The Annual Kosher Food And Wine Experience 2017 Offers A Truly Unforgettable Gastronomic Experience

Celebrating its 11th year, the Kosher Food & Wine Experience delighted kosher foodies and wine enthusiasts alike at this sold-out, largest kosher food and wine show in the world.

Savory Beef Slider

In between soft potato buns are generous servings of fall-off-the-bone pulled BBQ beef, sweet onion, and crunchy cabbage slaw.

Hearty Cholent

A traditional Jewish stew, the cholent included stewed, tender beef, chunks of root vegetables, sweet potato, and different varieties of beans.

Herb Crusted Rib-Eye

Perfectly cooked, medium-rare rib eye is sliced thinly and topped with marinated mushroom, micro greens, and a dollop of horseradish aioli.

Thai Chicken and Rice

Served in a Chinese take-out box, the cubed pieces of chicken thighs are served over a bed of jasmine rice.

Beef and Beet Dumplings

Stuffed inside chewy skins of this dumplings are ground beef and beets topped with red and green peppers over sweet and sour sauce.

Hamachi with Yuzu

Perfectly portioned bites of fresh, raw hamachi is served with sweet yuzu sauce and dusted with seaweed flakes.

Chicken Confit with Mashed Cauliflower

Reminiscent of your favorite Thanksgiving meal, the juicy chicken confit is served alongside truffle whipped cauliflower mash and cranberry relish.

Tuna Poke

Chunks of raw tuna sashimi is topped with other accoutrements like craisins, sweet potato, bonito, garlic crunches, edamame, and seaweed and served over white rice.

Best Eats From The 12th Annnual Vendy Awards

Known as the “Oscars of Street Food,” the annual Vendy Awards celebrates the deliciousness of street food with a friendly competition to determine the best of the best. Find out who one this year’s competition, as well as other honorable mentions!

The Vendy Cup: Tacos el Rancho

The coveted Vendy Cup went to Tacos el Rancho, which specializes in home-style Oaxacan food with fresh produce, homemade salsa, and handmade tortillas. The plate included perfectly marinated chicken with cilantro, avocado slice, radish, cilantro, pineapple salsa, and a squeeze of lime on top of soft tortilla.

People’s Choice: Cachapas on Wheels

Fan-favorite Cachapas on Wheels, a Venezuelan food truck, delighted attendees with three types of sandwiches using sweet plantains or fried corn cake instead of bread. These delectable Venezuelan treats were stuffed with delicious fillings like juicy pulled pork, chicken, or cheese with everything from Romaine lettuce to tomatoes with creamy white sauce or red hot sauce.

Rookie of the Year: Mr. Bing

If you have only had traditional French crepes, then Mr. Bing will change the way you think about this delectable dish. Jingbing, a delicacy from Northern China, is a traditional street crepe filled with savory ingredients like Peking duck, BBQ pork, scrambled eggs, and crunchy wontons. The thin, crispy crepe is made with green bean and rice flour coated with black sesame seeds, scallions, and hoisin sauce.

Best Market Vendor: Big Mozz

Mozzarella sticks are favorite snacks for kids and adults alike, and the ones from Big Mozz won’t disappoint. These fried-to-order mozzarella sticks are made with stretchy mozzarella that exudes freshness. The exterior is perfectly crispy with cheese shavings for an extra touch of cheesiness.

Best Dessert Vendor: The Good Batch

Who can say no to ice cream sandwiches on a sunny Saturday afternoon? The Good Batch served a duo of ice cream sandwiches - the signature Goodwich made with sea salt-sprinkled oat chocolate chunk cookies, Blue Marble’s creamy vanilla ice cream, and a thick drizzle of dark chocolate fudge, and the Crispy, which highlighted house made caramel & rice crispy treat cookies.

Best Vegan Vendor: Mysttik Masaala 

Regardless of whether you are vegan or not, the delicious platter of Indian food from Mysttik Masaala catered to a whole lot of people’s taste buds. The plate included yellow chickpea and potato curry, red beans over rice, and creamy spinach curry.

People’s Choice Vegan Vendor: Monk’s Meat

This trio of vegan sliders from Monk’s Meat packed so much flavors - from BBQ to Bulgogi to Jerk. Each slider is topped with unique toppings like cabbage slaw, pickled daikon, spring kimchi, and grilled pineapple chutney.

Personal Favorites: Bamboo Bites

The appropriately-named Bamboo Bites served sticky glutinous rice topped with either mango & sesame seeds or curried fried tofu with cilantro and peanuts on top of a bamboo leaf.

Personal Favorites: Tuson Sate

Tuson Sate , which serves Indonesian grilled skewers, featured grilled beef, chicken, and seitan skewers topped with peanut sauce, fried shallots, Indonesian style pickle, sweet soy sauce, and spicy pepper upon request.

Personal favorites: Matzahbrei

A modern twist to this classic Passover dish, Matzahbrei serves savory or sweet matzah brei made with scrambled eggs and matzah. There are three different varieties, which includes the Monica (mushrooms, spinach, gruyere & dijon mustard), Yannis (beets, roasted peppers, mint & tahini), and Xavier (avocado, four-cheese blend & peach-mango salsa).

All The Delicious, Collaborative Eats From 2016 Taste Talks All-Star BBQ In Brooklyn

Sunday afternoon’s All-Star BBQ, the capstone event of Taste Talks festival, highlighted unique collaboration among New York’s top chefs, bands, and celebrities. Ranging from pulled pork grilled pizza to chicken thigh sandwich, here are some of my favorite bites.

Pig & Khao x 8G Band

This12-hour baby back rib was marinated in a melange of sauces and spices like teriyaki, garlic hosin, and fish sauce for complex yet satisfying flavor. The rib was topped with crispy garlic, scallions, and cilantro for additional flavor and texture profiles.

DBGB Kitchen & Bar x How to Dress Well

The lone vegetarian dish at the event was also one of my favorite. Flavorful Japanese eggplant over pistou sauce was accompanied by tomato marmalade, piquillo peppers, and crispy puffed rice.

Morgenstern’s Finest Ice Cream x GG’s

You are free to enjoy dessert first with this dish from Morgenstern and GG’s. Alongside a skewer of grilled pineapple, cipollini onion, cherry tomato, and Huli Huli roast pork with a side of coconut rice was refreshing pineapple sorbet.

Blue Smoke Alabama White Wings

These chicken wings are anything but ordinary. The wings are grilled over flame fire to maintain their juiciness, and tossed in creamy, rich white sauce.

Greenpoint Fish & Lobster Co. x Blue Point Brewing

The aphrodisiac oyster was beautifully grilled with seaweed butter and Prop Stopper Seaweed IPA to produce an earthy undertone, and topped with a sprinkle of bread crumbs.

Soho Tiffin Junction x Speedy Romeo

If you ever had trouble deciding between curry or pizza, then this dish is made for you - on top of warm baked naan were a spread of chicken tikka masala, basmati rice, cilantro, and pickled onion.

Hard Times Sundaes x Fletcher’s BBQ

This All-American burger just got upgraded to something revolutionary. Beyond the traditional ground beef patty, this burger featured smoked brisket patty topped with smoked pub cheese and creamy slaw, all sandwiched in between soft potato roll.

Emily x Hometown BBQ

On top of grilled bread rubbed in honey were generous servings of juicy pulled pork, creamy and cool ranch slaw, pickles, and crispy onions.

Momo Sushi Shack x Jarobi White

A bite of this sandwich delivered all the textures and flavors you could think of: crunchy, moist, sweet, savory, and soft! In the potato roll rubbed with yuzu were organic free range chicken thigh, peach gastrique, apricot, pickled onion, romaine, and Kewpie mayo.

The Economist x C-Fu Foods

You haven’t had ice cream until you have had it topped with…crickets. This sustainable protein option sat atop a scoop of creamy honeycomb ice cream from Van Leewen.

Sweet Pumpkin and Rich Chocolate Beer at Brooklyn Pour

Sipping on a glass of chocolate-flavored beer that resembled the taste of a creamy chocolate shake, I felt like I was at a 1950s boxcar diner instead of at a beer festival. But at the annual Brooklyn Pour, all beverages--including this delicious Shake Chocolate Porter from Boulder Beer Company--were for grown-ups only. More than 125 craft breweries showcased their best selection of signature and seasonal beer at this year's event, which took place at the historic Skylight One Hanson. Formerly the Williamsburg Savings Bank, the event venue reminded me of Hogwarts from the main floor and Gringotts Bank from the downstairs vault. While unlimited libation was the key highlight of the event, I also enjoyed the photo booth where the slightly buzzed attendees could capture their silliest faces, the game area featuring mini foosball, basketball toss, and beer pong, as well as the food truck courtyard serving everything from Philly cheesesteak to pepperoni pizza. It's hard to pick out my favorite because the tastes of beers start to blend in after a while, but as a pumpkin aficionado, I loved the Whole Hog Pumpkin Ale from Stevens Point Brewery. With each and every sip, I became more convinced that I was eating a slice of velvety pumpkin pie sprinkled with cinnamon and nutmeg. And even for someone who always chooses vanilla over chocolate, the Chocolate Porter from Boulder Beer Company stole my heart. Its unique blend of chocolate wheat, cacao nibs, coffee, and caramel that gave off creamy, chocolate flavor with an alcoholic kick. What a sweet treat in a bottle!

Duck, Duck, Goose: Testing Our Culinary Knowledge at the Duckathlon

The last time I ordered a duck dish at a restaurant, the waiter presented me with beautifully plated pieces of lean duck breast atop a bed of heirloom carrots and caramelized cauliflower with a drizzle of lingonberries compote. Yet, the extent of my knowledge about the dish was limited to the description on the menu and brief explanation by the waiter. That's why my friends and I were stumped when we had to identify different breeds of duck at the first-ever Duckathlon, a food festival that tested our knowledge of the foods we eat every day. To our untrained layman's eyes, these unfeathered game birds with foreign names like Pekin, Muscovy, and Mulard all looked the same until the farmer himself explained to us how to distinguish them by their sizes. At the end of the challenge, we were even rewarded with a skewer of grilled duck heart, foie gras, and fried "white kidney," a euphemism for duck testicle. Created by D'Artagnan -- a purveyor of foie gras, sausages, and game meat -- Duckathlon, which started as a private event for the company's chef clients in 2005, opened to the public for the first time this year as a way to educate consumers about local sourcing and responsible farming by connecting them with farmers who raise the food and chefs who prepare them. For the duration of the event, my friends and I embarked on an experiential journey from farm-to-table as we engaged in a series of interactive challenges for a chance to win prizes like bottles of wine, knives, and whole hams. While some challenges tested our palate, such as discerning brandy from Armagnac and identifying foie gras from chicken liver mousse, others tested our culinary skills, such as carving a thin slice of ham and flipping a crepe. Most challenges were also paired with samples of delicious food like Wagyu meatball BLT, brisket tacos marinated in French onion soup, and, my personal favorite, milk-poached chicken breast with morels, favas, and pickled spring onions. I was also star-struck to see high-profile chefs whom I have only seen on Food Network, including Anita Lo, Harold Moore, and Francois Payard, preparing the food at the event. Although we did not walk away with any prizes at the end of the day, we had a flocking good time with satisfied stomach and newfound food knowledge that we could flaunt at a dinner table. And the next time I order a duck dish, I will be sure to ask what breed it is. Photo courtesy of Vladimir Weinstein Photography

'Cracked' Chicken Wings and Fruity Sangria: Tasty Eats From the Inaugural Taste of Bushwick

I first heard about a neighborhood called Bushwick while binging on Season 1 of HBO's Girls in my college dorm room to celebrate the end of exam period. In my personal favorite episode, "Welcome to Bushwick a.k.a. the Crackcident," the show's protagonists venture into this once-gritty neighborhood in Brooklyn for a party at a warehouse. There, one of the characters accidentally smokes cocaine thinking it is marijuana, while another character finally makes it official with her long-term hook-up after a night of raging. But when I biked over the Williamsburg Bridge toward Bushwick this past Monday, I did it for a very different reason: to attend the first-ever Taste of Bushwick. Similar to other "Taste of" events in different boroughs throughout the city, this inaugural event celebrated foods and drinks of Bushwick with unlimited samples of savory bites and refreshing drinks from local restaurants and bars. The event doubled as a fundraiser to support the upcoming season of the Bushwick Starr, a nonprofit theater that supports work in dance, theater, and puppetry. Upon entering the second floor of the theater, I was greeted by puppeteers dressed in all black, full-bodied costumes maneuvering paper cranes from long poles attached to their fingers. Both the indoor venue and its 1,000-square-foot rooftop overlooking the Manhattan skyline transformed into a pop-up food court with tasty samples from Bushwick's mainstays and up-and-coming restaurants alike. While sipping on my favorite summer drink, strawberry and peach sangria, from Henry's Wine + Spirit, I also tried bites of pabellon arepas with shredded beef, sweet plantains, and black beans from Venezuelan restaurant Arepera Guacuco, cold cantaloupe soup and oysters on half shell from French bistro Mominette, and chicken tacos from a makeshift taco stall inside a tortilla factory, Los Hermanos Tortilleria. Based on the packed crowd enjoying delicious food, drinks, and company, the first-ever Taste of Bushwick was a huge success. Event organizers said that they plan to make it an annual event with more restaurants and bars for the future. Though I left the event early because I was struck by a major food coma, most people stayed for the after-party at Radio Bushwick that included sets by local musicians. My first trip to Bushwick probably wasn't as radical as those experienced by the characters in Girls, but as one attendee biting into salsa-brined chicken wings from Fritzl's Lunch Box aptly put it, "I am certain these chicken wings have crack in them because I keep coming back and can't stop eating them!" And who knows, she may be right because we are in Bushwick, where anything can happen. Photo courtesy of Liz Rogers and Francisco Bravo

Hopping Beer Tasting at the NYC Craft Beer Festival

Having been a college student for the past four years, my predilection for beer has been tainted by a 30-rack of lukewarm PBR, a keg of flat Natural Light or, the worst, a red Solo cup of whatever cheap beer left in the fridge that has been sullied by dirty ping pong ball in a game of beer pong. Coupled with the fear of gaining a mounting beer belly as portrayed by Homer Simpson, I never acquired the taste for beer and would grudgingly drink just a sip of green beer to celebrate St. Patrick's Day once a year. So when I attended the NYC Craft Beer Festival with my beer-loving boyfriend last Friday, it was more of a challenge to test my tolerance for beer than an enjoyment of unlimited tasting for 3.5 hours. Upon entering the massive, open venue at the Lexington Armory, we encountered endless rows of breweries pouring samples of craft beers into our 2-ounce tasting glasses. In total, the festival featured more than 150 varieties of beer and ciders from 75 breweries around the world. People say to never judge a book by its cover, but because I did not know anything about beer to begin with, I decided which beer to drink on a case-by-case basis depending on the design of its can or a bottle. One of my favorites was the sparking ginger beer from the Edinburg-based Crabbie's, which was served with a cube of ice and topped with a slice of lime. I promise the fact that this drink looked more like a fruity cocktail and tasted like ginger ale had little to do with my liking for this beer. Another brewery that caught my eyes was the Magic Hat Brewery from South Burlington, Vermont. Its circus-themed station with a dangling paper skeleton was enough to direct my feet to the booth for a taste of its seasonal Elder Betty, a Weiss-style ale with bready malt flavor balanced by a touch of hops and complemented by the tart berry flavors of elderberry. While most breweries served their best-selling and seasonal ale or lager, there was one "brewery" that distinctively stood out from the others. Tucked away in the basement level of the Connoisseur Lounge, Enlightenment Wines, which operates from a family farmstead in the Hudson Valley, showcased four varieties of meads and botanical fruit wines. Raphael Lyon, the founder of Enlightenment Wines, also led a seminar aimed at educating consumers about this esoteric drink. In addition to the educational seminar, the festival also featured the first-ever Craft Beer Concierge Center, where consumers could ask any beer-related questions to the on-site Cicerones (beer sommeliers), as well as beer pairings like grilled cheese, hot dogs, and pretzels. Since its debut in March 2012, the NYC Craft Beer Festival has grown to three seasonal shows per year. The next tasting will take place in November. While I did not become a beer aficionado by the end of the 3.5-hour long tasting, I now know much more about this thirst quencher -- at the least that there is an expansive selection of craft beers beyond the typical fares from college, of Coors! Photo courtesy of Andrew Dominick