I am thrilled to have Anthony Losanno guest post for me about the NYC Wine and Food Festival this past weekend. I was unable to attend, and Anthony is a true foodie, so I asked if he would like to show you some of the events he attended. Please be sure to follow Anthony’s travels and dining adventures on twitter @losanno.
Eating Through the New York City Wine & Food Festival, Part I
Now in its fifth year, the New York City Wine & Food Festival brings together the personalities of Food Network with some of the best chefs in NYC for four days of gluttonous binging on everything from meatballs to burgers to chocolate and more. Think Paula Deen, Sandra Lee, and Bobby Flay mixed with some of NYC’s hottest chefs like Marcus Samuelsson and Jacques Torres, all putting out delicious dishes for the throngs of fans and foodies. The best part: 100% of the net proceeds benefit the Food Bank For New York City and Share Our Strength (a charity that is on a mission to wipe out childhood hunger).
I’ve wanted to go for the past four years but never made it. This year, I had the opportunity to attend five events and will be bringing you my take right here. Keep reading for Meatball Madness, Burger Bash, Sweet!, Sandwich Showdown, and Spice! (details on the last three events coming on future posts). I think I’ve gained five pounds along the way but the chance to see some of my culinary favorites while gorging on the best food and having the money go to charity makes it all worthwhile.
Meatball Madness
San Pellegrino sponsored the second annual Meatball Madness at the massive 82 Mercer on
Thursday night. Hosted by the ever-smiling Giada De Laurentiis, this event
brings together 35 NYC chefs to present their take on the classic dish of
Italian grandmas everywhere. I made my way through 19 of the balls before going
into meat sweats.
The 2011 winner Meatball Shop tried
to defend its title, but they fell to the-soon-to-open L’Apicio and the crowd
chose Donatella as its favorite. I agreed with the crowd and Donatella got my vote.
Judges Anne Burrell, Geoffrey Zakarian, and Alex Guarnaschelli
hard at work to pick a winner.
Meatballs with Amatriciana from L’Apicio were just the
right size and balance of flavors.
Donatella’s Tomato Braised
Veal Meatball was velvety soft and had me looking for some bread to finish the
sauce.
Casa Pomona almost got my vote for the Oxtail Stuffed Albondigas. Can’t wait to try the
restaurant when it opens.
A
delicious entry of Alison Eighteen Home-Style
Meatballs from the namesake restaurant.
A Southern twist on an Italian classic – Southern Sliders
from City Grit
Pork Belly and Pesto Modenese from Corsino Cantina. These little potatoes were amazing.
Burger Bash
Blue Moon sponsored
Burger Bash, which attracted over 2,500 people for one of the largest outdoor
cookouts at Pier 36.
With
28 chefs firing up their grills and desserts from Jacques Torres and
Doughnut Plant ,
no one walked or waddled away with an empty stomach.
Jacques Torres Sweet Burgers and awesome chocolate chunk cookies
The 2011 judge’s pick: Abe & Arthur’s weren’t here but the people’s choice Burger & Barrel also won for 2012 (their third straight win). Unfortunately, I didn’t get to taste this one. I did put away 14 burgers including the judge’s pick from Ai Fiori but I didn’t get a picture.
The lines at the Shack Shack booth were almost as long as the Madison Square Park location for the
Smoke Shack.
Kathy Griffin, Rachael Ray, and Bobby Flay tasting some
burgers.
Kathy Griffin, Rachael Ray, and Pat and Gina Neely.
Stay tuned for the next post covering the event Sweet at the 2012 New York City Wine and Food Festival. A BIG thank you to Anthony for these great photos of all the wonderful food he was able to sample. Be sure to follow Anthony on his twitter @losanno .
Sign Up for Daily Emails
No comments
Post a Comment