By Charlene Jaszewski
Hitting a "taste of" event is much like going to a craft bazaar; you have to be careful not to blow it all on the first few tables. Last night I made sure to pace myself at the fourth annual Taste of Long Island City at Gantry Plaza State Park.
This is the first year the Taste of LIC has been held at a state park, and the setting was lovely: It was a magical misty evening, and many of the 1,000 or so tasters retired to the pier benches to talk, munch on their edibles, and enjoy the New York skyline.
The first nibble I tried was a great start - shredded barbeque pork from Lucky Mojo's that melted in my mouth. But it's where I first encountered what would be the night's trend - the vendors running out of forks and plates!
The Taste of LIC was not only a foodie's funtime, but also a benefit for the Chocolate Factory Theater. The event's organizer, Chocolate Factory executive director Sheila Lewandowski, told me she feels it's important to showcase all types of food and drink establishments that make a neighborhood vibrant, from small places that take pride in their "food art," to take-out, cafes, and wine sellers, all of which were represented at Taste of LIC.
The food highlights:
- Sage American Kitchen's tomato, basil and goat cheese soup, not to mention the miniature versions of their pink snowball cakes, cheesecake brownies, and fake-Hostess cupcakes. I told them that selling such not-so-naughty serving sizes of their yummy treats would be a goldmine!
- Blend's Latin fusion - "tapatizers" like "sopes" (cornbread with cheese and a black bean sauce) and lime-rubbed chicken - tickled my tastebuds.
- Lounge 47 delivered a luscious vegetable lasagna, which was perfectly refreshing with a Blue Moon ale.
- Testaccio is a big fat food tease because they gave me a taste, but are making me wait until September for their official opening! Chef Ivan Beacco gave samples of something so simple and wonderful you'll marvel you haven't thought of it yourself: mission fig topped with mascarpone cheese and pine nuts. Their menu will include Roman dishes and Northern Italian cuisine.
- Vesta Vino's chilled zucchini soup with prosciutto and white bean bruschetta.
- Manducati's Rustica Italian restaurant wins the prize for the most perfect tiramisu this side of San Francisco. I had to wrestle another girl for one of the last servings! Chef/owner Gianna Cerbone-Teoli told me that she learned the recipe when she was 10 years old living in Italy, and she has not changed it in all these years (thank goodness!).
- Court Square Wine & Spirits offered up something new and different - VeeV, "the world's first açaí spirit." Açaí is the trendy new health berry that is popping up in juices and smoothies everywhere. While the VeeV representative admitted that the liqueur can't be touted as a "health drink" because the distillation process removes some of the berry's "punch," I had some straight up with ice and lime and found it to be most invigorating!
Charlene Jaszewski is a foodie, writer, and voracious explorer of her new hometown of New York. When she's not searching for the perfect dessert, she does website usability consulting. She blogs at www.theredheadsaid.com.
Photos (c) Charlene Jaszewski
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