The Infatuation EEEEEATSCON – Forest Hills Stadium, Queens
As The City Nibbler, is it really possible for me to not go to one of the best food festivals in New York City? No. It’s part of my job description.
Jimmy and I set out to our first major foodie festival in Queens last Sunday, at Forest Hills Stadium, and what a delicious day it was! The Infatuation EEEEEATSCON was a blast. I ate way too much food, and I don’t regret a single bite. Not one. So much deliciousness stuffed into one weekend.
The Food
Let’s start with the most important stuff first – The Food. There were 27 food stalls up and running at EEEEEATSCON this year. Most of the restaurants were out of Manhattan or Brooklyn, but there was a handful from out of state and even out of country. They had a good mix of everything – pizza, hotdogs, hamburgers, tacos, and lots of dessert options like ice cream, doughnuts, cookies, and soft serve.
Hattie B’s Hot Chicken came from Nashville and was the hot spot at EEEEEATSCON. The event opened at 12 PM. I arrived at 12:10 PM. By the time I got there, the line for Hattie B’s was already insanely long. It was over an hour wait. If I could do it over, I would have arrived early to the festival and hurried in line at Hattie B’s first thing for their famous hot chicken sandwich and dirty fries. I heard there was someone who waited almost two hours in line just to be told that they were out of chicken when he got to the front. Poor guy! I missed out on trying Hattie B’s this year, but next year, Hattie B’s, I’m coming for you. Or maybe I just need to book myself a ticket to Nashville and try the actual restaurant myself in person.
Shake Shack and Uncle Boon’s
“Weeks were spent in a burger lab or “kitchen,” creating this mashup.” -EEEEEATSCON
I have always had a thing for Shake Shack. I would argue that they have the best fast food burgers out there. When I saw that Shake Shack created a Thai style burger called, “Boon’s Burger,” inspired by the famous Thai restaurant in Nolita, Uncle Boon’s, I knew I needed it in my life. Shake Shack and Thai food all in one? Yes please! Thai bird chili, garlic mayo, sweet peppers, Thai basil, and crispy egg, on their iconic soft bun. . . it didn’t disappoint. The flavors were right on, a little spicy, but not too spicy, and that egg on the top brought all the flavors together just perfectly. It was like Shake Shack vacationed in Thailand, and I loved it.
Shake Shack and Uncle Boon’s
“Don’t miss the coconut sundae concrete.” -EEEEEATSCON
This little concrete was to die for. With the coconut frozen custard, topped with peanut brittle, toasted coconut, and palm sugar whipped cream, this little guy had me wanting to book an airplane flight to Thailand. I mean, palm sugar whipped cream?!? Get out! I still dream about my days in Thailand eating coconut ice cream out of a whole coconut, and this brought me back. Thanks EEEEEATSCON.
Razza
“If you haven’t tried the incredible wood-fired pies from this Jersey City pizza spot yet, now’s your chance.” -EEEEEATSCON
Jimmy had a blast watching Razza roll out, build, and cook pizzas in their giant pizza oven. Jimmy loves pepperoni pizza. If I came alone, I would have ordered the mushroom pizza or Margherita pizza myself, but for Jimmy’s sake, we ordered the pepperoni. The Little City Nibbler knows what he wants. Jimmy also isn’t a fan of crust, so he gives them all to me and I gladly discard of them into my mouth. Team work. Razza makes great pizzas. Chewy. Soft. Delicious fresh toppings. It was some damn good pizza.
City Cakes
“City Cakes makes some seriously good cookies that are big enough to share (or not.)” -EEEEEATSCON
I am a cookie connoisseur. I only eat the best cookies. Maybe you could say I am a total cookie snob. City Cakes cookies exceeded my high standards in the cookie department. Their cookies are so tasty and enormous. Each cookie is half of a pound! They had the standard flavors of chocolate chip and snickerdoodle, but for EEEEEATSCON they partnered with Bailey’s Irish Cream and made a speciality cookie that I just couldn’t resist. They called it, “Do It For the Graham.” It was a dark chocolate chocolate chip irish cream cookie with a spicy graham cracker crumble and marshmallow piped on top that they toasted right there in front of you. It was heaven sent. I definitely shared it because it was massive!
Salt n’ Straw
“This Portland based ice cream shop is known for putting unusual things in ice cream (and really pulling it off).” -EEEEEATSCON
I have been wanting to try Salt n’ Straw for a while now. Ice cream is the one dessert that I will never get enough of. I know all of the best ice cream places around the country. I own several ice cream cookbooks and have read them from cover to cover like a novel. I’ve always known that Salt n’ Straw was one of the best. In fact, a friend that lived in NYC and then moved to San Francisco told me that she thought Salt n’ Straw was better than any ice cream that she had ever tasted in NYC. That shocked me, and I knew that eating Salt n’ Straw was in my future.
Well, thanks to EEEEEATSCON, I didn’t have to go to the west coast to try Salt n’ Straw. They came to me instead. I was ecstatic when I saw that they were on the list at EEEEEATSCON. The hardest part was choosing what flavors to get. I went with their Salted Malted Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough with rich chunky bites of chewy salty and malty homemade cookie dough, mixed into a super vanilla-y ice cream, and finished with licks of malted fudge swirls. And because I can never get just one flavor, I also had the Birthday Cake and Blackberries with textured hunks of golden technicolor-sprinkled birthday cake crumble, jammy evergreen blackberries, and a double-vanilla ice cream. Both were crazy delicious. I literally scraped out every drop.
The Food Experiences
Twix Cafe
“Come get a free Twix and see which side of Twix goes best with coffee. Pick a side.” -EEEEEATSCON
The Twix Cafe was a fun surprise at EEEEEATSCON that I didn’t expect. They had an area all decked out with comfortable chairs and places to relax. There were signs on the walls that said, “Relax for a While,” and “Chill for a Bit.” They were giving away Twix bars. You had to choose to take a “Right Twix,” or a “Left Twix.” (The candy was the same inside, but the writing on the wrapper was different). They also were offering small cups of black coffee as a dip for your Twix bars, mimicking the famous, “Tim Tam Slam.” Delicious. Creative. Fun. Twix Cafe made us smile.
Tabasco Flavor Station
“Try nine different Tabasco sauces that range from mild to fiery. Add a kick to your food with your favorite.” -EEEEEATSCON
I can’t handle too much spice and Jimmy can’t handle any spice, so the Tabasco Flavor Station was a struggle for us. I kept wishing that Nate had come with us to EEEEEATSCON because he loves spicy food. I thought this was a fun little setup and a great way to try different hot sauces on crackers. I loved the little mini hot sauce jars for takeaway. We brought a couple home for Nate, the spice lover in the family.
La Croix Sparkling Water
“Get a free can of your favorite flavor, or try one of the new ones. They’ll be giving out some swag too.” -EEEEEATSCON
I love La Croix. It’s like drinking water but so much tastier, and without all the added sugar and chemicals. I’d have to say that lime and coconut are my favorite flavors, but I’ll drink them all. I loved that La Croix had a station at EEEEEATSCON and was generously giving away free stuff. We got keychains, pins, drink holders, crazy straws, and tons of free cans of La Croix! I currently have a few cans in my fridge to drink later this week.
Good Foods Guac Tasting
“Look for the Good Foods bikes to try some of their guacamole.” -EEEEEATSCON
Who doesn’t love Guacamole? Who doesn’t love free stuff? I loved that Good Foods was giving out free guacamole and chips. My only regret is that I didn’t eat more of it. Avocados, especially avocados turned into guacamole, is a favorite snack of mine.
Postmates Doughnut Shop
“For a free doughnut, place your order through the Postmates app, then pickup and enjoy at Postmates Doughnut Shop.” -EEEEEATSCON
Postmates collaborated with The Doughnut Project for EEEEEATSCON. If you made an account with Postmates by downloading the app, they gave you a free doughnut from The Doughnut Project, one of my favorite doughnut shops in New York City. I love free stuff, so of course I did it, following all the directions. I walked out with a delicious beet and whipped ricotta doughnut. Sounds weird, but it is the best. The beet icing is sweet and balances with the savory whipped ricotta filling. It’s a match made in heaven, and I am so glad that someone thought of it. And the fact that it was free made it taste even better.
The Entertainment
Sing Harlem
Jimmy and I were in the bathroom when we heard some loud music start to play. We hurried out to see what was happening. The Sing Harlem choral group was performing, and they were so fun to watch. Not only were they so talented, but they are making a difference in the world too through their singing. Their performance inspired me in more ways than one, and I loved listening to them. It was a highlight of the day for both Jimmy and I.
The Kids Area
As a mom to a three year old boy, I always appreciate when the children are remembered at large events typically created for adults. EEEEEATSCON had these fun bean bag tosses set out for the kids to use, adults too, and Jimmy had a ton of fun with them. They also had some wooden blocks for building. If that wasn’t enough, they had a designated kids area, and it was exactly what Jimmy needed. There were two ping pong tables, a balloon artist blowing up balloon animals, and a big playground with three slides. Thanks for remembering the foodies with kids EEEEEATSCON.
Basic Information
What?
A food festival with exclusive limited time only food creations. Entry cost- $30, plus the cost of food. Kids under 6 are free.
Who?
Some of the best restaurants that NYC has to offer as well as the best around the nation, and even some internationally.
Where?
Forest Hills Stadium in Queens, New York.
When?
October 5th and 6th 2019, Saturday and Sunday, from 12 - 6 PM.
If you didn’t make it to EEEEEATSCON this year, it will be in New York City again next year. Put it on your calendar and get ready for another year of good eats! It is such a fun and delicious way to spend the weekend.
