{"id":94,"date":"2024-05-01T17:00:00","date_gmt":"2024-05-01T17:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ascjcapstone.com\/spring-2024\/ggalante\/?p=94"},"modified":"2024-05-03T06:16:34","modified_gmt":"2024-05-03T06:16:34","slug":"taste-of-the-pacific","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ascjcapstone.com\/spring-2024\/ggalante\/index.php\/2024\/05\/01\/taste-of-the-pacific\/","title":{"rendered":"Taste of the Pacific"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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Like Battambong BBQ, one of Smorgasburg\u2019s newest additions, Taste of the Pacific, also uses barbecue as a medium for fusion. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Using Hawaiian barbecue style plates, founder Jeff Mejia said his dishes incorporate family recipes from the Philippines.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cOur barbecue is marinated and the marinade comes from my grandma, all the way from the Philippines. And then my mom did a little twist, and then I took over her recipes.\u201d Mejia said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Mejia added that his mom experimented with sweet and savory flavors using the ingredients local to her, something that inspired him while creating menu items for Taste of the Pacific.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Right now, the pop-up is most known for their \u201cBeef and Reef\u201d plates, a play on Surf and Turf. It comes with barbecue ribs, deep-fried shrimp and sides of white rice and macaroni salad lathered in a sauce of the customer’s choosing. In addition to barbecue plates, the pop-up serves traditional Filipino barbecue skewers and lumpias, or Filipino egg rolls, as well as marinated beef with rice and noodles.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As to why people should try Taste of the Pacific, Mejia pointed to the authenticity that is at the heart of the food fusion concepts at Smorgasburg.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt’s real good food. I mean, everyone’s gonna tell you that right? But really though, this food is really cooked from the soul. Like I said, a lot of our ingredients and the recipes come from my grandma and from my mom,\u201d Mejia said. \u201cIt\u2019s a different flavor than what you would expect from different Hawaiian barbecue spots or any Filipino barbecue you\u2019ve tried before.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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