Get Your Drink and Sweets On

So many of my favorite things (beer, dessert, and the rooftop at Hotel Chantelle) are combining for an awesome event: Beer et Bonne Bouche: A Beer & Dessert Experience is a project of both Braving the Brew and Sugartooth Tours (more to come on them soon hopefully!) with the goal of teaching you how to pair decadent sweets with your favorite pints.

Tickets are $55 per person or $90 per couple and can be purchased here. The event will be held this Tuesday 3/11 at 7:30pm. The rooftop at Hotel Chantelle is one of my favorite places--whimsical and calming, yet trendy and happening. I highly recommend you check it out!

AWESOME ALERT: $35 All You Can Eat and Drink Party Celebrating Astoria

One of my favorite local blogs, WeHeartAstoria, conducts a best of Astoria survey every year (a real resource for me my first year living in Queens!). This year, they are throwing a party to celebrate the results!

At $35 a head, this all-you-can-eat AND all-you-can-drink deal at The Strand Smokehouse is one of the best deals I've seen all year. Also, the first 100 people will receive Astoria-themed gift bags! This is all going down from 6-9pm on Thursday 3/27. Click here to purchase tickets. I'm sure they'll sell out!

Alabama in NYC

When you think of Alabama, what is the first thing that comes to mind? I won't fault you if you draw a blank. However, after being invited to the Art of Alabama Food photography and tasting event last week in Chelsea Market, I can definitely say that this southern state ranks high on my culinary list! And no, not everything was fried!

I love a good food event, and this one certainly did not disappoint. I was initially apprehensive that I was going to walk into a room full of good-enough-to-eat photographs without a single edible morsel to nibble on, but thankfully my worries were nixed when I walked in and found several representative dishes and a full open bar.

First up was a Sassy Slider from Lulu's (Gulf Shores, AL), which I wish I a) took a better photo of and b) had room for 5 more! These things were not your typical slider. The beef was fresh and tender and it was topped with bacon, bbq sauce, and pimento cheese (that was the kicker for me). I thought the pickle and tomato on top was awful cute as well.

Lulu's Sassy Sliders

Next up was a BBQ Chicken Stuffed Potato Skin with Alabama White Sauce from Big Bob Gibson Bar-B-Q (Decatur, AL). Now, I've always known BBQ sauce to be red or brown, but white?! This took things to a whole other level. The chicken was moist and I mean, who can resist a potato skin with bacon and cheese? But the white sauce, which was very peppery, truly rounded out the dish. I would highly recommend you scope this out.

BBQ Chicken Stuffed Potato Skin with Alabama White Sauce

A dish I most certainly associate with Southern-style cooking, Bouillabaisse, made an appearance courtesy of the Hot and Hot Fish Club (Birmingham, AL). This was a fairly typical dish, except for the addition of the only-available-in-Alabama tiger shrimp--those puppies were LARGE! The crunchy bread with spicy rouille was also vital for scooping up the remaining broth.

Hot and Hot Southern Bouillabaisse with Spicy Rouille

I only had a bite of the next dish because I can't really eat raw red onions, but the West Indies Salad with crab from Compleat Angler Seafood Grille & Bar (Orange Beach, AL) was just so pretty!

West Indies Salad

Last on the savory list were the raw oysters with celery root whipped cream and caviar from TRUE (Montgomery, AL). I like oysters, and you know they have to be fresh. TRUE's take on serving these bivalves was unique, although when you swallow an oyster whole, I don't like to get too fancy with toppings in general.

Raw oysters with celery root whipped cream and caviar

Desserts were on the mark at this event; seriously, I took seconds of each of them! First was a PB&J in Phyllo from Cotton Row (Huntsville, AL); a dish which originated with the chef forgot to bring dessert to an event and quickly improvised using ingredients in the client's kitchen. The result is stupendous and ooey gooey! Next was Chevre Cheesecake from Belle Chevre (Elkmont, AL). OMG! You think you've had cheesecake before, but you really haven't until you have tried this. I'm still going to put ricotta cheesecake at the top of my cheesecake preferences, but using goat cheese give a whole other flavor palate which is super intriguing and the candied lemon blends perfectly. It took all I had not to ask for a pie to take home.

PB&J in Phyllo

Chevre Cheesecake

Serving the Chevre cheesecake

Drinks were fairly representative of the South, but I'm not exactly sure what made them Alabama-specific (does it even matter?). The first I tried was the Donnie Draper with Bootlegger Rye, bitters and orange, essentially an Old Fashioned. I also had a few sips of the Bloody Mary made with Lulu's Perfect Pepper sauce and garnished with pickled okra and an olive. Can't say I've ever had a Bloody Mary outside of brunch hours, but it was very tasty.

Donnie Draper

Bloody Mary

Here are a few shots of the event, complete with an energetic jazz band:

  

The Art of Alabama Food exhibit will be traveling the country, but until you can get your fix, I'd recommend checking out their website, which will direct you to some excellent restaurant recommendations and even recipes!

AWESOME ALERT: It's Coming!

Ladies and gentlemen! Boys and Girls! (On second thought, leave the kiddies at home...). Start prepping your salivary glands now as the Village Voice's 7th Annual Choice Eats tasting event is on the horizon!

Last year the event continued to amaze, featuring bites from Luke's Lobster, Del Posto and Fay Dah (my favorites!), and the 2014 event (in a new venue downtown!) is sure to be a smash. It will be held on Tuesday March 25 at Basketball City on Pier 36.

General admission tickets are $60 and include access to the event from 7-10 pm, while VIP tickets ($85) allow you to come an hour early and snag a fancy giftbag. Considering the wait to get in is usually around the block, I'd highly recommend a VIP ticket! Tickets go on sale on Wednesday 1/29, but you can get yours now using the presale code EATSPR. This event ALWAYS sells out, so I'd encourage you to act quickly.

The first round of restaurants will be released tomorrow, but the sponsors include Stella Artois, Great Brewers, Southern Wine & Spirits, Whole Foods Market, Asahi Beer USA, Barefoot Wine & Bubbly and Hot 97. The charitable partner is Slow Food NYC. To get you super excited, here's an official photo of Laura and me from last year's event - we're featured on the official advertisement!

For the first time, Choice Eats will be accepting volunteers to assist The Village Voice team on-site at the event. All volunteers will receive a free general admission ticket to The Village Voice's 3rd annual Choice Streets Food Truck Tasting Event to be held in May 2014 (specific date TBA). To apply, you must be 21 years or older and fill out this application.

An Enterprising Tasting

Summer tasting events are happening left and right and I have yet another to tell you about. Project Enterprise is a provider of micro business loans in New York City that does not require prior business experience, credit history or collateral to provide market-rate financing for small businesses. Working in mostly low-income communities in Upper Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens and the Bronx, the organization provides assistance and support for entrepreneurs while fostering job creation and networking.

Next Wednesday, July 24, Project Enterprise is hosting A Taste of Project Enterprise at Studio Arte (265 West 37th Street, 17thFloor) from 6-9pm. The event will feature favorites from the organization’s food and restaurant entrepreneurs, including: Love Joy Treats, June Lee Catering, Heavenly Crumbs, Kamini Ice, Caribbean Cake Connoisseurs, and more.

Tickets can be purchased in advance for $25 or at the door for $30.

Food Trucks Take Flight

I think I'm still full from Choice Eats. Seriously. But New York is a city that revolves around it's wide array of cuisine and various means of distributing food, so inevitably the blog must go on. The Village Voice recently held their outdoor food truck event, Choice Streets, at the Intrepid and I was invited to go check it out. This event is arranged differently than Choice Eats in that there aren't as many food vendors and the lines are super long, but we still made a night of it, and ate some delicious tidbits from NYC's best mobile vendors.

With our tasting glasses in tow, we started the night at Shock Top where I tried their Honeycrisp Ale, a super refreshing summer beer. If you wanted Lemon Shandy, they were serving it directly from a tap in the trunk of a car!

Because of the staggering lines building at most of the trucks when I arrived, I opted for dessert first, and started at my beloved Cool Haus ice cream sandwiches where I only found about 5 people in line. I tried the snickerdoodle cookie with sea salt caramel ice cream. Yum! And I was very appreciative that they weren't serving full-sized ice cream sandwiches for that would have been a mess.

Snickerdoodle cookie and sea salt caramel ice cream (Cool Haus)

Next Up was Mexico Blvd, one of my favorites of the night with their Adobo Taco--pork loin marinated in adobo served with cilantro, onion and salsa. Next door was Mausam Curry 'n Bites, which served a fairly typical chicken tikka, not bad, but fairly generic in my opinion.

Adobo Taco (Mexico Blvd)

Chicken Tikke (Mausam Curry 'n Bites)

I tried two different mini empanadas from Nuchas and some "Authentic Indian Street Food" from Desi Food Truck (not quite sure what was in it, but there was definitely rice, potatoes and curry involved).

Mini Empanadas (Nuchas)

"Authentic Indian Street Food" (Desi Food Truck)

Tacos (or taco-like foods) were definitely a theme of the night. Big D's Grub served up some spicy pork tacos that definitely had a kick, whereas Mike n' Willies served up their take on a flauta, stuffing falafel into a fried corn tortilla and covering it in tahini. I really enjoyed the latter.

Spicy Pork Taco (Big D's Grub)

Falafel Flauta (Mike n' Willies)

Souvlaki GR was a hit among my friends, but to be honest it didn't do it for me. The charcoal grilled chicken had a funny taste, but maybe I just had a bad batch. The Greek fries were pretty awesome though.

Charcoal Grilled Chicken and Greek Fries (Souvlaki GR)

Wafels & Dinges was one truck I was highly anticipating and it did not disappoint. They were serving up full sized wafels with candied bacon, caramel and whipped cream. Deeee-lish!

Wafels & Dinges

Wafel with candied bacon, caramel and whipped cream (Wafels & Dinges)

At this point unfortunately my camera started to go wonky, and the following pictures are either blurry and/or borrowed (thanks Laura!). Regardless, the burger at Rhong Tiam was amazing and I felt equally excited about the pupusas at Solber pupusas (glad I finally know what that is!) and the arepas at Palenque Homemade Colombian Food.

Burger (Rhong Tiam)

Meat Pupusa (Solber Pupusas)

Corn Arepa with Chicken and Portobello Mushrooms (Palenque Homemade Colombian Food)

We topped everything off with an Arnold Palmer Kelvin Slush and called it a night. Unfortunately Mac Truck sported lines 50-people deep all night and ran out before I gave them a try. I was equally disappointed that Gorilla Cheese NYC didn't even show up. Next idea for an event...an all mac 'n' cheese/grilled cheese food extravaganza!! Who'd be up for that?

Take it to the Street [Eats]

Remember that tried and true annual food event put on by the Village Voice that I rave about year after year? Well awesome folks, the weather has warmed and a food truck only event by the same people who brought you Choice Eats is only weeks away. I give you Choice Streets!

Unfortunately the May 7th event is sold-out, but I'm sure you can find some tickets on Craigslist if you're really excited (and you should be). Choice Streets, which takes place on the Intrepid (HOW COOL!?), will feature more than 25 of NYC's best food trucks including some of my favorites like Coolhaus, Wafels & Dinges and Kelvin Natural Slush Co. (can you tell I have a thing for dessert?). Since switching jobs almost 2 years ago and relocating to an office outside of the standard food truck territory  I haven't been able to keep up with the latest in street eating, but I'm very excited to get reacquainted.

Here's a video recap of the 2012 event:



Who's going to Choice Streets this year? If you miss it, be sure to stay tuned for my post-even recap right back here :)

Coffee, Tea, and Me

A couple weekends ago I was invited back to the NYC Coffee and Tea Festival, which I've been privileged to attend now for 4 straight years. It was weird being back in the 69th Regiment Armory twice in one week for yet another food/drink event, but that wasn't going to stop me from having an awesome time.

Walking in to the armory, you're suddenly warmed by the aroma of, well mostly coffee because let's face it, tea doesn't really have that much of a standard smell. Weaving through the aisles, I found myself trying all sorts of new brews and learning a heck of a lot. As someone who goes against the norm and doesn't actually drink that much coffee, I'm constantly befuddled by all the different coffee mechanisms and varieties.

NYC Coffee and Tea Festival 2013

Our first stop was Cafe Mami, which was serving Puerto Rican coffee from a thatched roof hut! People were flocking to this booth and it took two walk-bys to finally get a taste. It was good, but honestly a bit too strong for my taste. A few tables down was Harney & Sons, which I discovered at my first ever Coffee and Tea Festival. Since then I've become a bit of a Harney & Sons nut, and my desk drawer currently holds 3 different tins of their tea -- pomegranate oolong, English breakfast, green tea with thai flavors, and white peach.

Cafe Mami Puerto Rican Coffee was mobbed!

Harney & Sons, one of my favorite tea purveyors

Two drinks in and I was already ready for some sweets. Good think Kilwins was giving away chocolate and peanut butter fudge samples!

Kilwins Fudge

The next coffee booth was my favorite of the festival. Roast Coffee & Tea Trading Co., based on long island, was sampling their signature roast in two different manners, French press and Chemex. Everyone has seen a French press before, but I wasn't really sure why someone would choose one manner of brewing over another. While the coffee was the same, the sample brewed in the French press was strong and delicious. However, I then tried what was made in the Chemex and that tasted almost like pure hot water. Supposedly the filters used in the Chemex absorb most of the oils, which I guess some people like, but I know now that I'm a French press fan.

Roast Coffee & Tea Trading Co.

As a honey fanatic, I was very happy to see so many honey purveyors at the festival. One of my favorites was Bumbleberry Farms Heritage Select Honeys, mostly because of their salted caramel honey sauce -- amazing stuff people!

Selection from Bumbleberry Farms

Next I tried some coconut chai from Chai Diaries and more honey from Bee Raw, which was sampling totally raw unfiltered honey (you know the white stuff that looks kind of gross but is actually super delicious).

Chai Diaries

Bee Raw Honey

Speaking of things that look weird, have you ever tried aloe drink? We likened Ralph & Charlie's pomegranate aloe drink almost to bubble tea, but rather than bubbles, smaller seed like things. As you can tell, I'm having a really hard time describing it, but it was rather refreshing. Not sure I'd drink more than a small cup though.

Ralph & Charlies Aloe Drinks

Another favorite from the festival was my sample from PRESSTEA. Instead of steeping tea with the traditional tea bag or loose leaf style, these guys actually press tea leaves to make the hot beverage a la coffee. They will be opening their first Manhattan storefront on 7th Avenue soon and I'd highly recommend you go check them out.

PRESSTEA

Vitamix demoed at the coffee and tea festival and, honestly, they stole the show regardless of having absolutely nothing to do with caffeinated drinks. We stood there for a good ten minutes watching Mr. Vitamix liquify a few vegetables to make tortilla soup (the friction from the speed of the blades actually heats whatever is inside the blender, crazy right?!). Although I couldn't reach my hand out in time for a sample, I did get a sample of the non-dairy "ice cream" he made in a matter of 30 seconds using a handful of cashews, cocoa powder, agave nectar and ice. Sorry I don't have a picture of it because it was gone in even less time than it took to make. Seriously, if I had $500 to blow, I would pick up one of these puppies. I think the mesmerized crowd that stood around me would agree.

Vitamix Demo

Our last stop was the illy booth (for a second time). Their cold bottled coffee drinks really are delicious!

illy cold bottled coffee drinks

So how was your experience at the Coffee & Tea festival? Did you make it to any of the presentations or try any of the same things I did? Did you walk out feeling like you could conquer the world and/or bounce off the walls?