Edible Events: March 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!

Small Plates, Big Hearts (March 9th): Hosted by celebrity chef Marc Murphy, this tasting event at the Metropolitan Pavilion will benefit the Food and Finance High School; NYC’s only public culinary school.  Tickets range from $250 general admission to $500 VIP, and offer attendees tastes from top restaurants, such as Maialino, Marta, Distilled, Oceana, Mokbar, Stanton Social, Telepan and Toloache, as well as the Food Network and the talented students themselves.

Choice Eats (March 13th): One of our favorite tasting events of the year is back this month; the Village Voice’s Choice Eats (also taking place at Chelsea’s Metropolitan Pavilion)!  Handpicked by the team of food editors, over 50 incredible restaurants and sweet shops will be on hand, along with a number of top wine, beer, and spirits purveyors.  And $65 is a serious steal for all-you-can-eat admission, granting access to bites from 2 Duck Goose, Box Kite, Delaware and Hudson, Huertas, King Bee, The NoMad, Tuome, Wilma Jean, and a whole lot more.

Broth Fest (March 14th): It was only a matter of time before the seriously trending, healing beverage got it’s own annual festival.  Founded by top pop-up event organizers, Imagination in Space, nutritionally-minded chefs from Baz Bagel, Belle Reve, Bone Deep & Harmony, Caracas Arepas Bar, FAME, Spur Tree and the incomparable Katz’s and will gather under an inflatable tent at the South Street Seaport, to serve cups of liquid penicillin to eager consumers for a $33 fee.

Brisket King (March 16th): Mirror, mirror on the wall, what’s your favorite smoked meat of all?  If you answered brisket, you’ll definitely want to nab a ticket ($85 general admission, or $1,000 for a VIP table for 6), for the third annual Brisket King competition in Brooklyn, featuring the best of the best in the barbecue world.  20 worthy contenders will go head to head for the title, including Hometown, Morgan’s, Dinosaur, Fletcher’s, Smoke Joint and Kimchi Smoke, with lucky attendees getting to taste (and judge) their beefy bites.

Coffee and Tea Festival (March 21-22nd): There’s a slurry of wine and beer, and even hard cider festivals held throughout the year, but what if your vice of choice is caffeine, and not alcohol?  You’re in luck, because the two-day Coffee and Tea Festival is holding its 10th anniversary celebration at the Brooklyn Expo Center this year, featuring over 60 exhibitors and 100 tasting tables.  Look for top purveyors like Café Grumpy, SerendipiTea, Harney & Sons, Brooklyn Tea Company, Toby’s Estate, DAVIDsTEA, Taproot Organics and others to pack the 28,000-square foot hall.

Cherry Bombe Jubilee (March 29th): After a tremendously successful inaugural conference last year, this celebration of women in food is back at the High Line Hotel, featuring a veritable Who’s Who lineup of the most ferocious females in the industry.  General admission is $225, but you’d be hard pressed to find a more impressive crew of speakers, including April Bloomfield, Dominique Crenn, Charlotte Druckman, Ina Garten, Padma Lakshmi and James Beard “Rising Star” nominee Elise Kornack, of Brooklyn’s Take Root.