Dining Out: Taste of the Ridge

Dig in! Ridge food fest coming soon

It’s time for local food-lovers to mark their calendars – the Taste of the Ridge is just around the corner, and, as residents know, it is truly one of the best opportunities to sample the wide variety of cuisines cooked up by area restaurants.

Scheduled for Sunday, April 26 from 3 to 5 p.m. in the auditorium at St. Patrick’s Catholic Academy, Fourth Avenue and 97^th Street, the 19^th annual fundraiser for the school promises to be just as fabulous as previous ones, thanks to the wide range of foodstuffs available for tasting. Between 45 and 55 eateries usually contribute some of their specialties, according to Anne Strafaci, director of development at the school.

For just $15 a person admission, the event truly is a huge bargain, she stressed, noting that similar events in other neighborhoods can cost $100 or even more, as she expressed her gratitude to all the eateries that generously donate food as well as all the volunteers – about 50 every year – who make the day come together.

The event was the brainchild of Monsignor Jamie Gigantiello, then a parish priest at St. Patrick’s and a trained chef, and chef Donald Penza, who went to school at St. Patrick’s, said Strafaci, and it has grown since its inception, adding new participants each year to the roster of tried-and true favorites.

Some of the restaurants that come every year, “have been coming from day one,” Strafaci noted. Those, plus new dining spots that have opened in the area and come on board, make for a day of gustatory delight for all who attend.

As someone who has attended more than once, and a quintessential nibbler, I can testify to the huge variety, quantity and quality of food that is available for sampling. Nonetheless, entering the auditorium, the task of trying something from every participating restaurant seems eminently doable.

But, walking the rows, and trying on a falafel here, a plate of ziti there, what seemed pretty much like a piece of cake as you stroll through the wide-open doors to this food-lovers’ paradise begins to feel like more of a culinary Everest, because, of course, everything – from the appetizers to the desserts — is just so darn tasty.

It’s definitely an occasion, for me at least, when my eyes are bigger than my stomach, even if I wisely decide to forego lunch that day.

Nonetheless, even if you can’t try everything – and I never have! – there is just so much to enjoy, in such a wide range of cuisines that reflect the diverse dining scene in Bay Ridge, and you can just keep going until you can’t eat another thing.

But, there’s always next year and, till then, excursions to all my new favorite restaurants whose food I first tried strolling the aisles at the Taste of the Ridge.