Tickets are on sale now at tasteoftribeca.com/content/tickets, starting at $35, which gets you a “tasting card” good for six tastes—the only hard part is deciding which booths to hit. Six that I’m keeping my eye on so far include Sarabeth’s Tribeca (mini crab cakes with Sara’s cream of tomato soup); Mehtaphor (spice kabobs with chipotle mayo); Marc Forgione (spring lamb with peas and carrots); Blaue Gans (elderflower sabayon with strawberry and pieplant); Duane Park Patisserie (molten chocolate cake); and Landmarc (s’mores). You could even just have six desserts.

To get you even more excited—and to show how the event is about neighborhood camaraderie—I asked folks from participating restaurants about a recent great meal they had in Tribeca (besides at their own place).

Landmarc's Marc Murphy

“Whenever I feel like an amazing Italian meal, I go to Max,” said Marc Murphy, the chef/owner of Landmarc. “The lasagna is one of the best in the city.”

From Scott B. Young, general manager of The Palm Tribeca: “The last great meal I had in Tribeca was at Marc Forgione. We were a party of four and every course was better than the last one. We had the Hiramasa tartare with avocado, Sechuan buttons, toasted pine nuts, and Saratoga chips, which is served with a flower bud from Madagascar…. You eat the bud and it makes your taste buds come alive! Totally amazing experience. I had a Kobe skirt steak served with bone marrow fries. It was to die for. The bottle of Gigondas didn’t hurt the flavors of that meal either. Other highlights on our table were the dry-aged Porterhouse for two with three sides (crispy polenta, Brussels sprouts, and mushrooms) and the wild pompano with celery root, blood orange, jalapeño, and grapefruit jam. For dessert we had to have Lady Ashton’s chocolate cake and the banana betty soufflé. It was all to die for.”

Jehangir Mehta, the chef at Mehtaphor, recalled a dinner at Pepolino: “I am a fish person and so I had a special that day. It was salmon, cooked to perfection. My sister had the wild boar with olives, and she loved it, too. We had a nice round table on the second floor and the service and the food made for a very pleasant evening. It was made even more delightful as it was spent with close friends and family.”

“A particular family favorite of ours is The Harrison,” said Rachel Thebault, Tribeca Treats‘ owner and head confectioner. “My husband and two daughters and I love to go there for dinners on Sunday, especially in the summer when we can sit outside on Greenwich. The people watching is fantastic, we always see friends, and the view down Harrison of the sunset across the Hudson makes you feel like you’re on a movie set. I love that the menu there changes frequently, but some of my standby favorites are the peekytoe crab and avocado salad and the roasted chicken, with a glass of rosé or a Michael’s Margarita (a muddled cucumber version of the marg) to go with it. Last summer my five-year-old daughter ordered pan-roasted trout. When the whole fish came out, head on, I worried that she wouldn’t eat it, so to break the ice I asked her if she thought that fish was friends with one she had recently caught with her grandfather. She sighed and said, ‘Well, not anymore!’ Then she dug right in.”

Capsouto Frères

“While I’m partial to our restaurants—Tribeca Grill, Nobu, Centrico, and Corton—I’ve enjoyed many exemplary meals at other Tribeca establishments,” said Tracy Nieporent, director of marketing and a partner at the Myriad Restaurant Group. “A few weeks ago I enjoyed a succulent filet of sole meunière at Capsouto Frères. Coupled with a hearty French onion soup and hazelnut soufflé, it made for a satisfying, savory dinner. Of course, the food is only part of the experience. Jacques and Sammy Capsouto are warm hosts, and the aura of Albear Capsouto’s memory is certainly there as well. Charming hospitality is what Capsouto Frères is all about, and it will never go out of style.”

How long have you lived in the area?
I’ve lived in Tribeca for over 30 years.

Which restaurants do you frequent most often?
Nobu, Wolfgang’s, Locanda Verde, Pepolino.

Bouley

Which restaurants do you tend to go to for special occasions?
Bouley because it’s so prim and proper—you can have a really special, maniacally made meal. They never rush you and even when my now-adult son was 9, they always treated him as an adult, respecting his love of food and his good manners.

Where do you order in (or get take-out) from? Are there dishes you always order?
Not a big order-inner. But when I do order in I always order a hamburger or tuna sandwich with French fries from Odeon. When I moved to Tribeca, Odeon was an automat. I loved when it was an automat—perhaps it was the last one in New York City.

Nili Lotan

Which shops do you find it hard to resist popping into when you pass by?
I love Nili Lotan—not only is she an extraordinary designer, but she’s also a resident of Tribeca. I like to shop there, as it’s a wide-open loft space and the clothes are unique and well made. I like to buy gifts at Stella—the owner has impeccable taste. Dudley’s Paw is a great place if you need to buy a pet gift, and the owner also a longtime resident who is just lovely. Duane Park Patisserie is a must stop when passing by. I find it hard to resist her delectable baked goods, and again she’s a neighbor who makes me feel grounded. I’ve been going there since she opened (20 odd years ago), and I always see someone I know there.

What was the last non-essential item you bought in Tribeca?
I bought a hand-knit hat at Nili Lotan.

Are there any services (salon, fitness, etc.) that you’re particularly glad are in the neighborhood?
I like Equinox. I-Plaza Nail & Spa is a great mani-pedi place, pricey but clean! Younghee Salon has a great colorist named Lenora.

What’s the area’s best-kept secret?
Pepolino (but perhaps not anymore). I have one other secret place but I can’t reveal it, as it really would ruin it. You’ll have to go out and about, and perhaps you, too, will discover it (if you haven’t already). If you do, I’m sure you’ll want to keep it a secret as well.

Where do you always take out-of-towners?
I use to take them to the top of the Twin Towers—loved to do that—and now we just walk around to see all the great architecture that exists in the ‘hood and talk about the history. So much of it has been so spiffed up, you can almost imagine how it looked way back when. If they’re good walkers, we’ll continue all the way down through FiDi to the Seaport.

North Tribeca

Which neighborhood building do you wish you lived in and/or owned?
I am very partial to north Tribeca, so it would be many buildings there.

What’s your favorite part of the area (street, park, whatever)?
I like north Tribeca because it still feels very uncongested, the way Tribeca used to be before the population explosion. I really love to walk along the river as well, and Hudson River Park early in the season.

Your most memorable celebrity sighting?
I once saw Elton John outside Thom Browne. He was just standing there all by himself, waiting for his entourage to come out of the store.

If you could change one thing about the neighborhood, what would it be?
I think it’s as good as you get in terms of New York City, and although it has changed so much since I first came, I welcome all the changes. I wouldn’t change a thing.

What’s your best Tribeca story?
After 9/11, all of my friends and neighbors really reached out to each other in ways I could never have imagined. It was a time of great grief, but there was a feeling of extreme love and peace that’s hard to describe. Everyone around was so hurt and destroyed with pain, but so much love was here as well. When the wind blows on certain days you can feel the spirits swirling, and despite how horrible a time that was, the wind feels very strong but peaceful.

Recent TCQ&As:
• Alycea Ungaro: “I Want Bouley Bakery Back”
• Marla Mase: “I Can Be Naughty at Times So Let’s Skip That Question”
• Elisa Casas: “Jenny McCarthy Had Phone Sex in My Bed”
• Connie Connors: “I’ve Always Loved the Chicken from Cornerstone Grill”

The other night, I grabbed a bite with friends at Pepolino, one of my favorite neighborhood Italian restaurants. But how do you eat Italian without putting on pounds? Here’s a snapshot from a dietitian’s dinner—deprivation not included.

1. I resisted the bread basket. One piece of bread dipped in olive oil can easily run you 200 calories before your appetizer even appears.
2. Ideally, you want to limit yourself to two alcoholic drinks, and stick with wine or liquor without juice or soda mixers (club soda is fine). I had a glass of Pinot Noir.
3. One nice thing about Italian restaurants is that there’s always at least one salad on the menu, and usually a soup. (Salads and soups fill you up on the least amount of calories.) I ordered a panzanella salad light on the dressing, and I ate around the bread chunks. The portion was huge so I left a third uneaten.
4. As an entrée, order a second appetizer, a half-portion of pasta, or a lean protein. I had the inzimino di calamari, a calamari stew with swiss chard, red wine, tomato, and toasted garlic bread. I didn’t eat the bread but I didn’t miss it, as the dish is delicious and filling without it. Note: The calamari wasn’t fried, and the chard, tomatoes, and red wine each add antioxidants to the dish.
5. Now I’m all for desserts (well, a bite or two), but if you’re going for it, I recommend the ricotta cheesecake. It’s rich but light at the same time, and remember to stop after three bites (not huge spoonfuls!). Those first three bites taste the best; the rest is all habit.

••• “New York University does not want to erect a massive skyscraper at World Trade Center Tower 5, despite rampant rumors to the contrary, a school official told DNAinfo Tuesday. Although NYU Senior Vice President Lynne Brown wrote a letter to the Port Authority last week mentioning the Tower 5 idea, it is nowhere close to happening, said Alicia Hurley, NYU’s vice president of government affairs and community engagement. ‘Nothing has changed,’ Hurley told DNAinfo. ‘Having the financial wherewithal to pursue and build a 1.3 million-square-foot tower at market rate is not in the cards for us.’ Hurley said Brown only sent the letter because the lower Manhattan community has been aggressively pushing the university to consider the Tower 5 site.” (DNAinfo)

••• Beyoncé and Jay-Z snapped leaving Pepolino. She does glow! (Gossiponthis)

••• Is the city pushing the rezoning of northern Tribeca as a way to block the construction of more quick-and-cheap hotels? The New York Observer says yes.

••• The New York Post‘s food critic loved Tamarind Tribeca, while Gael Greene loved El Bar Artisanal. (via Eater)

••• Rats are swarming subways south of Canal Street. (DNAinfo)

••• Andrew Carmellini to open a non-Italian restaurant at 131 Sullivan with his Locanda Verde partners. Also, his second cookbook comes out in October. The first, Urban Italian, is quite good. (Grub Street)

Photo by Rich Buchanan

LOL
Frankly Wines is now selling a Reverse Detox Kit for those folks out there who have fasted, cleansed, or otherwise denied themselves, and now want to dip a toe—so to speak—into wine again. For $100, you get six bottles, from a light Muscadet and up to a big Cabernet Sauvignon. ”Take your time with the 30 Day Slow & Steady Program. Or whip yourself back into form with the 15-Day Quick Start Program. Or go crazy, invite some friends over, and work your way through the program in one very productive night.”

COMING UP
••• Health counselor Marissa Vicario—who is also a Tribeca Citizen contributor, most recently on how to motivate yourself to exercise in winter—is leading a round of group coaching starting April 6: “If you want to wake up every morning feeling energized, feel beautiful on the inside out, manage your daily stress so it doesn’t control your life, conquer your cravings, fit into that favorite pair of skinny jeans, be supported by a group of like-minded individuals.”
••• Landmarc chef Marc Murphy will be on “Good Day New York” this Friday at 9:15 a.m., cooking something up with Rosanna Scotto.

BRING ON THAT CABERNET
I told you I was obsessed with a sandwich at Farinella: I was just there, and I managed to stop myself from wolfing it down long enough to get the name (Cuma), investigate the ingredients more thoroughly (sautéed eggplant, smoked mozzarella, tomatoes, basil, and garlic on foccacia), and snap an iPhone photo. It’s $9.25, and it’s healthy healthier than the sandwich stuffed with eggplant that’s been breaded and fried.