For those that don’t know “Locals Only” is a series of promotions for a limited number of people where access is granted to a limited number of people each day until a quota is filled. Typically, the first people to answer a series of questions correctly on topics about NYC (people, landmarks, etc, etc) are granted access.
I was fortunate enough to get access to the Common concert, as well as the latest promotion, David Chang (of Momofuku fame) cooking out of a street cart for about 200 people:
(yes, that’s me in the first 1/2 second of the video, in the green shirt while they are moving down the line)
It would seem a lot of people are making a big dealabout it too, as they should, not just because everyone has their head where the sun doesn’t shine, but because the man makes damn good food. The fact that he did it out of a street cart and coolers is nothing short of remarkable.
And to top it all off, it came in the fold-up cartons that you would typically get from a street meat vender.
It was tucked away on an empty lot at the corner of Lafayette and Houston. The size was perfect, and the weathr that day (Friday, April 24th) was just amazing. Of course, the Changster was on hand to serve food up himself:
And despite his policy of not allowing photos being taken in Ko, he was very gracious, taking pictures with anyone who asked:
And make no mistake, he actually remembered me from a night that I dined at Ko.
When you arrived, you were given a “menu” which was a choice from three options, vegetarian, pork and chicken. You could also opt for the “dealer’s choice” where you were at the whim of the chef.
I should have known better than to arrive at the event at 12:30, when the event ran from 11 am to 3 pm, as two of the three offerings for the “dealer’s choice” were already gone. From what I have read and heard from others was that it was lobster with a poached egg and foie gras.
*sigh* I had to settle for the pork menu, which consisted of one of the Berkshire pork buns (a take on Peking Duck if you have never had it), as well as rice pasta in a spicy sauce. For those that have had Korean food, yes, it’s dukbokgi:
For something that I had to settle for, it was damn good. =)
I was fortunate to try one of the “dealer’s choice” items, the lamb shawarma:
Along with that were some collared greens, a bit of rice, and some very nice roasted/griddled beets.
I have to say something about this lamb. This is quite possibly the best lamb I have ever had, and it came from a street cart. I mean, it was on a rotating spit, just like the gyros you would get on the street, except this was a real leg of lamb, pink on the outside, with a nice crust on the outside.
And being that I haven’t had a chance to go to the Momofuku Bakery yet, I thought it a nice gesture that they bring it to me in the form of their donut soft-serve:
And holy schnike! It’s a donut, in ice cream form. There was even a light dusting of cinnamon sugar on the top. While I still fail to comprehend the nature of this creation, the taste was nothing short of amazing.
I’m really looking forward to seeing what NBC will come up with next…
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