6 Exciting Things To Do & Eat In NYC Between February 23rd - March 1st
This week, party like you've made it two-thirds of the way through winter (because you have). Round out Black History Month by celebrating Black culinary innovation at the Africa Center, then head to over to some Black-owned businesses making history now, like Daleview Biscuits and Beer. You can also pre-game Mardi Gras with some sourdough and eat vegan Latin food at a comedy show with a full Latinx lineup while you celebrate yourself for making it to the final stretch.
Cafe Erzulie is celebrating five years of bringing Haitian culture, live music, and all the pâtés you require to keep you drinking and dancing in their gorgeous Bushwick backyard. This Friday, they’re moving the late-night party over to another venue in Williamsburg with room for all of their loyal patrons to enjoy their signature cocktails and a stacked lineup of Brooklyn DJs until 5am. Buy your tickets to the anniversary party here.
The contribution of African Americans to the country’s culinary identity is undeniable–African American food is American food. Wednesday, Jan 22nd, in partnership with MOFAD, the Africa Center in East Harlem opens African/American: Making the Nation’s Tables, an exhibition dedicated to celebrating Black American food culture past and present. The exhibition is curated by Dr. Jessica B. Harris, whose book High on the Hog: How African American Cuisine Transformed America inspired a Netflix docuseries of the same name. Chefs, historians, and activists will help tell these stories with immersive VR, the real life '70s Ebony Magazine Test Kitchen, and a tasting inspired by the shoebox lunch.
Venture into 12 St. Marks and you’ll find VSpot Express, the East Village outpost of Park Slope’s VSpot, a vegan Latin restaurant with plant-based takes on chicharrónes and empanadas. Keep going through the back, and you’ll find St. Mark’s Comedy Club, a full-on comedy speakeasy where you can catch some of the city’s best stand ups–including the brothers who own VSpot. This Saturday, February 26th, co-owner-turned-HBOMax comedian Alex Carabano will be headlining an all-Latinx comedy show at the venue. Order the appetizer sampler and hear about the horrified reaction Alex’s Colombian family had to his meatless existence. Entry is free. RSVP here.
This spot is Permanently Closed.
According to 2am dorm room wisdom, bread soaks up all the alcohol in your stomach. We haven’t checked the science, but if you’re observing Mardi Gras next Tuesday, we’d start getting some sourdough in your system now. Mel Bakery is teaming up with baker (and producer of much bread-related media) Artisan Bryan to bring you sourdough medialunas at their “Mardi Gras Luna” popup this Saturday. Enjoy a few fresh ones, and grab some to go–you’ve still got a few days to build a ShamWow in your stomach.
Sunday kicks off Beer Week at Daleview with special food and craft beer pairings all week. This weekend's event is in partnership with Kicks and Kegs, a craft beer apparel company with perhaps the only Instagram that pairs a craft beer with its perfect sister sneaker in every post. Offline, you’ll find beer pairings with wings, pommes frites, and some specials from the owner. Don’t forget to add their signature gluten-free biscuits to your order.
The Brooklyn Chamber of Commerce is celebrating Black History Month with a webinar honoring Black businesses that have made significant impacts in Brooklyn. Amongst the honorees is Shelley V. Worrell, author of The Best Caribbean Food In Brooklyn’s Little Caribbean and founder of I am CaribBEING, a collective helping ensure that Caribbean-American art, culture, and commerce thrive. CaribBEING supports local creators with an online shop, film screenings, and their yearly holiday market held in their CaribBEING House, a bright Bauhaus mobile space you might have seen crawling around Flatbush the past few years. Raise a toast to the innovators pushing the culture forward during Thursday's 6pm livestream at this link.
