Even if you went to every cookout all summer long, you wouldn’t eat as much bacon and try as many beers as you can in one afternoon at the 2018 Bacon and Beer Classic.
The national event — one of the season’s best food festivals — makes its New York City stop on Saturday, Sept. 29, promises to be the biggest ever. Over 50 restaurants, food trucks and caterers from across the city are bringing their best pig-centric dishes to the day-long cookout, including Bar Bacon (home of the famous bacon omakase tasting menu), Forest Hills barbecue haven Queens Bully and Top Chef Season 4 finalist Lisa Fernandes’ “Thaietnamese” Sweet Chili.
All chefs will be serving up original bacon-centric dishes, most of them made specially for the festival, and there are always savory and sweet options — past standouts have included the summery Blueberry Bacon Coleslaw and Bacon Cinnamon Rolls. Does any other meat have that kind of range? We think not.
And of course there will be beer, over 50 of them from craft breweries both local (Wartega) and national (Colorado’s Avery Brewing Co.) A handful of cider makers will be on hand too, and you can learn to ferment your own beverage of choice at a home brewing demonstration.
To pack all that in, the 2018 Bacon and Beer Classic is spreading out into new territory: the USTA National Tennis Center in Queens, home of the U.S. Open. In addition to the bacon and brews there will be live music and an eating contest, plus more lawn games including giant Jenga and bobbing for bacon.
There will be two sessions, afternoon (1-4 p.m.) and evening 7-10 p.m.), and three tiers of tickets: General Admission, Power Hour and VIP. Every ticket is all-inclusive of food and drinks, with VIP and Power Hour getting you an extra hour of tastings. VIPs also get access to a special area on the Arthur Ashe Stadium court with exclusive dishes, limited edition brews and other surprises.
A limited number of presale tickets are available now for $59 GA and $125 for VIP; after they’re gone, prices go up by $10.
