When the name of the festival is "Bowl of Pozole", you kind of what that to be the star of the…read moreshow. While, the festival as a whole did have roughly 10-12 stations serving different types of pozoles. There were only two standouts. However, if you were there for the booze which was heavily mezcal but also included unannounced tequila, vino & cocktails. Then you my friend are in a really good place. The two standouts of bowl of pozole are: 1) Oxomoco - I expected Michelin star restaurants to bring it and this Michelin restaurant did not disappoint. It was the ONLY bowl of pozole I eaten twice. Very nice lady in the lime green blazer representing the station. Definitely will visit their restaurant when I get the chance to. You should too. 2) Taco Guey - Known for tacos but surprisingly brought out some really good pozoles. I ain't mad at that. Will pay a visit to their restaurant as well. The festival space was...well spacious. The outside space had a few stations for tacos, elotes, pre-mixed cocktails in cans and ample seating/fresh air. Inside the venue however was much different. The lighting was a bit odd since the lights were only spot lights that kind of ran in rows and left most stations especially the pozole stations in the dark. Why? With press, bloggers and those taking photos this made it extremely hard not to use flash or other distracting devices to make the photos pop. Now, if you had bought the VIP tickets which gave you that extra hour before general admission. I suppose that would have allowed you to take photos/videos in better lighting. However, I thought it would have been better to provide such lighting throughout the event. Just one man's opinion here... The booze was flowing...oh was it flowing. It is never wise to mix alcohol/liquor but you almost couldn't help it. Mezcal, which was the star attraction of the festival second to pozoles sort of got trumped by a few tequilas and mix drinks it seems. That is not to say that the mezcal wasn't noteworthy. Overall, I had lots of fun and I really liked the vibe of the festival. Fan.

I give it 5 stars but overall the event was way too crowded. Food fests are always mayhem but this…read morewas the high level form. You have to just bump your way in sometime eat up some place and try to grab that noodle or whatever dish you are eyeing. I like organized chaos so I didn't mind being bumped a little. This was the place to be last week, 50 hand picked restaurants serving all kinds of goodies and there were drinks and sweets to sample. I skipped most of the sweets and went down to just trying the real food. Some vendors ran out almost right away and since line was long outside I got in the spot after 730pm. I know Dough pretty much ran out first I guess each donut is expensive and all but once I got near the shelves on their carts were completely empty. Of course, so much food to still sample such as Luke's lobster (shrimp roll that I had more than twice). Line was not that bad actually, Boomwich was there, I think Fletcher's BBQ I looked for and didn't see but Ofrenda had one of my favorites. (See my pic of the taco, had that at least three times). STELLA ARTOIS was the official sponsor of the event and they made sure you were not thirsty. I had the beer and the cidre , awesome indeed. I was loving the vibe of the drink isle itself, so many beers like Southern tier and Sixpoint (multiple variations). Upstairs there were more vendors and VIP which I didn't get into but still experience was amazing. Veggie egg rolls and sliders were passed around. I was here with Monica and we both got our eats on. I was so stuffed for the rest of the night. Definitely a highlight of the year so far was to attend this event. I can't wait to come back next year.

What an awesome Friday night date! We went to The Village Voice 10th Annual Choice Eats Tasting…read moreEvent with friends and it was a feast! It was an evening of well dressed people engaging in staggered gluttony and too-many-bites-to-count with over 50 restaurants represented. We made sure to have a light lunch, arrive early and choose wisely which bites we wanted to use for our stomach-retail. The Metropolitan Pavilion is perfect for so many tables. The space was spacious and clean. The plaques above each table distinguished each table and types of food they were serving. There was DJ playing 90s and 2000s songs. VIP lounge upstairs, and free whisky glasses for drinks. This year, Guinness and Stok coffee sponsored and served the best drinks. Guinness introduced a pale ale that was cold and refreshing and great break from the massive amounts of food. And the Guinness table had a tangy light red ale that was so unique! Stok coffee offered 3 flavors. The not-too-sweet cold brew offered slightly sweet smooth coffee that was perfect digestif to the multiple meals. Food: Most of the food was ok. The stand outs were: 1) Kailash Parbat's crispy corn basket. This was crunchy basket of buttercorn and beans; it was so delightfully different and offered so much contrast of textures that it really stood out in my mind. 2) Seared scallop- it was perfectly seared and although it was sitting out, it still maintained its perfect firm texture and sweet oceanic flavor. 3) Chocolate from Confectionery. This dark piece of chocolate was sweet, tart with chewy tart raspberry gel was one of my favorite desserts of the night. 4) Raclette from El Raclette. This was gooey melted semi-hard cow's milk cheese is roasted and scraped onto a plate of roasted potatoes, pickled pearl onions and cornichons. This was one of my absolute favorites! If you are a fan of melted cheese, you must try this dish! The cheese was gooey, roasted and had bits of crunchy caramelized rind. It was heavenly. I liked it so much that I waited twice in line. 5) The passion fruit ice cream- ohhh! I loved this! This was my other fav dessert! I loved the tartness of the ice cream and buttery creaminess. It was a wonderful time! Thanks to our friends for the invite!

Everything made was soo delicious. Bravo to the chef! I identified the dishes were from mainly…read moreSouth Africa, Ethiopia, and Nigeria. There may be others but my palate was too busy enjoying to ask any questions. Loved the dessert cake which is South African origin and contained apricots. So freaking good. I am planning on attending the African Food Festival in a few weeks so I was excited to be able to preview a few items. Can't wait for the whole offerings at the festival. Everybody working at the event were very friendly and welcoming. Thanks a lot!

I was so thrilled when I saw this pop up. Not only is it a preview of an event I was already…read morethrilled was happening, but it was within walking distance of my apartment - cha-ching! Awesome, awesome food, nice atmosphere and great drink selection. Was very exciting to try Nigerian food for the first time, as well as revisit some Ethiopian and South African favs. Loved the lamb and the dessert marshmallow pudding as the standouts! Great weather, nice people, amazing food- now that is my kinda event!!!! Looking forward to the real thing!

If you love great barbecue, you need to be here. This is such a wonderful event . Award winning…read morebarbecue pit masters come to NYC from all over the country. This Big Apple BBQ Party takes place all around Madison Square Park, so as you walk around the circumference of the park, you have fabulous BBQ to enjoy. Madison Square Park is a few blocks long, at Madison Ave & 23rd Street to 26th, thru Fifth Ave, but you will usually also find more BBQ on Madison & 27-28th Streets. So there is A WHOLE LOTTA BBQ-ING GOIN' ON...and it is some of THE ABSOLUTE BEST BBQ. This year, I had some of the most delicious baby back ribs from MEMPHIS RIB CO of Mississippi (MS). Fall off the bone , perfectly WONDERFUL, ribs. That sauce...OMG, fantastic, with a perfect sweetness. THESE WERE PERFECT!! (Emoji with heart eyes) Next year, I want these delicious ribs again!! If you are planning to visit NYC, and you're a foodie, I suggest you plan your visit around the Big Apple BBQ. Check the dates on THAT WEBSITE. It is always on a weekend. I believe it is usually in JUNE. I want to attend next year, for sure! Last year was great & all the other years that I was able to attend--they were all great. My point is, this is ALWAYS A GREAT TASTING BBQ. So, try to attend, you'll be glad you did . AND--There is GREAT LIVE MUSIC, TOO!!! Free live music. Please check out the big Apple bbq website for more info. This is a fun, happy, yummy event & you should be there if you love great food & great live music. Mark your calendar....now, for next year...so you don't forget.

Absolutely delicious food from many great vendors. Definitely an experience that you shouldn't miss…read morewhen you are in NYC

Such an amazing night! I splurged for the VIP ticket and it was certainly worth it. The line was…read moredown the block when I arrived but it moved pretty quickly. I got inside around 6:15 and was able to sample from tons of great restaurants. There was definitely a good selection of food, drinks, and desserts. I also loved that there were some areas to sit and enjoy my food. The music and photo booths were a super fun touch as well! Towards the end the lines did get a little long, but what can you expect? Overall it was a really great event... I left with a full stomach and a smile on my face!

Take everything you love about food festivals, and then throw them all away. Here, you get massive…read morecrowds, long lines for food, and vendors running out of food extremely early into the event. The organizers sell way, way too many tickets. There were massive and unorganized lines for every single vendor. You couldn't even walk down the aisles there were so many people. The goal here was blatantly to make as much money as possible, and not on hosting an event people could enjoy. General admission was 7:00. By 7:28, multiple vendors were out of food and shut down shop for the night. 28 minutes? That's all you get for your general admission ticket? Both the vendors and organizers should seriously be embarrassed. The good? There were some good food vendors and we did have some good bites. A few good alcohol vendors as well. If you paid extra to come in the 6:00-7:00 session with VIP tickets, you probably had a great first hour with vendors that actually had food and reasonable lines. The rest of the general admission crowd, not so much. Will I come back to this one next year? Highly doubtful. Not really interested in fighting massive crowds or paying for vendors to run out of food 28 minutes in.

Actually I was kind of surprised that there was only 6 competitors. Not a big deal as I don't think…read moreI could have eaten any more. The competitors were: M&P Biancamano, Littletown NJ, Fran's Deli, Losurdo Brothers Deli, Gigi's Rosticeria and Vito's Deli. Luckily I purchased tickets three days ago at Fran's Deli because when we arrived those with actual tickets were let right in. Those that purchased online had to wait outside while the list was checked. We only made it through the first hour. One, we were stuffed to the gills and two it was awfully crowded. Hopefully next year they will find a bigger venue because I will go back next year. Some of the highlights were Littletowns sandwich which was Pesto, mozzarella, zucchini and broccoli Rabe. Vito's had a delicious mozzarella made with prosciutto and jalapeño. M&P did the map of Italy in mozzarella. And the winner is in my book for the best plain mozzarella is (drum roll here) Losurdo Brothers. Their cheese had most taste, not too salty and excellent texture. The $20 entrance fee goes to The Hoboken Family Alliance which is a great charity. It was definitely worth the price. I would recommend trying all the competitors if you are in Hoboken. They did well. Mangia Bene!

Broadway Con wasn't what I was expecting at all. As a big fan of Broadway, it was severely…read moredisorganized and completely uneventful. It's overcrowded, very overhyped, and doesn't land a single impression. The schedule and lineup were completely underwhelming and uneven. Save your money and just stick to Broadway itself.

I am so glad I came here. Meeting people who understand my cheesy Broadway jokes. The panels are…read moregreat despite the snow. Can't wait for next year

Such a great food festival/market offering some really amazing eats and products in the heart of…read morejersey city's downtown area! Everything sold here is truly a foodie's dream. I often find myself running rampant, scrambling from one hut to another, to sample and collect a smorgasbord of small bites from all types of different cuisines. The market is very vibey and eclectic in a cool way and stays fresh and on trend from year to year as vendors are constantly rotated out on a seasonal and yearly basis. Some of my favorite items from previous years have been the wild boar tacos, wings, bacon fig onion jam grilled cheese, Lizzmonade's lemonade, and Gia's Lavender Vanilla gelato (which is up their with the best). I couldn't recommend this place more, especially if you make a day of it by starting at liberty state park and then stopping off at the market to get your fill of food and brews for the ride home. It's the perfect place to be on a nice day.