We’ve entered jacket season so pop-ups are starting to move indoors. The good news is, chefs are giving us great reasons to take our jackets off and stay a while. This week’s Drop Digest features a neighborhood Italian-American dinner pop-up, a sh*t talking New Yorker slangin’ BBQ, and the subway sandwich you never saw coming (no, not that subway, the actual subway). 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.

Lumpia Festival
Lower Manhattan // 10.1 & 10.2

What’s the drop?
Philippines Fest is bringing vendors and Lumpia connoisseurs together, uniting over the Filipino spring roll for a competition-style festival at Canal Street Market. One such vendor will be Lechonbae who made mystical lechon that magically disappeared before our eyes at Ube Festival last month. Just kidding, we ate it all in a flavor-entranced blur that lasted a matter of seconds. Lechon bae himself, Chef Archie Cancio, tells us that lechon isn’t their only specialty. “(We’re) making lumpia everyday. We have lumpia in our menu here in the shop. My mom does it and all of us know how to,” he said. They’re slated to drop a special lumpia for the competition on Sunday.

Why should you go?
This festival is not only a chance to indulge, but a chance to interact- and make some dough. Not just Lumpia dough; cash. Money. Coin. There will be a competition for Best Lumpia with a cash prize of $1,000 that you, yes you, can still sign up for here, if you make an outstanding Lumpia. But good luck if you choose to compete, because Lechonbae will be bringing an astonishingly bold Lechon Sisig Lumpia, combining three of the most legendary Filipino dishes into one. There will also be a Lumpia eating competition, so if you fancy yourself the Joey Chestnut of Lumpia, sign up here. Tap the green button below for all the info.

Gangjin Pop-Up
South Williamsburg // 10.3

What’s the drop?
Chef Daniel Lee’s Gangjin pop-up will be at Winona’s on Monday serving a five-course menu featuring scallops, mackerel, squash veloute, king salmon, and flan parisien. The pop-up is named after Chef Daniel’s hometown in Korea, which is near the southern tip of the Korean peninsula and has a profound influence on his menus. “Gang means fire or strength and Jin means flowing river, mild. So the food usually starts out light and refreshing and progresses into stronger and pungent flavor,” said Chef Daniel. Many chefs and travelers are drawn to the Jeolla region around Gangjin due to the ingredients available there.

Why should you go?
This dinner is a unique chance to experience the cooking from a region with some of the best seafood on the planet. “Obviously very heavy on seafood and local produce since the region I come from has the 2nd most diverse area of ocean mammals and is world famous for its seafood,” said Chef Daniel. Gangjin pops up once every six weeks and most of their events sell out, so tap the green button below for all the info.

Smoke Sweats Pitmaster Takeover
Tribeca // 9.30

What’s the drop?
”The Gary Vee of Barbecue” Chef Anthony Scerri a.k.a Smoke Sweats will be taking over the pit at Blue Smoke on Friday night. Paying homage to his Maltese roots, he will be making a Grilled Maltese Corn, Smoked Duck Leg Confit with a maple-date BBQ sauce, and for dessert, a sweet crepe called Palacsinta inspired by his wife’s Hungarian heritage. Though Friday’s menu is influenced by other cultures, the attitude behind the food is pure New York. “I’m a sht talking New Yorker,” said Smoke Sweats. “But with that sh*t talk comes responsibility and risks that I love to take when it comes to flavors.” Most New Yorkers share a similar ethos and all others aspire to it.

Why should you go?
This is not your typical approach to barbecue. If Smoke Sweats wanted to play it safe, you’d see the usual suspects like brisket, pulled pork, and chicken on the menu. “The main is a NY ‘F*CK YOU’ to chicken,'“ said Smoke Sweats. “Duck legs are one of the most underrated and sophisticated proteins in the BBQ game. By slow smoking in its own fat, you get a rich flavor that will make you forget everything about chicken.” It’s a play on barbecue that reflects the nature of those who will be eating it. “New Yorkers deserve to eat like Kings,” said Smoke Sweats. Tap the green button below for all the info.

Zaza Lazagna
Greenpoint // 9.30

What’s the drop?
Chef Zahra Tangorra formerly of Cobble Hill community favorite, Brucie, will be bringing her pop-up Zaza Lazagna to Greenpoint bookstore and cafe Archestratus this Friday. The three-course dinner will feature seafood salad, sourdough focaccia, braciole, and a plum tiramisu. Regulars were devastated when Brucie closed, but Chef Zahra wanted to restore the feeling with her pop-up. “I love this community so much and wanted to find a way to reconnect with the folks in it and bring some joy to people during a difficult time,” said Tangorra. If you can’t make it to this dinner, check out Zaza’s regular pop-up here.

Why should you go?
Normally, Zaza Lazagna pops up with Italian American favorites to-go, but this is a chance to get Chef Zahra’s creations served to you fresh and hot. “It feels great to have the chance to do a sit down meal for 70! The tone will be totally ZAZA, high energy, lots of sauce and cheese,” said Tangorra. Don’t miss this chance to bask in saucy glory. Tap the green button below for all the info.

1904 by Katz’s x Alidoro
Select Alidoro Locations // until October 31

What’s the drop?
The M.T.A. likely won’t be dropping their fare prices any time soon (thanks inflation), but at least they’re dropping sandwiches. This is the kind of sandwich that might make you think twice before hopping the turnstile. M.T.A. teamed up with Katz’s Deli and Alidoro for this sourdough rye sub with pastrami, garlic confit cream, Calabrian pepper-Dijon slaw, and provolone to commemorate the opening of New York’s first subway line in 1904.

Why should you go?
The M.T.A. deserves our respect for this one. Entering the food drop game is without a doubt a power move for their business. Choosing Katz’s pastrami as the main event on this sandwich is an act of kindness from M.T.A., far more powerful than the freebies they hand out after 12 rides in a week. The sandwich will be available at all Alidoro locations besides Soho. Tap the green button below for all the info.

YOU SHOULDA 8it!

Not to rub it in, but here’s a couple pop-ups 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.

Din Din

Chef Courtney Sproule’s Din Din at El Condor in the West Village was a hit! Pickled mussels, fresh nectarines, and dehydrated ricotta on crostini made an appetizing ensemble to start the meal. Sturgeon conserva paired beautifully with refreshing mint, sweet tomatoes, and peacotum aioili for the second course. Braised pork met its match with bold and sweet Jimmy Nardello pepper cream and Concord Grape pain perdu as a main. The dinner was finished splendidly by a chocolate shortbread tart with vermouth plum sauce by Chef Ursula Siker.

F*ck That’s Delicious Block Party

The block outside of L’Industrie pizza flooded with foodies last Saturday because Action Bronson teamed up with L’Industrie, Fortunato Bros., Luca Pezzetta from Pizzeria Clementina in Rome, and Badmaash to bring extravagant creations like the mozzarella stick's handsome, talented, cruncy, saucy, cube-shaped cousin: fried lasagna to thousands of people. Action was tossing bodies in the ring the night before but nonetheless he and the whole staff were working HARD, cooking amazing creations, and keeping the line moving, putting smiles on thousands of faces. This pop-up was one for the ages. We had a lot of fun catching up with 8it fam in attendance. Check out the highlights here.

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