Cool Hunting

Prepare yourself for a summer of eating and drinking in NYC with A Razor, A Shiny Knife's 24 hour cooking marathon, New York Botanical Garden's Edible Garden, and the Indy Spirits' liquor expo.

A Razor, A Shiny Knife

This culinary body dedicates themselves to fashioning unique "educational, social and theatrical" cooking experiences, as evidenced in their ludicrous, gluttonous and absolutely divine proposal: A 24 hour Ironman of consumption, composed of three eight-course meals prepared entirely from scratch. Participants help prepare the meals as well as enjoy them, and also can experience workshops in knife skills, butchering, cooking sous vide, and more. We say go for all three meals (and the wine and cocktail pairings), but you can participate in each meal individually. Menu highlights include Slow Poached Eggs with Crumpets and Tea, Soft Shell Crab Ban Mi, Lobster With Aji, Key Lime and Thai Basil. The event will be held this Saturday, 20 June 2009, with doors opening the night before at 10:00 p.m. at a secret location in Brooklyn disclosed only to confirmed participants. This is certainly an opportunity that doesn't present itself often, so check out A Razor, A Shiny Knife's site for more details and to sign up. All three meals is $300 per person, with a portion of the proceeds going to the Gimme Shelter campaign Photo by Steph Goralnick.

The New York Botanical Garden

Take a stroll through the Edible Garden to eat and learn about how to grow your own fresh produce. Complete with how-to walkthroughs and family friendly exhibitions, a visit to the New York Botanical Garden's June 17-September 13 project is the perfect outing for the weekend chef or foodie. Be sure to stop by during the two Festival Weekends (27-28 June 2009 and 12-13 September 2009), where visitors can experience Conservatory Kitchen Demonstrations and enhance their culinary skills. Tickets start at $20 and are available at the Edible Garden site.

Indy Spirits

The Indy Spirits Expo 2009 is a unique chance to sample meticulously crafted liquors from across the globe and meet the artisans that bring them to you. The Expo gathers those integral to this process, from distillation to distribution, to create a very personal experience. You probably haven't discovered many of these harder-to-find artisanal brands yet (highlights include Scorpion Mezcal, Cachaça Fazenda Mãe De Ouro and Square One's Organic Rye Vodka) and it's a great opportunity to discover them in one place. The Indy Spirits Expo is Wednesday 24 June 2009. General Admission and VIP tickets are available at $50 and $75 respectively at Indy Spirits.