Showing posts with label Sarabeth's Tribeca. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Sarabeth's Tribeca. Show all posts

5.27.2014

re. CAP: Taste of Tribeca FAVES


RER 5.17.14
With so many delicious offerings from all ends of the spectrum—eats to sweets, meats to seafood, elegant to down and dirty— you would think it would be hard to choose favorites. Despite the difficulty, somehow, I managed to pick my top bites at this year’s Taste of Tribeca
RER 5.17.14
RER 5.17.14
Sarabeth Tribeca’s offered the attendees the most perfect little sandwich, a bite of summertime and seafood. Those delightful crabcake sliders were my favorite down and dirty selection. Crabcakes and a sweet fluffy bun are classic, especially with these mini sandwiches from Sarabeth Tribeca’s. The crabcake was hearty, fresh and meaty, not weighed down with fillers and nonsense. Even the sweetness of the bun brought out the natural sweetness of the crab of the cakes. Bun sticking to the roof of my mouth was definitely the cherry on top, speaking to a job well done.
RER 5.17.14
RER 5.17.14
Scanning through the program, and seeing foie gras sushi, I knew I had to try it. And let me tell you, I am so glad I sampled the offering from Daruma- Ya.  We watched them sear up the plump pieces of foie gras, and so when we got our plate, the foie gras was still warm, melding with the sweet sticky rice. My first bite was uncertain, unprepared for the texture. But then the decadent deliciousness set in, and I was overcome with fatty meaty flavors, countered by the chewy brightness of the sticky rice. The combination was so unexpected and intriguing, but the flavors and the textures are what won me over. But really, who could turn down foie gras?
RER 5.17.14
The chef surprise presented by Golden Restaurant, Bouley, was a showstopper, a crowd pleaser that definitely had more than a few guests running back for more, using another precious taste on their tasting card.  Bouley gave guests a stunning two-parter, a little bit of savory and a little bit of sweet. The two did not necessarily work together in terms of flavors, but the balance of the rich decadence of the savory bite and the refreshing nature of the sweet taste created cohesiveness. The crunchy kuzu chip balanced the smooth creamy thick whipped potato and cheese topping, while the truffle added dynamic luxury. The sweetness of the cooling parfait was layered with fruity cherry and raspberry flavors and adult moments of white chocolate and amaretto—a combination of heavy in light resulting in success.
RER 5.17.14
There was also a wide array of delicious desserts, but the big fat whoopie pies from Tribeca Treats most definitely caught my eye. Sure there were cupcakes of all different colors and flavors at their table, but those dark round pies were recommended. They were chocolaty and delicious, fluffy and satisfying. Chocolate chips melted through the chocolate cookies and the vanilla cream sandwiched in between offered sweet relief and balance. Somehow this childhood favorite felt fresh and new while recalling memories of times passed.


See more about the Taste of Tribeca benefit on their website or in my recap up on Miss A. And to taste more of Tribeca through photos check out my photo op from last week!
RER
5.17.14
RER 5.17.14

5.22.2013

TASTE of Tribeca II


Aaaand there's more. Of course there's more. These were the rest of the delicious things we tasted at Taste of Tribeca, ranging from cookies to lamb to sushi. Also take a look at my event recap for Miss A, with more of the charity goodies.

RER 5.18.13
Taste 7
Crab Cake and Assorted Sarabeth Cookies— Sarabeth’s Tribeca
This tiny crab cake on a brioche bun quickly became a favorite. The crab cake was whole, meaty, and contained plump fresh pieces of crab. There was nothing fake or skimpy about it, just jumbo lump crabmeat. There was not a ton of mustard and breadcrumb filler that places try to use to disguise sub-par crab. This was the real deal. A thin layer of well-blended almost imperceptible tartar sauce was smeared on top of the crab cake, just tangy enough to know that it was there. Even though it was nearly impossible to taste the tartar sauce through the meatiness of the crab cake and the eggy sweet bread, we knew that it morphed the feeling of the small slider. This came with a choice of cookie, and both times we opted for the sugar-dusted shortbread (yes, both).

RER 5.18.13
Taste 8
Spring Lamb Dish— Marc Forgione
The lamb rib was spicy, fatty, served with a pickled cabbage, for brightness. My pieces was mostly fat, but the meat was gamey and rich, decadent. The presentation was refined,and simple, but the spices were surprising.  The picked cabbage was tangy, and broke up the heaviness of the lamb and fat, rounding out the spices as well. Even with just a rib, the flavor profile tickled different parts of the mouth. Although this was just a taste, I feel like greens would help bring the dish to spring.

RER 5.18.13
Taste 9
Mini Cupcakes, Brownies, Cookies— Billy’s Bakery
Billy’s Bakery offered us a plate of tiny sweets; a mini red velvet cupcake, a rich chocolate brownie, and a mixed bar. The red velvet cupcake was short and sweet, but not overwhelmingly so. The cream cheese frosting was light and fluffy, but the cake was almost flavorless, somewhere in between chocolate and not. The brownie was nothing special, close to the boxed variety. And the last bar had far too many accoutrements, like nuts, butterscotch chips, amongst what felt like other things. I was mildly disappointed.

RER 5.18.13
Taste 10
Cheesesteak on Pretzelbread— The Palm
This refined version of cheesesteak comfort food, was presented on tiny pretzel bread. The filling was cheesy and adult, with thick pieces of steak, mixed in with caramelized onions and luxurious melted cheese. It tasted like butter, salt, and the stringy translucent onions, rich and warm. Fault lay in the bread, which was dense and thick, and most of all cold. If the pretzel bread, dark on the outside dotted with salt and light and fluffy in the inside, had been warm, this would have been a completely different taste. The side of the plate was filled with beautiful waffle potato chips, delicate and each unique. They added a crunch were the sandwich was lacking, but if they had been dusted with more salt the combination would have been almost perfect and addictive.

RER 5.18.13
Taste 11
Rhubarb Apple Brown Betty— Bubby’s Pie & Co
The plate was just a mound of the loose Betty, with a spiral of not so sweet fresh whipped cream. The crumble on top was not very textured, it was soft with time and sweetness. The taste was a bit monotonous, until an encounter with a piece of stewed green apple. The apple brought a little tanginess to the formless scoop, but not enough life.

RER 5.18.13
Taste 12
Two Kinds of Special Hand Roll Sushi— Takahachi 
Earlier in the day, Takahachi was bustling and the line was very long, but after the rain almost stopped, it was a quick trip to get the two hand rolls. The first was a crab roll, pretty and conical, with long strips of cucumber and a spoonful of rice. The other special hand roll was filled with eel. This one was meaty and textured, different and full. Takahachi rolls were good and everything tasted fresh enough, but you know there is nothing like your usual sushi.

RER 5.18.13
Taste 13
Gourmet Pancakes and Crepes— The Cosmopolitan CafĂ©
The thin pancake was filled with honey almond ricotta cheese, drenched in a sweet cherry syrup and dotted with full red and white cherries. The fresh cherries spoke of summertime and picnics, sweet with just enough tang and meat to contrast the chewy pancake and textured filling. The crepe was not too sweet until the cherry compote mixed in, because the filling was almost savory, and the pancake was not sugary either. In the end I felt that the crepe might have been a little heavy in contrast to the lightness that cherries invoke.

And that's all folks! I am so glad that I was able to go, support the food and support the cause. Now, I need to make my way to Tribeca to try out some of the restaurants that were featured in the event. You will deffo see some of these names in future foodie ventures...
 RER
5.20.13
RER 5.18.13