EEEEEATSCON Was Our Real Live Instagram Food Fantasy
Feast. Your. Eyes.
Feast. Your. Eyes.
Text: Kelly Keegan
This past weekend at Forest Hills Stadium in Queens, foodies and Instagram abusers alike had all of their dreams come true–EEEEEATSCON took a break from Los Angeles and held this year’s event in New York City.
We’ve all seen the hashtag #eeeeeats, and in turn, have tried to flex our photography muscles large enough to let the rest of the world know where to find the best of the best when it comes to everyone’s favorite question–What are we eating for dinner?
Thanks to Infatuation, those who were smart enough to purchase tickets in advance (they were completely sold out the week leading up to the event) were able to sample new and collaborative creations from Emily, Shake Shack, Rubirosa, John & Vinny’s, Dumpling Galaxy, Walter’s Hot Dogs, L’Artusi, and dozens of other powerhouse restaurants. The day even included an entire “Sweet Treats” section sponsored by Bailey’s Irish cream. Which, of course, included Bailey’s flavored ice cream from Oddfellows–dare I say it gave me a buzz?
The only way to attack an event like this is to split up. I went with a group of six people, and we each waited in pairs on the mile-long lines to make sure we wouldn’t miss a morsel.
The most talked about stand of the day had to have been the Emily x Shake Shack collaboration, with a line rounding out at about two hours. It was essentially a double Shake Shack burger with caramelized onions, cheese and Emily sauce. While it wasn’t the typical Brioche buns Emily uses, it served its purpose of blending the flavors of both establishments flawlessly. I’m undecided on if it was worth the wait, but isn’t any amount of time worth the Instagram likes?
Another hot ticket with an hour-plus line was Rubirosa, serving their traditional Vodka Pie alongside another “Tie Dye” pie, given its name by a large swirl of pesto sauce added directly out of the wood fired oven. I sat in this line personally, and I can comfortably say I drooled the entire time watching these pies come out.
Alongside the major food lines there were several sponsored activations around the stadium, my favorite being “The Alibi Room” from Showtime’s Shameless. Unfortunately, Kevin Ball and Lip Gallagher weren’t there to make us all swoon, but the drinks and atmosphere were great nonetheless. We also had the pleasure of sitting in on a panel given by the Infatuation team and several experts in the food industry. There were pop up performances and plenty of opportunities to get your hands on some free merchandise throughout the afternoon. La Croix won the day by handing out hats featuring a photo of one of their cans, solidifying my obsession and place in the #LaCroixGang for life.
Last but not least, we decided our stomachs had just enough room left for the Orrechiette Bolognese Bianco from L’Artusi. I’ve eaten at their restaurant location before and had a similar dish, but I didn’t have high hopes for the pasta “on the go.” The handmade pasta with Bolognese is made with pork, veal, chicken and parmesan and can I just say–I’ve been dreaming about it for 48 hours. Absolutely none of the flavor or quality was lost amongst the fast-paced serving or lack of a traditional kitchen. Bravo, L’Artusi.
All in all, if you missed this year’s event you’ll now know that next year will be a necessity. No word on whether or not it’ll be returning to NYC, but I suggest booking a flight to wherever it’ll be in 2019 to Treat Yo Self.
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Check out the some Insta snaps of the foods mentioned in this article below!