As April approaches, Matcha Madness is still in full effect. For those who don’t know Matcha is finely milled green tea powder. It seems like match is appearing in everything nowadays from hot beverages, cookies, cakes, an of course Cronuts. Dominique’s March flavor was match with golden pineapple. The result was a delightful 7.
– Pinky Finger Up
Matcha / Golden Pineapple
There is a new king of brisket here in NY. The Pinky Finger Up team had the pleasure of joining Jimmy (Carbone) and the Food Karma Projects crew. Meatlovers flocked to Irondale in Brooklyn for hours of libations and some of the best brisket. Fifteen fierce competitors went head to head with the leanest and fattest samples of brisket. Some of the competitors represented some of the top bbq houses and deli in the city, while one came all the way from Detroit. When the smoke cleared there was only room for one winner: Hometwon Bar-B-Que and hands down my favorite of the night. Juicy and tender perfection.
Hey Billy, we are coming soon with an empty stomach!
-Pinky Finger Up
When I think of landmark New York, I think of the Village Voice Newspaper. I could always remember going to the section to see the upcoming live shows and yes, even the back page personals. These days, VV has been putting together some superb food events. From the food truck to the beer festivals, VV is always in top form. There main food party is the Village Voice Choice Eats. Due to an emergency, I was unable to attend but I sent some of my hungry team members. It’s unfortunate that I always seem to miss this event as it always takes place around SXSW. The great thing about this tasting is that you get to experience food from different parts of the world and not only the elite Manhattan eateries – you can actually taste something from Uzbekistan. Check out what we ate and if it looks good go visit the restaurant.
The night’s favorites were the duck and faro boudin by King Be and the skewered grilled beef tongue with romesco and lemon crouton from The Gourbals. For those who have a sweet tooth, Ample Hills Creamery was serving Snap ‘Mallow Pop which tasted like a rice crispy treat – straight crack!
– Pinky Finger Up
I had the honor to be an invited guest to the 25th anniversary of the Careers through Culinary Arts Program (C-Cap) last week. C-CAP, is a national non-profit that works with public schools to prepare undeserved high school students for college and career opportunities in the restaurant and hospitality industry. For the record, the Pinkyfingerup crew love the kids and hope they keep feeding us till we’re old and grey. The founder and chairman of C-CAP, Richard Grausman, has a career spanning over forty years as a teacher and writer. This year’s honorees included businessman Dick Parsons and restaurateur Alexander Smalls.
Now for the food. The event style is a walk-around tasting. There was forty-three restaurants participating in this years tasting . A good portion of chefs involved were C-Cap alumni. Out of the forty-three participating restaurants, I managed to sample forty-one. Some of my personal favorites came from, Marc Forgione, Sea Grill and Juni. Enjoy the pics and if you see something you like go there and eat it.
– Pinkyfingerup
The StarChefs crew sure knows how to throw a party. This years edition of the Rising Stars New York was a fun filled night of tasty nights.The 2015 Rising Stars award ceremony was held in the spacious Altman Building in New York. Some of New York’s top fresh face chefs and bartenders were on hand showcasing some amazing bites and sips from their menu. My favorite bite of the night was from Bryce Shuman of Betony. Uncle Boons, Boulud Sud and Nomad Bar were some of my other top choices. After the event, everyone straddled up and rolled on over to Toro for the after party . Great job Starchefs, and we are look forward to the 10th annual International Chefs Congress taking place October.
-Pinky Finger Up
Pinky Finger Up 