NYCWFF Meatpacking Uncorked

Presented by Corcoran. Help fight against hunger

Meatpacking Uncorked is Food Network New York City Wine & Food Festival’s version of Fashion’s Night Out. Each ticket holder received a passport which had a map of all the wine and food stops. Most of the wine stops where in the apparel stores and the food stops where either at the food trucks or restaurants located around the Meatpacking district.

I was interested in checking out the food stops first. Unfortunately, it appeared that everyone else had the same idea because much like FNO, the lines were superbly long!

Here is a recap of the food stops that I was able to snag a bite at:

GO Burger
Go Burger claims to have the blueprint for a better burger and I have to say: they definitely do! Their slider was simply delicious. If the line was not so long, I would have gone back for another round.

Gaslight Meatballs
I was surprised that Gaslight served meatballs since I know them for their pizzas. Sadly their meatballs were uninspiring – next year I hope they serve pizzas instead!

Sweet Street Desserts

A variety of desserts

Now this was truck was a home a run. Sweet Street’s desserts were perfectly done. I tried their red velvet cupcake and it was so much better than most cupcakes I’ve had in NYC. The cupcake was perfectly moist inside with a light frosting on top that was not too heavy or too sweet. I also tried their lemon crumb bar which was heavenly – a citrus lemony flavor that was fresh and natural. I had the pleasure to meet founder Sandy Solmon who posed for a picture.

Luke’s Lobster Shrimp Rolls

I swear Luke’s Lobster had the longest line in the whole block. Their shrimp roll was definitely tasty but we were only allowed one per passport holder and I did wish that they were serving their famous lobster rolls. Nonetheless, I loved my shrimp roll and got a shot of co-founder Ben Conniff who was running show that night. Here’s a pic of him serving a shrimp roll!

Valducci’s Pizza (They were not listed but they were handing out free food to participants!)

Pizza & Zeppole
I stumbled across this truck on my route and was lured in by the sugar coated fried dough known as zeppoles (all right I’ll admit I didn’t remember the name and had to google this).

While the pizza was too drippy for my taste, the zeppoles were a tasty detour treat!

Gorilla Cheese NYC

Bacon Tomato Grilled Cheese Sandwich

Now I could smell this truck a mile away – Grilled Cheese with Bacon. Yummmm. I definitely had to try one. The gentleman handing out the sandwiches was kind enough to not make me wait in the line. Even if I had to wait in line, I wouldn’t have to wait long since these guys were efficient! Gorilla Cheese’s Bacon Cheese sandwhich was superb a gourmet version of a classic comfort food. Here’s a picture of founder James Klayman and his wife:

Asia Dog

Hotdogs with a choice of kimchi or thai mango topping

Asia dog is such a simple concept and was well executed with two servers – one of them being the owner, Mel. The line was long but it moved relatively quickly and the hotdogs were definitely worth the wait. I was informed that they just opened a little shop at 66 Kenmare so if you’re ever there, stop on by and try one of their hot dogs.

I have to admit even with a map, the whole treasure hunt like experience was quite hectic, hopping from truck to truck and store to store.

I definitely did not make it to every food spot but I did manage to swing by a few boutiques for some wine.

While the food trucks captured a lot of people’s attention, the place to be for this event was definitely the Cooking Channel’s party at Villa Pacri. At the party, six types of Cooking Channel-inspired food were served:

• Pickled Shrimp with Lemon Chive Aioli
• Sloppy Janes
• Mini Lobster Roll on a Potato Bun
• Pancetta Wrapped Chicken Skewers with Salsa Verde
• Tomato Arancini with Basel Pesto
• Grilled Lamb on a Rosemary Skewer with Black Truffle

Food Network’s entwine wine and Negra Modelo beer flowed freely at the bar while the hors d’oeuvres kept coming around in a timely fashion. Since everyone was probably still waiting in line at the food trucks, the party was just the right size.

Needless to say, the general manager of Villa Pacri, Nicolas Vinsonneau and his team hosted a wonderful party and all the guests had a great time.

So if you didn’t get a chance to check out this event, be sure to get your tickets next year and remember, this is definitely an event where you should go with a group of friends!

Help fight against hunger

100% of the proceeds benefit the Food Bank For New York City and Share Our Strength®

About the Food Bank For New York City
Food Bank For New York City recognizes 28 years as the city’s major hunger-relief organization working to end food poverty throughout the five boroughs. As the city’s hub for integrated food poverty assistance, the Food Bank tackles the hunger issue on three fronts — food distribution, income support and nutrition education — all strategically guided by its research. Through its network of approximately 1,000 community-based member programs citywide, the Food Bank helps provide 400,000 free meals a day for New Yorkers in need. The Food Bank’s hands-on nutrition education program in the public schools reaches thousands of children, teens and adults. Income support services including food stamps, free tax assistance for the working poor and the Earned Income Tax Credit put millions of dollars back in the pockets of low-income New Yorkers, helping them to achieve greater dignity and independence. 94% of donations go directly toward food distribution, acquisition and programs in all five boroughs of New York City. Learn how you can help at foodbanknyc.org.

About Share Our Strength®
Share Our Strength®, a national nonprofit, is ending childhood hunger in America by connecting children with the nutritious food they need to lead healthy, active lives. Through its No Kid Hungry® Campaign—a national effort to end childhood hunger in America by 2015—Share Our Strength ensures children in need are enrolled in effective federal nutrition programs; invests in community organizations fighting hunger; teaches families how to cook healthy, affordable meals; and builds public-private partnerships to end childhood hunger, at the state and city level. Working closely with the culinary industry and relying on the strength of its volunteers, Share Our Strength hosts innovative culinary fundraising events and develops pioneering cause marketing campaigns that support No Kid Hungry. Visit Strength.org to get involved.

Photos by Karen Ko for Appetite for Good.

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