By Bill Parry
The fourth annual Taste of Sunnyside Tuesday evening will be different than the previous three.
The showcase event, run by Sunnyside Shines, will have a record number of restaurants and bars participating in a dramatically different setting.
“We’re pitching a festival tent under the 7 train el between 45th and 46th streets,” Sunnyside Business Improvement District Executive Director Rachel Thieme said. “It’s such a central location in the community and it should really create a buzz. A huge tent in the middle of Queens Boulevard should merit some attention.”
Claret Wine Bar is one of the 26 establishments taking part. Manager Justin Costello believes the new venue will create more interest than in past years, when the event was held indoors at Sunnyside Community Services, at 43-31 39th St.
“It’s interesting and different and we’re looking forward to it,” Costello said. “I’m sure it will draw plenty of notice and make for an even bigger event next year.”
Thieme felt it was time to think outside the box and make the Taste of Sunnyside accessible to more people.
“It’s all about showing off what the community has to offer. We loved the Sunnyside Community Services, but we had to split the evening into two sittings because the space was only big enough for 250 people at a time,” Thieme said. “Now we can do one big seating for 500 and they can stay and sample the neighborhood’s restaurants for the whole evening.”
The lineup is diverse: Mexican cuisine from DeMole, Japanese from Takesushi, Italian from Venturo and Asian-American fusion from Salt and Fat.
The festival begins at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday with regular admittance costing $30. There is also a $60 VIP admittance that allows for an extra hour of sampling with an earlier entrance at 5:30 p.m.
Local music acts including Mariachi Flor de Toloache, the Sunnyside Social Club and the a capella singing group Ten and Change will perform.
The tent setting does pose a challenge for one of the restaurants, though. Williamsburger is taking part for the first time, having opened at 36-17 Greenpoint Ave., almost a year ago. Owner Corey McPherson takes his gourmet hamburger preparation seriously and would not serve one that was prepared hours earlier.
“You can’t grill on-site, so we’ll make some chili instead,” McPherson said. “My restaurant is off the beaten path, so I’m taking part for the exposure. The last thing I’m going to do is serve a burger that tastes like cardboard. I think our chili will rock it out, anyway.”
The tent under the No. 7 train trestle proved to be a little more challenging than Thieme expected.
“I think it’s interesting to experiment with the space, but no one has ever tried this before, so it’s not like there’s a playbook,” she said. “It’s been a lot of work coordinating all of the different aspects, but I think in the end it will be worth it.”
Reach reporter Bill Parry be e-mail at bparry@cnglocal.com or by phone at 718-260-4538.
