New York

Before you even start reading, just get your tickets. Now. This excellent food and drink adventure always sells out. And for good reason. On March 29th under one gigantic roof, the Village Voice has pulled together over 70 amazing culinary participants from burgers to buns to beer to booze to every other foodie delight you can imagine. Sample unlimited amounts of grub and down as much booze as possible (in a very responsible way of course) for less than what a regular meal costs you on a Tuesday night in Manhattan. Drool alert: Go to the Village Voice's website for the full list of restaurants and liquor sponsors. And remember, don't wait and get shut out. If you haven't already got your tix like we suggested in the first sentence, you have another chance right here. Happy eating!

Photo:  Courtesy of Village Voice

Confession: The first book I bought when I landed in New York a few years back was not NFT. (Shhhh...don't tell the boss.) It was Village Voice food critic Robert Sietsema's Food Lovers Guide to the Best Ethnic Eating in New York. I'd throw that yellow paperback in my backpack, hop on the subway, and pick whatever sounded good that day. I'd religiously check off each place as I visited them and start planning my next outing. I couldn't get enough. Now Mr. Sietsema holds an annual party to celebrate the amazing foods of New York: The Village Voice's Choice Eats. No need to run all over the five boroughs--on this night all the best eateries come directly to you. The event on March 22 will be the third annual shindig with a ton of great restaurants chosen by Sietsema himself including Porchetta, Despana, Xi'an Famous Foods, Cafe Glechik, and about 60 other tasty spots. And for you booze hounds, don't fret. There's a ton of great beer, wine, and alcohol to help you wash down the mountains of chow. As always get your tickets now, because this event always sells out.

Photo:  Courtesy of Village Voice

Bank bailouts, tax breaks, infrastructure investment...the debate is raging on how we can fix the economy. None of these seem to be catching fire, so I present a new approach: Let's eat our way out of this damn downturn. A good place to start is at the Village Voice's Choice Eats event on March 31st at the 69th Armory in Murray Hill. For the low price of $35 (less than the price of most entrees in Manhattan), you'll have access to some of the best cuisine in the city. We're talking Fette Sau, Pinche Taqueria, Momofuku Milk Bar, Porchetta, Jimmy's No. 43, and lots of other foodie favorites. Robert Sietsema (the Village Voice's culinary explorer and organizer for this event) has also made sure some of his outer-borough favorites will be represented like Peppa's Jerk Chicken from Flatbush and Cheburechnaya (Uzbeki kebabs!) from Rego Park. So throw some money back into the economy, support local businesses, and stuff yourself silly. If the ship is going down, we might as well pig out while we can.

Photo:  Courtesy of Village Voice

I love traversing the boroughs in search of the tastiest morsels our city's diverse citizenry can offer, but sometimes I just wish all that far-away grub could just come to me. Last night, a goodly amount did exactly that at the Choice Eats tasting party sponsored by the Village Voice and curated by its wondrous eater-in-chief Robert Sietsema. If you missed it, do not make the same mistake in 2009. One $25 ticket is sure to fill your belly, expand your palate, and inspire future food pilgrimages to some of the 30 restaurants participating. Sure, haters will say that it was crowded, a few things ran out early, and there were altogether too many rice-based plates on offer. Pfft. They should've joined me in imitating a member of the competitive eating circuit, downing deliciousness like Margon's octopus salad, Fatty Crab's coconut rice, Tiffin Wallah's chaats, Deshi's fusha, Culpepper's cou-cou, Krik Krak's griot, Albert's Mofongo House's pernil, El Anzuelo Fino's causa rellena...I'm embarrassed to think about all the things that went down the hatch. Then there were the cocktails and samples of beers by Victory, Ommegang, Blue Point, and Samuel Smith. Ain't no party like a Sietsema party, that's for sure.

Photo:  Courtesy Roomorama