Get a taste of the neighborhood!
Hundreds will pack the scenic Williamsburg waterfront on Sept. 17 for the eighth annual Taste Williamsburg Greenpoint Festival, which gives foodies a chance to sample 50 of the best eateries in the nearby nabes. Visitors can satisfy a sweet tooth or bite into something savory — or do both with a scoop from ice cream shop Oddfellows, which will serve a selection of its unique flavors, including Olive Oil Strawberry, said the shop’s owner.
“We’re going to bring a variety of ice cream flavors that we have on our seasonal menu. We change our menu often, daily — and we’ll just bring whatever’s fresh that day,” said Mohan Kumar. “We will probably have end-of-summer favorites — Saffron Passionfruit, Blueberry Honey Buttermilk, Olive Oil Strawberry.”
The Kent Avenue scoop shop will bring five of its 300 different flavors to the festival, serving them in either cups or cones, said Kumar.
Hungry visitors can chow down on either four or eight different dishes, depending on the pass they buy, so they may be able to sample the full range of ice cream flavors, plus several dishes from the other old and new restaurants setting up at the fest.
New eateries on the line-up include the Italian spot Leuca at the William Vale; new neighborhood Georgian restaurant Cheeseboat; Du’s Donuts, from celebrity chef Wylie Dufresne, and Peruvian spot Llama Inn, alongside older favorites including Lighthouse BK, Zona Rosa, and Pies ’n’ Thighs.
The event attracts more people every year, said organizer Dana Krieger, exposing them to local non-profits and community groups as well as dining destinations.
“It has gotten bigger every year, this year we’re really bringing many different elements to it. We always view ourselves of more of a taste of the neighborhood, not just food and drink. We want it to be a great festival all around,” said Krieger, who lives in Williamsburg.
Non-food–inspired programs at the fest will include a performance from Potty Mouth, the Williamsburg School of Music children’s choir; a display of ink from Three Kings Tattoos, and a pop-up market from Artists and Fleas. The festival has something for everyone, said Krieger.
And all proceeds go towards turning the abandoned firehouse on Wythe Avenue and N. Ninth Street into a community center, said Krieger.
“One hundred percent of the proceeds go to the Firehouse North Brooklyn Community Center,” she said. “We want to have a community center that will benefit everyone, to give everyone in the neighborhood — north side, south side, Greenpoint, all the different types of people that live in the neighborhood — a place to go.”
Taste Williamsburg Greenpoint at East River State Park (90 Kent Ave. between N. Seventh and N. 10th streets in Williamsburg, www.taste
