Taste of Times Square

Occasion: Taste of Times Square - neighborhood restaurants offer up some small plates, get some publicity
Location: Times Square, natch. Tents were set up on Broadway between 45th and 47th, and on 46th between Broadway and 9th Ave
Edibles: tickets were $1 and plates cost between 1 and 5 tickets; my choices described in further detail below

Musings: Thanks to my co-worker Charles, who threw the brochure on my desk just as I was getting ready to head out. Never one to say no to a food event - especially one right outside my doorstep - I immediately agreed to join him.

It was bright and sunny, the perfect weather to wander around and nibble. I lost Charles almost immediately, so I did a first pass by myself. Eventually, Amy was able to escape work and I did a second lap with her. The eats:

Bond 45 - Italian meatballs with olive focaccia (2 tickets). Decent but didn't blow me away.

Encore - Pulled BBQ chicken on a brioche bun with corn relish (2 tickets). Yummy. Really good flavor on the chicken.

Brasserie 1605 - Crabcakes with chipotle aioli (3 tickets). Great crabcake. Almost solid crab. Thumbs up to the chef for resisting the urge to cheap out by adding a lot of bread as filler. That napa cabbage slaw was horrible, though.

Carmine - Shrimp fra diavolo (3 tickets). Disappointing. Not very spicy and the shrimp were rubbery.

The Library - Seafood ceviche (2 tickets) and strawberry shortcake (1 ticket). The ceviche was EXCELLENT - one of the two dishes I went back for seconds on. I loved the watermelon, and the chill and acidity of the ceviche were wonderfully refreshing on a warm summer's night. The shortcake was meh.

Shula's Steak House - Blackened tenderloin tips with bbq and béarnaise sauce (3 tickets). The other dish I had seconds of. Surprisingly tender and juicy for meat cooked in advance and served out of a chafing dish.




And a special mention goes out to the Times Square Visitor's Center, which apparently sells hand-made fudge. I bought a chunk of peanut butter chocolate fudge for $3 that lasted me as many days in the office, one little bite of heaven at a time...