I'm excited to report that another fun summer food event is coming to LIC. This one from a favorite local and seasonal eatery, LIC Market. Now officially in its second year of business, they're celebrating by bringing us another one of their signature Pig Roasts and Clambakes rolled into one.
You may remember this event debuting last year, and it was such as success that it's back again this year. The offering is quite stellar and the price point is the same as last year, a modest $25/person. Take a look at the deets below and hope you decide to make a debut there as well:
LIC's Pig roast and Clambake
Saturday, July 28th, 11:00 a.m. - 10:00 p.m.
Sunday, July 29th , 11:00 a.m. - 6:00 p.m.
Aside from all the food, you'll be able to indulge in some hefty drinks specials, including $25 beer buckets and half priced mimosas. 3 oinks to that!LIC Market - 21-52 44th Drive, LIC NY 11101
718.361.0013
7 Train to 45th Road/Courthouse Square
www.licmarket.com
A few weeks ago, I had the distinct pleasure to attend a really great food event, sponsored by Dr. Oetker, highlighting their new Ristorante Pizza brand. It also didn't hurt that we had Richard Vayda, Director of Wine and Beverage studies at the Institute of Culinary Education join us as well, helping to pair all the pizza with carefully chosen wines. Lisa came along with me, and together, we had a great time learning more about something familiar (pizza) and also about something new (different types of wines).
Atmosphere:
One of the big draws of the event was the venue, which is always important when hosting a food shin-dig. The evening was hosted in the sleek SeeFood Media space on the Lower East Side, which is a popular place to tape food events and shows. We were lucky to be on the top floor, with glorious views of the quaint neighborhood we were in, and I couldn't help feeling like I was in someone's glamorous apartment.
Although the space wasn't huge, it was smartly laid out, with tall tables that we stood around with our pizza and wine. It was very conducive to moving around and mixing with different groups, which was fabulous for networking. Needless to say, we rubbed shoulders with other guests, who were naturally bloggers, such as Serena from Seriously Soupy and Carol from NYCity Mama.
Food:
As I mentioned, the star of this food show was Dr. Oetker's Ristorante Pizza line, which was fun to try, especially because they had every variety available. The pizza itself was really good, which wasn't surprising to me, as my experience with this brand (more with baking products) has always been good, but I had a couple of stand-outs.
Pizza Funghi - As its name suggests, this pizza was all about the mushrooms, so naturally I couldn't help but like it, as I adore funghi! The best part was that the mushrooms were of really good quality, and quite chunky too. I always feel jipped, when a pizza only has a few lonely mushrooms, but this one definitely lived up to its name. Its crust was crunchy and on the thin side, which made the pizza feel lighter.
Pizza Quattro Formaggi - Even though this is probably the most fattening option of the pizzas we tried, it was really delicious. Naturally! As its name suggests, it consisted of 4 cheeses, including blue cheese, Swiss cheese, mozzarella and edam. The latter was something quite unusual to mix into a quattro formaggi and I appreciated the ingenuity, of using this mild, nutty cheese. The blue cheese, which I'm a big fan of too was an easy sell for me, my tastebuds, loving all that sharp tang.
Others - Besides all the pizza, as you can see in the pictures, we also had some simple apps and dessert. One of my favorite combinations is prosciutto and melon, which we had here, paired also with a nice piece of basil for added freshness. It was a great way to get started because it freshened up your palate but still made you hungry for more.
The dessert was nice too, a fruit cup with fresh whipped cream on top, nestled in a crunchy pastry shell. Just like the app, it did a great job of giving us a little taste of something without stealing too much from the main event. It was something delightful that I'd be happy to recreate at home.
Overall, the event was a lot of fun - we learned something new about food, wine and we socialized with other foodies, which is always a pleasure. If you're interested in learning more about Dr. Oetker's pizza line, please visit their site here, and you can also get them in any local supermarket. Buon Appetito!
Meg and I attended Le Fooding, a fabulous foodie event at LIC's P.S.1. MOMA, benefiting Action Against Hunger. It was great to be at an internationally recognized food festival that originated in year 2000 in Paris. There was a lot of French influence felt in the food, the drinks, the people (chefs) and even the music. P.S.1 was a great venue that not only provided ample outdoor space but also a unique, "underground" element that made it feel like an insider event rather than a mass-produced food fest.
I appreciated the ambiance provided by the urban shelter, "a series of tall hut-like 'chimneys' with dark thatched skin," that helped make Le Fooding funky, interesting and little bit surreal. Not to mention that the structures provided relief from the chilly weather--they were also a conversation starter while waiting on the long food lines.
Tasty Highlights
Although Meg and I chose the dry route, in terms of food, we tried it all except for dessert.
Favorite Foodings - Our #1 favorite pick was the fried corn with scallop butter, provided by Diner restaurant in Brooklyn. The corn was grilled to perfection with a slightly crunchy bite, and slathered in garlicky, smoky, scallop butter. A fellow attendee that we chatted with said that it reminded him of gumbo. Simply scrumptious, I strongly considered getting seconds.
A close second were the grilled marinated pork ribs with teriyaky pineapple sauce from Ze Kitchen Galerie in Paris. We loved how the meat fell off the bone and the sweet glaze on top provided a delightful, almost desserty finish.
Non Traditional Foodings - The most "different" items at Le Fooding came from two American chefs known for their creativity and innovation--Wylie Dufresne of WD-50 and David Chang of the Momofuku restaurants. It was super cool that both chefs were on the premises, actually serving us our food. Wylie was sweet and personable, as he posed for a picture (above) with a fellow chef. David Chang was a bit more quiet and really focused on the food.
Wylie produced an interesting chicken neck dish, consisting of dark chicken meat with a sweet-tangy yuzu marmalade, which we simply devoured. Although I was glad to try a new part of the chicken, the neck shape was a bit off-putting and there were quite a lot of bones in it.
David Chang served up the Bo Ssam, the butt of the pork and a side of red and green chutneys. I think the red was tomato based and the green had cilantro, onions and other fresh herbs. The pork was incredibly tender and slightly gamey, which was a good thing. I liked pairing it with the zesty chutneys, which brought out freshness and a sharpness in taste.
Simple but Great Foodings - The dish we waited the longest for was the barbecued sirloin steak from Bigarrade, Paris. Although it was simple, paired with peppery greens, the cut of meat was excellent--juicy and flavored with delicate spices that were slightly licoricey. Both Meg and I enjoyed its uncomplicated concept and perfect execution.
Unremarkable Foodings - We were least impressed with the Mini Henry IV casserole with creamed cow's cheese, from Le Comptoir du Relais from Paris. The broth was clear and kind of fatty. Although the pork in the soup was soft, it wasn't lean and the concoction lacked excitement. My favorite part was the crispy crouton that floated on top--it was perfectly crunchy and buttery.
Le Fooding was fun to attend, and I hope that next year's rendition brings forth more creativity and additional surprises. Curious to find out how much money was raised for this worthy cause...
