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Red Hook Lobster Pound’s lobster roll

This post is written by ShopEatSleep contributor Deanna Ting, a New York-based writer and editor who hails from Los Angeles. She is a seasoned travel, lifestyle and fashion writer, having written for publications such as TravelAge West, Luxury Travel Advisor, Los Angeles magazine and WSAToday (a magazine that was entirely devoted to shoes). These days, you can find her working as a managing editor/senior editor for Incentive and Successful Meetings magazines, as well as scouring New York–and the globe–for her next favorite meal. Follow her on Instagram and Twitter at @deanna421.

One of the best things about living in New York is there’s always plenty to choose from—especially when it comes to food. Sometimes, though, all that choice can be a little overwhelming—as are a lot of different facets of life here. (Let’s not even talk about winter; I’m still in recovery.)

That’s why it’s great when outdoor food pop-up events like Broadway Bites roll back into town when the sun comes back out. Let’s be clear—there are A LOT of great choices at Broadway Bites. But what makes Broadway Bites so great is they’ve done a lot of the legwork for you by curating a carefully selected collection of some of the city’s best food and drink vendors.

If you happen to be near Herald Square and hunger pangs strike, you should definitely head here. Taking over Greeley Square, which stretches from 32nd to 34th streets on Broadway, this summer’s rendition of Broadway Bites has 28 vendors serving up plenty of satisfying, delicious things.

From no-frills grilled cheese and savory empanadas to innovative tacos and classic lobster rolls, you can find them all—and much more. Here’s a closer look at a few of those choices for whatever you might be craving.

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Mango Strawberry Shaved Snow at Class 302

Class 302, a little Taiwanese cafe in a Rowland Heights strip mall, offers some of the best Asian dessert I’ve ever had. While there’s also a savory food menu, the star here is the shaved snow. Yes, shaved snow, not shaved ice. Where traditional Chinese shaved ice comes in tiny chips with all the flavors piled on top, Taiwanese shaved snow comes in big sheets with flavor already frozen in the ice. Sure, you can still get all kinds of goodies on top, such as the mango, strawberry and condensed milk shown above, but you’ll also get milk frozen in the ice. This makes for a creamy texture not normally found in shaved ice. It’s really unique.

I recently tried a bunch of shaved snow combinations at Class 302 with a group of foodies, including Esther of estarLA, Danny of Kung Food Panda and Josh of Food GPS, and my favorites were the Mango Shaved Snow with mango-flavored ice topped with mango, mochi and condensed milk, and the Green Tea Red Bean Shaved snow with green tea-flavored ice topped with red beans, mochi and condensed milk. The flavors were so rich yet not too heavy. They were perfect for a hot day.

Mango Shaved Snow at Class 302

Green Tea Red Bean Shaved Snow at Class 302

On a weekend afternoon, you may have to wait a while — we waited about an hour — for a table. And like many Chinese restaurants, Class 302 takes only cash. But these desserts are totally worth it.

As I’ve previously written, this year’s L.A. Street Food Fest was held at the Rose Bowl, and it was a fun and flavorful event. I had a really great time. Unfortunately for the organizers, it was held over Carmageddon weekend when a portion of the 405 freeway was shut down, and that affected attendance. However, the lack of a big crowd and long lines probably contributed to my enjoyment, so it was a catch 22. I hope it all evens out next year!

Here were some of my favorite bites from this year’s event.

Baja Bites

Sea Urchin Tostada by Sabina Bandera of La Guerrerense

Pacific Oyster Asada w/ chicharron short rib, serrano ponzu butter, lemongrass foam by Javier Plascencia of Mision 19

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Fast Food Maven has news that New Orleans-style “snowballs,” or snow cones with either vanilla ice cream or sweetened condesnsed milk, are coming to Orange County. Sno-On-The-Go will take over a former coffee drive-thru hut in Mission Viejo. I’ve never heard of ‘Nawlins-style snow cones, but this type of snow cone sounds like a cross between Hawaiian shave ice (ice cream) and Chinese shaved ice (sweetened condesnsed milk).