Meatopia 2012- Randall's Island, NYC

Meatopia and the Best Butcher Competition Stage

The plan was to conquer 40 food stands in four hours, eat something every six minutes, take pictures of everything, and meat our destiny. In reality, there were about 50 food stands, way too much (always a good thing), a visit from mother nature, and a cast of characters from all over the nation. I tried about 20 stalls before feeling full, took pictures while shielding my camera from the rain, and was overjoyed to see my beloved hometown of the Bay Area, California represented not once but a few times.

I was impressed with last year's Meatopia and ecstatic over this year's. Meatopia gets better every year. Bigger, more organized, more impressive, and more expensive. Worth every penny. It's a chockfull of fun. Here are the highlights.

Shane McBride: Smoked Duck Neck Gumbo w/ Wild Rice

Harold Moore: DUO OF SQUAB- Rillette of Dark Meat and Roasted Breast Ancienne

US Navy SEALs: Grilled Venison Steaks and Marinated Tenderloin

Gabriele Corcos & Debi Mazar: Pizza al Carpaccio w/ Certified Piedmontese Eye Round Beef

Paul Denamiel: Beef Shank Bourguignon

Chef Alex Guarnashchelli

Alex Guarnashelli: Canard a la Presse w/ Sauce Chasseur

Michael White for Osteria Morini: Grilled Hampshire Pork Cheeks w/ Late Summer Mostarda

Eduard Frauneder: Grilled Veal Breast w/ Arugula, Peach, and Rye Bread Mustard Vinaigrette

Justin Smillie: Spit-Roasted Short Ribs w/ Castelvetrano Olives, Celery, Walnuts and Horseradish

Joey Campanaro: Sangria Marinated Butcher Steak w/ Hearts of Romaine alla Caesar

Noah Bernamoff of Mile End: Sizzling Smoked Veal Brisket w/ Charred Garlic Scrapes

Rae Cohen of Mile End

The 1,000 pound steer of Pat LaFrieda

Pat LaFrieda: Marinated Creekstone Steer

April Bloomfield of The Breslin: Kansas City Style BBQ'd Whole Hog

April Bloomfield of The Breslin: KC Style BBQ Pork Slider w/ Slaw

Zak Pelaccio: Spit-roasted Duck w/ Lady Jayne's Cured Citrus

I did not eat one bad thing at Meatopia. At the point of my fullness, I walked around for the last two hours salivating over Ilili, BZ Grill, Dinosaur BBQ, and a few others. I took a break to watch a bit of the Whole Foods Best Butcher Competition. After that, I stopped by Whole Foods' tent to just be in awe of their giant sausages and "World's Largest" Toppings Bar. Randall's Island served as a great stage for Meatopia. There was plenty of space and lots of trees that helped shield a little from the ghastly rain storm which turned the nice lawn into a muddy mess. Ah, true meat lovers did not flinch one bit. The meatfest (err, eating) continued.

Meatopia 2012

For more Meatopia 2012 coverage: Stella Dacuma Schour Photography

Meatopia 2012 Survivor Tips

Meatopia 2011

Meatopia! There were over 40 restaurants with booths and we got through not nearly enough! There was just too much to eat!

If you are contemplating if Meatopia is worth the hefty ticket prices upwards of $80, absolutely yes! There were no lines for food, there was plenty of food, the food was of high quality and beautiful presentation, you got to get up close and personal with the chefs (all of which have celebrity status IMO), portions were of ample size, restaurants were quite established, and there were lots of free bonuses. I drank more than a gallon of Fiji water and had a serving or two of Capogiro gelato. Stay tuned for blog post #3 of this event. Sweetopia!

In the meantime, here are a few gems from Meatopia 2011. I would post pictures of the rest, but I forgot to take them. I was too busy tasting the food. Sometimes I'm just so overwhelmed living in the moment that I forget to capture it on digital. If only I could let you peek into my memories.

La Esquina: Guisado of Veal breast, Pistachio Mole, Fresno Chile Escabiche, Cotija Crema

Animal: Grilled Chicken Heart, Eggplant Puree

Creekstone Farms: Sixpoint Brewery IPA Braised Short Ribs, Mustard-Green Pesto,
Truffle,  Farmer Jones Red Cipollini-Buckwheat Honey Gastrique

Fossil Farms: Smoked Wild Boar & Chile Sausage w/ Chimichurri Sauce 

Fossil Farms: Fermin Iberico de Belota Costillas

Bar Basque: Crispy Skin Cone, Bacon Sprinkles

Hot and Hot Fish Club: Elk Shoulder Crepinettes w/Olives,
Clementines, Almonds,  Frisee Salad w/Anchovy Vinaigrette

Amanda Freitag's Jerk Chicken and Cornbread

The Hurricane Club: Grilled Duck Magret w/ Green Papaya, Peanuts, Pickled Red Onions

Tertulia: Sheep

Notes:

-The spicy veal taco from La Esquina made me excited to try out the new location in Williamsburg. Yes, it seems like everyone is moving to the burg.

-The grilled chicken heart was definitely one of my top 3 bests at Meatopia. Thanks to @Stellaaa I've really grown to like hearts! They taste exactly like beef.

-The short ribs and black truffles were out of this world. I went to La Bernadin and had the truffle tasting menu. I wasn't too crazy for it but Creekstone Farms did a great job with their truffle accents! Talk about gourmet!

-Fossil Farms did a variety of sausages. Some tasted gamey as they were serving elk, duck, and wild boars of the like. All were very good with the pairings of chimichurri, scallion spreads, and sweet and sour onion relish.

-Bar Basque had a whole tasting menu of Hampshire Hog seven ways. The highlight for me was the bacon ice cream. At first they were serving it in cones. They ran out quickly and I patiently waited about 10 minutes for the new batch of ice cream to soften. By then, they started serving it as chicharron ice cream sandwiches. Sometimes it's worth waiting.

-Hot and Hot Fish Club had volunteer culinary students preparing the food. They did an excellent job with the recipe. The frisee salad that accompanied the elk crepinette was so refreshing. I loved the juicy clementines and the crunchy bites of almonds.

-Amanda Freitag chose to work with chicken. She was literally sweaty and slaving over a hot grill.

-The grilled duck on a paratha from The Hurricane Club was amazing and rich. The serving was so big, even split between two people. It conquered us. The duck was so tender.

-Sheep heads. Every part of an animal was served at Meatopia. I had pig face, chicken hearts, beef ribs, etc. There was even a butcher contest going on. They don't call Meatopia Meatopia for nothing!

Meatopia 2011

Meateaser 2011

I could go on and on about how Meatopia was really a meat heaven. I wish I could go back in time and relive the epic day. It wasn't just about the food. It was the setting and circumstances of how I found myself at Meatopia. Chillin' with the Manhattan skyline in the background... these moments just don't happen in California.

For now, here's two pictures for what I like to refer to as a "meateaser" for my one day Meatopia post followed by a Sweetopia post. Yes, there were even cupcakes and marshmallows.

Till then, rock on with ribeye.

The Meatball Shop- Spicy Lamb Sloppy Joe Slider Edition

Waterfront Ale House- Maple Cured/Smoked Wild Boar Ham and Belly 

Waterfront Ale House Smoker

Notes:

-The spicy lamb sloppy joe was not gamey and not very spicy, but it was delicious! I am actually a fan of  all things Meatball Shop.

-The sandwich from Waterfront Ale House was very good. Their mustard and pickles were homemade and gave a nice balance to the boar ham. The accompanying potato salad was excellent. While I was trying to just sample and not fill up, I actually killed all that potato salad. It was just too good to gloss over. Owner Sam Barbieri is a very friendly guy. He walked us through the smoker and wanted to chat for quite a bit. Needless to say, he's charismatic! I also found it amusing his chef uniform was labeled, "Fuhgeddaboutit". Very New York.

Meatopia 2011