Metromix Hot Plates 2010: Chelsea Market

I forget how I caught wind of Metromix Hot Plates 2010, but after seeing a list of notable new restaurants offering unlimited tastes for $15, I instantly recruited Greeshma to attend the event with me, which then became a party of four including Swarna and Jane.

The Metromix eaters

The event was to run from 6p-9p, so I arrived at Chelsea Market at 7 only to find the place already full and abuzz.  And despite being open for only an hour, the event was already out of plates.  Eating event > No plates > Logistics fail. 

Luckily I managed to snag a sample plate from one of the vendors of the eve. 
Here's the night's rundown:

Grilled Portuguese sepia, from 5 & Diamond, with piquillo pepper puree, sherry shallots and olives, reminded me of cevinche with its tart, citrus juices.  This was one of the best dishes of the night; the medley of flavors were unique and complex

"French onion soup" crepes from Bar Suzette.  These did taste exactly like french onion soup, though the onions were much too sweet for my liking.  Swarna later tried to get a sample of their nutella and strawberry crepes, however the last piece was snatched from within her reach.  Bastards !

Satay Junction served up beef satay and vegetarian stir fry in sweet Asian fashion (literally).

Satay Junction stir fry and satay.  Standard and uninspiring.  The noodles were a tad sweet and the beef satay did not have much flavor.  Greeshma ended up pawning most of her plate off to Jane and Swarna.

Dickson's Farm Stand Meats' served up barbecued short rib sliders with a horseradish pickle.

I quickly got rid of that pickle, which left me with some gloriously fatty pieces of short ribs.  You know I loved this.  Nice flavorful meat and soft bun.

The most popular vendor, and thus the longest line, went to Mikey's Burger from Michael Bao Huynh (Viet?!  Holla!)

Mikey's Burger with grilled onions.

The onions seemed to have been marinated in some red sauce (tomato?) and added much needed flavor to the bland, borderline undercooked burger.  Greeshma and I agreed that the bun was the best part of the burger, and you know how I like my meat.

Michael Huynh also represented his other restaurant (apparently he is quite a prolific restauranteur), DOB 11, with "Mind of Lamb" ravioli.  Looks quite lovely, doesn't it?

Pardon this bad picture, but it's just as bad as the actual ravioli was.  I don't think any of us knew what was really going on with this dish, and it appears, this ravioli was actually full of mashed up lamb brains.  Awesome.  Hands down one of the grossest things I have eaten in some time...the texture...the taste...just BLUGH.

To clear the lamb brains from our palates, we went to La Newyorkina, which I had tried previously at the Hester Street Fair; they brought mini hibiscus paletas for everyone.  These were so pretty and very good with a nice tart taste.  I enjoyed this one a good deal more than the avocado.

The second best thing of the night for me were 5 & Diamond's sangria which we almost overlooked, but thankfully didn't.  Super tasty with grapefruit slices.

At the end of the night, we were a bit disappointed with the wares of the evening.  The night was hardly vegetarian friendly (minus the bread, cheese, and stir fry), and the dishes, aside from 5 & Diamond, Dickson's and La Newyorkina, were hardly worth noting.  By 8p, most vendors had depleted their supply.  I would say for future Metromix Hot Plates events, do thorough researching on the featured restaurants and show up right at 6 to ensure you get to try at least every restaurant.  By 7:00, we had noted that at least one vendor had already checked out.  And if you're vegetarian, only come if you can drink an entry fee's worth of alocholic pink lemonades from Employees Only (Swarna had no problem with that!).