Carnivore's Heaven at Cook Out NYC

While looking for a fun event to enjoy with my brother this weekend, I came across Cook Out NYC, a second annual outdoor grilling event that features food samples from different restaurants in New York, unlimited beer, live music, and kimchi-eating contest. The 10-minute ferry ride to Governor's Island led us to the event location. Peaking at 103 degrees, it was the hottest day of the summer, but I could care less at the site of all the food under the tents!

The event sponsor tents were along the side of the venue. Normally, these would be crowded as well, but not at Cook Out NYC because people were more interested in getting cooked food rather than packaged KIND bars, Pop Chips, etc.

They opened the venue right at 11:30am. People swarmed in to try out all the food! Here, a grill master from Zio is cooking pork belly! I felt bad for him...he must be sweltering right next to the fire!

The event also included a food competition in which the visitors as well as judges critiqued the food items and chose their favorites.

Pork Belly and Fig. I don't eat pork, but my brother said the meat was really fatty and didn't enjoy it very much.

So many sausages!!! I wish they were bite-size instead.

Cajun Ken & the Penthouse Boys served BBQ Chicken and Sausage with "XXX" & Slap My Cajun Ass Creole Hot Sauces.

The chicken and the sausage was slightly dry without the BBQ sauce.

The burnt part from the grill was so delish!

...well, maybe not that burnt. Oops!

This is John Brown Smokehouse aka "Brisket King of NYC" Grilled Lamb Sausage with Spicy Slaw. The lamb sausage had denser texture than regular sausages.

Skirt Steak with Vinegary Slaw and Jalapeno Relish

Yum! I loved the slaw and the juicy, tender brisket.

Mama O’s Spicy Kimchi and Bar Bruno’s Taco served Spicy Kimchi Tacos.: Marinated hanger steak,grilled and served in a warm corn tortilla topped with kimchi,pico de gallo and grated radish. They really should have put a warning sign because even without the extra habanero or chipotle sauce, the taco was extremely spicy!

My mouth was absolutely burning for a long time...The tacos lost all of their flavors because the kimchi was extremely spicy. Good thing they were selling bottles of water ($2 each) right next to the booth! This taco won “The Food High Award” presented by two food writers.

Sliders from STK OUT, a burger establishment in Midtown West, were exiquisite! It took a while for the burgers to be served, but these treats were well worth the wait.

Medium-rare beef topped with cheese, a pickle, and a tomato are in between black sesame-topped buns. The patty was great quality, and the buns were toasted on a grill as well.

Another great burger! This is Alobar's Ground Wild Boar Burger with Green Salsa, which took home people's choice award for Best Slider. The burgers were full-size so my brother and I decided to share one, but it was so tasty that we both went for seconds.

I have never had a wild boar burger before. It tasted similar to turkey burger, but much more flavor and juicier. The green salsa definitely made the burger 100 times better.

Just really dry hamburger patty on a boring bun...not impressed at all.

Simultaneously happening with Cook Out NYC was a hot dog competition with six stations featuring Sabrett’s Hot &Spicy Hot Dogs with toppings from Sir Kensington Ketchup, My Friend’s Mustard, Sabrett’s Classic Onion Sauce, Chili from Lucky 777 Chili, a kimchi dog, and a special entry by Chef Josetth Gordon. The winners were decided by popular vote at the end of the event. This dog is from My Friend's Mustard: Sabrett’s Hot and Spicy Frankfurter topped with Tomatillo-Radish Slaw & Agave-Sixpoint IPA Mustard. It won 3rd place in the contest.

The Judge's choice award went to Rich Pinto Catering for its Vietnamese-inspired hot dog.

Not sure what this is...doesn't look too appetizing.

Chef Josetth's Piquant Celery Slaw with Currants won Best Sabrett’s Hot Dog topping on Saturday. People must have liked the cool, crisp texture of celery on such a hot day.

BBQ drumstick in some sort of sweet sauce. I try to eat chicken breast because it's healthier, but I have to admit that drumstick and thigh are the best parts of chicken :)

Pulled Pork Tacos with Cilantro, Tomatillo in soft corn tortilla. The meat was a little dry.

Jimmy’s No. 43's Sirloin steak with chimichurri sauce was the WINNER of "Best in Show." Hmm I can't agree with the decision at all because I thought the sirloin was flavorless and dry, while the green chimichurri sauce was plain oily.

Grilled Cheese...such a comfort food! Unlike other grilled cheese I've had, this one was not too greasy. Inside the toasty bread is a mixture of gruyere and other cheese with caramelized onions.

The heat from all the grilling probably raised the nearby temperature by 5 degrees...regardless, I really enjoyed the afternoon in the sun while dining out on lots and lots of grilled food!

Spicy and Savory Korean Snacks

When I come to Korea, I don't necessarily want to gorge on filet mignon, escargot and caviar, or lobster tail at a four-star restaurant. Instead I want to try food that I can't easily obtain in the United States.

A couple days ago, my aunt brought some to-go food for dinner. I hadn't eaten since 10:30 am that morning, so anything edible at that time looked delicious.

The seafood dish with bean sprouts in red chili sauce was extremely spicy. There were so many types of sea creatures, including a huge octopus that we had to scissor, scallops in shells, shrimps, a whole squid, a fish, and abalones.

The dish was enough to feed seven people. We even had leftover with which we added some kimchi, seaweed. and rice to make delicious fried rice.

Personally the sauce was overwhelmingly spicy with a hint of sweetness that didn't go too well. I was tempted to wash the bean sprouts in the water to get rid of some of the sauce. The bean sprouts were overcooked because it lacked some of the juicy and the freshness. The seafood, especially the crab, was too hard to eat so I just bit into it and the juices oozed out from the shell.

Aunt also bought soondae, or Korean sausage made with pig intestine on the outside and clear noodle and vegetables inside. It may sound disgusting, but it's one of the snacks I used to love when I was little. Eating too much of it is nauseating, but it tastes really good with some salt and pepper. The intestine used to wrap the fillings is jerky, while the insides are like the fillings in the dumplings.

There were three different types of soondae. One of them was quite spicy, while the other was overly chewy. The gray, triangular one is liver--it has somewhat of a bitter taste.