Brooklyn’s Best Food Events to Get You Through the Winter Blues
The Village Voice‘s Choice Eats 2015
After the rapid-fire festivities of Chinese New Year, Mardi Gras and the Super Bowl (which for most of us, completely counts as a holiday) the period between Valentine’s Day and Easter may feel like an interminable, celebration-free slog. But when you love food as much as we do, there’s always reason to rejoice—so here are four edible revels to get you over the end-of-winter hump, from a reduced-price restaurant tour of Grand Street and New York’s Eighth Annual Craft Beer Week, to the Bloody Mary Mix Down prelims and the Village Voice’s Choice Eats.
Grand Street Restaurant Week (2/22-2/28): Dine In Brooklyn may have gone the way of Marty Markowitz, but thanks to Grand Street’s admirably proactive BID, the East Williamsburg strip is hosting its very own restaurant week. Kicking off today, 12 participating eateries will offer lunchtime prix fixes for $10 or less, as well as dinner promotions for under $30, including the Russian gastropub Masha and the Bear, boasting house-infused vodka on draft; Giulio Adriani’s Naples-style pizzeria, Forcella, known for its deep-fried pies; and most notably, the Middle Eastern/Mediterranean Dar 525, which will actually match all proceeds from their evening service, and donate them to Sheltering Arms, a non-profit organization supporting low-income youths.
New York Craft Beer Week (2/19-28th): Brooklyn’s presence during New York’s Craft Beer Week grows by leaps and bounds every year, with pairing dinners, tap takeovers, brewing demos and more taking place at a preponderance of bars and restaurants throughout the borough. Notable events on tap for the next 10 days include a birthday party for Brooklyn Brewery’s Black Chocolate Stout, a Brewpiphany Revelation (celebrating the fermentations of local homebrewers) at KelSo, and a “Brooklyn Bia Hoi” at Park Slope’s Bricolage, an homage to the “fresh beer” fests of Vietnam, including flights of Coney Island “Trapped On The Cyclone,” Finback Family Green Tea Saison, Other Half Green Diamonds Imperial IPA, and Threes American Limited Edition Wild Ale, enjoyed in the heated garden.
Bloody Mary Mix Down Preliminary Round at Over the Eight (2/29): In advance of the 4th Annual NYC Hot Sauce Expo, being held at the Brooklyn Expo Center on April 23rd-24th, Brooklyn’s best bartenders will descend on Over the Eight in Williamsburg, to compete for their spot in the always anticipated Bloody Mary Mix Down. The top three will eventually duke it out (along with victors from the other boroughs and Long Island) for the coveted Screaming Mi Mi Award, as well as the inclusion of their recipe in the 2017 Stoli Book and a $1,000 cash prize.
Choice Eats (3/11): One of our favorite tasting events of the season, the Village Voice’s Choice Eats features bites from over 50 of NYC’s best restaurants. And needless to say, there’s always legit representation from Brooklyn—along with reliables like Egg, No. 7, Spicy Bampa and Fletchers, we’re especially excited for brand new additions, like Brooklyn Bread Lab, Black Tree, and a sneak preview of Emmy Squared.
Choice Eats
