Perfect timing cause Angie's mom was in town.....Angela junior and senior are both food lovers who just had lunch at Bouley earlier and didn't want to turn down our invitation to another food event. So, Lon got our tickets and we headed over to Pier 94 where the event was supposed to start at 6pm. At about 6:30, they were still first setting up the NY Culinary Festival.
The place looked very bare, like half the event was missing. Lots of empty space and empty booths. Even after the $20 admission, you have to pay for each plate, which came in very very small over-priced portions. I thought the reason we paid for a $20 admission was to get good portions of well made food for less than what the restaurant would charge so that we could sample and restaurants could market. We tried tons of things between the 4 of us but nothing was that special and several were disappointing. The best edible item was probably Citarella's layer cake. It was made with many layers of cake, gelee, and a mascarpone top. It was flavorful, yet light, and beautiful, and a good portion for $3. Most restaurants had plates at $5 for very very small portions....a few $8 plates and an occasional $3 or $4 mini-side. Actually, we also had a very interesting curry ice cream sandwich with a sesame cookie. It was well balanced and Lon really liked it.
Overall, we were disappointed in the event. There was terrible singer singing covers accompanied by a pianist, ruining classics and favorites - songs from Grease, Rent, and other shows. The chef demo wasn't set up well so if you weren't sitting in front, you couldn't hear or see. The place was fairly empty, constantly giving you the feeling that the event lacked energy.
The best thing about the event was an ice and fruit carving artist named Michael Verna. You can check out his website at www.mikescarvings.com He did a magnificent large ice sculpture with 2 fish. It was beautiful. (I'll try to get some pictures up later.)
I definately wouldn't recommend anyone going. It's not worth the money and the time it takes to get over there. Luckily, the night wasn't a complete loss. I enjoyed walking home with Lon. It was a nice night to take a walk across Manhattan.
Badge has a similar review and a few pics of the food.
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