Edible Events: February 2015

There are all manner of fun, food events taking place in New York on a daily basis — from lavish, charity-driven galas to crowded, walk-around tastings and an endless array of pop-ups.  But unless you have the time and money to party seven days a week, you’ll have to be somewhat discerning about what goes onto your calendar.  So here are just a few worthy food celebrations we recommend getting tickets (or making reservations) for now!

Bitten Food Conference (Feb. 6th): $200 grants all-day access to conferences with some of the food industry’s leading entrepreneurs and thought leaders.  Join participants such as Smorgasburg founder Eric Demby, Dorothy Cann Hamilton of the International Culinary Center, and Peter Kim of MOFAD, who’ll discuss breaking topics such as “What are the most important food trends of 2015?”  “How has our understanding and relationship with food changed?”  And “Who are the notable startups to watch?”
 www.bittenfood.com

NYC Winter Wine Festival (Feb. 7th): The Best Buy Theatre in Times Square will be transformed into a gigantic vineyard, for the sixth iteration of this wine-centric festival.  $90 general admission tickets to either the afternoon or evening sessions will include tastings of over 250 wines, a selection of hors d’oeuvres and antipasto, such as Buckwheat Blini with caviar, Foie Gras Mousse with cranberry compote and Filet Mignon with béarnaise sauce, and live music by the Grammy nominated jazz band, Special EFX.
www.newyorkwineevents.com

Bacon and Bourbon (Feb. 14th): Why not take a break from champagne and chocolate this year, and treat your honey to a tasting of two lesser-known aphrodisiacs; bourbon and bacon?  For $70 each (chump change, by Valentine’s Day standards), you’ll get unlimited samples of bacon dishes and a variety of craft bourbons, and enjoy live music, a bull riding championship, a cigar cabana, and laser skeet shooting.  Sure beats your run-of-the-mill V-Day prix fixe!
www.astorcenternyc.com

Winter Hot Dog Championship (Feb. 15th): Who said hot dogs were a summer-only treat?  The Copenhagen-inspired, Brooklyn-based eatery, Revolving Dansk, will return to Jimmy’s No. 43 this February, with their fancy hot dog pop-up.  $15 tickets will buy you three inventive frank creations (such as “The God Morgen Dog” with jalapeño cole slaw, deviled egg cream, and bacon, “The Mexi-Dog” topped with pico de gallo, guacamole and fresh tortilla chips, and “The Hot Hanoi,” featuring sriracha-mayo, pickled daikon, cilantro and mint), and allow you to cast your vote for which should make Revolving Dansk‘s regular menu!
www.revolvingdansk.com

Whiskey Live (Feb. 25th): Sample more than 300 different scotches, bourbons and whiskies from around the world, for only $120 (general admission) or $150 (VIP).  You can also attend a variety of master classes and panels, such as “The Evolution of Scotch,” and “Wood Makes the Whisky,” and keep yourself sharp with plenty of stops at the extensive, gourmet buffet.
www.whiskylive.com

Chefs for Kids’ Cancer (Feb. 26th): Chefs Dan Kluger and Jonathan Benno are co-chairing this star-studded event, to benefit the nonprofit “Cookies for Cancer,” which funds pediatric cancer research.  And they’ve gathered together an impressive roster of luminaries from the culinary world, such as Andrew Carmellini, Justin Smillie, Ignacio Mattos, Christina Tosi, Nick Anderer and Ivan Orkin, who’ll each prepare multi-course meals for individual tables.  So book one of the remaining spots now, if you want to be treated to scrumptious dishes from Marc Forgione, Floyd Cardoz, Josh Capon, Alfred Portale and more, all for a truly great cause.
www.cookiesforkidscancer.org