Bobby Flay Serves Up Tasty Taco Talent at New York City Wine & Food Festival

There was no shortage of taco talent at this year’s Food Network Wine & Food Festival Tacos & Tequila event hosted by renowned master of southwestern cuisine, Bobby Flay. With a $200 price tag per ticket, the evening included the opportunity to taste a selection of taco creations from over 35 of New York’s most celebrated chefs and restaurants, with all the proceeds going to Food Bank NYC and Share our Strength. If you missed this year’s NYCWFF, you can still help raise money for these charities by bidding on a month of Farm to Table Freshocracy deliveries and other seriously delicious auction items HERE.

With a chilled tequila cocktail in one hand, party goers were free to sidle up to the likes of Jonathan Waxman from Barbuto, Scott Conant of Scarpetta or Kin Shop’s Harold Dieterle to name a few {full list of celebrity chefs HERE}. “What do you have for me tonight Harold?” With the swiftness of a Top Chef champion, he rattled off the list of deliciousness almost too quickly to note: “Tonight we have braised beef brisket and bone marrow tacos with radish sprouts, fried taro root, roti, and yellow bean aioli…Enjoy.” Thank you — I will and I did. The thing about an event like this, is you would be challenged to eat your ticket price in food, so being strategic about your sampling choices is key. If you jump too quickly at the tables near the entrance, you may miss a real gem in the far back corner.

So what was my favorite of the evening? The hands down winner for me was Scarpetta’s spiced crusted lamb neck tacos, filled with goat cheese crema, on blue corn tortillas. Everything from the richness of the lamb to the sharp, yet creamy goat cheese and the the blue corn that served as a well thought out flavor component {as opposed to strictly an ingredient vehicle}, really made this hand-held sample sing. If it wouldn’t have been a wasted “punch in the tasting card” to go back for seconds, I would have, but alas, we were on to the next…

Best innovation of the evening? Delta’s flight attendants rolling through the crowd with a cart of breath mints, hand wipes and toothpicks. Why can’t I get this kind of service on the plane?

Hungry for More NYCWFF?
New York City Wine & Food Festival Kicked Off With Good Eats
Hands On with Giada De Laurentiis at Food Network’s NYCWFF Demo
recipe goodness :: Alton Brown Does Bourbon in the Morning
Getting Tipsy with the Tippling Bros. @NYCWFF Mixology 101
Del Posto Presents Murray’s Cheese & Salumi Wine Party @NYCWFF