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.

From Plain Chicken to Exotic Chicken at Fest of the Best

A dish made with chicken, potato, and pickles may sound a bit mundane, but Emily--a cozy pizza parlor in Brooklyn--prepared one of the most creative dishes using these common ingredients at Thrillist's Fest of the Best this past weekend. Emily was one of many restaurants showcasing their top dishes at Fest of the Best, a mouthwatering foodie event featuring everything from live music to classy cocktails to free giveaways to, of course, lots of delicious food. Upon checking in, all guests received a poker chip that was used to vote for their favorite food item. As dozen or so restaurant chefs engaged in a friendly competition to determine the best of the best, event attendees delighted their taste buds with a full course menu of surf and turf. My favorite dish was the tender smoked chicken from Emily, which was topped with foamy potato puree and pickles with a sprinkle of sunchoke chips. In addition to this savory chicken dish, I also enjoyed the salmon crudo from Crave Fishbar and the guacamole and chips from Horchata. The crunchy prawn dust, the slightly sour lemon prawn oil, and the savory charred cauliflower atop the buttery salmon sashimi created an unbelievable explosion of flavors in my mouth. The creamy guacamole, mashed with ripe avocado, roasted butternut squash, pumpkin seeds, cotija cheese, Serrano chili, and lime, was served with four pieces of crunchy house-made corn tortilla chips. Where there is food, there must be drinks. Guests enjoyed an impressive open bar selection of fancy and classy cocktails, as well as cold beers, craft cola, and boxed water. With all the drinks and food, a little bit of jiving from the crowd was inevitable, especially with live music provided by the roaming saxophonist Kareem Wilkes and the house DJ Kasey Berry. In between the food and the drinks, attendees had a chance to relax in one of the two lounges provided by the event sponsors. In the Grey Goose Vodka Lounge, guests sat down and mingled with others, while posting photos on Instagram with the hashtag #festofthebest for a free printed copy of the photo. In the Samsung Lounge, they learned to photograph their favorite dish and shared them to win prizes. At the end of the 3-hour long food fest, Bacchanal in Little Italy won the People's Choice Award for "Best of 2014" with its hearty lamb shoulder dish. And I, too, won a little something from the event: an oven mitt and a spatula! Perhaps these new kitchen tools will inspire me to do something beyond heating frozen meals in the microwave. One of these days... Photo courtesy of Kimberly Mufferi