The Upper West Side locals took the apocalyptic rapture seriously. On the 21st of May, 2011, we all gathered under the huge tent for the last supper before the earth collapsed.
D-day came, and we held our breath; Sky darkened, air cool and humid. We had, oh well, a shower. It damaged a little on the tent and carpet, but other than that, life went on. We celebrated our prolonged life with food, drink and fun.
New Taste of the Upper West Side is a grand food fair which brings locals, chefs & eaters, all together.
The first day was the Comfort Classics ($85) which featured lots of sliders, and next day was the Best of the West on Saturday ($125) showcased fresh seafoods on majority. CC was less crowded than BW, but the best way to enjoy NTUWS is to look at the list of restaurants on each day. Go with what you crave for.
Now, I was ready to fill my hunger on both days.
I was not the only hungry soul. These guys, parked right next to a garbage can, went on a Memphis pork ribs binge prepared by Virgil's Barbecue.
The fair was also a nice way to welcome new comers to the UWS.
It was lovely to taste the Starr Restaurant, which will nest their NY home at the New-York Historical Society in November. Their Stuffed Zucchini flower was fresh and delicious.
Missy Robbins of A Voce prepared Chilled Spring Pea Soup. It was nice, but not memorable.
Now, one of my favorite moments of NTUWS was surviving a maze of flooding orders of hand rolls of Blue Ribbon Sushi.
Sushi master asks, "Did you order Tuna?"
"What? Was it you?"
"Why don't You take it?"
I was more than happy to take this yellowtail roll. Rice was warm, dried laver was crunch, smashed yellowtail with scallion was delightful.
Tangled Vine assembled this yummy Mussels en Escabeche which I repeatedly munched on several times. Refreshing garnish with mussels were one of the best.
Now, if you drink, NTUWS is the place for you to drink liberally. Unlimited refills of wine, hard liquor, beer surely made lots of people happy.
Drinking work environment was embraced by chefs. Marc Murphy from Landmarc couldn't help smiling with a bottle of beer, you see. Of course, his shrimp toast was so delicious.
You can survive solely on sweets at NTUWS. I deconstructed the order of dining at NTUWS. Dessert first, then a bite of burger, then maybe another dessert?
This pretty marshmallow was a work by TJ Obias of Compass. He urged me to try one saying "Zero Calorie", well, I listened to him religiously.
Always lovely baked goods by Soutine Bakery made their corner there, too. A slice of Red Velvet cake excelled my appetite more than any appetizer.
Valrhona really showed off the ability of what they can do with chocolate. First day, they concocted this rich chocolate milk (of course, they named it with some high words that I can't remember now). So sumptuous.
This neat, artsy, clever presentation was by Graffit. On the bed of Manchego Cheese, there were four bites including wine jelly. I actually felt bad to destroy this pretty thing whenever I bit it off to fill my swollen stomach.
A cup of Stumptown coffee was perfect to finish the meal, of course.
There were so many stuffs that I gobbled down than these pictures; Salmon on the warm bread by Jean Gorge, Local Razor Clam by The Yard 610, Grilled Long Island Squid by Lincoln Risorante, Beef slider with caramelized onions by 5 Napkin Burger, Eggplant and Smoked Bufala Mozzarella Timbal by The Leopard at Des Artistes, Grand Bank Scallops by Atlantic Grill, Montauk Lobster Brioche by Nick & Toni's.... just to name a few.
They must have been REALLY good to survive my feeble memory.
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