Results tagged “grandtasting”

          

The Grand Tasting at Pier 54 yesterday was a cross between a tasting event, a product placement festival and a supermarket (Shop Rite was a sponsor), but the center of attention was the culinary magic being worked by some of the city's most talented chefs.

Time for a major sugar rush. Head over to the ninth annual Chocolate Show for chocolate, chocolate, and more chocolate, with some culinary demonstrations and art thrown in for good measure. $25 tickets, for one day's admission, are available online (via Ticketmaster.com or calling 212-307-7171), and will also be on sale at the door (cash and checks only at the door). Metropolitan Pavillion & Altman Building, 125 West 18th Street. Friday, November 10: 11am to 9pm, Saturday, November 11: 10am to 8pm, Sunday, November 12: 10am to 7pm. Children under 5: Free; Children, 5 to 12: Free, but you're limited to 2 children per adult. Each additional child (5-12): $8.

You know we love it. It’s the largest collection of delicious wines under one roof. For the wine novice who is looking to expand his palate to the experienced taster looking to find the next big thing, it’s the best way to support a great cause (City Harvest) and get all liquored up in the process.

When Gothamist awoke from our food coma this morning, we checked all vital signs and aside from the headache from the 8 bottles of wine our family polished off, it was official, we survived the holidays. Now with Christmas and Hanukah under our belt (along with a few extra inches, like we could resist those triple fudge brownies...we are human, damnit!) we turn our attention to New Year's, the holiday where we can truly focus on the important things...like drinking and making out with strangers.

To our delight and downfall, the answer was yes. With a year of experience under our belt, we surveyed the scene at P.J. Wine's Annual Grand Tasting to raise money for City Harvest and thought that we had a solid strategy in place for attacking the hundreds of wines at our disposal. Unfortunately, we fell victim to the pretty colors and sparkly bubbles, so strategy failed us -- mission aborted. With planning out the window, we did what any wino would do, we drank anything that crossed our path. With 67 wines sampled, enough stew, serrano ham, and foie gras to harden our arteries, and a wheel of grana padano big enough to swim in, our gluttony led us to some solid conclusions (and a nasty hangover -- damn you, oloroso sherry!).

Gothamist received a magnet as a gift recently that read, “Wine is proof that God loves us and wants us to be happy.” We always suspected that but it’s good to finally have it confirmed on the magnet. In fact we think that quote could possibly extend to truffle butter as well, but further field-testing is required.

It was bound to happen. The Hamptons, or as Gothamist likes to think of it, a displacement home for wealthy New Yorkers, finally got their own wine and food festival. The talent read like a who’s who of the food and wine circuit: Rick Moonen, Michael Romano, Steven Jenkins and Floyd Cardoz all boarded the Hampton Jitney to share their secrets with those who could afford the $150 ticket. Or for the big spenders $650 gets you the VIP Platinum Pass that includes access to the Bentley Tailgate Party and Mojito Barbecue (unfortunately the Bentley’s were only for show and were not included in the $650 ticket – such a tease).

April 23rd: Taste of Chinatown

The good folks at D'Artagnan, who have forgiven us for stalking them at the Grand Tasting, are celebrating their 20th Anniversary later this month. The makers of scrumptious foie gras, truffle butter, duck prosciutto, and other hard-to-resist high-end foods, are hosting a number of public events to celebrate the occasion, including a cooking demonstration on February 24th by some of the world's best female chefs (Les Nouvelles Meres Cuisinieres), the Duckathlon on February 26th, a combination scavenger hunt/food and wine tasting (in which Gothamist Food is going to participate -- you'll hear all about it later), and The Decadent Lunch on February 27th, benefitting the Jean-Louis Palladin Foundation. For more on the public events, visit their website at D'Artagnan.com.

Okay, so you couldn't shell out the cash for the Grand Tasting, but you still want to taste and learn about wines. We're right there with you, so we've found a few wine events that are more reasonably priced:

It was everything we could have hoped for and more! From vintage champagne that smelled like wildflowers to the ice wine that tasted of honey and pineapple to the braised veal cheeks that tasted like . . .like . . . a little piece of heaven – our taste buds certainly got a workout at the Grand Tasting 2004.

Gothamist is so excited, it’s like Christmas, Hanukah and the Nathan’s hot dog eating contest all rolled into one. On Wednesday, November 17th is the annual Grand Tasting at the Puck building. This event, sponsored by PJ Wine to benefit City Harvest, will feature over 500 of the acclaimed wines which have made PJ Wine’s "best of" list in 2004.