Cheers to Five Years: Audi Feastival 2014
Philly’s finest restaurants and FringeArts’ talented performers joined forces on Thursday, September 18, 2014, for the grand soirée that is Feastival. Five years strong, the festival celebrated in style beneath twinkling lights and sweeping canopies at Penn’s Landing along the Delaware River waterfront.
Co-hosts Michael Solomonov, Stephen Starr, and Audrey Claire Taichman welcomed guests to the effervescent event, a highlight of this year’s 18th annual FringeArts Festival. The 18-day Festival serves as “a culmination of the provocative work FringeArts presents year-round… [creating] a cityspace filled with theater, dance, music, visual art and everything in-between.”
Amidst the convivial atmosphere, prep and plating occurred at lightning speed as hungry guests devoured the numerous dishes available.
World Café Live’s marinated ahi (coconut rum glaze, pickled pineapple): Brightly-colored tuna seared just so, perked up by a taste of the tropics.
R2L’s peach and lemon verbena hand pies: Flaky pillows plump with pieces of the stone fruit, a nod to the fading summer days.
Verdad’s BBQ pork carnitas: When meat melts in your mouth, you know it has to be good.
C&R Kitchen’s cream cheese semifreddo: Lovely plating for the decomposed dessert, giving the rich flavors a run for their money.
Zama’s yuzu miso salmon: The silkiness of the fish complemented the crispness of the endive.
Cozara’s Hawaiian tombo poke: Zama’s sister restaurant had their own rendition on the fish-endive combination, delivering a spicier kick to the taste buds.
Will’s chilled New Jersey corn velouté: Treats like these make us believe that summer isn’t over.
Sancho Pistola’s pork belly tacos (pickled onions, salsa boracha, crema, refritos, cilantro, and corn tortillas): You had us at “pork belly.”
Sampan’s hamachi ceviche: A Penn Appétit favorite! The fish lies in an exquisite balance between soy and citrus.
Bank & Bourbon’s smoked pastrami beef shortrib: These tender morsels featured a peppery crust flavoring the beef; would love to see this in a sandwich.
10 Arts’ farro and parmesan tart (apple, pork belly, sage): The grain’s nutty, complex flavor elevated by the salty, rich flavors of accompanying ingredients.
La Calaca Feliz’s ancho barbecue rib torta: Moist ribs layered with avocado and refried beans, all in a tidy sandwich. The better question: “Do you deliver?”
Ela’s salmon tartar (foie gras): A shrimp cracker served as the base for this buttery tartar.
Jerry’s Bar’s Bloody Jerrys: Bloody Marys, meet your new contender.
Laurel’s white chocolate pudding: We promise this is like no other pudding. The intense, extraordinarily creamy pudding–punctuated by the fruity sweetness of strawberries–had us nearly lapping our bowls.
Sweet Box’s assorted desserts (red velvet, bacon maple pancake, Yards chocolate love stout, pumpkin chocolate chip, strawberries & champagne, and espresso hazlenut (vegan) cupcakes; prosciutto crispy treats; and cookie dough brownies): We’re in heaven.
Di Bruno Bros.’ “Prosciutto Around the Globe”: From the US (top left): Prosciutto Piccante, Point Reyes Blue, and Commonwealth preserves. From Spain (right): Jamon Serrano, 1605 Manchego, membrillo, and Marcona almonds. From Italy (bottom left): Prosciutto di Parma, Burrata crema, and caviar. Charcuterie and cheese pairings were never finer.
Bar Ferdinand’s pork belly with compressed melon and piri piri: The Portuguese chili pepper perked up the unctuous strips of pork, while melon cooled the tongue.
Metropolitan Bakery’s French macarons (strawberry dark chocolate (top), white chocolate and lemon (middle), chocolate coconut almond (bottom)): Interesting combinations, intense flavors, and gorgeous construction to boot: what more could you want from a macaron?
Lotus Farm to Table’s basil cured octopus (peaches, tomato, and feta): Sweet, salty, and briny, all at once.
Farmer’s Road’s peanut butter and jelly cotton candy: Swirling poofs of spun sugar with an unexpected taste twist. (Reminds us of the cotton candy grapes we saw at Fair Food Farmstand and Di Bruno Bros. recently.)
Audrey Claire’s Leche Flan (coconut, whipped cream, and dehydrated pineapples): Denser than most flans, the dessert was (thankfully) less sweet than others we’ve tried.
Opa’s tiropita (phyllo, feta, and thyme honey): Sweet and flaky with a tangy, savory surprise within.
Éclat Chocolate’s gourmet bars and truffles: The buttery liquid caramel truffle lingered on the tongue, while the Peruvian Nacional truffle featured floral, fruity, and nutty notes. The bars satisfied our chocolate cravings as well, with the Pennsylvania Dutch pretzel and toasted corn varieties offering a welcome crispness.
Bingbing’s pastrami bao bun: Chinese cuisine meets Jewish deli flair in a nicely toasted package.
Fork’s cured fluke (gooseberries): The sashimi is cured with kombu and pounded like carpaccio, accented by the slightly sour currant family member.
Noord’s braised pork bitterballen: Perky mustard brightened the hearty Dutch snack.
Libations flowed readily, like this bright pink concoction infused with blueberry and sweet corn…
…a Calico Jack- and pineapple-based beverage fit for a sailor (a refined one, at that)…
…and wine aplenty.
The FringeArts performers left us breathless. They twirled in hoops and did skateboard tricks…
…demonstrated incredible balancing acts with their bare hands and feet…
…and swung about on flexible “stilts” (for lack of a better word) precariously.
Cheers to five years of Feastival (and to many more)!
— Nicole Woon & Katie Behrman
Full menu here!