NYC Food Events

The Time I Ate 30 MLB Stadium Samples

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Last weekend I attended a food event hosted by the Major League Baseball called the MLB FoodFest thanks to the food selfie queen @eatwithnia (you should follow her, she’s the best).  

And when I say we ate… I mean we ATE so many samples. 30 samples to be exact! If you've ever dreamed of visiting all 29 (with 1 in Canada) baseball stadiums and eating then this is the event for you. 

The concept of this food fest is really cool. All 30 MLB stadiums have a signature food item that’s actually served at their stadium and this event puts whatever that food item is on display for everyone to try. The tickets range from $35-55 (with taxes and fees you’ll end up spending $40-65). You have 3 hours to try as many stadium items as humanly possible. 

There were 2 ticket options: with beer/drinks or without. The cheaper ticket does not allow drinks but I would say its worth it. The venue served some really refreshing beers (and spiked seltzer) available (3 max) but don’t feel bad if you go for the cheaper option they have plenty of water and coca-cola all around for the taking. 

Nia and I were on a mission to try food from all 30 stadiums and because we are dedicated women we did it! It personally took me 2 days to do this but I did it! I attended both days, different time slots (8pm on Saturday and 1pm on Sunday). 

A few different people asked what my favorites were that night. This took me some time to think over but I was able to come up with (3) of my favorite samples from the weekend. 

3 - Oakland Athletics : Brisket Nachos 

 
 
2 - Baltimore Orioles : Stuggy’s Crab Mac & Cheese 
 
 
 
1 - Boston Red Sox : Hot Lobster Roll 
 
 
 
If you are reading this and giving me a side-eye because I’m a New Yorker born and raised stating that Boston has the number baseball fare it’s okay. I love everything about my city and I’m confident enough to admit that I’d happily go to a baseball game in Boston just for the lobster roll. 
This event takes place in NEW YORK and LONDON. 
 
Keep an eye out for next years event! I’m sure it will be a food-tastic time!
 
And, while you wait here are pics I took from all 30 stadium stands. Here's a small slide show of my eats.
 
 

Dessert Goals (Festival) - 5 Things To Know Before You Go

I have to say this was probably the best festivals I've been to in a long time. It was like all of the popular Instagramable desserts were packed into one location.

RECAP: Los Pollos Hermanos Pop Up Restaurant - NYC Edition

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Earlier this week AMC cleverly teamed up with a parking lot company named Citizens Parking to bring us Breaking Bad fans the (now) famous Los Pollos Hermanos Pop Up Restaurant to New York City. The shop was here to promote the upcoming season 3 premiere of the Breaking Bad spin-off series Better Call Saul. The first episode premiered on April 10th @ 10pm EST. You can watch the first episode for free on AMC's site.If you've ever watched (or plan on watching) the television series Breaking Bad then you know (or will know) how significant this restaurant is within the series. *Slight Spoiler Alert Ahead*  Los Pollos Hermanos was founded by Gus Fring (played by the talented Giancarlo Esposito) and was the store-front used to hide money made off of meth sales. It's an amazingly well written television series. It's now considered a cult classic in some circles. If you haven't watched this series yet stop reading this now, get on Netflix, and start binge watching.The pop up restaurant was originally opened at this years SXSW festival and was a huge success (from what I heard around the internet) so AMC took the pop up restaurant on the road and brought it to LA in March and then NYC in April. When I saw an article announcing the pop up hours, I immediately marked my calendar because this type of event is my jam! It seemed perfect! A mix of two things that are near and dear to my heart: scripted television and food. I immediately sent an all-caps text to one of my foodie friends to let her know that WE MUST GO on Sunday and get there early because we are New Yorkers and New Yorkers show up and show out when it comes to food events/trends/festivals.The pop up restaurant/parking lot was located downtown Manhattan at 243 Pearl Street and the hours were: 4/9 11am-8pm and 4/10 10am-8pm.  My friend and I arrived somewhere between 930 and 10am. Even at that time people were already on line ahead of us which means they must have gotten there at either 7 or 8am (see what I mean by New Yorkers showing up and showing out).While waiting to get in everyone took photos with the staff members, the infamous man in a chicken costume, and we watched the official trailer a few times. In the trailer I noticed Gus says "come in and try our curly fries". I didn't think anything of it until one of the staff members announced there was no chicken being sold nor given out. My heart sunk. ?I want to mention that I ALWAYS research every restaurant, event, pop up shop, grand opening, etc I attend. I search the internet for details and because of my "need to know" personality I always like to be prepared and know what to expect. But this time, because I saw so many tweets about it being so "cool" at SXSW I did not dive into finding out what to expect and wanted to be surprised. With that said, I was unaware that chicken would not actually get served at the pop up restaurant.The one time I do not research a pop up event this happens. I would not have gotten there so early if I knew this. On a positive note, they did however provide us with curly fries (and the fries were actually tasty). For free. I will say this was more of a pop up museum of the Los Pollos Hermanos restaurant rather than a standard pop up restaurant. I can't front, I'm sad I did not get to try some chicken but it was kinda astounding seeing the replica of the set. It was like we were actually in the southwest and in this extremely nice and wholesome chicken joint that was really a front for drug money. It was pretty freaking awesome to have experienced it.

Dîner En Blanc New York - What You Need To Know

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 TameekaEats_DEB1Last month I attended a secret event called Dîner En Blanc. It's an event not many people know about or have even heard of until you know someone who's been to it or you've seen tons of people dressed in white meeting in the same location. Certainly commuters near the Flatiron district were curious as to why tons of adults were meeting in the park dressed from head to toe in white (men and women) with what seems to be luggage all around us.  This is what commuters saw when they walked by Madison Square Park (one of the many meeting spots around New York City) on a Thursday at 5:30pm:[video width="720" height="1280" mp4="http://tameekaeats.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/10/IMG_8418.mp4" poster="http://tameekaeats.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/10/Screen-Shot-2016-10-30-at-9.56.03-PM.png" loop="true"][/video]I think the mystery of it all is what keeps the event going. Even though I can enjoy a bit of mystery in my life, I have a bit of a type A personality and I like to be prepared for things in advance. Not having full details on what to expect I spent days before the event studying lot's of blogs and subscribing to multiple white party themed Pinterest boards to get tips on what to bring, what to wear, and how to set up my table.After the event I realized there are tons of people like me out there and tons of people who need a lil less mystery in their lives when it comes to one of the most exclusive parties in New York City so I created this post for people like me.I've broken down the basics of Dîner En Blanc by using a familiar set of "Who" "What" "When" "Where" "Why" and "How".

Ponder_EmojiWho? -- Who Started Dîner En Blanc? 

Dîner En Blanc was founded in 1988 by a man named François Pasquier. François lived in Paris. One evening he casually invited a handful of friends to have an elegant outdoor dinner at Bois de Boulogne (a park in Paris) and simply asked them to wear white so they would be able to find each other. This basic concept grabbed attention of many and is now an worldwide event that has spread across six continents. That's pretty spectacular to think an outing with friends can turn into such a secret phenomenon.

Ponder_EmojiWhat? -- What Is Dîner En Blanc? 

Dîner en Blanc is an annual all white exclusive dinner party held in a secret location in select cities worldwide. Participants are not given any location information before the date and start time of the event. This is done to avoid non-participants and party crashers from taking over and ruining the exclusivity of the night. In order to attend Dîner En Blanc you will need to register online or be apart of the Hosts or Leaders’ personal network and get invited by them during Phase 1 or by knowing someone who registers during Phase 1 and asking them to sponsor you for Phase 2 or, by signing up to the waiting list and registering during Phase 3.I will warn you if you plan on going next year and are on the waitlist, mark your calendar off when tickets go on sale and be sure to get your tickets at the allotted time i.e. My last name starts with a "B" so everyone's last name that starts with that letter can purchase tickets at 2pm you should be on the website minutes before so you are in a virtual line and ready to get your tickets. The tickets are not free and in NYC this years admission for attending was $74.00USD per person (1 member + 1 guest). Once you are confirmed and you have the date of the event you will have either a week or 2 to start planning what you will wear, and gather the basics.The dressed code is strict: ALL WHITE! Head to toe. I will suggest wearing white shoes but if you do not have white shoes which a lot of people do not have (especially New Yorkers) you can wear light colored shoes but use your most fashionable judgement. Do not wear anything black. Also, do not wear anything grey, silver, off-white, or beige. Go all out and wear white! I probably tried on 6 or 7 different dresses in search of the perfect one. The theme is elegant, please remember that. I did see 1 or 2 people with white shorts on but you could tell they did not feel as fabulous as the rest of us who took the dress code seriously. I suggest dressing as comfortable (but chic) as possible. I wore a pair of white flats but they were scrappy and went all the way up my leg. The number on my purse is the the section we will be seated. This number is given to you by your group leader which you will need to check in with when you arrive at the assigned meet up location.tameekaeats_deb4 I would also suggest adding as much originality as possible to what you are wearing. Add lights, birds, feathers, big hats, stones, anything creative to your outfit (and table) to stand out in the sea of white. I say this because you'll make a lot of friends quickly. One of my friends whom I sat with said something very true about Dîner En Blanc: "this is like a prom for adults". When I walked around everyone was dressed so elegantly, dancing, laughing, eating and having a ball. It really did remind me of a prom. And I loved every minute of it (once we all sat and got settled).Speaking of getting settled, earlier I mentioned "gathering the basics". Gathering the basics when it comes to Dîner En Blanc means you are given a list before hand of items you will need to bring with you to have dinner which are:

  • A white table (foldable and portable)
  •  2 white chairs (one for you and one for your guest)
  • A white table cloth along with white plates, silverware and white napkins
  • Flowers (the only pop of color)
  • Candles or a Centerpiece

There is an option of purchasing food at the secret location or bringing your own. I would recommend bringing your own food especially if you have dietary restrictions or if you simply just want to eat cheese all night and drink champagne.  If you do not feel like bringing your own food, you'll need to sign up for this option before hand. You'll receive several email about this and you'll have enough time to decide on what type of dish you want for the evening. I suggest bringing foods that will not spoil fast and do not require much refrigeration. The day of the event, I purchased ready to eat shrimp, olives, cheese, cold cuts, bread, pâté, and sushi. All foods that need to stay on ice. If you do bring food that needs to be on ice I suggest small lunch box type of items and ice packs. One big mistake I made as a first timer was bringing a full sized cooler filled with food and ice. At one point myself and my cooler almost tumbled down the subway stairs so I highly recommend purchasing a sturdy set of wheels for a very small cooler or obtain a backpack cooler. And, if you are in New York you will be going to the secret location via the subway so your "luggage" of tables and chairs may have to fit through the turnstile. Keep things compact.When it comes to alcohol, New York City has pretty strict rules about drinking in parks so we were instructed not to bring alcoholic beverages but to purchase them at the approved vendor. This years main vendors were Moët and Apothic wines.

Ponder_EmojiWhen? & Where? -- When Is Dîner En Blanc?

This years Dîner En Blanc NYC took place on Thursday September 15th. This event does not take place on the same date every year. Though it's all very secretive of when it will take place, I have noticed every year the event is held before the winter months so it is usually warm out. There are options to choose a meet up location and your team captain. This person will lead you to the secret location. You will need to carry your table, chairs and other items you decide to bring to the location. Once you are at your location and have been seated it's time to set your table for dinner. This years location was at Wagner Park Waterfront located in Battery Park which overlooked the Statue of Liberty. It was simply an incredible location to be near. Have a look for yourself.TameekaEats_DEB_2

Ponder_EmojiWhy? -- Why Attend Dîner En Blanc?

Why Not!?! Plus Foodies and those who like exclusive parties crave new experiences. I love the fact that I was able to attend this event and know that I was apart of something that made the newspapers. We made history. This year it's been recorded over 5,000 people attended. That's 5,000 New Yorkers coming together dressed in white to enjoy a night together with strangers.

Ponder_EmojiHow? -- How Can You Attend Or Volunteer? 

There are a number of volunteers on board making this event possible. If you want to volunteer here's a link to the main site: http://newyork.dinerenblanc.info/faq I would not change the experience I had but I do have a few tips and tricks for first timers.

TAMEEKA'S DîNER EN BLANC NYC TIPS & TRICKS

? Purchase this table, it comes in a bag and it's easy to carry  - Coleman Outdoor Compact Table and purchase these chairs from IKEA - CHAIRS? Even though it's off season for fashionably wearing white. Look for an all white outfit. Be creative. Access Etsy and Pinterest for ideas.? Do not bring lots of food. Bring bread, cheese, meats, etc. Finger foods. Carry your food in one of these types of cooler back packs: BackPack? Dress as fashionable but as comfortably as you can. You will be traveling with your table, chairs, food, and drinks throughout NYC to the secret location.? Buy alcohol at the venue. This will save space and save weight in your luggage.? Purchase a hand truck from HomeDepot: HandTruck? Take photos of your food. I failed to do so so much and regret this!? Use Pinterest as a resource. I came up some really good ideas on how to prepare our table.? Use Marshall's, TJMax, Amazon, and your local thrift stores to pick up table items.? Eat. Dance. Eat Some More. And Dance Again.? HAVE FUN! You are at Dîner En Blanc! One of the most exclusive parties ever!Here are a few photos I took from that night.This is an event I would suggest going to for the experience if you have the opportunity and means to attend. It's a world wide event! Go to the main website for details and to see if Dîner En Blanc is held in your part of the world.TameekaEats_DEB4 tameekaeats_deb5tameekaeats_deb6tameekaeats_deb10tameekaeats_deb9tameekaeats_deb7tameekaeats_deb8tameekaeats_deb6sep10th0022