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| 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.
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| Shane McBride: Smoked Duck Neck Gumbo w/ Wild Rice |
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Harold Moore: DUO OF SQUAB- Rillette of Dark Meat and Roasted Breast Ancienne
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| US Navy SEALs: Grilled Venison Steaks and Marinated Tenderloin |
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| Gabriele Corcos & Debi Mazar: Pizza al Carpaccio w/ Certified Piedmontese Eye Round Beef |
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| Paul Denamiel: Beef Shank Bourguignon |
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| Chef Alex Guarnashchelli |
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| Alex Guarnashelli: Canard a la Presse w/ Sauce Chasseur |
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| Michael White for Osteria Morini: Grilled Hampshire Pork Cheeks w/ Late Summer Mostarda |
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| Eduard Frauneder: Grilled Veal Breast w/ Arugula, Peach, and Rye Bread Mustard Vinaigrette |
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| Justin Smillie: Spit-Roasted Short Ribs w/ Castelvetrano Olives, Celery, Walnuts and Horseradish |
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| Joey Campanaro: Sangria Marinated Butcher Steak w/ Hearts of Romaine alla Caesar |
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| Noah Bernamoff of Mile End: Sizzling Smoked Veal Brisket w/ Charred Garlic Scrapes |
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| Rae Cohen of Mile End |
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| The 1,000 pound steer of Pat LaFrieda |
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| Pat LaFrieda: Marinated Creekstone Steer |
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| April Bloomfield of The Breslin: Kansas City Style BBQ'd Whole Hog |
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| April Bloomfield of The Breslin: KC Style BBQ Pork Slider w/ Slaw |
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| 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.
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