai desserts.

Thai Thai is a great place to shop for such ingredients as fresh lemon grass and Thai basil. Southeast Asian maven Zak Pelaccio was quite impressed with its offerings when I took him there a while back. On weekends various prepared foods, including DIY papaya salad kits and desserts line the counter. What look to be takeout boxes of fried chicken are actually kluay khak—a delectable mixture of fried taro, sweet potato, and plantain. If you time it just right and stop by around 11 a.m., the sesame-studded treats, which are made at Ayada, will still be warm.

Kao pad kra prao, ground pork with basil sauce
and a fried egg is a fine way to start a Saturday morning.

“Just like Grandma makes,” Sila said to me by way of recommending the kao pad kra prao ($6.50), ground pork with basil sauce, and a fried egg.  Sit with it in the window and tuck into the finest Thai brunch to be had on Woodside Avenue. The ground pork is studded with chilies and a judicious amount of Thai basil. Grandma’s restraint with the basil came as a welcome surprise. The little cup of fish sauce and chilies adds saltiness and umami along with funk and fire.

Kanom krok, sweet and savory rounds of coconut custard.

Kanom krok ($3 for eight) is a wobbly coconut custard that straddles the line between sweet and savory. It a fine dessert if you’re not in the mood for kluay khak. The circles of creamy coconut custard are salty and sweet, studded with bits of green onion. Eaten warm they’re heavenly.

Try this at home.

Thai Thai even sells a pan for making kanom krok as well as a special rice flour that’s mixed with coconut milk to make the delectable snack. When Queens finally gets a proper night market I’ll be on the lookout for the kanom krok hawker.

Thai Thai, 76-13 Woodside Avenue, Elmhurst

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This morning I awoke from a food coma brought on by trying to eat every meal for the last two weeks at the now shuttered M. Wells. Stepping outside I noticed a dirigible lazily traversing the skies above and I knew it was that time of year. Time to talk about what to eat during the U.S. Open. Here then, a list of Seven Things to Eat During The U.S. Open. Most of these places lie along the 7 line or are a short walk from the stadium. For a complete guide of where to eat along the 7 line be sure to check out World’s Fare 24/7 in the fall issue of Edible Queens. You'll find plenty there to keep you busy long after the Open ends.

Anyone for crawfish?

1.  Ma la xiao long xia at Sliced Noodles in New World Mall No. 21, New World Mall Food Court, 40-21 Main St., Flushing
Fresh lobster can be had at the stadium, but when’s the last time you ate a lobby at a sporting event? For a championship level crustacean experience take the 7 train to Main Street. Head over to Sliced Noodles in the New World Mall Food Court and order the ma la xiao long xia, or spicy little lobsters. Just under $10 buys a small mountain of crawdads bathed in chili sauce shot through with ginger and Sichuan peppercorn. If you simply must have lobster an outfit aptly called Live Seafood will gladly oblige with whole lobster prepared in a variety of styles, including spicy and ginger scallion.

A Colombian kitchen sink burger will fuel hours of tennis watching.

2.  Super Especial Hamburger at La Dulce Vida
107-22 Corona Ave., Corona, 718-271-3033
Skip the stadium's burgers and take a trip to Colombia instead. That country takes an everything but the kitchen sink approach to the humble hamburger. Find La Dulce Vida not far from the action in nearby Corona. The Super Especial Hamburger ($7) is topped with all manner of things. Some are conventional: bacon, cheese, lettuce, tomato, ketchup, mayonnaise. And some are not: ham, garlic sauce, pink sauce, Russian sauce, and potato chips.

Why get just lemon ice, when you can have spumoni.

3. Spumoni at the Lemon Ice King of Corona
52-02 108th St., Corona, 718-699-5133
If you have room for dessert after that burger cross the street to the Lemon Ice King of Corona. Get a signature lemon ice. Better yet, try a spumoni new for this season. Head over to William F. Moore “Spaghetti” Park where locals play bocce late into the night. Watch a few frames and feel lucky to have had the chance to take in two great sporting events in one day.

4. Mixed Grill at La Porteña, 74-25 37th Ave., Jackson Heights, 718-458-8111
Cowboy steak can be had at the stadium’s Champion Bar & Grill. For a cowboy experience Argentine style take the 7 train to 74th St. and dine at La Porteña. Order the mixed grill ($18.95 for one, $29.95 for two). It’s a carnivorous combination of skirt steak, short ribs, pork sausage, blood sausage, sweetbreads, and tripe.

Perfect for a midnight snack.

5. Sandwich de media noche at El Sitio
68-28 Roosevelt Ave., Woodside, 718-424-2369
This Cuban spot—with its sunny orange counter—is as old school New York as it gets. Get the sandwich de media noche ($4.40), essentially a Cuban sandwich on darker, sweeter bread. With a cup of café con leche ($1.50) it makes for a perfect midnight snack or prematch meal.

Game, set, crunch: Crispy papaya salad.

6. Thai home Cooking at TCP
63-19 39th Avenue, Woodside, 718-651-6888
Sure you could go to the wildly popular (and excellent) Sriprapahi just down the street along with dozens of other tennis fans. Instead head to TCP or Thailand’s Center Point, a mom-and-pop outfit that recalls the old days when Sripraphai was but a humble hole-in-the-wall. Aom “Annie” Phinphatthakul prepares such dishes as crispy papaya salad ($8.50), a riff on the classic som tum and crispy thousand egg with basil sauce ($10), three batter-fried preserved eggs were set atop ground pork in basil sauce. Shop for Thai ingredients afterwards at TCP’s adjoining grocery store.

Mixed khatsa combines the flavors of Tibet and with those of Sichuan.

7.  Tibetan-Chinese at Phayul, 74-06 37th Rd., Jackson Heights, 718-424-1869
There are so many Tibetan and Nepalese restaurants in what’s still known as Little India that I’ve taken to calling it Little Tibet. Phayul, where the chef offers what he calls Tibetan-Chinese, is one of the best. There are excellent momo here ($4.99), the crescent-shaped beef dumplings that are Tibet’s national dish. Tibetan-Chinese offerings include mixed khatsa ($8), wobbly strips of tripe and creamy bits of tongue dressed with chili, garlic, cilantro, and sesame seeds, and Sichuan peppercorns. If you’re lucky you’ll get to watch a few Tibetan hip hop videos while dining.

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