Aside from the 100 Best Dishes story every year, another annual Time Out issue I eagerly await is the one that announces and documents the Food and Drink Awards. It’s a fun combination of Critic’s Picks and Reader’s Choice Awards voted on by Time Out readers like myself. And now that I’m on the publication’s radar as being their Most Gluttonous Fan (that category unfortunately did not exist this year), I was kindly invited to attend the awards ceremony last night.
I was amazed nobody wanted to take my picture as I entered the ballroom at (Le) Poisson Rouge in the West Village. They must not have seen my webisodes. Instead, light bulbs and microphones were thrown at people like restauranteur Gabriel Stulman (Jeffrey’s Grocery/Fedora), Chef Dan Kluger (ABC Kitchen), and the already legendary Paulie Gee.
A wonderful and classy jazz band, Vince Giordano and the Nighthawks played upbeat standards that surprisingly brought quite a few people on their feet. I’m not much of a dancer and since I only knew a handful of people in attendance and only had two of the Dutch Traders (the speciality cocktail created by winner Dram), I stood back and watched.
And while I watched and hob nobbed with all the restaurant celebs (I really enjoyed talking to Kaz an Nou’s Sébastien Aubert and Michele Lane), I made sure to sample some of the food offerings that were available from some of the nominated restaurants. I’m not sure how they picked who was serving what, but I didn’t complain because I got to relive the amazing Chicken Biscuits from the Best Southern Comfort winning Pies n’ Thighs (these were rather cold and paled in comparison to the versions at the restaurant) and the meatballs from Rubirosa, which gave Paulie Gee a run for his money when it came to best new pizza (although Paulie still deservedly won).
The Brindle Room was giving out samples of their Frito Pies, which are only available from their delivery menu and if you like chili (this one was intensely flavored with different spices), you’ll love this version ontop of salty, crunchy Fritos. In my book, the only thing it was missing was a dollop of sour cream and a college dorm couch. I also had a conversation with Tiffany who promised me the duck confit poutine will be on the special menu again soon (I’ve been trying to taste it for my Time Out adventure).
Other food offerings included some really tasty mini chicken and waffles from the newly re-opened Brooklyn Star, Duck and Okra Gumbo from Tchoup Shop, Salty Honey Pie from Four & Twenty Blackbirds (the only dish I didn’t taste), and some serious donuts from Best New Restaurant winner ABC Kitchen. So serious that I actually had two – the Bacon Fudge and Sea Salt, which I thought had the right amount of smoky meatiness, salty chocolate, and sweet dough. And the glazed was a lot more simple but just as delicious – both having a wonderfully soft doughy texture. I normally don’t even eat donuts and the fact that I had two says a lot.
The festivities were presided over by Food Editor Jordana Rothman, who posed with all the winners while a slideshow announced their names. The Awards issue hits stands this week, but you can already take a glimpse of all the winners on the website.
