(NYC) BBQ'ing in Brooklyn with Questlove, George Takei, and friends
*This post was written by Edgar A. Castillo and edited/formatted by The Lunch Belle. Unless otherwise noted, all photographs were captured by Edgar A. Castillo.*
Hosted and curated by QUESTLOVE, the Taste Talks All-Star BBQ brought world-renowned chefs together in Brooklyn to whip up their signature dishes al-fresco! Check out the incredibly brag-worthy lineup, description of offerings, and my thoughts, below.
Photo courtesy of Taste Talks.
CHEF/CELEBRITY LINEUP + MENUS + MY THOUGHTS
Michael Psilakis (MP Taverna, Kefi, Fishtag) // Jarobi White (Musician; Eats, Rhymes & Life)
PULLED LAMB SLIDERS
The chefs paired up with Los Angeles’ famed La Brea Bakery and created a pulled-lamb slider that made for an awesome start to the day! This early favorite wowed me with a plethora of kick and an amazing range of flavor.
Matty Matheson (Parts & Labour) // Dan Santoro & Bert Krak (Smith Street Tattoo)
RAW LAMB LARD & BBQ YUZU CABBAGE | With fish sauce, brown butter, mint, and thai basil
Certainly an interesting interpretation for a BBQ festival, this dish stood out for its lack of cooking (read: BBQ’ing) and its awkward (tang from the bitter yuzu) and inedible (charred cabbage) flavors. Another time/another place, perhaps. But here? At a BBQ festival? No. Just no.
Alex Stupak (Empellón) // Damian Higgins AKA Dieselboy (DJ/Producer)
LA HAMBURGUESA CAMPEÓNA | Grilled short rib patty on a potato roll, Tex Mex style queso, red pepper-chorizo relish, crispy gaufrettes, smoked mayonnaise
What a remarkable slider! Cooked to a perfect ‘medium rare,’ short rib beef patties were topped with smoked mayo, crinkle-cut potato chips, and – my favorite - Texas queso before being sandwiched within a soft and squishy potato bun.
Daniel Eddy (Rebelle)
GRILLED DUCK SAUSAGE | With plum jam
Although I found this portion to be on the smaller side, the sausage managed to fully deliver thanks to the inherent richness of the duck. The plum jam proved to be a fantastic companion, to boot!
Rob Newton (Wilma Jean, Nightingale 9, Smith Canteen) // Lee Gregory & Joe Sparatta (Southbound)
GRILLED PORK SHOULDER | With rice noodles, Virginia peanuts, cucumbers and herbs
The succulent, savory pork melted in my mouth. I was so taken by this dish, I had to sit down! The rice noodle-salad had a very familiar flavor, although it wasn’t listed - chicharrones, perhaps?
Perhaps the most interesting part of the day was the large presence of seafood dishes - from mussels and crab to lobster tails!
Hugue DuFour (M. Wells) // Mark Hegedus (Blue Point Brewing)
DEEP SEA RED CRAB
This was the longest line at the BBQ, and rightfully so: Hugue Dufour’s platter was so ample that it required me finding a seat to navigate through the plate of crab, summer corn, and Parker House rolls.
Ben Conniff (Luke's Lobster) // Matt Timms (The Takedowns)
CHILI-BUTTER LOBSTER TAILS | With grilled cabbage and corn slaw
These ‘tails were a surprise treat and very-well received amongst the heavier, "land"proteins. Buttery and light with a nice amount of char, the lobster tails were served alongside a colorful purple cabbage and corn salad.
Russell Jackson (SubCulture Dining) // Lea DeLaria (Orange is the New Black)
GRILLED MUSSELS | with Korean gujoung pork fat butter and fermented cornbread peptia crumble
After an unforgiving rainstorm, this was the final savory booth that I visited. And although my plate was a bit wet from the elements, the vibrancy of the flavors remained intact and the mussels, themselves, were delicious.
Dessert: What a welcome addition to a BBQ festival!
Laura O'Neill & Ben Van Leeuwen (Van Leeuwen Ice Cream) // Sharon Van Etten(Musician)
TRIPLE PEANUT | Peanut butter ice cream with a peanut butter swirl and crunchy peanut brittle
BUTTERMILK JAM | Buttermilk ice cream swirled with house made raspberry jam
This creative ice cream-version of a PB&J sandwich was chock-full of natural ingredients which helped me chase away any lingering feelings of guilt.
Allison & Matt Robicelli (Robicelli's Bakery) // George Takei & Telly Leung (Actors, Allegiance A New Musical)
FUJI APPLE PIE | With miso caramel and vanilla bean tofu cream
A unique take on the American staple (apple pie), this slice of heaven was made even sweeter by the fact that it was served by none other than George Takei (modern celebrity hero) and Telly Leung (actor, equal rights activist).
While I made it a point to sample everything, there was only so much time and room in my stomach! The following are the four booths that, unfortunately, I did not get to experience:
Justin Smillie (Upland) // Heems(Musician)
GRILLED VEAL RIBS | With charred cherry tomato salsa
Pierre Thiam (Pierre Thiam Catering) // Island Creek Oysters
GRILLED OYSTERS | With Spicy Smoked Crayfish Mignonette and Cassava Leaves with Peanuts
Roblé Ali (Roblé & Co. & Streets BK)
ROBLE & CO. SPECIAL
Shannon Shaffer (Design Cuisine) // Lauren Wagner (Street Art Throwdown) & Jenna Morello(Street Artist)
KOREAN BBQ BEEF BRISKET | Asian pear and fennel slaw, wasabi pearls, puffed rice cracker
Thank you, chefs!
Not even scattered thunderstorms could keep the crowds away! Despite the passing showers, Questlove kept the mood upbeat by spinning for the crowd throughout the entire day. And what a day it was!
Questlove!!
...
Until we eat again,
Edgar Castillo for The Lunch Belle