Open wide for the fourth annual Lucky Rice festival of Asian cuisine and cocktails, which goes down at the end of April/beginning of May. The week-long fest brings together a variety of hot-shot chefs and mixologists for a series of well-attended parties and dinners, ranging from the popular cocktail party on the roof of the Bowery Hotel to the Night Market, which has moved from DUMBO to the Meatpacking District's Maritime Hotel this year. There will also be a "A Chinese-Jamaican 'Rasta!' Dinner" hosted by Sean John (Spur Tree Lounge), who's creating a one-night-only menu of West-Indian spices blended with Asian-influenced recipes.
"This Stinks! Fermented Food Favorites from Asia," features a sake pairing with fermented foods dinner at the pop-up Luckyrice Parlor at 168 Bowery. The menu will touch on classics like Japanese “miso zuke” and Korean kimchi, as well as "more esoteric pleasures including Cambodian fermented fish and Laotian sour sausage." Also at the new Luckyrice Parlor: a ramen "slurpfest" paired with Asahi Beer and a sold out opening night dumpling party presented by trendy chef Danny Bowien (Mission Chinese) and fellow scenester James Murphy. Every event and tasting will feature Asian-inspired cocktails with Bombay Sapphire EAST, in addition to other beverages.
Most of the events are still on sale—the dinners at the Luckyrice Parlor will set you back $88 including drinks, while the typically fun cocktail party at the Bowery Hotel gets you a three hour open bar with great drinks for $50—but they are starting to sell out, which is why we're telling you about this now. And as with all of these food festival events, if you're not paying extra for VIP early-entrance, you definitely want to arrive early, like before the doors open. With tasting events, it's all about surfing the crowded wave before it crashes into shitshow shore.
