Balloon drop! Courtesy of Taste of the UWS.
Taste of the Upper West Side, the annual food festival that serves as a showcase for local restaurants, is coming back in October, after a hiatus last year because of the coronavirus. While the past year and a half has been devastating for local restaurants, several new spots have also opened — and many are expected to be featured in the festival.
It will take place on October 1st and 2nd under a tent in the schoolyard on Columbus Avenue between 76th and 77th Street. The organizers are requiring proof of vaccination to enter, and say Covid-related guidelines will be updated as the event gets closer.
“It is open air, even though it’s under a tent,” said event organizer and restauranteur Don Evans.
People who had already bought tickets to the 2020 event can use them for this year’s event, Evans said. “Virtually no one asked for their money back” after that event was cancelled due to Covid, he said. That means that several hundred tickets have already been accounted for, so he expects that the event may sell out quickly.
This year, the first night’s Grillin’ in the City event will include a beer garden, along with at least 27 restaurant booths. Among them are some new spots like “Slovenian/American hotspot Pekarna, and the Guadalajara ‘hole-in-the-wall’ Covacha.” Tickets are $99.
The second night, Best of the West, features more than 30 restaurants, including new ones like Israeli restaurant Dagon. Tickets are $135, or $215 for a VIP ticket, which offers early access and a seating section.
The event is being sponsored by Mastercard and American Airlines, and people with American Airlines-sponsored Mastercards can get discounts on the tickets. West Side Rag is a media sponsor.
I believe this is also known as a super-spreader event. At least it would be if the UWS was mostly Republicans instead of Democrats.
Outdoors? Gimme a break, Thom.
Superspreader–just what we need.
I’ve not been to one of these, can someone tell me what it’s like? Because I envision a huge mob of people, pressing to get bitty warehouse store sample size tastes of food, dressed up fancy, for a lot of money.
MHK, food samples are generous and you can keep coming back. I’ve been three times and have a lot of fun and always leave stuffed.