There are quite a few large-scale eating events on tap for this weekend, starting with tomorrow's Pig Island, a porcine party tasking area chefs to create ambitious dishes using hogs from Flying Pigs Farm as their inspiration. For attendees, it's about stuffing your face with delicious bites of pork, from pulled pork to whole-roasted beasts to hot dogs and beyond.
In addition to all the pork belly (and shoulder and chops and ribs), they'll have plenty of free-flowing beer, cider and wine (all included in the ticket), plus a brand new "Whiskey Tent" that sounds both amazing and dangerous. The event takes place from 11:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. at a waterfront space near IKEA in Red Hook; General Admission tickets ($85) are still available.
The annual Taste Talks symposium and food celebration also unfolds in Brooklyn this weekend, culminating in Sunday's All-Star BBQ hosted by Questlove on Sunday in Williamsburg. The "stars" doing all the cooking include Ben Conniff of Luke's Lobster partnering with Matt Timms, who hosts the popular foodie "Takedowns"; the team from Robicelli's Bakery who brought along friends George Takei and Telly Leung, currently starring in a new Broadway musical; and Michael Psilakis (MP Taverna) and Jarobi White, whose Tribe Taco Tuesdays have gotten a lot of buzz. There are a dozen more on the day's schedule, which begins at either noon or 2:30 p.m.; tickets are $45.
Also on Sunday and in Williamsburg, a celebration of the neighborhood at the annual Taste Williamsburg Greenpoint, another eating-drinking extravaganza that offers bites from local eateries with ticket sales ($35 - $85) benefitting the community center. There'll be samples from 45 bars, restaurants, breweries and wineries including Hotel Delmano, The Camlin, Pies 'n' Thighs, The Heyward and Oddfellows Ice Cream Co. Ticket packages range from four tastes and two drinks up to 10 tastes and five drinks, depending on the capacity of your bank account and stomach.
There'll be a mother shucking boatload of oyster at Staten Island's Flagship Brewery this Saturday for their outdoor OysterFest adjacent to their St. George brewery and taproom. They're doubling up from last year's event, with 10,000 local oysters ($10 for a half dozen, $20 for a dozen) being freshly shucked on site, plus other food offerings from Pier 76 (pizza) and Ruddy & Deans (a nearby steakhouse). In addition to their regular lineup of brews, Flagship is tapping five kegs of their limited edition Oyster Stout, which has been brewed with oyster shells. Swing by anytime after noon for some briny bivalves and tunes from six local SI bands.
The Bronx Brewery will be putting its cute backyard to good use on Sunday as they celebrate the release of their El Serrano Red IPA, a fiery brew made with peppers from local community gardeners. The amber-colored beer has a great kick from the peppers but it won't leave you needing to chug glasses of milk while dabbing your forehead. Shoot the brewery an email at rsvp@bronxhotsauce.com to let them know you're coming and the first round will be on them!
