What to do in November!
This is the year of Yes, am I right? Here are some events happening this month to say "Hell Yes!" to.
The Neighborhood presents: Ethiopian Jewish Cuisine with Beejhy Barhany
Wednesday November 09, 7:00 pm - 9:00 pm
Demo Kitchen | Ace Hotel Brooklyn
Join Chef Beejhy Barhany for a glimpse into Ethiopia’s historic Jewish community. She will demonstrate how to make two autumn-friendly dishes: Ethiopian Gomen (braised collard greens) and a spiced lentil stew (messer wot).Beejhy is an entrepreneur and activist born in Ethiopia, raised in Israel, and currently residing in New York City. At a very young age, she emigrated to Israel. She acclimated to Israeli life, living in a kibbutz and joining the army. Soon after, she traveled across South America for a year and then emigrated to the US. She is the founder of the BINA Cultural Foundation, which is dedicated to celebrating and advocating for Ethiopian Jews in North America. She is also the chef and owner of the Ethiopian restaurant Tsion Café, in Harlem, that incorporates cuisine from the many places that have been influential on her journeys. Beejhy will also share stories about her family’s immigration and her childhood in Ethiopia and Israel, and introduce the Jewish influences and heritage behind Ethiopian cuisine. Doors open at 6:30pm.
This event is part of a collaborative series between Demo Kitchen by Ace Hotel and The Neighborhood that has been curated by Leah Koenig, food writer and author of six cookbooks including The Jewish Cookbook and Modern Jewish Cooking.
The Rockaway Hotel Guest Chef Series with Jehangir Mehta
November 10th 7:30pm
The Rockaway Hotel + Spa, one of my favorite places to go for staycations, is hosting its first-ever Guest Chef Series, “Chefs on the Beach,” featuring one of my favorite chefs, Jehangir Mehta on Thursday, November 10th at 7:30 pm. Tickers are $150/person, which includes a 4-course dinner + wine pairing.
Chefs on the Beach is an eclectic dinner series bringing some of New York’s most exciting chefs to the Rockaways for a unique culinary experience. To kick-off the series, the hotel will host award-winning Chef Jehangir Mehta, author of cookbook, "Mantra: The Rules of Indulgence," and former Executive Chef and Owner of Graffiti Earth and Me and You in New York City.
Aligning with the hotel’s Wellness Week, Jehangir will be serving a zero-waste dinner, with menu highlights including sesame avocado jicama sashimi, miso ginger Japanese eggplant and a vegan chocolate tasting.
Japanese Ceramics at 50 Norman
CIBONE’s new exhibition “Invitation to Hideya House”
November 10th — December 9th
Cibone Brooklyn, located at the Japanese restaurant and retail complex 50 Norman, welcomes Japanese creative director hideya to their gallery space this month. In this exhibition hideya will show his own creations, tableware and products for home use that he has made with various craft artists all around Japan, as well as table setting proposals that only hideya can design by combining valuable Japanese traditional antique dishes which from the end of the Edo Period (1603– 1868) and the early Meiji period (1868-1912), all in great condition that can be used at home daily. The exhibition will continue until December 9th.
Kitchen Takeover at Txikito with Ashley Christensen
Tuesday, November 15th, 6pm
Alex Raij and Eder Montero are hosting Chef Ashley Christensen at Txikito to celebrate the 15th anniversary of Poole's Diner. Alex and Ashley are longtime friends, coming together to bring Poole's signature menu of seasonal comfort food to NYC for one night only.
Tickets are $125/person for a multi-course family-style meal and can be booked via Resy. Txikito is located at 240 9th Avenue NYC; additional info here.
White Truffles and Wine at Altro Parasido
November 16th, 7pm.
On the evening of Wednesday, November 16th, Ignacio Mattos’ Altro Paradiso will host a special wine dinner to mark the beginning of this year’s white truffle season.
The 5-course dinner will highlight the rare and aromatic white truffle, and will include wine pairings by their Wine Director, Watson Brown, who has formerly run the wine programs at Eleven Madison Park, Charlie Bird, and Pasquale Jones.
They will be pouring a selection of Barolo wines by Marcarini, Fontanafredda, and the famous Bruno Giacosa all evening long.
The dinner will begin at 7pm, and tickets are limited. Reservations may be made for up to 4 guests. We hope to see you!
Halal and the City
Thursday, November 17
6:30-8pm ET
In-person at Museum of the City of New York
Tickets here.
Where does halal food fit into the context of New York City dining? And how do issues of religion, class, and bureaucracy impact the halal food that’s available and who is able to sell it?
In an evening led by Krishnendu Ray, author of The Migrant’s Table and The Ethnic Restauranteur, you’ll learn the answers to questions such as these and more as you hear from NYC street vendor Ahmed Eltawil, owner of Casablanca Halal Food, communications manager of halal street cart Kwik Meal Tahsin Kugel, and Mohamed Attia, director of the Street Vendor Project. You’ll go beyond the street cart with Sameen Choudhry of Muslim Foodies, a NYC halal restaurant blog run by three women who are seeking to bridge the gap between the mainstream restaurant and halal restaurants.
After the discussion, you’ll taste the classic halal dish of falafel over rice from Ahmed Eltawil and halal chicken and lamb kati rolls from Kwik Meal, rated the #1 best street food cart in NYC by Thrillist. You’ll also have non-alcoholic beer to wash it all down generously provided by Brooklyn Brewery.