My first stop was the Whole Foods Market tent, where I had deep-fried pickled okra with remoulade sauce. I was surprised at how good the vegetable tasted, and the sauce was zesty without being bitter. Other treats that awakened my palate were the pickle truffle from Roni-Sue's Chocolates and feta cheese from Saxelby Cheesemongers. The delicacy made for an unusually pleasing treat, while the cheese had a vinegar flavor that was smooth but not overpowering. However, culinary discoveries were outnumbered by edible disappointments, with samples from China Food Import leading the way.
The pickled turnip was so nasty until my body wouldn't allow me to digest it, and the Chinese pickled turnip didn't taste any better. To make matters worse, the lime pickle with matzo toast was so dry until I couldn't bring myself to eat the rest of it, and the pickled ginger was spicier than my taste buds could handle. I also wasn't impressed with the daikon (an Asian form of radish) from Mama O's Premium Kimchee or the People's Pickle from Rick's Picks. (But I did like the catchy names they had for their products, like Smokra and Phat Beets.)
Just as good food was hard to come by, so were delicious cocktails. Mattebella's Famiglia red wine (a combination of Merlot and Cabernet Franc) tasted like watered-down Robitussin, and Pumphouse's white wine (consisting of Chardonnay and other grape blends) was more bland than white bread. I ended up walking down the street to 88 Orchard for a Frozen 88, a beverage made of milk, espresso, caramel syrup, whipped cream, and two scoops of vanilla Il Laboratorio del Gelato. The $5.36¢ I paid for it was the smartest decision I made all day.
Some lines at the festival were longer than others ... but they all moved pretty fast -- much like the speed of life in New York. Unfortunately, that's the only good thing I can say about the event.
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