Dish Du Jour is Back with Another Fun Tasting Event

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Dish du Jour is back again with another awesome event, this year "spicing it up" with a 5 ingredient cooking challenge between Bravo's Top Cheftestant, Andrea Beaman and Astoria's very own Trattoria L'Incontro's, Chef Rocco Sacramone. 

And one more person...YOU!

That's right, Dish Du Jour is offering a chance for one lucky VIP ticket holder to face-off on the culinary stage with these two food icons.  Sounds like a blast to me, especially given that their last two events I attended, the Meatball Melee of the Boroughs and the Burger Battle of the Boroughs were certifiable hits! Check out the details below and rumor has it that they'll also do a VIP giveaway soon - I'll keep you posted about that.

Dish Du Jour's 9th Annual Food & Wine Tasting Event
Spice it Up with the Flavors of the Fall
Plus a 5 Ingredient Cooking Challenge

Tuesday, September 21st, 2010
6:00 p.m. - 9:00 p.m.
Astoria World Manor
25-22 Astoria Blvd
Astoria, NY 11102

Participating restaurants include:
718 Restaurant
5 Napkin Burger
Aegean Cove
Artopolis Bakery
Astor Bake Shop
JJ's Asian Fusion
La Guli Pastry Shop
Lulu's Bakery
Manetta's
Seva
Trattoria L'Incontro
and more!

Tickets: $55 in advance, $65 at the door.  $75 VIP.
Purchase here

Join Dish du Jour on Facebook or Twitter and check back for daily updates about event details including restaurants, insider scoop about the 5 ingredient cooking challenge, the VIP ticket giveaway and more.

For more information, visit the Dish du Jour Events page.  

Meatball Melee of the Boroughs Recap

Last night I attended a fierce meatball competition at the Astoria World Manor called the Meatball Melee of the Boroughs organized by Dish du Jour magazine. In addition to the meatballs, the event was also part of the 8th annual Cuisine of Queens and Beyond showcase, where various neighborhood eateries got a chance to feature their best dishes (sort of like at the Taste of Queens).

The Competition
The following 10 finalists from four boroughs (the Bronx was missing) made it to the competition.

Brooklyn:
Agnanti Meze - 78-02 5th Avenue
Ignazio's Pizza - 4 Water Street

Manhattan:
Bar Stuzzichini - 928 Broadway
Bello Giardino - 71 West 71st Street
Campo - 2888 Broadway
Carmine's - 200 West 44th Street
Molyvos - 871 Seventh Avenue

Staten Island:
Pastosa Ravioli - 764 Forest Avenue

Queens:
Agnanti Meze - 19-06 Ditmars Blvd, Astoria
Mundo - 31-18 Broadway, Astoria
Vesta Trattoria & Wine Bar - 21-02 30th Avenue, Astoria

The Judges
An impressive panel of acclaimed culinary geniuses judged the competition:

Tony Tantillo, CBS2 HD food expert
Frank Pellegrino, actor/co-owner of Rao's restaurant
Chef Michael Psilakis, Executive Chef and co-owner of Kefi, Anthos and Mia Dona restaurants
Michael Maroni, owner of Maroni cuisine and winner of the Food Network's Meatball Throwdown with Bobby Flay
Joseph Risi, co-creator of the meatball contest

Chef Psilakis was my favorite and it was exciting to listen to his commentary about meatballs, the best way to cook them and even some fun history facts behind them. He revealed why meatballs are typically round in shape - to ensure even cooking, browning and flavor.

Frank Pellegrino was also vocal and offered his two cents about why Italian meatballs rule "they're not meatballs unless they have red sauce." Also celebrating his birthday, Dish du Jour stopped the meatball judging to bring out an impressive, personalized birthday cake for Frank. The entire room sang Happy Birthday and it appeared that Frank was very touched.

The Winner
The competition was grueling and all 10 finalists exemplified their very best culinary techniques, bringing out wonderful flavor, presentation and variety. But in the end, one winner was announced and that was Bello Giardino of Manhattan with their "Nicky Meatballs"--named after Chef Nick Mormando (pictured above).

The staff at Bello Giardino couldn't be happier and especially Chef Nick who stood proudly, accepting his award, smiling from cheek to cheek.

The other competitors were great sports--they congratulated each other, joked around and resumed serving meatballs to the remaining hungry guests (I was one of them).

My Favorites
Although the official winner was announced, I had my personal meatball favorites that I'd like to spotlight:

Bar Stuzzichini - This was my ultimate favorite meatball because of its intense flavor and light aftertaste. I loved the slightly acidic red sauce, which was packed with fresh herbs and wonderfully pungent parmigiano cheese. The meat itself was tender but firm enough that it held its shape. The size of the meatball was pleasing, larger than a bite but not so big that you needed to take more than 3 forkfuls to finish it.

Carmine's - A lot of people scoff at Carmine's because it's considered "touristy" and generic. But let me tell you, they make a mean meatball. It was the first one that I tasted last night and the incredible flavor did not escape me. I think that the meat was a blend of beef and pork and the inside was soft and juicy. Similarly to Bar Stuzzichini's, its shape held up well when punctured with a fork and I loved how perfectly round it was. I could envision myself eating a huge plate of it with spaghetti.

Vesta - It's no secret that Vesta is one of my Astoria favorites and I adore their meatball. On the larger side, it definitely took a couple of big bites to finish but I loved--and savored--each one. What stood out to me was their sauce, nice and light with zesty fresh flavors of herbs, parmigiano cheese and toasted bread crumbs. I liked finishing each bite with a crunch of the breadcrumbs--it was a nice and unexpected surprise.

Overall, the competition was friendly and fun with many smiles, laughs and good food all around.

If you attended this event, feel free to pipe in with your thoughts and opinions.

3 Astoria Finalists Make it to the Meatball Melee

Last month I mentioned Dish du Jour's Meatball Melee of the Boroughs competition, which takes place on May 19th at the Astoria World Manor. Many contestants entered and competition was fierce, but the Meatball Phantom has spoken, selecting the top 10 finalists that will go on to compete for the best meatball of the boroughs. Out of the final 10, 3 are from Astoria - Agnanti, Mundo and Vesta (meatballs pictured above). I definitely have my favorite, which will remain nameless for now but I wish all competitors luck. And the final 10 are...

Brooklyn:
Agnanti Meze - 78-02 5th Avenue
Ignazio's Pizza - 4 Water Street

Manhattan:
Bar Stuzzichini - 928 Broadway
Bello Giardino - 71 West 71st Street
Campo - 2888 Broadway
Carmine's - 200 West 44th Street
Molyvos - 871 Seventh Avenue

Staten Island:
Pastosa Ravioli - 764 Forest Avenue

Queens:
Agnanti Meze - 19-06 Ditmars Blvd, Astoria
Mundo - 31-18 Broadway, Astoria
Vesta Trattoria & Wine Bar - 21-02 30th Avenue, Astoria

And remember that aside from the meatballs, there will be plenty of things to taste, with over 50 tables full of delicious eats from every borough. Last year's event was super fun and you definitely get what you pay for--lots and lots of good food.

Below are the event details - you can still get discounted tickets so jump on them quick.

Tuesday, May 19th from 6pm - 9pm
Astoria World Manor - 25-22 Astoria Blvd, Astoria NY 11102
Tickets are $55 per person in advance and $65 at the door. Group discounts are available.
To purchase tickets click here or call 718.777.7918

A portion of the proceeds will be donated to SHAREing & CAREing Breast & Ovarian Cancer Support Services.

Dish du Jour's Meatball Melee of the Boroughs

Image by www.dishdujourmagazine.com

Remember last year's Burger Battle of the Boroughs? Well this May, the folks at Dish du Jour who organized this event stepped it up a notch by creating a Meatball Melee of the Boroughs. The event piggy-backs on Dish du Jour's annual soiree, the Cuisine of Queens and Beyond food and wine gala, now entering its 8th year. The gala and the competition takes place in the glitzy Astoria World Manor on Astoria Boulevard, with over 50 tasting tables representing various Queens (and other borough's) restaurants, bakeries and beverage suppliers. I had the pleasure of attending last year and ate my heart out--I promise you that you won't go hungry.

More details about the meatball competition:

• A select group of borough restaurants will be chosen to compete for the title of "best balls in the borough"
• They will be judged by a panel of celebrity food judges including: Tony Tantillo, CBS2 HD food expert, Frank Pellegrino, actor/co-owner of Rao's restaurant, Chef Michael Psilakis, Executive Chef and co-owner of Kefi, Anthos and Mia Dona restaurants, Michael Maroni, owner of Maroni cuisine and winner of the Food Network's Meatball Throwdown with Bobby Flay; and Joseph Risi, co-creator of the meatball contest
• Josh Ozersky, previously of New York Magazine's Grub Street and currently the senior food editor of Citysearch's new blog, The Feedbag will emcee the shin-dig. He's an opinionated critic and a true meat lover.
• Contestants have until April 21st to submit entries. You can access the entry form here.

Below are the deets about the actual event, if you're interested in attending as a guest.

Tuesday, May 19th from 6pm - 9pm
Astoria World Manor - 25-22 Astoria Blvd, Astoria NY 11102
Tickets are $55 per person in advance and $65 at the door. Group discounts are available.
To purchase tickets click here or call 718.777.7918

A portion of the proceeds will be donated to SHAREing & CAREing Breast & Ovarian Cancer Support Services.

Enjoy - and may the best meatball win!

Burger Battle of the Boroughs - Queens Rules!

I had the privilege of going to one of the best events that only a community like Astoria could provide--the first ever Burger Battle of the Boroughs, hosted by Dish du Jour Magazine. The burger competition was part of a larger event, the 7th Annual The Cuisine of Queens and Beyond.

Held at Astoria's glitz central, the Astoria World Manor, the event featured amazing cuisine from over fifty local restaurants. I was glad to see some of my favorites like Cavo, Arepas Cafe, La Guli Pastry Shop and of course Trattoria L'Incontro. In fact, Trattoria's famous chef, Rocco Sacramone was there in his full glory, melodic Italian accent and delicious food in-hand, he charmed everyone, but mostly the ladies.

Some of my favorite food samplings of the night were:

Arepas Cafe: Chicken arepa with cilantro-garlic sauce, fried plantains and rice and beans.

33-07 36th Ave Astoria, NY 11106. 718.937.3835

Benjamas Taste of Thai: The veggie eggrolls were exceptional and served full sized--none of that tiny sample size business. 34-16 Broadway Astoria, NY 11106. 718.932.8826

La Guli: The cannoli kiss gives heavenly a whole new meaning.

29-15 Ditmars Blvd Astoria, NY 11105. 718.728.5612

Mojave: Their chunky guacamole and an offering of braised pork hit the spot.

22-36 31st St Astoria, NY 11105. 718.545.4100

Dan had a grand ol' time and he was especially loving the Blue Point beer station, sampling their different seasonal ales. I personally had a ball at the Brooklyn Lager station, where by the end of the night we received our very own six pack to go--what a deal!

The burger competition was a lot of fun and Dish du Jour brought out all the big guns to do the judging:

Arthur Schwartz – New York’s food maven and author of the recent book, Jewish Home Cooking

Terrance Brennan – Chef and owner of Artisanal Cheese and Wine Bistro & Picholine Restaurant in Manhattan. He’s also the author of Artisanal Cooking.

Kelly Choi – Producer and host of NYC TV’s program, Eat Out New York

Josh Ozersky – Co-editor of New York Magazine’s Grub Street and the author of The Hamburger

Tony Tantillo – CBS2 HD food expert

I, as most of the crowd, was excited to see Kelly Choi and I even had a chance to meet her, tell her about my blog and get a picture with her. Mind you, I look possessed and a little maniacal but still, a picture is a picture. We also spotted a couple of Bravo Top Chefs such as Dave Martin, Lee Anne Wong and Andrea Beaman.

And now for the burger competitors:

Brgr of NYC

Resto of NYC

The Farm on Adderley of Brooklyn

67 Burger of Brooklyn

Harry's at Water Taxi Beach of Long Island City

Joe's Bestburger of Flushing

Coals of the Bronx

The competition was fierce and there were some impressive burgers that came off those grills. But there could only be one true burger master. Drumroll please...CONGRATULATIONS to Long Island City's very own Harry's at Water Taxi Beach!

Harry was there in his full glory. He accepted the burger crown with a toothy smile and spoke nice words to the hosts. You could tell that he was proud and so was the audience. It was a great day for Queens and for our LIC neighbor.

A Burger Battle in Astoria

Image by www.dishdujourmagazine.com

The first ever Burger Battle of the Boroughs is coming to Astoria. Seven top borough (and even Manhattan...shhhh) burger joints will duke it out on Tuesday, May 20th in Astoria World Manor for the coveted title of the Best Burger of the Boroughs. The event will attract major star quality, with celebrity judges such as:

Kelly Choi, Producer and Host of NYCTV's Eat Out NY

Arthur Schwartz, Author of Jewish Home Cooking

Josh Ozersky, Author of The Hamburger: A History and Co-Editor of NY Magazine's Food Blog, Grub Street

George Motz, Author of Hamburger America

Chef Terrance Brennan, Author of cookbook, Artisanal Cooking

Tony Tantillo, CBS2 HD Food Expert

Phoebe Damrosch, Author of Service Included: Front of the House Secrets Exposed

And....several stars of Bravo's series, Top Chef, including Dave Martin, Lee Anne Wong and Andrea Beaman.

You'll get to sample the best of the neighborhood's food and drink and root for your favorite burger stars. The competitors include:

Brgr of NYC

Resto of NYC

The Farm on Adderley of Brooklyn

67 Burger of Brooklyn

Harry's at Water Taxi Beach of Long Island City

Joe's Bestburger of Flushing

Coals of the Bronx

Who'll take the burger crown? Find out for yourself on May 20th at Astoria World Manor from 6-9p. Tickets are $55/person in advance. 718.777.7918