Classic summer Clam Roasts are often associated with the salt water-kissed shores of New England, but did you know that the dish was largely influenced by immigrant Portuguese fisherman?  No wonder the briny shellfish, red potatoes and ears of corn are so often augmented by hunks of juicy Linguica sausage, or spicy Chorizo!

Sweet potatoes also form the base of an intriguing side dish at Arrogant Swine — an all-pork BBQ joint in Bushwick, Brooklyn.  They’re mashed and pressed into waffles, flavored with walnuts, bourbon and maple — the ultimate sweet counterpoint to salty, fatty hunks of long-sweet-potato-friessmoked pig.

The ultimate sweet counterpoint

And a specialty of Southern cuisine is not pumpkin, but sweet potato pie, and you’d be hard-pressed to find a better version than the one at Harlem’s soul food staple, Amy Ruth’s.  Even if you’ve already stuffed yourself silly on smothered pork chops, chicken n’ dumplings and yes — candied yams — it’s worth making room for a slice.

So lets get this out of the way first — Sweet Potatoes are not the same thing as Yams.  In fact, they’re from two entirely different plant families.  And as opposed to sweet potatoes, yams are dry, highly starchy and have white-colored flesh. They’re also usually larger than sweet potatoes, weighing in at three to eight pounds each.  But if you insist on continuing to refer to that classic Thanksgiving dish as “candied yams,” well, who are we to argue?

Ultimate Passover Dining Guide

If you’ve grown up Jewish like we have, you know that most major events and holidays — both joyous and non — are thankfully commemorated with food.   And Passover – which celebrates the Jews escape from slavery in Egypt – is no different.

A highlight of the eight day festival, which takes place from April 14th-22nd this year, is the Seder; a feast of leavened grain-free dishes accompanied by plenty of wine.  Not sure how to cull a craveable meal from a box of matzoh at home?   Then eat out!  Check out the terrific restaurants featured in our Passover dining guide.

Sweet potatoes also form the base of an intriguing side dish at Arrogant Swine — an all-pork BBQ joint in Bushwick, Brooklyn.  They’re mashed and pressed into waffles, flavored with walnuts, bourbon and maple — the ultimate sweet counterpoint to salty, fatty hunks of long-sweet-potato-friessmoked pig.

Sweet potatoes also form the base of an intriguing side dish at Arrogant Swine

And a specialty of Southern cuisine is not pumpkin, but sweet potato pie, and you’d be hard-pressed to find a better version than the one at Harlem’s soul food staple, Amy Ruth’s.  Even if you’ve already stuffed yourself silly on smothered pork chops, chicken n’ dumplings and yes — candied yams — it’s worth making room for a slice.