After a successful 2 years of overeating, countless dinners and brunches, discovering the best restaurant and bakery gems in New York City and earning a spot on Huffington Post’s and Guest of a Guests Best Food Blogger list, I decided to throw an anniversary party celebrating what always brings friends and loved ones together: good food! It was a fantastic turnout with a sunset view off the Hudson River and incredible food from some of Manhattan’s most amazing restaurants such as: Rogue & Canon, Galli, Mercadito, Satya Eastern Kitchen, Pommes Frites and Bunn while also indulging in some delicious sweets and treats from Little Boo Boo Bakery, Sweet Lorens, S’mores and More and a masterpiece cake by Chef Thiago Silva. It’s no celebration without some booze from Skinnygirl – Rose, Red Wine, White Cherry Vodka, Bare Naked Vodka and Margaritas to go with Mercadito’s Chips and Guac.
Let’s start with the cold plates. Rogue & Canon’s Fig and Pear Salad was tossed with fresh goat cheese and a homemade vinaigrette. Fresh figs this size makes everything taste better. Mercadito’s Ceviche Mixto was unreal with outrageous size shirmp, mahi mahi, octopus, tomatillo pico de gallo dressed in a passion fruit-serrano. You can eat this ceviche by the spoon full, and their deep fried, thick chips with just the right amount of salt are a great tool for shoveling the pineapple guacamole. Next, one of the biggest hits were Galli’s rice balls served with marinara sauce. People were popping these balls back like champagne bottles. They were just the perfect snack for a celebratory party. Their Chicken Parm sliders were also an nice bite size, with just enough tomato sauce and chicken ratio to bun. Satya Eastern kitchen, located in Hell’s Kitchen, is a restaurant I have yet to visit, and their Chicken and Beef Satay sticks came with a variety of sauces that were extremely fun to try and experiment with and new flavoring with each bite. Spring rolls and Chicken Sandwiches (one of my favorite foods) was also gobbled up by all. I was so honored to have one of my favorite burgers in the city representing at the party, thanks to Rogue & Canon’s which is served with onion marmalade, aged cheddar and on a plump, fluffy and addicting potato roll. What’s a party without French fries? Pommes Frites served their famous East Village thick-cut fries with sauces such as: honey mustard, roasted garlic mayo and parmesan peppercorn.
We had two interactive foods during the event. Bunn provided a DIY pork and beef bunn sandwich where you could choose your meat and then add sriracha and cole slaw. Unlimited bunn making was key for the party. We also had colorful buns filled with different fillings such as chicken curry, pork, sweet potato, etc. On the pastry side we had Justin Sievers from S’more and More onsite with a blow torch in hand making mini s’mores with different sauces like chocolate and raspberry to top off the graham cracker and marshmallow sandwich. Sweet Lorens, one of my favorite cookie brands that is all-natural and whole grain, made a special Brookie which is half cookie, half brownie with coconut and sea salt. Little Boo Boo Bakery shared their Rosemary Lemon marshmallow pillows which made the perfect takeaway and snack for anytime of day or late night find.
Ultimately, the cake king, Chef Thiago Silva who is an unbelievable artist, pastry chef and dessert hero, crafted a specialty Chekmark Eats cake to really toast the special evening. Using our logo and layering it with all things chocolate, delicious and wild such as: chocolate mousse, cookie crumbs, devils food cake, vanilla buttercream icing, pudding, salted caramel, dulce de leche, bottom brownie layer, chunks of chocolate and last but not least, chocolate chip cookies lining the base of the gorgeous creation. Like it reads: To many more years of cookies and chocolate!
Cheers! #ChekmarkTurns2
