It's no secret that Mr. W. and I enjoy food (really, who doesn't?). He likes to cook, I like to bake, and we both love to eat. Each month, a significant portion of our budget goes towards food and food-related experiences.
For our most recent 20-Dollar Date, we wanted to do something that involved lots of great food for not a lot of money. Madison Square Eats was the perfect option. It's a month-long outdoor food festival/market where various New York restaurants and vendors sell small portions of their dishes at reasonable prices.
Mr. W. and I have gone to Madison Square Eats for the past two years and enjoyed ourselves both times. This year, we teamed up with Mr. W's younger brother and his girlfriend. This is one of those activities that makes for a great double date. The four of us decided to use the "divide and conquer" approach: two of us found a table and saved seats for our group (tables fill quickly) while the other two scouted out the booths and stood in line to purchase food.
My favorite part about Madison Square Eats (besides the good, cheap food) is that we were able to try an assortment of new restaurants and food purveyors at the same time, and in the same fun location. It's also a great way to learn about the hottest food trends, if that's your thing.
And, you can't beat the prices. The four of us spent just $50 in total for lunch, or $25 per couple. We tried eight different dishes and shared everything. There was so much food that no one was hungry enough to even consider eating dinner. So, really, $25 per couple for lunch and dinner. That's a great deal.
These are the items we tried:
- Two tacos, beef and chicken, from Calexico ($6)
- Cheese tamale from Mexicue ($4)
- Green chile macaroni and cheese from Mexicue ($4)
- Two Vietnamese-style hotdogs from Asiadog ($9)
- Teriyaki shrimp balls from Mimi and Coco NY ($6)
- Broccoli rabe arancini from Arancini Brothers ($4)
- Two empanadas, beef and chicken, from La Sonrisa Empanadas ($8)
- Pork dumplings from Hong Kong Street Cart ($9)
If you're in the NYC area, please stop by Madison Square Eats! If you do, I'd love to hear your take. It's running through Friday, May 31st. For more info, read here and here.
This post was not sponsored by Madison Square Eats, Urban Space NYC, or the Madison Square Park Conservancy.
That sounds awesome. My favorite NYC restaurant (it's a chain) is MAOZ.
ReplyDeleteI've been meaning to try MAOZ. We've walked past various locations several times and been intrigued. We'll have to give it a try next time we're in NYC!
DeleteYum! I'm jealous that you live close enough to zip into the city and partake in something like this. Our town does something like this, but the prices but it can't compare to the food diversity of NYC. ;)
ReplyDeleteThe variety of food options is one of my favorite aspects of living near NYC. Sure, there are lots of pricey places. But even if we want to try something new without spending a lot of money, there are always a ton of choices!
DeleteOops, please excuse my mildly incoherent last sentence.
DeleteI do that all the time -- no worries!
DeleteI love Calexico, so glad to see them on the list!
ReplyDeleteCalexico is fantastic! As a California native, I always love some good Mexican street food. We tried Calexico last year, as well, and were glad they participated again this year.
DeleteNice! We have a lot of food fairs like that around here, though they usually only last for a day and are run by a charity like Lions Club or Junior League. They're great fundraisers and excellent promotional opportunities for restaurants that are new or want to showcase a new menu item.
ReplyDeleteOh wow, I'd never heard of this! It sounds great (as do those prices). May have to stop by this week.
ReplyDeleteThere's also a Calexico opening in my neighborhood (eventually - I think it was supposed to launch last fall). Can't wait to try it.
Oooh...BF and I are both foodies and we'd love to visit NYC during this time!
ReplyDelete