Review: Edible Manhattan's Good Beer Event

Jeremy and I heard about Edible Manhattan's Good Beer event and thought it sounded fun. This event was the publication's 6th annual, and it had a pretty good showing. Not sure how many people were there, maybe 200, and there were about 65+ food vendors and beer breweries represented.

The food and beer pairing was held at 82 Mercer event space, which is pretty cool and conducive to the event. Upon arrival, everyone was given a beer glass and a fork to use while navigating all of the vendors. Unfortunately, juggling your glass and your food plate is a common problem at these types of events and I really wish we had thought to bring our handy-dandy "glass holder necklaces."

(yes, we actually have these)

We were able to find some random spots around to post up for a minute while we ate and drank the current selection, however I would have really appreciated several high tops around the room.

There were many restaurants I knew of there, but it seemed like the unknowns (to me) were the most memorable. Since we ate and drank SO much, I thought it would be best to just highlight some of my favorite dishes from the night.

Good Restaurant featured toast topped with avocado, English pea and ricotta salata. The toast was crispy on the outside, but easy to bite, creating a nice vehicle for the avocado spread and fresh sweet peas. The ricotta was not the star here, but made the entire topping creamy and delicious.

Avocado toast

L&W Oyster Co. featured a sloppy shark taco with fennel coleslaw and salsa verde. I am not sure if I have ever had shark before, but this was great! I love fish tacos and this one did not disappoint. The shark was blackened and seasoned well, and honestly tasted similar to a white fish like tilapia. The fennel coleslaw and salsa verde freshened the dish up with some crunch and a little kick.

Sloppy shark taco

Gramercy Tavern served up jerk chicken with avocado and cucumber on a black rice chip. The chicken had a ton of flavor and a bit of spice, but the avocado and cucumber cooled it off. The black rice chip was a great base because it was thin, crispy, and held it's own salty flavor.

Jerk chicken on a black rice chip

Chapter One had by far the most robust offering with 2 giant pork ribs. The ribs were smoked and had a bourbon molasses glaze, served with grilled sweet corn relish on top. The meat was super tender and tasty, and the sauce was sweet-ish and good. The corn relish fell off as soon as you went to eat the rib, but the flavors were there and it was a nice accompaniment.

Smoked pork ribs

So I think I found my new favorite place - Jacob's Pickles! Well, I have not actually tried it other than the amazing spread of pickles they had at this event, but I am definitely intrigued. I love pickles of all forms and this display made me very happy - from cucumber pickles of varying flavors to string beans, carrots, and jalapenos.

Jacob's Pickles

The Vanderbilt served the most interesting dish of the night - carrot salami and rabbit mortadella. The carrots smoked and had an intensely smokey flavor, and the rabbit was in a salami/sausage form with pomegranate jelly. I actually didn't love either of these - the carrots were TOO smokey and the rabbit had an odd flavor that was kind of irony, but Jeremy was really into it.

Carrot salami and rabbit mortadella

Monument Lane brought duck roulette with pickled mustard seeds and red pepper jam on toast. I have had more flavorful dishes for sure, but I liked the flavor combination here and appreciated the duck.

Duck roulette

I also want to note an awesome new beer I got to try from Brooklyn Brewery. They were previewing Weizenhammer and I really enjoyed the bold taste. I tried many other beers at this event, but this one stuck out to me.

After about 2 hours we decided that we had tried pretty much everything, and were full to the point of discomfort, so it was time to head home. Overall a fun night, and I found a few new restaurants (to me) to add to the list!

Restaurant Review: El Porron

In planning dinner with some girl friends, everyone seemed to know about El Porron but me. They all were raving, so I was excited to see what this place was all about. Five of us went to this Upper East Side tapas place, and enjoyed a really wonderful meal.

We started with some wine, ordered from a pretty reasonable wine list. I am not a wine connoisseur but I know it was good Sauvignon Blanc!

Then we went rattled off several small plates and a few entrees to the waiter:

The Jamon Serrano - thin slices of dry-cured Spanish country ham served with toast and topped with tomato and garlic. The ham was delicious, and the flavors paired well when eaten on top of the toast with tomato/garlic. This was a good starter.

Jamon Serrano

Pulpo A La Gallega - boiled octopus in EVOO, red wine vinegar, Spanish "pimenton" paprika and Mediterranean sea salt. I prefer octopus to be grilled and charred, but this was still tasty and not rubbery or too chewy. The vinegar gave it a nice tang and I found the dish to be very tasty.

Pulpo A La Gallega

Gambas A La Plancha Con Sal Gorda - whole grilled tiger shrimp with coarse Mediterranean sea salt. I was hoping this would come with either more shrimp or larger shrimp (or both!), but nonetheless it was extremely flavorful and served in a delicious garlicky sauce.

Gambas A La Plancha Con Sal Gorda

Croquettes special with risotto, spinach, and pinenuts served a tomato-based sauce. This was fried perfectly without grease and everything inside was creamy and heavenly.

Croquettes special

Vieras Con Tocino En Salsa De Esparragos - pan-seared sea scallops sprinkled with crispy bacon bits, garlic and breadcrumbs in a white asparagus sauce. The scallops were cooked perfectly (lightly browned on the edges and smooth inside) and the bacon on top was perfect for a salty contrast. The asparagus sauce was creamy and rich and really brought the whole thing together.

Vieras Con Tocino En Salsa De Esparragos

The skirt steak special entree came perfectly cooked- medium rare as requested. This is not on the regular menu so I don't remember the details, but I do know that it was well-seasoned, fantastic, and accompanied by some fresh sauteed veggies such as snow peas, carrots, and zucchini.

Skirt Steak special

Paella Marinera - saffron rice with chicken, veal, Spanish chorizo, monkfish, mussels, squid, clams, bay scallops, shrimp, bell peppers, green peas and onions. This paella entree was pretty good, but not the best paella I have ever had. Everything in it was tasty and there was a wide variety of ingredients, but it just wasn't the most memorable. However, it seemed to be a good thing to order for the table as it's easy to share and everyone can find something in it that they like.

Paella Marinera

After some debate, we decided to go with one of the dessert specials to cap off the meal - churros with chocolate sauce and berry garnish. Not only was this the smallest portion of churros I have ever seen, they were rock hard. It literally crumbled when you bit into it. This was pretty disappointing because the rest of the meal was so good and this is the last thing you are left with.

Churros dessert special

However, I will look beyond the terrible dessert and say that I had a wonderful, highly flavorful meal with good service and a relaxed, intimate atmosphere. I will definitely be going back to try out more of the extensive menu. I definitely recommend checking it out and bringing along at least a group of 4 here so you can make the most of your order.