On March 29th, foodies and history buffs (and those with both obsessions) were transported back in time to the Lower East Side of the late 1800s. Forget modern-day bar snacks like questionable trail mix and stale peanuts, guests at Free Lunch were treated to an period-authentic spread of pickled herring and pretzels, Red Wattle ham and Berleburg cheese, all washed down with beers from the Brooklyn Brewery. Teaming up with the Lower East Side Tenement Museum, Free Lunch aimed (and succeeded) in re-creating this historical tradition where bars would offer a buffet to drinking patrons. To further get into the spirit of the past, the museum gave mini-tours of two apartment kitchens. The women’s suffrage movement made it possible for today’s female guests to join in on the festivities: One fun fact that was picked up at Free Lunch- a respectable woman would never, ever have been seen at a saloon back in the day. The night was captured on film by Scott Gordon Bleicher, and you can check his photo handiwork on our Facebook page, or watch the NY1 show we ran on Free Lunch earlier this year.
