Event Review: Brooklyn Crush Wine and Artisanal Food Festival, Autumn Edition

Disclaimer: In exchange for a review of Brooklyn Crush, I received one entry ticket.

On Saturday, November 14, I attended the Brooklyn Crush Wine and Artisanal Food Festival held at Industry City in Sunset Park, New York City, an event which I wrote a preview about earlier last week.

First, a hint of background on Industry City. It was founded on Gowanus Bay in 1895 as Bush Terminal, and just as its retrofitted self is now, it was created as a hub of manufacturing and trade.

I expected the venue to be larger and the food vendors all to be from Brooklyn – this wasn’t the case – but I also correctly figured that the wineries represented would have included those from the Finger Lakes (upstate) and the North Fork (Suffolk County, Long Island). Well, 1 out of 3 is a failing grade, so I’ll drown my sorrows in a bottle of Riesling. Or a glass of…

…Hetta glögg (spiced wine, from western Scandinavia), which as far as I recall, was made of cardamom, cinnamon and orange peel, among other ingredients. It was served both hot and cold, though I’d probably always tend towards the former method if I also lived where the sun was only out for three hours a day in the winter.

As for the food…

A sample of the coconut espresso short rib sandwich, topped with pickled red onions, at manila social in Williamsburg. I spoke with the restaurant’s affable owner; ask her about the Filipino Consulate. They also host various art and design exhibitions.

Oh, and that link for the restaurant leads to an order form for ube (purple yam) donuts. That was deliberate on my part.

Miti miti, located a few blocks south of the Barclays Center, combines Mediterranean and Latin flavors in their kitchen and at the bar. I asked the server if they had any samples. The response was “no,” followed by “sure.” On the toothpick is a bacon-wrapped date with bleu cheese, and the empanada has lamb, olives and raisins. Can’t forget to mention the radish, or rábano, in Spanish.

NO SUGAR! Amazing that it has to be mentioned as a selling point for hot sauce. I’m in the wrong country.

Anyway, this Buffalo-native has three choices– scotch bonnet and ginger, red habanero and coffee and jalapeño and lime. Conveniently, she had all three flavors available to sample, but I only wanted the spiciest. Though, as none of the three left me temporarily mute, I’m on-board for all three.

In the foreground, ‘nduja, a Calabrian (Italy) pork-based spread with a mix of spices and roasted peppers. In the background, the Industry City-based Ends Meat sampler platter. So much for last week’s expo. Good stuff, and I’ll be darned if I missed a baguette seller next door.

Where are the sour ones?!, I asked. Those are too common, but try some “Smokey Siennas,” “Everythings” and “Holiday Thymes.” As long as you don’t recommend anything sweet – that means no bread and butters – I can see an addiction form. Case-in-point, they gave me a jar of Holiday Thyme less than 48 hours ago; free refills, anyone? I reuse the juice as a salad dressing too.

Also, I had a good chat with Randy, one of the co-founders of Backyard Brine. He told me about how, in order to sell shelf-stable cured foods, specimens need to be sent upstate in order to have their pH levels tested. Additionally, out in Suffolk County, in addition to cucumbers, they sell at farmers’ markets their takes on preserved and pickled foods from around the world.

Based in Sunset Park, Granola Lab was set up specifically to cater to my in-flight snacking needs. Imagine that. Alex, the owner, had a few varieties at-the-ready: Activation Energy with hazelnuts, chocolate and coffee, Elemental Formula with pecans, maple syrup and sunflower seeds, Cranberry Cashew Compound with ~~get, a and hint~~ and Get Gingersnapping, one that definitely appeals to my spice-raving palate. She gave me a sample “Brewers” granola bar made with barley malt fetched from a local brewery. Say Alex, would you be up for creating a granola made of this?