If you haven’t
had enough of the sweltering August weather, heat up your palate
this Sunday at the Tiger Beer-Singapore Chili Crab Festival.
This afternoon-long event is sure to make eyes water, with its
signature dish, sauteed whole blue crabs smothered in fiery chili
pepper sauce with accents of lime and ginger.
Luckily, bottles of beer will also be on sale to quell any three-alarm
taste bud emergencies.
"The cool, full-flavored beer will balance out the spiciness
of the crabs nicely," said Sean Davis, marketing and development
manager at Tiger Beer. In April, the beer won a gold medal from
the U.S. Brewer’s Association for best European-style pilsner.
To help spice up the event, Singaporean chef Christopher Yeo,
who owns Straits Cafe in San Francisco, is being flown in for
the event to supervise the cooking along with the Water Street
Restaurant & Lounge’s head chef, Reggie Taylor.
A barbecue pit will churn out burgers, hot dogs and other American
favorites just outside the restaurant on Water Street off Main
Street.
The festival also hopes to promote Singapore as a travel destination
and will feature a variety of Asian arts such as Chinese dragon
performances, kickboxing demonstrations by members of DUMBO’s
Gleason’s Gym, caricature artists and Asian-style massages.
For one lucky visitor, the East-Asian experience will not end
Sunday, as a five-night trip to Singapore, including airfare
and hotel accommodations, will be raffled off at the festival.
For chili crab recipes, visit www.chilicrabfestival.com.
The Tiger Beer-Singapore Chili Crab Festival will take place
along Water Street between Dock and Main streets in DUMBO, from
noon to 6 pm. Beers: $4; crab dishes: $3. For more information,
call (212) 561-0607.
– Christina Rogers
