9.23 Drop Digest: NYC’s Running Tab of Food Pop-Ups, Dish Drops & Collabs
Summer is now officially over and while it’s time to say goodbye to short-shorts, rooftop pool parties, and sweating literally everywhere, pop-ups and new dish drops are sticking around. It’s time to say hello to a tasting menu laced with red chilis, 40 restaurants at a Madison Square Park event, and… Action Bronson? The 8it Drop Digest is just a small taste of what you can discover in the 🧨 Pop-Ups & Drops category on the 8it app, so go check it out for more.
Vietnamese Lobster Roll by Chef Daniel Le (📸 @essexcrossing)
Taste of Asia
Madison Square Park // 9.28
What’s the drop?
40 different restaurants will set up shop in Madison Square Park next Wednesday and serve Asian-inspired bites to celebrate New York’s AAPI communities. Essex Pearl will be serving their seafood rolls, which are inspired by the flavors of Vietnam, Thailand and Indonesia. “My favorite roll is the Vietnamese Lobster Roll. It’s my original roll and my most balanced roll,” said Chef Daniel Le. Fish sauce imparts saltiness and funk, fried shallots provide a sweet crunch, and bird’s eye chilis make the roll mildly spicy.
Why should you go?
This event’s lineup is stacked with well-established favorites like the cast of a Quentin Tarantino film. COTE Korean Steakhouse, Semma, Mimi Cheng’s, and Nami Nori just to name a few, will be there as well. And while you’re probably familiar with some of the signature dishes at those establishments, like Semma’s dosas, Chef Daniel reminds us to perhaps expect the unexpected. “People already do not expect a lobster roll at these kind of events, so I figured there’s nothing more unexpected than to offer my unique Vietnamese inspired lobster roll.” All chefs involved will certainly share the same intention to “wow” the crowd with their bites next Wednesday. Tap the lobster below for all the info.
Pine rosin potatoes by Chef Colby Rasavong (📸 @will_blunt)
Colby Rasavong Dinner
Greenpoint // 9.26
What’s the drop?
Chef Colby Rasavong, who was most recently Chef de Cuisine at Audrey in Nashville, will be taking over the kitchen at Fulgurances for one night only on Monday. He will be previewing his new project, which will be inspired by his Laotian heritage. “My family is from Laos so dishes we grew up eating were khao poon, khao piak, thummukhung, nam van,” said Rasavong. “I have a lot of fine dining background so I’ve been fortunate enough to be exposed to different cuisines, flavors, and techniques that my family has never even heard of. I’m excited to incorporate that into the food and start elevating the cuisine.” Get excited because Rasavong will be hatching new concepts at this chef’s incubator on Monday.
Why should you go?
Rasavong’s old stomping ground made The New York Times Restaurant List 2022, released earlier this week. Audrey is the flagship restaurant of James Beard Award-winning chef Sean Brock, who specializes in Southern cooking. “I worked for Sean on and off for 9 years. I’d be lying if I didn’t say his food hasn’t influenced mine,” said Rasavong. Multiple spheres of influence have come together to embody Rasavong’s cooking and we’re stoked to see what’s next. Tap the green button below for all the info on his dinner at Fulgurances.
New Mexican Red Chiles (📸 @erictheawkwardscone)
New Mexican Red Chile Tasting
South Williamsburg // 9.26
What’s the drop?
New Mexican-inspired café and bakery Ursula will be popping-up for one night only at Winona’s on Monday. The four-course tasting menu will feature New Mexican red chiles in four different forms: fresh, fermented, roasted, and dried in that order. Fresh rose harissa and whipped ricotta toast followed by fermented red chile hiramasa crudo, a roasted chile relleno, and whiskey cake with red chile candied pecans & caramel.
Why should you go?
The menu was expertly designed by Ursula’s crew. “The concept to feature the chile in four forms was my sous chef, Hender’s idea. But their succession on the menu just aligned with what format each of them seemed most suited for,” said Chef Eric See. “Harissa and pine nuts and ricotta is just a really great dip or spread for a starter, while the umami of the fermented chile seemed really well suited for a very dynamic crudo or aguachile style course.” Chef Eric tells us its rare to find fresh red chiles so far away from New Mexico; especially when they come whole so they can be roasted. Adopt this dinner as your culinary unicorn and let the Ursula team take you on a New Mexican red chile journey. Tap the chile below for all the info.
Pizza from L’Industrie and Cannolis from Fortunato Bros. (📸 @lindustriebk & @fortunatobrosnyc)
F*ck That’s Delicious Block Party
Williamsburg // 9.24
What’s the drop?
Renaissance man Action Bronson is pulling up to the block outside L’Industrie Pizza for the second annual F*ck That’s Delicious Block Party featuring Fortunato Bros. Bakery and Indian restaurant Badmaash from Los Angeles. The food lineup will feature tandoori wings, fried lasagna, Roma-style pizza, Adana kebab sandwiches, and creamsicle cannolis.
Why should you go?
The fun thing about Action Bronson is he’s so multi-faceted that you could never be sure what he’s gonna do. Shoot an episode of F*ck That’s Delicious? Perform? Cook? All three? We hope so. Regardless, cannolis from Fortunato Bros., wings from Badmaash, and L’Industrie’s pizza creations are an equally valid reason to show out. For L’industrie Chef Nick Baglivo, the most important thing about Saturday’s block party is the food. “The best food you’ve ever had was made by someone that you don’t know,” he said. Tap the pizza below for all the info on the biggest block party in NYC this weekend.
Zou Zou’s Roasted Sweet Potato Doughnut (📸 @thedoughnutproject)
Zou Zou’s Roasted Sweet Potato Doughnut
West Village // 9.23-9.25
What’s the drop?
This Friday, a doughnut collab inspired by Zou Zou’s Roasted Sweet Potato with Hazelnut Dukkah by Chef Madeline Sperling, drops at The Doughnut Project in the West Village. The doughnut is both sweet and savory; filled with roasted sweet potato, drizzled with miso caramel, capped off with a molasses brûlée, and sprinkled with hazelnut dukkah, which is a spice blend with seeds and nuts.
Why should you go?
The last collab between The Doughnut Project and Zou Zou’s was a hit, so it’s only right that these legends of their respective genres are running it back; something we wish Jay-Z and Linkin Park did a long time ago, though we ultimately forgive them for only dropping one tape. We’ll just keep bumping this sweet and savory collab while it lasts (through Sunday) and hope for more to come in the future. Tap the doughnut below for all the info.
YOU SHOULDA 8it!
Not to rub it in, but here’s a pop-up you may have missed out on. To stay in the know on all the hottest drops in real-time, check out 8it’s Pop-Ups & Drops category in the app.
(📸 @flavoritespots)
Expendio de Maíz
Williamsburg
Chef Jesús Tornés of Mexico City restaurant Expendio de Maíz cooked dinner at For All Things Good in Williamsburg for one night only this past Tuesday. This was the kind of can’t-miss food event that comes and goes in a snap. The best way to never miss another one is to check up on the 🧨POP-UPS & DROPS category in the 8it app and follow us on Instagram where we provide regularly updates about the hottest pop-ups in the city.
Beta password is: NYCDROP
