Taste of Bushwick

By Kelly Marie Mancuso

Scores of hungry patrons looking to sample some of the best, innovative cuisine Brooklyn has to offer gathered at the 2nd annual Taste of Bushwick celebration on Tuesday, June 16.

This year’s festival was held in the courtyard of the Frank Brunckhorst Boar’s Head distribution plant, off the Morgan Avenue L train. The celebration of food and drink will benefit The Bushwick Starr Theatre, a non-profit cultural and performance space located at 207 Starr St.

According to Bushwick Starr Executive Director Sue Kessler, Taste of Bushwick has been an idea in the works for nearly five years.

“It became very clear to us a few years ago that the restaurant and culinary scene in Bushwick was very rapidly growing. There were restaurants and bars popping up almost every month it seemed,” Kessler explained. “We figured it was a great way to celebrate that, to bring more people to Bushwick from all over the city, to highlight the amazing restaurants that are here and to celebrate The Bushwick Starr.”

Both Kessler and Bushwick Starr Artistic Director Noel Allain also used Taste of Bushwick to announce the theater’s upcoming season of programming in an attempt to reach out to food fans and broaden their audience.

This year’s festival proudly featured over 30 local food and drink vendors under one tent, up from the 12 participants from the previous year.

“We try to keep a diverse menu,” Kessler added. “We have a really strong line-up this year and want to continue to maintain that diversity in years to come.”

Fritzl’s Lunch Box (173 Irving Ave) served up barbecued lamb belly with lime chili pickles and dehydrated yogurt. Hops and Hocks (2 Morgan Ave) offered crostini topped with country ham, havarti and mini cornishon pickles. Pork was also on the menu at The Shop Brooklyn (234 Starr) in the form of tender house-smoked pork ribs.

Tchoup Shop (50 Wyckoff Ave) brought New Orleans flare to the table with their chilled shrimp, watermelon, chili lime salad. Patrons also sipped on chilled strawberry, carrot and caraway soup shooters from English country kitchen Dear Bushwick (41 Wilson Ave).

Mominette Bistro (221 Knickerbocker Ave) featured early summer fare, including hand shucked mild and sweet wild oysters from the James River in southern Virginia. Guests also flocked to Tortilleria Mexicana Los Hermanos (271 Starr) for flavorful spicy pork and chicken tortillas topped with fresh lettuce and salsa.
For a taste of the wilderness, Northeast Kingdom (18 Wyckoff) offered sampling of duck confit with pickled ramps gorgonzola.

Chefs Nate Cortland and Austin Hartman of Montana’s Trail House (445 Troutman) tempted hungry guests with their succulent house-smoked pork shoulder, cheese grits, pickled ramps and radish sprouts. They paired the pork dish with shots of whiskey and “switchel”- a potent mix of housemade apple cider vinegar, freshly pressed ginger juice and maple syrup.

Chefs Phoebe Tran and Renel Sun of late night pop-up shop UMI (214 Knickerbocker) crafted savory Asian “bunwiches” inspired by places they’ve lived in or visited throughout Asia. The Vietnam Bunwhich was filled with heritage caramel pulled pork, fresh herbs, fried shallots, peanuts, lime and Vietnamese pickles.

For those looking to satisfy their sweet tooth, bake shops such as Champs Bakery (760 Bushwick Ave), Sweet and Shiny (214 Knickerbocker) and Maite (159 Central) offered a host of delectable desserts, panna cotta and cupcakes. Chef Kevin Adey of Faro (436 Jefferson St) served house milled almond polenta with a side of strawberries and creme fraiche.

There were plenty of options to wash down the tasty treats. Express Yourself Barista Bar (82 Central) and Superette Cold Brew served up caffeinated beverages like iced coffee and teas. Local bars such as Miles (101 Wilson Ave), Fitzcarraldo (195 Morgan), Bodega and Cafe Ghia (24 Irving) created innovative cocktails and libations, including Ghia’s Bacon and Bourbon Bloody Mary and their Laura Palmer, a boozy nod to TV series Twin Peaks featuring vodka, ginger, lemon, honey and soda.

Festival-goers were treated to painting and performance art by Theatre Plastique, as well as a special after party at The Pine Box Rock Shop featuring comedian Daniel Korean and band Imaginary Tricks.