Move over, tacos!
A little-known Mexican stew known as pozole will take center stage at a new food and spirits festival coming to Williamsburg this weekend. “Bowl of ‘Zole,” at Biba on March 29, will feature 10 different variations on the meaty soup, which deserves to be as well known as ramen, said the founder of the fest.
“There are a million ramen joints in the city, why not pozole?” asked chef Danny Mena, who runs the pop-up restaurant La Pozolería in Manhattan. “It’s d— delicious!”
The flavorful soup, made with hominy, peppers, and pork or chicken, “knows no social class and is as Mexican as it gets,” said Mena.
Visitors to the event can sample 10 different types of pozole created by local chefs. The bowls will include traditional flavors, including Pozole Rojo, a common chili-based pozole, as well as more exotic creations such as a matzo ball pozole, created by chefs at Williamsburg’s Hotel Indigo.
But the different chefs are not competing with each other, said the event’s producer.
“We didn’t want a competitive atmosphere,” said Jimmy Carbone, “Actually, it’s not really a festival so much as it’s an intimate tasting event.”
Carbone, a restaurateur and founder of Food Karma Projects, the company putting on the festival, said that he wants to shine a light on neglected and under-appreciated Mexican food and drink, with more dishes to be featured at upcoming events.
“This is just the beginning,” he said.
The “Bowl of ‘Zole” will also feature samples of the liquor mezcal, with more than 50 varieties of the agave-based spirit available to taste. Tipplers who fall in love with a particular brand will be able to order a bottle for delivery, using an online link available at the event.
Chefs at the event will create extra batches of pozole to donate to food rescue group City Harvest, said Carbone, which will also receive a percentage of profits.
“Bowl of ’Zole” at Biba (110 Kent Ave. between N. Seventh and N. Eighth streets in Williamsburg, www.bowlofzole.com). Feb. 29; 1–4 pm. $55 ($125 VIP).
