Photos by NC Debord. The oyster table by Maison Premiere.
TASTE Williamsburg/Greenpoint is an event food lovers look forward to every year. What could be more inviting than to sample food and drink from over 50 local restaurants, bakeries, wineries, breweries, and soft drink makers on the banks of the East River State Park? The feast’s emphasis on local products and restaurants is what really makes this event intimate and special. The fact that all the profits go to the completion of the Northside Town Hall Community and Cultural Center is just the sweet caramel icing on the date cake. Among the new establishments that joined the party this year were farm-to-table restaurant Delaware and Hudson, Franklin Street’s Viking-chic bar and restaurant, Dirck the Norseman, and Dona Chai, a maker of chai tea concentrate.
I started my sampling with an elegant and refreshing yellow pepper gazpacho with nuggets of fresh shrimp meat from The Elm. Nearby, Cubana Social offered a traditional gazpacho, a little peppery with robust flavors. Why stop at two starters when you can have three? I grabbed a bite of Hotel Delmano’s fig and cheese wrapped in thin slices of Sorrento ham, and I knew I was in the right place at the right time.
