Salon du Chocolat New York, November 16 – 17
Salon du Chocolat, a massive, global chocolate expo, comes to New York City. It’s a festival for chocolate-lovers with a taste for the dramatic—unmissable highlights include the Chocolate Fashion Show, featuring dresses made from and inspired by chocolate, and live chocolate sculpture carvings, where artisans will shape huge blocks of chocolate into large-scale figures. International master chefs and chocolatiers, including Miro Uskokovic, pastry chef at Gramercy Tavern and Belgian Master Chocolatier Benoit Racquet, will be demonstrating recipes onstage. In the Salon du Chocolat Junior section, budding chefs can enjoy classes and hands-on activities. The expo will also feature tastings and plenty of chocolate treats for sale, plus the Valrhona Hot Chocolate Festival—an important stop now that chilly November temperatures have arrived.
Javits Center. Tickets $10 – $35.82. More info: salonduchocolatny.com
Grey Goose Friendsgiving “Diner,” November 13
Award-winning chef Jonathan Waxman partners with Grey Goose to take over a local diner for a Friendsgiving meal. Waxman will prepare some of his most beloved dishes, like his Roast Chicken with Salsa Verde, and cocktails will be provided by acclaimed bartender A-K Hada of Greenwich Village’s high tech cocktail bar Existing Conditions. If you can’t make it to the dinner, Grey Goose has also created premade dinner kits with chef Waxman’s recipes and Hada’s cocktails, so you can enjoy a world-class Friendsgiving at home. Partial proceeds from the kits will be devoted to Meals on Wheels America.
210 10th Avenue. Tickets $195, not including gratuity. More info: exploretock.com
Aerobanquets RMX, November 13
The virtual and augmented reality art and dining experience makes its U.S. debut at the James Beard House, after previous iterations in South Korea and China. The installation is inspired by the Futurist Cookbook, a 1932 collection of surreal recipes and wild dinners from the famously outré Italian Futurist movement. In seven courses, artist Mattia Casalegno, restaurateur Roni Mazumdar, chef Chintan Pandya, and Mitchell Davis of the James Beard Foundation take diners through a multi-sensory, VR-augmented dining experience exploring the complexities and boundaries of our taste perception.
James Beard House. Tickets $125. More info: jamesbeard.org
The Joy of Cooking: A New Edition, November 12
Celebrate the newest edition of one of America’s most beloved cookbooks, coming to us 88 years after Irma Rombauer first self-published The Joy of Cooking. Her great-grandson, John Becker, and his wife Megan Scott have updated Joy for contemporary home cooks, while drawing inspiration from its historic past. They’ll be discussing their favorite recipes from the new edition, and how they shaped and refined them to suit the way we cook now—more vegetarian and vegan options, less prep time. Food & Wine’s Kat Kinsman will moderate, with a book signing to follow.
92nd Street Y. Tickets $29. More info: thoughtgallery.org
Seasonal Margaritas Class, November 15
If you’re ashamed of keeping up your summer margarita habit well into hot toddy season, Liquor Labs is here to help. Their mixology class will teach your four autumnal spins on the margarita, using mezcal and infused tequilas, fresh purees, and other tasty ingredients. Sip cocktails and socialize throughout the two-hour class, and offset all that agave with a small plate buffet by Tijuana Picnic, plus veggie trays and cheese boards.
Liquor Lab NYC. Tickets $65. More info: exploretock.com
