Pok Pok’s Chef Andy Ricker Is Popping Up at Momofuku Noodle Bar Today

Celeb chef drops by Momofuku

Chef Andy Ricker will pop by Momofuku Noodle Bar’s East Village shop today to make bowls of his “mama ramen,” featured in his new cookbook Pok Pok Noodles, which drops today. He’ll be signing copies of the cookbook as well, and the full Noodle Bar menu will also be available. Mama ramen will be available starting at 12 p.m.

Then, Wednesday night, Ricker will be at Archestratus Books + Foods. The tickets, which cost up to $40, include a noodle arancini happy hour. The chef still has restaurants in Portland, but he hasn’t been cooking in New York since the Brooklyn Pok Pok closed last fall.

Annual street vendor awards will host its last ceremony this fall

The 15th annual Vendys, an awards ceremony recognizing achievements for street food vendors that also raises money for the Street Vendor Project, will go down on September 21 on Governors Island. It will be the last year for the ceremony which stacks vendors against one another for a day-long competition. Tickets start at $100 and can be purchased here.

Grub Street reviews Chama Mama in Chelsea

Robin Raisfeld and Rob Patronite head to Chelsea’s Georgian restaurant Chama Mama for their latest review, calling the khachapuri “top-notch” and praising the whole list of Georgian breads as well as the rustic meaty dishes. They write: “Among the large plates, you want the shkmeruli (essentially roast chicken in a bowl of cream-of-garlic soup) or the butcher’s special whenever it’s a minced beef-and-pork kebab rolled up in a lavash like a Persian rug.”

A food festival in lower Manhattan

Dine Around Downtown returns to the landmarked plaza at 28 Liberty St. today from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. for its 18th year of food tastings. There will be plates running for $3 to $&, as well as live music. The festival also kicks off a summer of restaurant deals where a different restaurant offers 20-percent off dinner-for-two every Tuesday. Check out the lineup, which includes new restaurant Crown Shy, here.

A new CBD option in town and a potential closing downtown

Despite a citywide crackdown on CBD in food and drink, shops and cafes keep on opening. Come Back Daily is a new CBD parlor selling a range of products laced with CBD, including snacks and beverages.

Meanwhile, casual Chinatown restaurant CC’s Cafe on Monroe St. has been listed on Craigslist for its 700-square-foot space, signaling potential closure. The original location lived in West Village but has since closed.