Gothamist

Last night was the Village Voice's 3rd annual Choice Eats tasting event. Held at the 69th Regiment Armory, restaurants from all over the city were invited to serve some of their popular dishes to the hungry masses. Most of them made pork. We did our best to try them all before our pants split, and here are our top five favorites:

Kumquat Cupcakery: These mini-cupcakes were just the right size, made to be enjoyed in one sweet bite like a bonbon. Their three offerings were classic red velvet, chocolate pistachio and chocolate blueberry. The blueberry, out early since it's only sold April-August, consists of chocolate blueberry cake and blueberry cream cheese frosting, which adds a savory balance. It would have been rude to eat just one, so we consumed many, just to be polite.
Luke's Lobster: Though they decided to serve their shrimp rolls instead of lobster, they easily showed why they've been so popular since opening last October. The fresh, cold shrimp was served on a buttered piece of toast with a hint of mayo, some lemon butter and spices. It barely needed the dressing.
Patacon Pisao: This Venezuelan street food place served a whopping six different plates, and pretty much all of them were good. Though they have arepas, the cachapa are the sandwiches worth going for. Made with corn meal bread, butter, mozzarella, sour cream and parmesan cheese, they're almost as sweet as a dessert, though definitely messy. Also popular were the namesake patacons, green plantain sandwiches with meat and garlic sauce.
Cheeky Sandwiches: This New Orleans sandwich shop sadly didn't have their oyster po'boy, but made up for it with a marinated pork chop sandwich with caramelized apples and onion on challah. The apples gave a nice tartness to the mound of pork, which was surprisingly tender for a pork chop. And challah bread never hurts. They also had a butternut squash sandwich with beets and goat cheese for the vegetarian crowd.
Xi'an Famous Foods: The "No Reservations" favorite showed up with their famous Liang Pi "Cold Skin" Noodles, made with wheat flour, seitan, cilantro and spices. It was chewy, spicy and refreshing, with absolutely no need for meat.

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