NYC Tastes

It was an absolutely gorgeous day to be on the Brooklyn waterfront celebrating the third year of Taste Talks and the All Star BBQ Sunday.  The grills were smoking hot as chefs and celebs alike showcased some fantastic food collaborations.  There were 16 different food/drink stations and I manged to hit them all.  Here are a few of my favorites. My very first stop was at Blue Smoke for Chef Jean Paul's juicy Chicken Wings tossed in Alabama white sauce... ...followed by an incredible Grilled Pizza with pulled pork, creamy ranch slaw and crispy onions from the Brooklyn powerhouse team of Emily Loves Pizza and Hometown BBQ. I was really excited to check out the Chicken Thigh sandwich from MOMO Sushi since it incorporated yuzu kosho; an amazing spicy sweet condiment of yuzu peel and chilies from Japan that I love. Not only was this Chicken Thigh one of the best bites from the afternoon but it was served to me by none other than Chef Jarobi ...

Saturday was all about beers and BBQ.  Mr. T and I began the day at Other Half grabbing some cans from their latest release then walked down to the water for a full on feast at Hometown BBQ. I swear we didn't mean to order so much food for just the two of us but walking into the incredible Texas style roadhouse the smell of BBQ was so intoxicating...by the time we got to the front of the line we lacked any decision making skills and just ordered everything. The Brisket was amazing; somehow each slice had the perfect balance of fatty and lean with a smoky, crisp char on the outside. I really enjoyed the Pulled Pork sandwich.  The meat was super tender, served without any need for BBQ sauce topped simply with a sharp vinegar based slaw (sloppy top love).  Mr. T preferred the mammoth Beef Rib coated in peppercorns and so incredibly rich I could barely get down more than one bite. For sides a thick buttery slab of cornbread and QUESO MAC ...