Simmer down, Brooklyn Eats returns

Restaurants dished out samples of their fare to attendees at last year's event.

Photo by Helen Kelin

By Helen Klein

The culinary crossroads of Brooklyn beckons.

On Tuesday, October 27, from 6 p.m. to 8:30 p.m., food-lovers from across Brooklyn and beyond will descend on Stage 6 at the Steiner Studios, 15 Washington Avenue, in the Brooklyn Navy Yard for the borough’s annual gustatory extravaganza, Brooklyn Eats.

Produced by the Brooklyn Chamber of Commerce, the event -- now in its 12th year -- will feature taste treats from around the borough offered up by restaurants, cafés and other Brooklyn-based food and drink purveyors.

Each eatery will offer tastes of some of their specialties to those who attend the event, who can be seen wandering from table to table, balancing small plates, as they try to sample everything (a nearly impossible feat) from appetizers to mini-main dishes to desserts.

Upwards of three dozen establishments are already on board for the event, said Carl Hum, the Brooklyn Chamber’s president and CEO, who noted that, like last year, the event will also feature a bevy of cultural institutions.

“The theme again,” Hum told this paper, “is spend a day in Brooklyn, visit one of our great cultural institutions and, while you replenish your soul, you can also replenish your appetite at one of our many great restaurants.”

Indeed, the restaurants that will be on hand represent a cross-section of the borough’s 1,000-plus eateries, with the offerings ranging from new American to classic Italian, from fabulous French to marvelous Mexican. Think Park Slope’s Magnolia and Palo Santo, Carroll Gardens’ Provençe en Boîte and Oaxaca, and the all-American delights of Soul Spot and Buttermilk Channel, to name just a few.

In addition, representatives of the borough’s increasingly popular lounge scene will also be on hand to add to the conviviality of the evening.

“Foodies and non-foodies alike should come to Brooklyn Eats and sample some of Brooklyn’s finest fare,” urged Hum, who noted that the restaurant industry in the borough was continuing to grow, despite the recession.Brooklyn was taking the lead, Hum added, “in the types of cuisines and the quality of cuisines we are serving these days.”

While attendees will get the opportunity to enjoy’s Brooklyn’s culinary present, they will also get a taste of the borough’s future, thanks to the participation of the New York City College of Technology’s Hospitality Management Program, which will showcase the three students -- Ashley Alioto, Theresa Evans and David Fiumano --who are the recipients of the seventh annual Brooklyn Eats scholarships, awarded by the Brooklyn Chamber.

Register online to attend the event through October 26th. Advance online registration costs $110 per person. Same day tickets can be purchased at the door for $125 per person.