Sunday, February 2, 2014

Super Bowl Snack

Time to relax.  The Super Bowl has started between Denver vs. Seattle...and this is what I'm currently snacking on :)

Bon Apetit.

Pre-Super Bowl celebrations in NYC

Yesterday, I went to the Pepsi dome in Bryant Park.  This dome, called #PepCity was to celebrate the quality of food that accompanies the Super Bowl, which this year will be held in NJ.

The line was long, but the wait not so bad.  Once inside, I received a card with eight circles, and I could visit each of the eight stations to sample some of the yummy treats made by world-class chefs, like David Burke, Mark Forgione, and Michael Psilakis.  At each station, there was also a Pepsi-related quirky drink sample, except for David Burke, which had Starbucks sample's of vanilla/choco iced lattes.

Mind you, the food samples were small, but nothing is more satisfying than trying out sumptuous food, and realizing that it is all free.  Yippieh!!!  I tried the gravlax, shrimp marinated in a lemony juice with little tomato & onion pieces (I believe there was paprika as well), cherry-flavored chicken wings, tacos with chicken, cheetos, popcorn, brownies...oh, it was a delight.

There was the PepsiBar, where one could grab freebies, like bags of Doritos or cans/bottles of Pepsi-related beverages.  A lovely masterpiece of the NYC skyline was on display.  It was made of Cheetos (very creative, and worthy of being exhibited at the MOMA).

Food always tastes better when entertainment is close by too.  There were performances from Broadway shows, such as Mama Mia and Newsies, as well as "Don't Stop Believin" was sung on full blast, which is always a pleasure to hear.  There was more art created, as well as a rap competition, and some football players made an appearance as well (e.g., Rueben Randle was helping out at the David Burke stand).

All in all a great event.  Very well organized.  I left feeling content, and in the need to find a bathroom (which PepCity did not have).  I think the strategy was brilliant for people to leave within 1-2 hours, so that other people in the line could get in sooner rather than later.

A few blocks away, there were other events happening on Broadway.  Here are a few pictures.  And yes, before calling it a day, I stopped for a quick free slice of pizza from Papa John's.