Midtown Lunch

Want a better look at the food inside that dome in Bryant Park aka #PepCity? Well, lucky for us, I attended their media preview this morning because… well… free food. Yes, every dish makes use of Pepsi Co. products, the sample tasting size is small and it needs to be eaten immediately or will go cold quickly. But some of them are quite delicious and if you happen to stop by today (or Saturday if you’re stuck working on the weekend), here’s what you should double fist…

Inside, there are four different booth openings–one for Tostitos, David Burke Townhouse, Kefi & Marc Forgione. Each offers one or two items, plus a small drink. These two booths are right off the stage area where there will be concerts–I watched some boy band go through their dance rehearsal–Broadway performances, and a rap battle, but no holograms.

Tostitos “street tacos” comes with a choice of three toppings: Pepsi-Braised Brisket, Manzanita Pulled Pork or Kickstart Mountain Dew Chicken. I went with the brisket and was given a freshly-made generous amount of brisket which was quite easy to eat. I am all about ease of eating in this type of environment.

David Burke also tried his hand at tacos and chicken wings. Go with the latter. They’re made with Cherry Pepsi and topped with dried cherries, scallions and ginger. They have a mild kick that I liked and are a respectable size. I would dare say that this was better than most chicken wings I’ve ever had. Not the best, but definitely better.

Marc Forgione goes a little crazy with curry lamb ribs (hard to eat) and Cool Ranch Doritos cured Gravlax with Everything Gougères. Yes, easy to eat. Also, delicious. This is what you get at a fancy brunch where you hang out by the kitchen hoping to grab a few before everyone else because they’re totally not feeding you enough to get over your hangover. If the world is lucky, Marc Forgione will give out this recipe and I can go eat these delicious puffs of salmon and Doritos on the regular.

Kefi’s scores two easy-to-eat touchdowns here (Heh, get it? Touchdowns? Super bowl? Moving on.) First is the spicy falafel wrap. It’s made with Sabra’s spicy hummus and is nice and crunchy. The other is a seemingly healthy yogurt parfait with honey and caramelized almonds.

All in all, doing the fairly quick lap at PepCity isn’t going to replace lunch for anyone. Hell, it might not even replace afternoon snack. But if you find yourself wandering in for one of the autograph signings–Drew Brees today & Barry Sanders on Saturday–or to entertain guests, now you know where to go. #PepCity is open to the public from 2pm until 6:30pm today and Saturday (but not Friday) with the entrance on the 40th Street side of Bryant Park, right off Bryant Park Grill.