When you search @infatuation_nyc on Instagram, you’ll be instantly hit with an incredibly colorful feed of New York City’s best eats. You may know of The Infatuation, an online dining publication known for its exhilarating dining reviews and recommendations, but did you know it also has its own food festival?
It was the title of the event that did it for me: EEEEEATSCON NY. Five E’s, and the food certainly delivered on the title’s passion. A sold-out food festival hosted on Oct. 7 and 8 at the Forest Hills Stadium in Queens, EEEEEATSCON NY 2023 featured 30 stalls from local and out-of-state restaurants with special guest speakers like Hasan Minhaj and Saweetie. With each item averaging around $10, the festival is perfect for both your tastebuds and your bank account.
Unluckily, I attended the first day of the event which had the most unforgiving weather: heavy winds, heavy rain and heavy humidity. My dad and I made the one-hour trek from the Lower East Side to Forest Hills, stupidly holding a flimsy umbrella that nearly broke during the six-minute walk from the subway station. Although I was wet, sweaty and suffering from a cold I had just contracted, the bites I ate made my rainy day 100% worth it. Here’s my ranking of the restaurant stalls I tried at EEEEEATSCON NY and where you can try them for yourself.
4. Panzerotti Bites
235 Smith St., Brooklyn, NY 11231
I’d never heard of a panzerotto before, but boy, had I been missing out. A traditional half-moon-shaped savory pastry from the Apulian region in Italy, the panzerotto is an absolute hot pocket of joy. Originally from Puglia, Panzerotti Bites founders Vittoria Lattanzio and Pasquale De Ruvo wanted to bring a piece of their hometown culture to the US, and I’m more than glad that they did. Filled with piping hot mozzarella, porcini mushrooms and black truffle paste, and then lightly deep-fried to perfection, the porcini panzerotto served as my first bite at EEEEEATSCON NY and gave me the most satisfying chew after not eating all day long. Although I’m usually a mushroom hater, there’s something about the musky flavor of truffle that makes mushrooms 1000 times better. However, Panzerotti Bites cheaped out on the mushroom filling so I was mostly met with only a mouthful of cheese.
3. Balkan StrEAT
353 6th Ave., New York, NY 10001
The goulash at Balkan StrEAT puts your typical veggie soup to shame. Based in the West Village, Balkan StrEAT is a fast-casual restaurant specializing in Balkan street food and incorporates some of the best beef flavors I’ve tried in a long time. I got their tomato-based goulash, a hearty union of slow-cooked beef brisket, potatoes and vegetables topped with two pieces of sourdough bread. The brisket was nothing short of tender and not only did this stew help clear my stuffy sinuses, it also kept me warm on the miserably rainy day. Yet, the portion wasn’t the biggest and I could’ve easily chugged it in a few seconds. Soup? More like a small drink.
2. Potluck Club
133 Chrystie St., New York, NY 10002
A rising star on this list, the Potluck Club is a Chinese restaurant in Manhattan’s Chinatown named one of New York City’s Best New Restaurants of 2022 by The Infatuation and was recently featured on the NYT Cooking YouTube channel. As a Cantonese girl who grew up visiting Chinatown all my life, I waited in line with high expectations. Although I believe Cantonese cuisine shouldn’t be modernized by quirky Western food trends, the Potluck Club’s salt and pepper chicken and biscuits were impeccable despite being untraditional. The fried chicken was wonderfully crispy on the outside and very juicy on the inside. I was also pleasantly surprised to try a biscuit that wasn’t dry and crumbly like most I’ve had but was rather soft and moist. I’ll definitely be paying a visit to the Potluck Club’s Chrystie Street location and will hopefully become more open-minded towards a “reimagined” Cantonese cuisine.
1. TIE — ARIARI & Dept. of Culture
119 1st Ave., New York, NY 10003 & 327 Nostrand Ave., Brooklyn, NY 11216
It came down to my last 20 minutes at the festival and I couldn’t decide which was better: ARIARI’s scallop DIY gimbap or Dept. of Culture’s jollof rice. Eventually, I realized neither was better than the other — everyone needs to try both.
A popular spot among NYU students and conveniently located near Washington Square Park, ARIARI serves up Korean comfort dishes inspired by the unique seafood of Busan. Its gimbap was a delectable combination of raw scallops, apple kimchi and salted squid paired with multiple sheets of gim seaweed, which acted as the perfect vessel for one big bite. This dish was the definition of freshness, especially with the tangy made-in-house apple kimchi carrying through every mouthwatering chew.
Although I’ve only tried Nigerian cuisine a handful of times, Dept. of Culture more than proved itself. Ayo Balogun, the genius chef behind Dept. of Culture, implements an intimate way of dining at his Brooklyn restaurant: telling personal stories to his guests as they eat around a communal 12-seat table. I could feel the deep care in his cooking the second I tried the jollof rice, which was terrifically seasoned with a tinge of spice and paired with a golden piece of plantain and simple crayfish. As a self-proclaimed rice dish connoisseur, I’m astounded by Dept. of Culture’s powerful incorporation of spices like coriander, thyme, onion and bay leaves. I also never thought I would ever become a fan of crayfish, but now I’m a convert.
Contact Andrea Lui at [email protected].
