Openhouse Gallery Presents The Big Cheesy

Openhouse Gallery

I was one of the lucky ones to win a ticket to Openhouse Gallery’s The Big Cheesy on InsideHook’s Facebook contest. 

The Big Cheesy is now an annual event at Openhouse Gallery. For two days, the space transforms into a grilled cheese mecca with samples galore. This year seven restaurants/ stands/food trucks participated to showcase their spin on the American classic. Everyone who attended the event got to vote for their favorite grilled cheese with an orange ping pong ball. Each ticket sold granted one hour access to the event. This steadied the crowd flow and gave each vendor a chance to cook enough grilled cheese for everyone and properly introduce their creations. 

I started off with the most established of the group ‘wichcraft. Their spicy pork grilled cheese had the perfect balance of spice, meat, and mild cheese. I then moved on to Murray’s Cheese Shop who paired their secret cheese blend sandwich with shots of smoky tomato soup. Mixing things up a little instead of going from table to table, I went across the room to Melt Shop. They had bacon sandwiches with Widmer’s Aged Cheddar and Brick. It was served with a side of cranberry onion chutney. This was an important component to their sandwich. As if sides were not enough, they even used bread from Levain. Local is a plus and I love it when New York merchants support each other. 

'wichcraft grillin'

Spicy Pork grilled cheese

Smoky Tomato Soup

Murray's Secret Blend

Melt Shop

Bacon Cheddar w/ Cranberry Onion Chutney

Artisanal cheese monger Lucy’s Whey kept things simple and safe. Their sandwich of apple butter, chili chutney, ham, and Cabot Coop cheddar could not hold a candle to next door neighbor Sons of Essex. These energetic guys seemed to be in competition with Say Cheese for who had the loudest boast whenever a ping pong ball vote was placed in their favor. Sons of Essex offered two choices: the Bowery Bacon Crusted Melt (a bacon crusted brioche with beemster, baby swiss, white cheddar, and manischewitz shallot jam) and a truffle grilled cheese (a gruyere, goat cheese, parmigiano reggiano, sauteed mushrooms, and baby arugula sandwich encased in buttery bread and sea salt to put it over the roof). Upon first bites, they were very very good. Rivals Say Cheese also had two sandwich offerings. One was a French onion themed one with gruyere cheese, swiss, a homemade French onion soup compote, and garlic butter on sour dough bread. For “dessert” they had a S’more sandwich that was made of mascarpone, Nutella chocolate sauce, and graham cracker dust on brioche. There was also a syringe filled with hot chocolate placed in the sandwich. Wowzas!

Lucy's Whey

Sons of Essex

Truffle Grilled Cheese

Bowery Bacon Crusted Melt

Say Cheese

S'more

Even after a dessert sandwich there was still more to be had. The Milk Truck had a bacon cheddar blue sandwich. At this point I was up to my ears in grilled cheese. It's tough being a taste tester! I'm thankful there was a little lounge for relaxing sponsored by Partyup Productions. I had an afternoon food coma. 

Bacon Cheddar Blue

Lounge

Openhouse Gallery

'wichcraft

Murray's Cheese Bar

264 Bleecker Street

New York, NY 10014

Melt Shop

601 Lexington Ave.

New York, NY 10022

lucy's whey

425 W. 15th Street

New York, NY 10011

Sons of Essex

133 Essex Street

New York, NY 10002

Say Cheese

142 W. 83rd Street

New York, NY 10024

Milk Truck

InsideHook

International Restaurant & Foodservice Show 2013

Jacob Javits Center

The first day of the International Restaurant & Foodservice Show took place last Sunday, March 3, at the Jacob Javits Center. This was my second year attending the show and I had a plan: skip all the restaurant equipment and just try out all food and drink samples while checking out what’s new in the market. The show was just as big but somehow I felt this year’s show was more organized and spacious. There was also no shortage of vendors.

I was greeted with fresh gelato made by the Cattabriga EFFE. It was smooth and creamy. Very good gelato upon first impressions and taste. The machine itself was quite impressive as the gelato maker held out a giant mixing spoon with gelato on it for us to taste.

Cattabriga EFFE

Fresh Gelato!

After that, I made a beeline to the Japan section on the right. This was where there would be a lot of hot food and ramen samples. I was right. I tried a variety of ramen and soba. Myojo's ramen noodles were cooked al dente. They had a bite to them and were not overcooked and soggy. Restaurant Nippon was present to demo their famous soba noodles created by Nippon Owner Nobuaki Kuraoka. The noodles come frozen but can be cooked in just eight seconds. Talk about a meal done in a blink of an eye. They paired their cold noodles with a salad. It was very refreshing.

Myojo

Myojo noodles 

Myojo Shio Ramen

Soba ingredients

Restaurant Nippon Cold Soba with Salad

These savory dishes left me thirsty. Off to find the beverage vendors, I stumbled upon P&H Soda Co., Dr. Smoothie, and spindrift. I was already familiar with P&H Soda Co. since they have a stand at Smorgasburg in Williamsburg and are Brooklyn based. This time I got to sample all of their sodas from sarsaparilla and lovage to lime and hibiscus. I learned that sarsaparilla and lovage are roots. Of all the choices, I liked the grapefruit flavor the most. Dr. Smoothie focused on fruit and veggie smoothies (carrot apple and  mango squash). They were a big hit with the crowd and very healthy. Spindrift was similar to San Pellegrino drinks in taste. They were good on their own but the reps highly suggested to use the beverages as mixers. Prosecco anyone?

P&H Soda Co.

Dr. Smoothie

spindrift Seltzer

There was no shortage of meat and poultry. I tasted duck, steak, and breakfast meats. Esposito and Karl Ehmer were on hand serving slices of sweet and savory sausages. One that particularly stood out was the chicken apple of Esposito. Master Purveyors had a whole collection of cuts to showcase but it was the steak slices Two Rivers Certified Tender that really stole the show. I have never tasted a juicier and flavorful steak before served rare. They offer three cuts: ribeye, striploin, and tenderloin.

Esposito Chicken Apple Sausage

Master Purveyors Inc. Meat

Karl Ehmer Sausages

Two Rivers Certified Tender juicy steak

And now for the fun things at the show. From a Jelly Belly frozen yogurt machine to mascot outfits, amuse and entertainment was in every corner. 

Jelly Belly flavored Frozen Yogurt

Mascot Costumes

Can’t wait for next year’s show!

International Restaurant & Foodservice Show

Jacob Javits Center New York

Advanced Gourmet

Restaurant Nippon

P&H Soda Co.

Spindrift

Dr. Smoothie

Esposito Sausage

Brooklyn: Sledding in Prospect Park

Nemo left us with a foot of snow and I have pictures to prove it. The City dealt with it pretty well. Around 3 o'clock on Friday, everyone started preparing for their journey home. Limited train schedules and subway delays had prompted early dismissals from work. By five, Midtown and Times Square felt like a ghost town. Connecticut had declared a state of emergency and events in New Jersey were already cancelled.

NYC Parks sponsored Snow Day

I took advantage of the snow the next day by heading out to Prospect Park in Brooklyn. NYC Parks was sponsoring a snow day with free hot chocolate, sledding, and snow angel contests. We had our own sleds and did what other New Yorkers did: lugged them on the subway and walked a few avenues to get to the park.

What fun it was. I had never gone sledding before. There is a rush going down the hill and a moment of terror and fear right before taking the plunge. It was amazing to see the range of sleds people had from age appropriate sleds and wooden ones to plastic ones and inflatable tubes. No sled? Some were really resourceful and used plastic tub lids and cardboard boxes to garbage can lids and 8 inch cutting boards.

Prospect Park

Some sledding etiquette I'd like to share:

1) Wait your turn. Don't cut in line. Patience! You won't be standing on top of that hill for more than 5 minutes before sliding down.

2) Wait until your path is clear. Are there children or adults in your way? If so, give them a minute to get out of your way. It is your job to avoid a collision. If you find yourself headed for one, take a sharp turn to stop!

3) After your run, don't walk back up the hill in the path of the sledders. Walk on the side where it is safe.

This was our snow day:

Here we are violating Rule #3!

Here we go!

We survived!

Time to rest.

After sledding we went in search for a good area to make snow angels.

Trudging through the snow.

Snow Angels!

Building our mini snowgirl!

Hello!

Prospect Park was absolutely gorgeous. We made our own snow angels and a mini snowgirl. I even came across a tiny igloo. The snow was great, powdery, and clean. After mucking around for about three hours, it was time to go home. On the way back to the subway we found a little diner that sold fresh donuts and hot chocolate. No better way to end an adventure than with such a sweet treat!

Photography Credits: Desmond Chow

NYC Parks: Snow Days

Prospect Park

2013 Winter Jam - Central Park

Have you ever experienced Central Park laden with snow? It is one of the most beautiful sights to be seen and enjoyed. Children bring their sleds, saucer discs, and cardboard pieces to help them coast down tiny hills. It is surprisingly safe and well organized. The kids are accompanied by their parents and they all take turns gliding down one by one. I have never seen so many children so patient waiting for their turn. Central Park transforms into a mini Winter wonderland.

Sledding

In January, the New York City Parks Department, along with the Olympic Regional Development Authority and Gore Mountain, hosted the 2013 Winter Jam. Winter Jam is an annual event which glorifies snow and Winter sports. I went to check it out and made sure to wear my snow boots.

Gore Mountain provided tons of synthetic snow. You would have never known the snow was fake since it actually snowed the day before and the snowy landscape blended all together. Winter Jam gave New Yorkers a chance to try out a few Winter activities like skiing, snowboarding, sledding, and snowshoeing without having to travel upstate or to any other of the nearby mountains in New Jersey and Pennsylvania. There were snowboarding tricks demonstrated and sponsored by Red Bull, ice sculptures you could sit on and pose with, and a doggie snow zone. The festival had entertainment in every corner. In addition to the sports and recreational areas, there was also a live band, food vendors, free samples, and an animal adoption agency on site. Needless to say, there was a lot going on!

Red Bull Metrorail

The happiest dog ever!

The festival was geared largely to children. There was a Learn to Play Quidditch area through a local Meetup group, Radio Disney on site, and various games to play. I took interest in an educational Winter camping and survival demo. Learning how to shield oneself from the snow and wind while collecting water to boil are important skills to master.

Survival Skills 101

Learn to Play Quidditch

Everyone was required to sign a waiver if they wanted to participate in the activities. The festival was divided into sections. The snowshoeing area had no line. I walked right in and was seated to be fitted into snowshoes. Much to my surprise, snowshoes did not look like tennis rackets! I had watched one, too many cartoons. The snowshoes I tried on snapped onto my boots and when I walked, they moved with me. They looked and felt like they were made out of plastic. They were very durable despite their lightness. The snowshoes gave my boots a larger support surface and I was even able to run in them. Snowshoes prevent you from sinking into the snow. I had a great time stomping around and am now ready for a Winter hike! After snowshoeing, I wanted to try cross-country skiing but the line was a good hour long wait. I took it as a sign to move on. There was much to explore!

Getting strapped in.

Our Snowshoes

I spent a good two hours at the festival overall. I walked through Central Park the rest of the afternoon. I came across Betheseda Fountain. Behind the fountain, the same lake I rowed a boat in had now become iced over. I could not believe this was the same park that was usually green and filled with people in shorts and t-shirts. Now the park looked like a page out of a L.L. Bean catalog, Winter edition.

The Lake

Photography Credits: Roxwriting, Desmond Chow

Winter Jam