This is the most important election our life, and probably yours too. No matter which way you lean, your voice is needed and important to truly understand what we stand for and care about. To that end, voting is not as easy as you’d think and getting to the polls even harder especially with the pandemic. Amplifying the already growing food insecurity faced in our country, getting to the polls versus waiting on a food line is a choice that most likely leads to your vote not being cast. To combat this The Infatuation, Zagat, and The Migrant Kitchen have joined forces and launched Feed the Polls, an effort to bring the maximum amount of voters to the polling stations by using free meals as the incentive. The hope is to help every American have a voice, which is what we want, now more than ever. Helping is simple, a $10 donation buys one meal.
More Dinner Places
Franks’ Backyard Chef Series III
I love a good backyard party. The fact is, I have not been throwing nearly enough of them in the past few years ever since my Brooklyn deck turned into a Queens backyard. That is not to place blame as much as it is to publicly say I am bringing them back this summer. If you don’t get an invite or if you prefer the professional chef version of this American past time, I have great news but it’s unfortunately not directions to my house. The two Franks, yes those Frankie Spuntino legacy guys, have just announced their 3rd annual backyard chef series. For those of you who live under a rock (aka. Deep Queens or the Upper West Side) Frank and Frank did some remodeling last year. They closed Prime Meats, their German steak house, and converted it into Franks. Confusing I know. Their reinvented spot is split between a wine bar and a trattoria. They also expanded the Frankie’s Spuntino dining room which allows for a new and improved backyard scene. All this means that this years line up has some new space and some new ingredients, or accouterments, to play with. The guest chefs include some of my favs like Angie Rito from Don Angie’s and Greg Baxtrom of Olmsted. A few out-of-towners are in the mix like the talented Kristian Baumann from Copenhagen’s Restaurant 108. The best part of all this is the entire evening is communal. From the welcome drinks to the long dining table you’ll make new friends at, things will get intimate. The spots at the table will fill up fast so make sure you pick a chef and grab up some seats before your only option is a useless attempt at a remake in your friend backyard alley, a $6.99 Walmart mini- bricket bbq and a 6-pack of canned rose. May 15th thru September 25th in Brooklyn.
A Night In by Adá Supper Club
Hayground Chef’s Dinner
Dinner, food science, your favorite chefs and helping kids. We should end this post right there. There won’t be a better sentence than that in the rest of this post. Despite that not even being a full sentence, we’ll fill you in a bit more. Jeff Salaway was one of the founders of Hayground school and he passed in 2001. His friends and family carried on his mission which is best summed up in the following quote. Jeff believed, “The growing, preparation and sharing of food is a primal human experience and the foundation of family and community.” Sounds a lot like what we’re always talking up. No wonder we were enamored by this event and the work the Hayground School is doing with kids. Although a seat at Hayground Chef’s Dinner is a steep one, it couldn’t benefit a more important cause. Teach a kid to fish Jesus once said. Or, was that Tom Colicchio? Either way, invaluable skills. Sunday, July 31st at 6pm in Southhold, New York.
Summerlong Supper Club helps save your Favorite Restaurant
The folks behind summerlong wine company have launched Summerlong Supper Club, a winter supper club in a box along with 16 fantastic NYC restaurants. With the goal of raising enough money to keep all 16 in business until the summer warmth brings back a sustainable customer cadence. The plan is a 16 week $50/week subscription that guarantee a tasty, well crafted meal. That’s $2million dollars of which $120,000 goes to each restaurant. In addition, 100 meals are being donated to frontline workers. Let’s call that double charity OR better yet New Yorkers for New Yorkers. Without much support from the government, restaurants are left to, unfortunately, fend for themselves. This project is built on how New Yorkers live. Help our own when in crisis. We’ve reacted this way from the blackout to 911 and this is just as critical a moment for the community. They are offering pick-up and delivery (inside a fairly generous neighborhood range) The FAQ’s explain more in-depth but this is an awesome program built to ensure your favorite restaurants are still around come summer.