Aaaaaand we're back from that 'secret' NBC New York Locals Only free lunch served up by chef David Chang, dessert whisperer Christina Tossi and a big heaping serving of the Momofuku team on a sun-drenched streetcorner in Noho.
1) For an event that had over 8,000 applicants (!) for a mere 160 slots, things could have been a lot more chaotic. As it went, at least through 1pm, the line ran smoothly, and spirits were high. Curious onlookers gawked in from the street, but no rope-jumping was observed. Pity.
2) +1 for the location, that empty stretch of pavement just above Houston Street, just west of Lafayette; -1 for the severe undersupply of picnic tables that found half the crowd dining from that selfsame pavement.
3) The food, you say? Three on-menu choices, but the move was to go all-in on the Dealer's Choice, in which Chang and Colleagues dished up whatever happened to suit their fancy at that moment. Biggest hit: lobster with poached eggs, grits, and crispy bacon pieces. Also showing up on the take-out trays: foie gras; a jar of pork terrine; pickled ramps a' plenty; spicy rice cakes; pork buns, natch; duck salad; and spit-roasted lamb with beets.
4) To drink: Pepsi Natural, which, as the world turns, is pretty delicious stuff.
5) And of course, dessert: old fashioned donut soft-serve.
6) Spotted in the crowd: vital Food & Wine twosome Dana Cowin and Kate Krader; City Harvest executive director Jilly Stephens; NBC Local honcho Brian Buchwald; Momofuku cookbook collaborator and all-around restaurant expert Peter Meehan; and, skedded to arrive after we left, the delightful Gail Simmons.
7) And we'll always have the odd, laminated Dave Chang "Locals Only" card to remind us visit NBC New York's website over and over and over again.
8) Check the live Twitter stream for more from the scene. Good times, people.
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