5 Best Eating And Drinking Events This Weekend
This weekend is all about the festivals. Among your options are celebrations of honey, Italian food and culture, oysters, Nordic cuisine, and street food. With careful planning, no doubt you can hit all five. By Jessica Allen.
This week-long celebration of honey might have begun on Monday, Sept. 8, but it ramps up this weekend. On Friday, you can attend a Bee Bonanza at Brooklyn Grange, learning everything you ever wanted to know about the honey bee. On Saturday, you can head to the fourth annual Honey Fest at Rockaway Boardwalk, with music, arts and crafts for the kiddies, and food. Monday, September 8, through Sunday, September 14, see schedule for details.
As in past years, the Feast of San Gennaro transforms the streets of Little Italy into a veritable wonderland of food, friends, family, and fun. 2014 marks the 88th year of the festival, which celebrates the patron saint of Naples. In addition to live music, church services, and restaurant specials, you can attend (or participate in) cannoli eating and pizza eating contests. Thursday, September 11, through Sunday, September 21, see schedule for details.
New York owes much to the oyster, considered by many to be the quintessential NYC food. Oyster Week celebrates the bivalve with lectures, eating and drinking specials, and all-around merriment. Things kick off on Thursday with the first annual Brooklyn Oyster Riot. Not only will you get to sample the ocean's finest, but you'll get to meet the oystermen and -women who found them. Thursday, September 11, through Sunday, September 28, see schedule for details.
Beginning on Friday, Sept. 12, and running for nine days, NORTH is the "world's largest Nordic food festival outside of Scandinavia." Activities include cooking classes, demonstrations, talks, and eating, lots and lots and lots of eating. Many of the dinners will be prepared by celebrity chefs from the U.S. and abroad, and come with wine or beer pairings. Friday, September 12, through Friday, September 19, see schedule for details and prices.
Eat for a cause at the 10th annual Vendy Awards on Governors Island. This "festival of respect and gratitude for all vendors and everything they provide us–from your morning coffee (half-and-half, two sugars) to the $2 umbrella when you get caught in the thunderstorm" benefits the nonprofit Street Vendor Project of the Urban Justice Center, which teaches vendors about their legal rights and responsibilities. Saturday, September 13, 12:30 to 5 pm, $95, tickets required.
