The Choice is Yours to Eat

Aaaah! Sorry, major awesome brain fart! Meant to post this weeks ago, but better late than never I suppose. Enjoy!

What can I say about Choice Eats that hasn't already been said? It's amazing. It's mind-blowing. It's chock-full of yumminess! After the food coma I left in last year, I was determined to be smarter about things this year. Although I love bread, I would only try a nibble of it in say a sandwich, and just focus on the filling. Also, I did not eat whole servings of everything I tried and sadly had to throw a lot away. Lastly, despite the boundless alcohol sponsors, I stuck to water. This was a MUCH better way to make my way though the 50+ food samples (disclaimer: I didn't make it to all) that filled the 69th Regiment Armory. Let's begin.

I arrived and was led to the special VIP room downstairs where I was given a Choice Eats tasting glass and pen. Unfortunately press didn't get gift bags, but they looked intriguing. 

The VIP lounge included several food and drink vendors. My favorite of those was SCRATCHbread because along with a selection of breads, they served fresh mozzarella (the way to my heart). Brooklyn Cured had a great pastrami on rye sandwich, but if the meat had been a tad leaner I would have liked it way more. I tried the Ceviche de Bife from El Amacen and though it wasn't anything special, it was tasty. Murray's Cheese had a selection of their finest and Fatty 'Cue ran out of whatever they were serving before I got there.

  

Pastrami on Rye (Brooklyn Cured)

Murray's Cheese Selection

Ceviche de Bife (El Amacen)

Mozzarella on SCRATCHbread

VIP Lounge

The main room was not supposed to open until 6:30 but I was super excited when they announced it was open at 6:10. That gave all the VIPs an extra 20 minutes before the general admission ticket holders were let in. I'd highly recommend remembering this next year if you bought your general admission tickets this year and ended up waiting in line for an hour or two.

I walked past Dirt Candy, who were whipping up Tomato Chipotle Cotton Candy, and though I was tempted, I couldn't risk missing some of the tables who were bound to have long lines very soon by scarfing down cotton candy. Did anyone try it?

My first bite was Cured Arctic Char with Orange-Chicoree Salad, Lemon Gel and Dill from Edi and the Wolf. This place is innovative and that's why I love it. This bite was fresh and tasty, and I thoroughly enjoyed all the flavors.

Cured Arctic Char with Orange-Chicoree Salad, Lemon Gel and Dill (Edi and the Wolf)

 Next I made my way to one of my favorite tables from last year, Patacon Pisao. This place knocked my epicurean socks of last year when they served authentic mozzarella arepas (didn't I tell you mozzarella was the way to my heart?) called cachapas. So imagine how elated I was to find they were serving the exact same areapas! It took all the willpower I had not to eat two.

Cacacha (Patacon Pisao)

Next up was one of the more unique things I tried at the event: Savory Buttermilk Pannacotta with Roasted Carrots, Almonds, and Licorice from Northern Spy Food Co. Always an innovator in farm-to-table cooking, Northern Spy created a dish that was both delicate and hearty, savory but creamy with a hint of sweet. I definitely finished this one.

Savory Buttermilk Pannacotta with Roasted Carrots, Almonds, and Licorice (Northern Spy Food Co. )

Next came the meat. And a whole bunch of it. My favorites were from Porchetta, the obligatory Porchetta Ragu on Toasted Crostini; from Goat Town, the Goat Face Sandwich (no, there wasn't an actual face stuffed between the Texas Toast but meat from the face - supposedly it's the tastiest!) with pickeled jalapenos and marinated onions; and from Kutsher's Tribeca came Milton's Short Rib and Brisket Meatball Sliders with caramelized onions and cream horseradish sauce (YUM!).

Porchetta Ragu on Toasted Crostini (Porchetta)

Goat Face Sandwich on Texas Toast with pickeled jalapenos and marinated onions  (Goat Town)

Milton's Short Rib and Brisket Meatball Sliders with caramelized onions and cream horseradish sauce (Kutsher's Tribeca)

For a quite fiber break I sampled the Fried Brussel Sprouts with tahini/pomegranate drizzel and garlic crusted panko bread crumbs from Tanoreen -- basically the most delicious brussel sprouts I've ever had.

Fried Brussel Sprouts (Tanoreen)

Then came the seafood. I was smart to head straight for Luke's Lobster. Before the crowds came and formed a line all the way down the aisle (you'd think these people had never seen a shrimp roll before), I was able to step right to the front and indulge in the glory of fresh shrimp, simple spices, all on a buttery grilled bun. Then came super creamy New England Clam Chowder from Littleneck. Next, Juliette put out a classy and colorful display of Main Diver Scallop Shooters with clear tomato broth, shaved scallions and toasted mustard seeds and Cured Arctic Char with charred charentais melon and crispy serrano ham. I had the scallop shooter and it was very refreshing and light.

Shrimp Roll (Luke's Lobster)

New England Clam Chowder (Little Neck)

Main Diver Scallop Shooters and Cured Arctic Char  (Juliette)

My last two favorites were a Oaxacan Style Chicken Tamale with Mole Poblano from Mexico Lindo - a place right by my apartment I for some reason have never been too - and the kick-ass display of sandwiches from Joe Dough. Though I didn't partake in a sandwich (that would have been the beginning and end of my Choice Eats experience just based on the size of their portions), they looked amazing and I will definitely swing by the shop one day to partake.

Oaxacan Style Chicken Tamale (Mexico Lindo)

Sandwich Display (Joe Dough)

Though I had to run before I could tackle dessert (and honestly my stomach couldn't hold anymore), I did try The Blue Stove's Bourbon Chocolate Cookie Pie and OMG. Super moist and you could definitely taste the bourbon. Who needs beer and wine when you have boozy cookie pies?

Bourbon Chocolate Cookie Pie (The Blue Stove)

All in all, another successful Choice Eats. I'm already counting down the days until next year!

So Much to Choose at Choice Eats

Well, it's been almost 24 hours since I left Choice Eats and I'm still full. I thought I'd found gluttony at its finest, but I must correct myself. With more than 65 food vendors amongst several more beverage purveyors, this event, held last night at gigantic The 69th Armory in Gramercy, was one hell of an awesome hodge-podge, mish-mash, stuff-your-face-athon.

The Village Voice has been putting on this tasting for four years now, and though this was my first time attending, I will definitely be looking forward to it every year I'm still in NYC. I arrived at the Armory about 5:50 to discover a general admission line already wrapped around the building. The organizers were thoughtful enough to invite several food trucks to feed the masses waiting patiently to get in, including Waffles and Dinges, Taim Falafel (which I still have yet to try!), Kimchi Taco and Korilla BBQ.

 

Thankfully I didn't have to wait in that line as the press entrance was with the VIPs (oooh la la). I met up with my friends Laura and Caryn of 89th and Broke, and we scoped out the downstairs VIP room before the official event began. Unfortunately, several of the food vendors had already run out, but we did try some meat from Jimmy's No. 43, amazing shrimp tacos from Mercadito and fresh bread and mozzarella from SCRATCHbread. Red Hook Lobster Pound was serving lobster rolls to the VIPs, but we just missed the last batch. They were our first stop in the main event upstairs, but they were only serving shrimp rolls at that point. Still totally delicious, and the woman in charge was very excited to announce a new NYC food truck that will be making stops in FiDi (yay!) - follow @redhooklobster for updates.

Shrimp roll from Red Hook Lobster Pound

Our next stop was Luke's Lobster since we figured the line would get insane, but again, only shrimp rolls. I passed on that one since there were so many other options. I decided to be adventurous and try the mac 'n cheese hot dog from Ditch Plains. Not my favorite, but mainly because it was cold and last I checked, both a hot dog and mac 'n cheese should be eaten hot. Their display was awesome though, complete with salt water taffy that people were grabbing by the handful.

Ditch Plains' Mac 'n Cheese Hot Dogs

Our next stop was at a gem from my UES neigborhood, Cascabel Taqueria. Not only did I love their display, complete with Mexican wrestling figurines, but their food was delicious. Tacos on warm tortillas with real guacamole and authentic churros! A flash back to my childhood in Southern California, for sure.

Churros from Cascabel Taqueria

Taco from Cascabel Taqueria

Sliders were everywhere you looked at Choice Eats, but a few stood out from the rest. The Sunburnt Calf made my night because served with their Pulled Lamb Sliders with Minted Yogurt was a tequila, strawberry and passion fruit shot. Yum! Black Shack Burger had a great beer-braised beef in sloppy joe sauce that we all agreed was tasty, and though not really a slider, This Little Piggy Had Roast Beef served up some of their famous roast beef and cheese whiz sandwiches. The latter promised hot pastrami, but when it was ready an hour later, I was stuffed to capacity and the line was crazy long. Mooncake Foods was also showcasing sliders with their pulled pork sandwich with cabbage slaw and a lime and curry BBQ sauce that really made this sandwich pop.

Pulled Lamb Slider with Minted Yogurt and Tequila,
Strawberry and Passion Fruit shot from The Sunburnt Calf

Beer-Braised Beef in a Sloppy Joe Sauce from Black Shack Burger

A slightly mushed Roast Beef and Cheese Whiz
 sandwich from This Little Piggy Had Roast Beef

The Latin contingent was highly represented. In addition to Cascabel that I mentioned earlier, Mexico Lindo was dishing out homemade tamales and Caracas Arepa Bar blew my mind with mini versions of their awesome arepas. I tried the one with Guyanes Cheese and Plantains. Patacon Pisao threw a one-two food punch by delivering two of my favorite dishes of the night - a Venezuelan arepa with creamy cheese filling surrounded by fluffy cornbread and a gooey tres leches cake. This may have been the only stop I went back to for seconds.

Tamale from Mexico Lindo

Cheese Arepa from Patacon Pisao

Tres Leches Cake from Patacon Pisao

With still so much left to discover, yet with stomach gurgles far from gone, we ventured through several more cultural eats, off the wall bites and just good cookin'! Motorino was scooping out light and airy Neopolitan Meatballs in a savory tomato sauce with Pecorino Romano cheese. Dirt Candy, a vegetarian joint with some awesome humor (and a display complete with those giant lollipops you used to make your parents buy at Disneyland), perhaps had one of the most innovative dishes of the night - smoked cauliflower with buttermilk waffles and wild arugula. The Fat Radish, another vegetarian-friendly stop, also served another innovative dish that I truly enjoyed - root vegetable stacks with date puree and vegetable crisps. Wish I got a photo of that one! It looked like an orange brownie. One of my  favorite West Village wine bars, Gottino, was represented by servers in bow ties spreading Pesto Di Noci and breaking off hearty chunks of parmegiano reggiano.

Neopolitan Meatball from Motorino

Smoked Cauliflower with a Buttermilk Waffle and Wild Arugula from Dirt Candy

Pesto Di Noci and Parmesano Reggiano from Gottino

Mama's Food Shop, a must-try when you are in the East Village, was serving their Three Cheese Mac and Cheese - super rich and creamy. Speaking of rich and creamy, I was happy to find that Fay Da bakery was ladling out bubble tea in addition to their sweets and baked goods. The sweet tea was calming to have with some of the spicier dishes. Another East Village favorite, Porchetta, was serving delicious porchetta (what else?) on crusty bread. The General Tso's Broccoli Salad Sandwich from No. 7 Sub Shop was difficult to eat, but the broccoli was flavorful and refreshing after all that meat. Something that surprised me was the simple hot dog from Bark Hot Dogs. Laura and Caryn were commenting how it seems that so many hot dog places try to cover up the meat with so much gloppity-glop, but in truth, all you need is a good dog. Bark had that and it was scrumptious. I was also pleased with the simplicity of the cold noodles from Spicy Bampa, the spiced lamb sausage from Northern Spy Food Co. and the Rueben meatballs from The Meatball Shop - all wonderful dishes. What took the cake though, literally, was the Napoleon Cake from Cafe Glechik, a Ukranian-fusion restaurant in Brooklyn. Oh. My. Goodness. That cake was to die for! It even came with some cherry dumplings which complemented the creamy cake super well.

Three Cheese Mac and Cheese from Mama's Food Shop

General Tso's Broccoli Salad Sandwich from No. 7 Sub Shop

Hot Dog from Bark Hot Dogs

Napoleon Cake with Cherry Dumplings from Cafe Glechik

At this point awesome readers, I'm not so sure how I was still standing. My friend Jen finally made it through the admission line around 7:20, so we walked around finding bites for her while I sipped my water bottle and began the digesting process. We picked up goodie bags courtesy of Whole Foods and even witnessed a toilet explosion and subsequent flooding of the women's restroom (right as I was first in line mind you), so that made for an exciting end to the night. On our way out, I was too full to participate in Choice Sweets, a last sweep of dessert tables featuring mini cupcakes, ice cream and slushes, but Jen eyed a bacon cupcake and said it was delicious. Until next year Choice Eats (just remind me to pack my fat pants)!