Tag Archives: pork

aPORKalypse Now – 2012

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Last year, around this time, we went with some friends to aPORKalypse Now, a craft beer and pork event.

It was held at an event space called 404, which is on 10th Avenue between 33rd and 34th streets.  We went with a VIP pass and got in early, and I was glad we did. The space was not even close to being large enough for the crowd. 

But getting in early meant we got to try the bacon in chocolate fondue (on a Ritz cracker… nice touch).  And we got to go back a few times to eat it over and over again. Cause it was gooood.

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There were a number of pork dishes and restaurants represented.

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But few things were as intriguing as the pigs tail.

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This was incredibly rich. I’m glad I tried it, but I don’t think I’ll be chasing after trying more anytime soon.

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A big highlight was the craft beer.

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I especially liked the Nogne 0 Holy Smoke, which reminded me of a smoked beer we had in Belfast, ME.

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But my favorite beer of the day came from my college town of Ithaca.

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I LOVED the White Gold. I had never had it before and I really enjoyed it. I also love that Ithaca Beer Co. is finally making a strong stance here in NYC.

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One of my favorite snacks was Alobar’s Maple Bacon Popcorn. I could not get enough of this!

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By a few hours in, the pork was running low and the crowd was running large. For 2013, it looks like the event organizers have moved the location to Long Island City. Let’s hope this space is bigger!

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Underground Eats has a deal where you get in 15 minutes early to the event on March 2nd. 15 minutes doesn’t seem like a whole hell of a lot, but at least you can try to grab a beer and maybe some bacon in chocolate fondue (if it’s there again).

I don’t have a burning desire to go again, but I am glad I got to enjoy my craft beer and pig for a day.

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The Smith Restaurant: East Village

11 Sep

My friend had a spare ticket to a concert at Webster Hall and mentioned that she really liked the Restaurant, The Smith, around the corner. I had heard good things, so away we went.

We started with some oysters, which were quite good.

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She got the 15 Hour Pork (a Monday special).  It looked quite good and she seemed to like it, but it didn’t seem to thrill her.

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We split some brussels sprouts, which were roasted nicely with a good crispy.  Very good.

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I actually ran into a bit of an issue with my allergy. While most of the dishes seemed pretty safe, it turns out they use peppers in a lot of their sauces and seasonings.  I had very few options to choose from, but I decided to go with bibimbop (one of my favorite Korean dishes). It was nicely fresh with sushi rice, edamame, shitake, bean sprouts, pickled carrots, spinach, and a sunny side up egg.  It was pretty good, but definitely lacking in depth of flavor. I’m pretty sure they had to leave a sauce out, due to the peppers, which probably had a good bit of flavor.

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I don’t think I could really give The Smith a fair shot since I couldn’t eat most of the dishes. But the fact that the dish I did have was kind of bland made it seem like they focus on spice for flavor instead of relying on doing good things with good ingredients.  I won’t put this as a stake in the ground, but my take on it was entirely average.

Total Nom Points: 5.5 out of 10

Total Nom Points: 5.5 out of 10

Bacon Bash 2012: You know you want to go, and NYCNomNom has your Discount Code!

1 Jun

As anyone who reads this blog knows, I really have a love for pretty much anything and everything swine. And there is a special place in my heart for bacon. So imagine my glee when I found out that The 1st Annual Bacon Bash is upon us! It will be taking place on Saturday, June 23rd in 2 slots: 12-2:30pm and 3:30-6pm. For all the details, check out their site.  

Want to go?  Well, dear readers, if you use the code “nomnom” at checkout, you will get 20% off your tickets! (on the final screen, you can add the coupon in the top right)

See ya there!

Nom Nom Bacon Nom Nom!