Yes, we have been quite busy over here at the Underground Eats HQ in DUMBO. Since launching the site just over a year ago we’ve produced or promoted over 250 culinary events! We’ve had the privilege of working with some amazing talent and creative individuals throughout the last year and we look forward to bringing you many more unique dining experiences. In case you’ve missed out on all the eating, drinking, laughing, and reveling over the past year, here is a look at what we’ve been up to. We hope to see you at a UGE event soon!
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Passover Ideas You Shouldn’t Passover
Tradition is great and all, especially if it includes your bubbie cooking up a crazy feast for Passover. But if you are in charge of Seder dinner and don’t have bubbie’s deft hand when it comes to making all matzah everything- don’t worry, we’ve got you covered. Avoid being a schmuck this Seder by embracing the alternative.
Gefilte fish may be hard for Chris Tucker to pronounce:
… And even harder for some people to stomach. Guzzy up gefilte for passover by transforming it into a sexy smooth pate.
Perhaps you should try to step up your Tzimmes game. Tzimmes loosely translates to “a fuss over something,” which is exactly what is going to happen to this dish if you get fancy and serve your guests Sweet Potato Matzo Ball Tzimmes with Apricot Sauce.
For folks with lusher tendencies or are on an “all liquid diet” it’s possible to have a traditional Seder plate in cocktail form. “It’s as if they put Passover in a juicer and served it up straight.” — direct quote from the website Sippable Seder.
If you have a bit of a sweet tooth and are interested in throwing a completely chocolate kosher Seder dinner, than by all means- go for it! You can even trade four glasses of wine for four glasses of chocolate milk. Find complete instructions here.
For dessert, grab a couple of pints of Chozen (a.k.a ice cream for the chosen people). They come in flavors like rugelach and matzoh crunch.
Or let our favorite latke-making, dreidel-spinning, menorah-lighting gang-bangers show you how to do Passover munchies in style.
If you’re better at eating than cooking, and happen to live in or around NYC, here are some excellent alternative Seder dinner options.
Chow down on a traditional Seder dinner with some untraditional Spanish cider pairings at Jimmy No. 43′s. Get your tickets here.
If fusion food is more your style, head over to Louro for Passover dinner where they’re going south of the border with Mexican twists on classic Seder dishes. Louro’s Chef David Santos is teaming up with La Newyorkina‘s Fany Gerson for a special guest chef dinner celebrating the holiday with a unique Mexican twist. Yes, that includes Mexican-style matzoh ball soup. Tickets for this dinner can be found here.
On March 28th BoozeMenus.com is hosting a private Passover cocktail party at Kutsher’s Tribeca. Rather than being stuck around family members drinking kosher wine, hang with friends at this downtown Jewish bistro and sip on cocktails mixed with springtime ingredients and nibble on Kutsher’s signature modern Jewish fare. Learn more and find tickets here.
L’chaim!
Because You’ve Always Wondered…
…How are whiskey barrels made?
Brought to you by the wondrous world of The Internet, this YouTube video offers a five minute behind-the-scenes look at how modern whiskey barrels are made. Next time you sip and savor that beautiful caramel-colored Kentucky booze, take a moment and raise your glass to those tireless machines crafting the perfect wooden barrels for your perfectly aged whiskey.
Guacamole at the Oscars
As we gear up for Oscar season, many of us are scrambling to the movies before films like Argo, Silver Linings Playbook, and Zero Dark Thirty leave the theaters. If you are an Oscar-fan who typically takes pride in the fact that you’ve seen every Oscar-nominated picture, then be sure to catch this unique stop-motion animated short film, Fresh Guacamole. The film, directed by Adam Pesapone, is the shortest film ever to be nominated for an Academy Award. Watch and decide for yourself if the short film deserves all the buzz its been getting. Afterward, find your dusty VHS copy of the stop-motion classic Wallace and Gromit and make yourself some fresh guacamole.
Heather Greene, the first female whiskey sommelier at the Flatiron Room in Manhattan. She is also the first American woman to serve on the Scotch Malt Whisky Society Tasting Panel in Scotland, and the first woman to win Whisky Magazine's American Young Ambassador of the Year award
The Noble Experiment, Bridget Firtle's company which produces Owney's Rum right here in New York
Tonya Cornett, beer brewer extraordinaire
Women, Whiskey, and Beer
Women are breaking into the old boys club that is liquor making, marketing, and drinking. Men have historically dominated the world of distilling, not to mention beer brewing. These days, however, women are taking a more prominent role in the distilling and brewing scene.
Let’s talk whiskey. Whiskey expert Heather Greene has become a key player in the Whiskey world, being the first female whiskey sommelier at the Flatiron Room in Manhattan. She is also the first American woman to serve on the Scotch Malt Whisky Society Tasting Panel in Scotland, and the first woman to win Whisky Magazine‘s American Young Ambassador of the Year award. In an interview with Bon Appetite, she admits that she can still feel intimidated by the male dominated culture that surrounds whiskey. However, after scoring in the highest percentile on a tasting and smelling test, and landing a spot on the tasting panel, she has made a name for herself in the world of whiskey.
Female distillers are few and far between, but we know one that rocks. Owney’s Rum is spearheaded by Bridget Firtle, a New York native. Her project is called The Noble Experiment, and features urban distilling by hand in New York City. A smart business woman and a lover of fine spirits, Bridget is taking the lead in an industry in which she is a minority. Having tasted her rum first hand, we guarantee that it is delicious, and that she is going to go far in the distilling world.
Who says ladies don’t love beer? Home breweries and microbreweries are increasingly led by women. From farm to consumption, women are fighting their way into the craft beer world. A new documentary, The Love of Beer, explores this trend by highlighting the lives of several women brewers. Read an interview with Tonya Cornett, award-winning brewer here. Also check out The Beer Babe, an awesome blog for beer lovers everywhere.
Studies show that women have more discerning palates, meaning that they are better at detecting flavor subtleties than their male counter parts. The making and marketing of whiskey, rum, craft beer, and other spirits, not to mention the drinking of them, has increasingly become a women’s game, and we think that rules.