BROOKLYN MEDIA GROUP OCTOBER 6 - OCTOBER 12, 2017 37
DINING OUT
Ridge’s best tempt diners at
annual foodfest
BY HELEN KLEIN
HKLEIN@BROOKLYNREPORTER.COM
Donna McLeer with Dylan and Ruby served up Brooklyn
Firefly’s array of pizzas.
Ridge’s best tempt diners at annual
foodfest
Nearly 50 restaurants and a
local liquor store strutted their stuff at
the Taste of the Ridge, a celebration of
the culinary diversity of Bay Ridge put
on each year by St. Patrick’s to benefit
both the school and the parish.
Now in its 21st year, the foodfest —
held in the fall, this year, instead of the
spring — provided attendees with the
opportunity to sample dishes from
many of the neighborhood’s best
restaurants, representing an array of
cuisines from Italian to Middle Eastern,
Mexican to Japanese, Spanish to
American, all set out in the St. Patrick
Catholic Academy auditorium, at
Fourth Avenue and 97th Street.
And, sample they did. Parishioner
Tom Donovan, who was enjoying a
plate of food at one table, noted, “A lot
of people made some serious effort
here. It’s a good day as you can see, a
community day.”
Among the highlights were a paella
brimming with shellfish from Spanish
staple Sancho’s, and two varieties of
Mac and Cheese (one with Buffalo
chicken, the other with steak) from
another neighborhood favorite, the
Wicked Monk.
The plethora of food so overwhelmed
one diner that she could be
heard asking, “Is it a sin to overeat? I
have to ask father.”
Among the items that tempted my
palate were the Spinach Pie from Al
Koura, a triangle of dough folded
around a tangy filling. The lemony
bright Hummus from Tanoreen was
another star, as was the tart and
creamy Babaganoush from Alsalam.
BROOKLYN MEDIA GROUP/Photo by Helen Klein
Fushimi, which brought both sushi
and cooked options to the event, provided
a bountiful spread — among
its offerings were yummy Shrimp
Shumai and vegetable dumplings
(Gyoza), both of them neat little morsels
enhanced by sweet soy dipping
sauce that teased the palate.
I had to resist the urge to return for
another sample — a difficult decision
made easier by the fact that there were
so many other different foods to try,
such as the Singapore Rice Noodles,
curry-inflected, sweet and spicy and
studded with plump shrimp and
chicken, cooked up by 86 Noodle and
offered alongside its Bacon Fried Rice.
I was also drawn by the selection of
pizzas from one of the nabe’s newest
purveyors, the Brooklyn Firefly,
which even included a vegan pie in its
offerings.
I tried the pie topped with fresh arugula,
ricotta and pesto and enjoyed the
combination of flavors and the crispy
crust.
Other, more traditional pizza-makers
were also on hand, among them Bay
Ridge Pizza, whose co-owner Gasper
Tumminello came prepared not only
with a plethora of pies but also half a
dozen other dishes, from Baked Ziti to
Mussels Marinara to Chicken Francese.
Tumminello wouldn’t take my “I’m
too full to try anything else” for an answer;
I left his table with a plate brimming
with Mesclun salad that featured
candied walnuts, strawberries, pear
slices and dried cranberries and was
dressed with a sweet-tart raspberry
vinaigrette that turned out to be the
perfect grace note to an amazing afternoon
of nibbling.
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Marie-Annette Stack (M.A.S.) and Dick Bennett have kept the big
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including: Weddings, Outdoor Concerts and Private Events. Stack
and Bennett met while playing in a big band at the now defunct
T.J. Bentley's in Bay Ridge. Stack was a regular musician with the
band and Bennett came in to substitute for the drummer. They
formed M.A.S. Swing and have been together ever since.
M.A.S. Music offers live music for all types of events. In addition to
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Please visit the website: www.mariestack.comor call
Marie Stack917-841-1617 for more information.
Loyal Order of the Moose
7711 18th Ave. (Bet. 77th & 78th Sts.)
Bensonhurst, Brooklyn, NY 11214