East Village Eats

Food & Drink recommendations straight from the East Village, New York City

Hester St. Fair Arrives On Saturday April 28th

Posted on | April 21, 2012 | No Comments

Hester Street FairWith warm weather in the air, the 2012 season of the Hester Street Fair is set to kick off next Saturday April 28th. I’ve had my problems with previous years & the crowding, but I can honestly say I’m looking forward to it.

Every Saturday from 10am to 6pm through October 27th you’ll be able to head to the Lower East Side & enjoy a day outdoors.  The full list of vendors and the opening day menu is here.  The only East Village one that I’ve covered is Luke’s Lobster (coverage here).

Hester Street Fair: Hester St. at Essex St.

5th Annual Crawfish Boil at The Redhead

Posted on | April 20, 2012 | 1 Comment

The Redhead Crab Boil 2010Starting this Sunday & for 3 Sundays after, The Redhead will be hosting crawfish boils.  From1PM-10PM (or until they sell out), $30 will get you 2 Pounds of crawfish, sausage, corn, potato & artichoke.  There will also be New Orleans’ Abita Beers on offer.  Note that the regular menu will not be served.

Click on the image above for a video covering the 3rd annual event from 2010.

The Redhead: 349 E. 13th Street (btwn 1st & 2nd Aves.)

Puddin’

Posted on | April 17, 2012 | 1 Comment

Puddin' by ClioThere’s something about a good dessert that you just can’t forget. Maybe it takes you back to your youth or just fills that gap that you never knew you had.  Puddin’ on Saint Marks St has an awesome combination of both of these attributes & chef Clio Goodman has hit the nail on the head with her deliciously sweet offerings. Read more

Fried Chicken & Forties @ Korzo Haus

Posted on | April 15, 2012 | 1 Comment

Fried Chicken at Korzo HausChef Steven Reese has launched a new special at the East Village location of Korzo Haus (coverage here).  Every Wednesday for $20 you can get all-you-can-eat fried chicken & a pitcher of beer.  Ok, the pitcher of Kelso Organic isn’t exactly 40 oz. but as Steven puts it, the missing 5.1 ounces “is for your homies”.  I’ve had a chance to try the chicken & I was really impressed.

Brined with buttermilk & garlic, the chicken is dredged in flour & egg and fried in the same oil that makes their amazing burgers.  I thought that the chicken was really moist and normally I avoid white meat like the plague, but I had a chicken breast & it was awesome.  If you feel the need for a side, try the Halusky or the German salad.

This week was the first run & it was really packed, so you might want to get there early.

Korzo Haus (178 East 7th St. @ Avenue B)

Poetry Slam & Cocktail Party at Back Forty

Posted on | April 14, 2012 | No Comments

Back Forty's Honeysuckle RougeIn celebration of National Poetry Month, Back Forty (coverage here) will be hosting a poetry slam & cocktail party on Saturday April 21st. Mixologists from at least 3 other East Village restaurants will be creating cocktails as well.

In honor of National Poetry Month, on Saturday, April 21st, from 3:30-5:30 PM, the Academy of American Poets and Back Forty are co-hosting a poetry slam and cocktail party at the restaurant. Here’s a link to the details: www.poets.org/backforty.  Mixologists from top bars and cocktail-oriented restaurants such as Ward III, Clover Club, The Beagle, Back Forty, among others, are going to create cocktails inspired by their favorite poems, which attendees will get to sample along with poetry-inspired bites from Back Forty Chef Michael Laarhoven.  Downtown poet Bob Holman will read each mixologist’s poem out loud, cocktail in hand.

Tickets aren’t exactly cheap; $50 plus tax, gratuity, and ticket fees, totaling $67.69.  If that’s your cup of tea, check it out!

Back Forty: 190 avenue B at 12th Street

Show Your Support For Josie’s

Posted on | April 9, 2012 | No Comments

Josie's Petition Ever since the owner of Joe’s Bar passed away last Thanksgiving there has been much speculation about what would happen to the bar.  It turns out that the team behind Sophie’s & Mona’s will be taking over the space & calling it Josie’s.  They’re asking for help from the neighborhood to support the liquor license transfer.  If you live in the area, drop by Sophie’s (507 E. 5th Street between Avenue A & B) and sign the petition.  I was really sad to see Joe’s close & I’m in full support of them re-opening.  Hopefully the owners will have the good sense to re-hire husband & wife team Liz & Jamie.

Brunch At Spina

Posted on | April 8, 2012 | 1 Comment

Spina RestaurantI’ll admit that I don’t often go to Italian restaurants for brunch (no particular reason), but after my first outing to Spina (review here) & the excellent food we had, I was willing to give it a try.  I arrived with two friends late on a Sunday, in fact we were the only ones left in the restaurant.  Needless to say, we had our pick of the tables.  Being the daytime drinkers that we are, we couldn’t pass up the $10 bottle of Prosecco that was on offer. Read more

Holy Mole Week at La Palapa

Posted on | April 6, 2012 | No Comments

La Palapa ExteriorLa Palapa, a Mexican restaurant renowned (by me) for excellent Margaritas is launching a special menu next week.  Chef Barbara Sibley is serving 6 dishes featuring mole (mole comes in several varieties & colors; Poblano, Oaxaca, San Pedro Actopan, see Wikipedia for more info) will be on offer for a week starting on Easter Sunday.  As per the press release:

Mole comes in many forms and colors, black, red and green to start. So instead of coloring eggs this year Chef Barbara Sibley is creating a burst of color on every plate with her complex moles. So starting on Sunday the 8th she will start offering a menu that focuses solely mole in its many tones.  From warm and complex to bright and citrus-y ,  a rainbow of mole will be featured. Barbara has made sure that every step of your meal has been blessed by mole- from soups to eggs and from chops to ash tamales; this shall be quite transcendent meal.

So please come by to this most holy event and rejoice in all things mole.

Sopa de Mole de Olla de Rabo
Mole in a pot or “olla” oxtails in a heartwarming tomatillo and serrano broth with spring vegetables, corn, potatoes and green beans

Chamorro en Mole Rojo con Ajonjoli y Chile Pulla
Slow braised pork shank with a smoky red sesame and chile pulla mole

Costillitas de Cordero en Mole de Frambuesa
Grilled baby lamb chops in a wild blackberry mole from the hacienda de Vista Hermosa

Enmoladas Oaxqueñas
Mole turnovers of fresh corn tortillas stuffed with grilled shrimp and sweet plantains in black mole from Oaxaca made with 26 magical ingredients

Pollito en Pipián Verde con Tamales de Ceniza
Slow baked chicken in green pumpkin seed pipian mole served with fresh corn “ash” tamale

Omelet de Pascua: Hongos y Mole Rojo
Three farm fresh egg omelet stuffed with sautéed mushrooms and queso chihuahua topped with a rich red mole de Morelos.

Personally, I’m going to have to get the soup, I’m a sucker for oxtail & booze.  While it’s great to have new items on offer, don’t shy from ordering from the regular menu which it excellent (try the Cochinita Pibil).

La Palapa: 77 Saint Marks Place at 1st Avenue
(212) 777-2537

Noted…

Posted on | April 3, 2012 | 2 Comments

Just Say No! Support Local BizTompkins Square Bagels wants you to support local biz!

Awesome Art By VH McKenzie

Photo by Suzanne Rozdeba via The Local East Village

Tompkins Square Bagels: 165 Avenue A between 10th & 11th St.

Food News

Posted on | March 26, 2012 | No Comments

Randolph Beer by Sam HorineRandolph Beer coming to Broome St. from Gothamist
9th St. Espresso will be taking over part of the old Life Cafe via EV Grieve
Awesome ramen infographic from HackCollege
Lanza’s celebrates it’s 108th birthday with special lunches via Neighborhoodr.
Eater reports that Kate’s Joint might have to add meat to the menu.
Edi & The Wolf expanding into former Lava Gina space.

Photo via Sam Horine/Gothamist

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