A Feast for the Eyes :: More photos from Sunday's event

Sincere thanks to photographer Henrik Olund for capturing the truly magical spirit of Landmark Feast.  More photos to come!

Scenes from the Feast :: Celebrating life's essentials on the Upper West Side

Yesterday marked the inaugural Landmark Feast, an Upper West Side dining event like none other.  Gathering with hundreds of our friends, new and old, LW! toasted and tasted on the Arthur Ross Terrace at the American Museum of Natural History as the sun set over the landmark Beresford Apartments nearby.  Then, against the illuminated backdrop of the Museum's planetarium, we, along with co-sponsors Friends of Roosevelt Park and our evening's hosts Outstanding in the Field, dined on the epicurean creations of some of the West Side's most talented chefs.  This was Landmark Feast!

From the event's launch at 4PM until the last guest departed the Terrace, LW's Cristiana Peña and a host of event attendees documented the festivities via Twitter.  Sharing pictures and musings alike, their tweeting opened Landmark Feast to all who followed the #LandmarkFeast hashtag.  Below are photos of the evening shared by participating chefs (Damian Sansonetti of Bar Boulud and Johnny Iuzzini of Jean-Georges), fellow West Side neighborhood organizations (Columbus Avenue BID), event supporters (67 Wine & Spirits), and more.  Enjoy!  And if you have more photos to share, send them in to cristianapena@landmarkwest.org.  We'll add them to the album!

"Getting ready for tonight's event with Landmark West and Outstanding in the Field"
via @DSansonetti

Outside the Museum's Powerhouse, site of our pre-dinner cocktails and tastings
via @UntappedAlley and @untappedcities

The planetarium beside the Arthur Ross Terrace as backdrop for Landmark Feast
via @UntappedAlley and @untappedcities

"Looks amazing; this picture doesn't do it justice"
via @eecookiesny

Inside the Museum's Powerhouse, where guests enjoy the cocktails and seasonal samplings
via @UntappedAlley and @untappedcities

via @wkoellhoffer

“Recipe serving up jersey corn soup with crab and New York cheddar muffins"
via @melissa_ful of @67Wine

"It's heirlooms galore! Tuscan Panzanella Salad from Cesca Enoteca"
via @NewTasteUWS

“The all-star local spirits for cocktails at Landmark Feast!”
via @melissa_ful of @67Wine

Heirloom tomato frozen custard with sweet corn syrup from Shake Shack
via @westsiderag

Nice Matin serves lamb sausagevia @westsiderag

“Incredible how this works for cocktail hour: Tortellini in Brodo by Caffe Storico - New-York Historical Society"
via @melissa_ful of @67Wine

"If Mondrian made pancetta; @Gastroarte is rockin'!"via @NewTasteUWS

Gastroarte's Chef Jesus Nuñez
via @westsiderag

"What 62 lbs of avocado look like; about to be Guacamole en Molcajete"via @NewTasteUWS

"You thought it couldn't get any better? Pumpkin whoopie pie dipped in dark Godiva"
via @eecookiesny

300 guests + 1 long table = Landmark Feast magic
via @UntappedAlley and @untappedcities

"Getting ready for tonites event with Landmark West and Outstanding in the Field"via @DSansonetti

"Pre-dinner excitement. Love how we can 'walk-through' the outdoor kitchen"
via @melissa_ful of @67Wine

"Dinner placement. Lovely sage"
via @melissa_ful of @67Wine

"Landmark Feast with 67 Wine and Fox Run Vineyards"
via @1Grl2WneGlasses

Behind the scenes in the outdoor kitchen: "Plate up, Dovetail"
via @DSansonetti

"Unbelievable night! Can't wait until next year"via @billtelepan

Bar Boulud lamb dinner
via @DSansonetti

"Dry Riesling 2010 pairing perfectly with salad Nicoise"
via @1Grl2WneGlasses

Jean-Georges pastry chef Johnny Iuzzini's creations await delivery to the dinner table
via @Johnny_Iuzzini

A Vineyard With A Purpose

We're in the countdown now...  Tomorrow, we feast!

Among the many tastes we're looking forward to are wines from Channing Daughters, a family-owned and -operated winery based in Bridgehampton, Long Island.  So that you can start getting excited, too, here's a bit more about their mantra:

At Channing Daughters, we source about fifty percent of our grapes from special sites and people on the North Fork. Our foremost commitment at Channing Daughters Winery is the care of our grapevines and the quality of wine in the bottle. Starting with intense and careful culture of our vines to the hand-picking of ALL grapes, gentle whole-cluster pressing of white fruit, stomping by foot with punch-down by hand of red grapes, and gravity bottling, our methods remain traditional and artisanal. Wine is grown by hand at Channing Daughters.  

 
We allow our wines to naturally express the earth that grows them. We believe in celebrating the place, vineyards and region from which we are lucky enough to produce wine.  

 
We are interested in continually pushing the boundaries of what is possible in our vineyards, our cellar and our region. Currently we are producing about seven thousand cases of wine a year spread across twenty-six different bottlings. We strongly believe there are different foods, occasions, people, seasons and moods that demand different flavors, smells, textures and styles of wine. We seek deliciousness. We do everything by hand in small batches with lots of love and attention in order to fulfill our commitment to quality wine in the bottle.

Channing Daughters, a vineyard after our own heart!

Zabar's Bread!

Think Zabar's, think bagels, right?  Oh, and so, so, so much more...

Delicious, fresh, fragrant Zabar's baguettes will be one of the many delicacies lining the dinner table at Landmark Feast this Sunday. 

We can hardly express how grateful we are to the West Side businesses, like Zabar's, that have joined forces to give Landmark Feast a truly local flavor.

Zabar's has been a fixture of Broadway & 80th Street for over 70 years.  It's a living legend, still owned and operated by the family, many of whom make their homes on the Upper West Side within walking distance of the store.

We look forward to breaking bread with them - and you! - on Sunday!

Landmark Feast Sponsor TD Bank's logo is not the only thing about them that's green...

Congratulations to our friends at TD Bank on all they are doing to "go green."  Just one more way this Feast sponsor is giving back.


In 2010, TD Bank became the largest U.S.-based bank to be carbon neutral by constructing greener buildings, lowering its energy consumption, and making a significant investment in renewable energy sources like wind, solar and low-impact hydro power.

Visit TD Bank's website to learn more about its "Green Plan." 

Did you know that Landmark West! is a member of TD Bank's Affinity Program?  If you are a TD Bank customer (or would like to be), contact your branch manager to find out how your account balance can help LW! qualify for an annual grant from TD!

Image:  One of several West Side TD Bank branches, this one in the landmark Ansonia at 2109 Broadway (Paul E. M. DuBoy, 1904)

Did someone say cookies???

Not just your ordinary cookie...

Upper West Sider and founder of e. e. cookies Kori Stanton is serving up Pumpkin Whoopee Pies with Fresh Cranberries and a Vanilla Bean Cream Cheese Frosting.  (A seasonal creation so fresh we don't even have a picture available to give you a sneak peek - so you can drool over Kori's amazing triple-chocolate chip cookies instead!)

Oh.  My.  Goodness.

Click here to learn more about Kori and her cookie quest.  After years of searching for the perfect cookie, this local entrepreneur took the task upon herself.  The result:  as delicious a combination of sweet-cream butter, cage-free eggs, raw sugar and unbleached flour as two hands ever made!

Thank you, Kori and e. e. cookies, for being part of the Feast!

Local Gin!

Everyone knows how Upper West Side native Dorothy Parker felt about martinis (and if you need a refresher, see below).  No doubt she would have swooned over Breuckelen Gin, the latest addition to the Landmark Feast cocktail menu!  While it is "home-grown," this is definitely not your bathtub variety...

Breuckelen Distilling is an artisan distillery located in Brooklyn, New York. They make their delicious gin from organic New York grains entirely within their Sunset Park location.  Breuckelen is a tiny fraction of the size of typical distilleries, so we are especially honored by their willingness to donate gin for the Feast!


"I like to have a martini,
Two at the very most.
After three I'm under the table,
after four I'm under my host."

~ Dorothy Parker