Cook Out NYC - by Arthur Zak

Who would have known that one of my friends from junior high school has become a burgeoning foodie and to-be medical student after almost 10 years of acquaintance. I invited Arthur Zak to be our guest blogger for our post on Cook Out NYC. Check him out at his Yelp page, too! ARTHUR IS A REALLY FUNNY GUY!

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STK's Slider

Arthur Zak, of Yelp fame (not really) here. “Hey Arthur, want to go with me to Cookout NYC at Governor’s Island next week?” I says, Sure, Sandra, I says! Little did I know it would be hotter than Satan’s colon that day. However, I am a man of my word, so armed with press passes, I, Sandra, and two other friends strolled through the Cook Out NYC gates.

The venue space thankfully wasn’t too large or too crowded; I was worried about this after hearing about the atrocity known as The Great GoogaMooga.  Luckily, we were able to walk around without bumping into the sweaty shoulders of beer-drinking hipsters. Why, what a perfect Segway™ into the beer provided at this event, courtesy of Sixpoint Brewery. Being super freelance members of the press, we were allowed to enjoy unlimited beers. There were a variety of…varieties, from light flavors to darker, heavy ones. I don’t drink, but I found the Apollo flavor to be tolerable, which is as much as I can say about that.

A cookout would not be complete without stuff being cooked, though! So much food…so much food. There were many vendors giving out an assortment of goodies, though the best ones by far, through general consensus amongst our party members, were the sliders courtesy of STK OUT, a burger establishment in Midtown West. Besides for having an incomprehensible name, the place doled out delicious sliders with medium-rare beef, a pickle, a tomato, cheese, and a black sesame-topped bun sent from the angels themselves. I was surprised by the 1.5 star average Yelp review (out of 5 stars), as everyone in our party greatly enjoyed these burgers.

Honorable mentions go to the wild boar burgers with an amazing green salsa served by Alobar, the brisket (but not the unpalatable lamb sausage) offered by John Brown Smokehouse, and most of the hot dog vendors participating in the Sabrett hot dog competition.

Wild boar burgers from Alobar

Brisket from John Brown Smokehouse

Pork belly and fig

To close out our day, we purchased (yes, actually paid!) a cup of shaved ice from Wooly’s. Now, I was skeptical because I am not a fan of paying for frozen water, but this shaved ice is something spectacular. The demon contraption that shaves the ice makes it so that the resulting product is airy and smooth - almost a blend between Italian ice and ice cream. Top that off with Sea Salt Leche syrup (which tastes like condensed milk [which in turn tastes like heaven]) and it was simply joy in the 100 degree weather.

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Shout out to Jimmy Carbone of Jimmy's No. 43 and Khadeem Oh of Mama O's Premium Kimchi