This post was created in partnership with Capital One. As always, I only work with brands that I
genuinely love!
It has been a little over a week since the weekend-long whirlwind of the New York City Wine & Food Festival, and as I’ve been going through all of my photos to add to this post, I’m somehow hungry all over again?!
The Best Thing I Ate During NYCWFF
I wanted to start out by sharing the best single bite of food I had over the course of the three-day event, but now I’m having a really hard time picking just one.
Was it the chicken & cabbage dumplings from Nom Wah Tea Parlor?
The chocolate babka from Breads Bakery?
The perfect slice of DiFara Pizza?
Or maybe it was the crispy cauliflower or the caprese gummy bears (not a typo) I had at the Crown Shy private dinner on the last night?
What’s the Deal with NYCWFF?
For those who don’t know, NYCWFF is the largest food & wine festival in NYC. It’s epic. When Capital One (the presenting sponsor of both NYCWFF & SOBEWFF) invited me to join them this year, it was not even a question.
Any preexisting plans would be cancelled. My calendar would be cleared. As a New Yorker, this is not the kind of thing you want to miss.
This year, NYCWFF was comprised of 80 events, which can basically be broken down into four categories:
- Walk-Around Tastings
- Culinary Demos
- Masterclasses
- Intimate Dinners & Brunches
Why Does it Pay to be a Capital One Cardholder?
Many of these events are either hard to get tickets for, as they sell out quickly, or if you do have tickets, the events can get VERY busy, very fast. That’s where it comes in clutch to be a Capital One credit or debit cardholder. Among the perks you’re treated to?
- Exclusive pre-sale ticket access
- Early entry to the various events
- Discounted tickets
- Access to Capital One Cardholder exclusive events with celeb chefs like Morimoto & Giada De Laurentiis
The VIP Experience…(aka I hate waiting in lines)
On Friday night, we went to the Taste of Italy event at the Intrepid on Pier 86. Technically it started at 7pm — but Capital One cardholders are able to get 30-minute early entry. Perhaps 30 minutes doesn’t seem like much… but believe me when I tell you: it’s like having an entire food festival to yourself.
You spend 30-40 minutes having bites from all of the vendors with NO lines, and then by the time general admission is let in, you’re already full and ready to take a breather. By 8:15, the crowd dies down a bit, and you go back to your favorite vendors for round 2. It is a nearly perfect system.
We did the same for the Goldbelly Best of New York event the next night, and once again—flawlessly executed.
Beyond early access, you’re also able to get exclusive access to events that are only open to Capital One cardholders (like the awesome Baked by Melissa class we did!)
Other exclusive events included: Sushi Making with Morimoto (!), dinner with Jean-Georges, and a dinner hosted by James Kent, and Bryan and Michael Voltaggio (this is where we ate the magical caprese gummy bears.)
If you know me, you know how much I value efficiency and also how much I love feeling like a VIP (Kidding. Kind of.) This weekend reminded me that I simply could not attend the NYCWFF without being a Capital One cardholder ever again. Once you’ve seen how good it is to get the special treatment, there’s no looking back!
For more info on the card I have, and other reasons I love it, click here.
Major shoutout to Capital One for being such an awesome partner to me & the blog!
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