"The Magnificent Seven"...Days of Eating in NY

OK!!!!!

I'm bloggin again after a long hiatus, NO!!!!!!!!!!!!! I was not on a diet, just busy working, excuse me eating....in the past year there have been many food stories worthy of "swining and dining", but I just completely an amazing 7 day run in NYC. And simply it must be shared. As for my year plus absence.....one word why I haven't blogged.....LAZY!

No that the couch has been medically removed from my ASS!, I'm ready to rock again.

One favor though....please make sure you eat before you read the following blogs.

DAY 1 Friday May 12 through Midnight Saturday May 13

Me on my cell phone "Hey Joe, I'm gonna be hungry when I get off the plane, we're gonna eat!" Good ole Joe, Joe is one of the "3 Amigos" on my Asia trip last Spring...
so he knows....the Swine is on. I have to go back a couple of weeks to tell you how this trip came about. Anyway, the Swine is now living in Seattle...opening a new restaurant...details in future blogs....food is the business now, originally NY was to be a business trip with my biz partner, schedules changed, but I decided still to go. WHY? Dude.....the Brooklyn Pigfest 2007 was happening on Sat. May 13...any other questions, it may have been over a year since I'ved graced these web pages, but like wine, this Swine, has gotten better with time.

JFK at 1am Sat May 13th, Joe is there like the champ he is to pick me up....and he doesn't disappoint....Pizza Squares from L&B Spumoni Gardens in Brooklyn....legendary....a half sheet pan my friends (thats 12 squares).

2am.... 4 squares firmly in my stomach.

11am....rise and shine off to the Brooklyn Pigfest

1pm... Sat. May 13 we arrive at the "Fest" (at this point it can be called the "Fest").....we meet up with my chef buddy Frank (also the Asia trip 2006 Alum)...I am armed with a dining death squad....Bring on the Pig!!!!!

Did I mention that it was all you can eat and beer. With beer in hand we proceed to the Boooo-Faaaaaayyyyyy! As I walk up to the pig attendant (the guy at the table service the pig) I look him in the eye and say.... "Where is the head part, start there....I want the shiniest, stickiest, and non-fibrous pieces of meat you can find!" He looked back, no smile on his face, he knew I meant business. Then we pile on the pork ribs, smoked chicken, pork sausage, beans with pork, coleslaw and then lather our plates with the sauce.

"Heaven....I'm in heaven....I'm in heaven when you....." come on everyone sing with me...."Heaven, I'm in Heaven...da da"

2pm Plate No. 1....history...on plate No. 2, at this point we are joined by a new chef friend of mine, Aaron. He gladly participates in the "Fest" and piles on the pig. The event is scheduled till 6pm so we figured at half-time we would take a break...the beer games now begin. Not going into detail, the beer games lasted 30 min. for yours truly....I'm one who can drink em down, but when you have to do some "semi-athletic bouncing quarters type flip the cup thing" after you just ate enough food to feed a small country...not too good.

3pm Ahhhh, half-time???? yeah right...I'll save you the geography lesson, but in walking distance is Grimaldi's Pizza...oh yes...could this be the second leg of the "Pizza Triple Crown". Me on the cell phone "I'd like to order 2 pies, Margherite, for pick up...ten minutes, no problem". Those ten minutes were passed with a glass of Brooklyn Summer Ale. So me and another warrior, Chris (Joe's brother) takes the whole 1 block walk to Grimaldi's (btw known as Patsy's for new yorkers) Chris walks in and reappears like a knight in shining armour, except with 2 pizzas. We proudly stroll back to the "Fest", to the envy of the door people...we walk in flaunting the pies.

3:45pm I believe the words "youre crazy" were uttered as we placed the pies on the table....D LISH!!!!!

3:50 the second pie was holding on for dear life, but we had to save some for the girls...hey "Where are the girls?"

3:55 I must say I love these girls...Frank's Sister Teresa, her friends Toni and a player to be named later. Am I dreaming....Jacque Torres Chocolatier....across the street. "Heaven.....I'm in Heaven...da da da" We make our way to catch up with the girls at the "Jacque"...women and chocolate...I knew they didn't need help
ordering. Cash register rings up $150.00 "in Chocolate". Rock Stars!!!!

4:15 Again to the envy of the door people we walk back into the "Fest" with CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIE ICE CREAM SANDWICHES AND TRUFFLES. Someoone pass me a tissue...I'm having a moment.

5pm Imagine 11 people around a table who just ate all you can eat pork, 2 hours of beer drinking games, pizza from grimaldi's, and CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIE ICE CREAM SANDWICHES AND TRUFFLES. Nuff said.

6pm "Fest" has come to a tearful and bellyful end....Exlax anyone? Half of us decide to go into the city for drinks....yes this is still Day 1. After 3 hours of drinking (Mom, we took taxis) we recruited 2 more of my friends, Bethany and Mark. Remember these names and the names previously mentioned as they will appear throughout the "Magnificent Seven". At this point, Bethany is hungry...she had a friend in town and her friend Nicole (Cutie) was craving what.....PIZZA....could this be the Third leg of the "Pizza Triple Crown"....what is this place I speak of...Lombardi's, Little Italy. My first trip to Lombardi's was with my buddy Mark, so it was "appropo" that he be there.

9:30 pm We finally get sat upstairs above the 100+ year old coal pizza oven. Hunger is in the air...so thick you could cut it like a piece of cheese. As the chairman of the evening I take the reigns and begin to order....breadsticks, salad (there were women present) and 4 wait 3 pies...What how can I go from 4 to 3.....dude and dudettes...the server cut me off....she says we ordered too much...I excused this lack of confidence she had with my "Pizza Posse". I'm sure she was unaware of the days events...I cut her some slack.

10:15 2 pizzas down....so good...seriously...I not even gonna write anything more about how good this pizza is....can't do it....there are no words. At his point Bethany's friend Nicole (did I mention Cutie) actually I must mention the women that ate with me this trip are as beautiful as you can imagine....but even sexier...they eat...sorry I got side tracked...she is on her way.

10:45 pm Nicole arrives, we saved her a few pieces...she picks one up and starts picking off the meatballs...............NO!!!!! the table sighs....we ordered her a cheese pizza, the server realized we came to play. Nicole was slightly startled but the "Pizza Posse" understood and didn't take offence. The cheese pizza arrived along with a side of what....meatballs......I had to order them its like "food karma"....I had to balance the food universe after the meatballs were removed from the other pizza...it was only right.

12am I need a cigarette.....damn that was HOT!!!!! Recap....pizza, beer, pig, pizza, chocolate, more beer, beer, pizza. Any questions.

DAY 1 DONE!!!