New York City's Best Spring Food & Wine Festivals
Here are five food and wine festivals that are happening this month - and yes, one is entirely dedicated to bacon. Enjoy! By Carly Petrone.
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Have you been meaning to get up to Harlem to try all the great restaurants in the area? Head over to Morningside Park on May 17 from 12 p.m. – 4 p.m. and eat your way through this latest culinary destination at Harlem EatUp!'s Sunday Afternoon in Harlem. Tasting tents will be set up across the park so you can try foods from local restaurants while sipping on your choice of wine, beer, or spirits. Just a few participating vendors include Field & Clover, Pickle Licious, Streetbird, Flat Top Bistro, and Mere Viola's Sweet Delights. Sit down with your $7 plate and enjoy live entertainment from Harlem One Stop/Harlem Swings!, Harlem School of the Arts, Health Magazine, Land Yoga, the National Dance Institute, and more. The kids can also hang out at SportsZone featuring the New York Knicks and New York Red Bulls or learn about gardening, yoga, and the arts courtesy of Aetna. It's fun for the whole family! General admission is free. Packages also available. $50 for EATS Package – 10 tickets for food and non-alcoholic beverages - $50 for SIPS Package – access to the wine, spirits, and beer tents for sampling. Don't miss out on other great events happening as part of Harlem EatUp!, co-founded by Marcus Samuelsson and Herb Karlitz. For the next three days, you can enjoy lectures, demos, and one-of-a-kind tastings from some of the biggest names in the culinary industry including Ted Allen, Bobby Flay, and Jacques Torres. Learn more about Harlem EatUp! here.
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Attention all chocolate lovers out there: make your way to Times Square on Sunday, May 17. From 3 p.m. – 5 p.m. Some of the city's top pasty chefs and mixologists will come together at URBO. Johnny Iuzzini will host this decadent event where guests can indulge on unlimited tastes of masterfully crafted pastries and custom-crafted cocktails. Try desserts that have been infused with Valrhona chocolate courtesy of such restaurants as David Burke Kitchen, Butter & Scotch, The Cecil/Minton's, Stanton Street Kitchen and many more. Mixologists from Porchlight, The Cocktail Guru, Bookmarks Lounge, Jimmy at the James, and Seamstress will be creating special punches and pairings to go with your sweet treats. Mouth already watering? Get your tickets here http://www.eventbrite.com/e/a-deliciously-decadent-afternoon-of-chocolate-cocktails-tickets-16727060087. General admission is $55, VIP is $75.
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If you order your bacon with a side of bacon then you'll definitely want to get tickets to The Great Big Bacon Picnic, happening the weekend of May 16 in Williamsburg. This indoor/outdoor gourmet festival will feature more than 100 chefs, brew masters, distillers, and culinary experts from all over NYC. They'll be serving up bite-sized bacon dishes as well as craft beers and spirits. Just a few participants include Bakon Vodka, Bacon Jams, Potatopia, The Burger Guru, Catskills Provisions, and White Pike Whiskey. Plus, there will be live entertainment by High & Mighty Brass Band. This meaty event will also help raise funds for City Harvest and Share our Strength/No Kid Hungry. Who wants to go eat bacon for a good cause? Tickets start at $99. Attend brunch session (12 p.m. – 2:30 p.m.) or happy hour session (6:30 p.m. – 9 p.m.) on Saturday. Brunch session goes from 1 p.m. – 3:30 p.m. on Sunday. Learn more here.
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Attend The Taste of Sunnyside on May 19 and discover all the great restaurants in this Queens neighborhood. From 6:30 p.m. – 8:30 p.m. you can nosh on food from Murphy's Lobster Grill, Blu Orchid, Aubergine Café, Nonna Gina Brick Oven Pizzeria, Tibetan Dumpling Café, and more. Wash it all down with a glass of wine or beer from the folks at Lowery Wines and Liquors, Queens Brewery, and SingleCut Beersmiths. And it wouldn't be a party without live music from Sunnyside Social Club, Underground Horns, and Danza Espana from the Thalia Theatre. Tickets are $35 for general admission, $60 for VIP (early entry at 5:30 p.m.). Learn more here.
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Mark your calendars for May 28 because Brooklyn Uncorked is coming, thanks to the folks at edible Brooklyn. Gear up for the summer and sip on wine from award-winning wineries while nibbling on delicious offerings from some of the most celebrate restaurants in Brooklyn and Manhattan. Brooklyn Winery, Finger Lakes Wine Alliance, Rose Water, Bedell Cellars, and The Lenz Winery are just a few of the wineries participating this year. If you like what you taste, bottles will be available for purchase. Edible East End editor Eileen M. Duffy will also be selling signed copies of her new book, Behind the Bottle: The Rise of Wine on Long Island. Tickets are $70 and event begins at 6 p.m.
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Carly Petrone is a freelance writer living in New York City.