When I open my banh mi shop, I’m going to pump the wafting aroma of grilled pork onto the street to lure in customers. Easy advertising. The allure of smell is powerful — walked past a Cinnabon lately? — and like most people, I’m drawn to an enticing smell like a moth to a flame.
Take yesterday, for instance; I was driving through Port Chester doing a few errands, when I noticed an unusual amount of traffic, plus balloons and people milling around in one of the parking lots.
Then it hit me like a slap in the face — the unmistakable aroma of meat on a grill. The smell was so strong and so drool-inducing that I doubled back, parked the car and hustled over to discover the source.
And there it was.
Turns out I’d wandered into Port Chester Fest, the city’s second annual multicultural festival of live music, crafts and food.
There were Indian and Chinese food vendors, but I honed in on the Brisa Marina tent and their grilled meats, like the kabobs up above.
There were just too many Latin favorites to resist, and I ended up getting a small plate… well, not that small.
On the bottom, boiled yuca with red onions and moist rotisserie chicken with thyme. Sitting on top — an enormous soft and sweet fried plantain, and an even more enormous barbecued rib, grilled to perfection.
I can’t even begin to tell you how much I enjoyed this little mountain of a plate. I’d just finished a swim, so I was tired and semi-famished to begin with; it was also chilly out yesterday, and nothing, I mean nothing, sticks to your ribs like yuca, plantain, chicken and ribs. Starch, starch, meat, meat. I felt so energized and fueled up that I went for a two hour bike ride later in the afternoon.
Port Chester Fest: The Nose Knows
When I open my banh mi shop, I’m going to pump the wafting aroma of grilled pork onto the street to lure in customers. Easy advertising. The allure of smell is powerful — walked past a Cinnabon lately? — and like most people, I’m drawn to an enticing smell like a moth to a flame.
Take yesterday, for instance; I was driving through Port Chester doing a few errands, when I noticed an unusual amount of traffic, plus balloons and people milling around in one of the parking lots.
Then it hit me like a slap in the face — the unmistakable aroma of meat on a grill. The smell was so strong and so drool-inducing that I doubled back, parked the car and hustled over to discover the source.
And there it was.
Turns out I’d wandered into Port Chester Fest, the city’s second annual multicultural festival of live music, crafts and food.
There were Indian and Chinese food vendors, but I honed in on the Brisa Marina tent and their grilled meats, like the kabobs up above.
There were just too many Latin favorites to resist, and I ended up getting a small plate… well, not that small.
On the bottom, boiled yuca with red onions and moist rotisserie chicken with thyme. Sitting on top — an enormous soft and sweet fried plantain, and an even more enormous barbecued rib, grilled to perfection.
I can’t even begin to tell you how much I enjoyed this little mountain of a plate. I’d just finished a swim, so I was tired and semi-famished to begin with; it was also chilly out yesterday, and nothing, I mean nothing, sticks to your ribs like yuca, plantain, chicken and ribs. Starch, starch, meat, meat. I felt so energized and fueled up that I went for a two hour bike ride later in the afternoon.
The moral of the story? Listen to your nose.
Brisa Marina Bar & Grill
40 Grace Church St.
Port Chester, NY
914-934-909