offManhattan

What: The Brooklyn Taco Experiment

Where: The Bell House, Gowanus, Brooklyn

When: Sunday, January 31, 1- 5 p.m., free after party

Why: The Atlantic recently tweeted a timeline on food history that dated the tortilla shell back to 5000 BC. Since its discovery, the utensil-less taco universal appeal comes from the limitless sweet and savory combinations found in the middle of its shell.

This Sunday, Nick Suarez and Theo Peck of the Food Experiments are bringing their latest cook-off to jack-of-all-venues, The Bell House. Sunday afternoon will feel like an endless indoor taco truck as 300 people consume the 11,000 four-inch mini corn tortilla shells donated by Tortilleria Chinantla in Williamsburg.

“This time we asked ourselves, ‘What constitutes a democratic food that jumps racial, economic, and regional barriers? And what is a food that everyone likes?’” said Suarez. “The taco was the first thing that came to mind.” The pair will host 30 chefs as they test their taco techniques with fillings like pork, beer, chicken, chorizo, and oh yes, chocolate.

Hello, my name is Lauren, and I’m a Twitterholic.

In March 2009, I started Tweeting. What began as a harmless online activity that all the cool social media kids were doing has now become an energy-zapping, headache-inducing, and quite frankly, lonely little cyber sport that I can’t seem to tear myself away from.

Just now, in the middle of writing this I had to go on Twitter: check new followers, hotel buzz, travel deals, wedding tips, restaurant openings, iTampons?? Must.make.it.stop.

When you put fresh, seasonal, and local together, voilà! You have iCi.

If you’re in the market for an intimate venue for a special date night, faite attention. Okay, so this new American bistro isn’t really French, but it is romantic, tasty, and eco-friendly. And you could be this week’s giveaway winner of a dinner for two up to $75.

Should you venture across the Brooklyn Bridge on February 14, the prix-fixe will include mini ginger cream and topika crepes, a rosemary rack of lamb, and a chocolate torte with bourbon sauce and Chantilly. Otherwise, you might try crispy sweet and sour pork belly, vegetarian lasagna, and pumpkin mousse with a spiced graham cracker tart.

1) Follow us on Twitter and tweet this message (if you already follow us, just tweet!):

“Win a dinner for two at iCi in Brooklyn. Just follow @offManhattan and RT! http://bit.ly/FreeDinner”

OR

2) Sign up for our email list. (If you’re already a subscriber, you are automatically entered for a chance to win the giveaway.)

You can do both to be entered twice, and tweet once a day to be entered multiple times and increase your chance of winning. Deadline is January 31st at 11:59pm EST – a winner will be chosen at random and announced the next day. Good luck!

How to get there: Take the G train to Smith-Washington subway stop. (iCi, 246 DeKalb Ave., 718.789.2778, icirestaurant.com)

While some of New York’s best graffiti spots may be hidden or inaccessible, aficionados can still find a variety of artwork, including throw-ups, murals, stencils and wheatpastes, just a short subway ride from Union Square.

Money might not grow on trees, but vegetables do grow on walls; see for yourself at the latest lunch hot spot to open by Mixt in D.C. [UrbanDaddy]

Instead of watching Avatar a second time, put the dough towards a dinner at one of these participating restaurants—proceeds will go to the Haiti relief effort. [DineOut4Haiti]

Last year brought gourmet accoutrement to the fast food chain, now Arby’s is opening a location inside a beautiful landmarked building in Brooklyn. [AMNY]

If you wanted to go to the Sundance Film Festival, well, it’s coming to Brooklyn for one night. [BAM]

When in Montreal recently, Jimmy Fallon Twittered about where he specifically had a blast. (Ever hear of Joe Beef?) [Jaunted]

Did you know that Brooklyn is ripe for decentralized urban farming? BK Farmyards does, and they’re taking action. [GOOD Blog]

Palo Santo, a Latin bistro in Brooklyn’s Park Slope, is doing its part to aid the Haiti outreach effort by organizing a one-night prix-fixe dinner special on Sunday, January 31. Half of the meal’s proceeds will be donated to the Rural Haiti Project, a U.S.-based youth service organization. The three-course menu, which will consist of traditional Haitian dishes such as pan roasted blue fish and platano slaw, costs $50 per person including food, beverages, tax, and tip.

Ice skating is always a good idea in winter. Now add hot chocolate (spiked if you’d like), rink snacks, Brooklyn Brewery beer, a game of Trivial Pursuit, and music courtesy of DJ’s Mikey Palms & PQ, and you’ve got yourself a bronze medal—or two actually. The Prospect Park Alliance is offering a pair of tickets or “bronze medals” each worth $40 to its annual Skating Under the Stars event on February 5 that raises funds for restoration and programming of Brooklyn’s last remaining forest.

Bring leg warmers, but leave the skates at home.

1) Follow us on Twitter and tweet this message (if you already follow us, just tweet!):

“Win two tickets to Prospect Park’s Skating Under the Stars Party. Just follow @offManhattan and RT! http://bit.ly/ParkParty”

OR

2) Sign up for our email list. (If you’re already a subscriber, you are automatically entered for a chance to win the giveaway.)

You can do both to be entered twice, and tweet once a day to be entered multiple times and increase your chance of winning. Deadline is January 24th at 11:59pm EST – a winner will be chosen at random and announced the next day. Good luck!

How to get there: Take the Q, S, or B to Prospect Park Station. Click here to find out where the trolley can pick you up in Brooklyn. (For more information on the event, visit prospectpark.org or contact Alex at avanslyck@prospectpark.org, 718.965.6992.)

Queens is king tonight at the Jamaica Performing Arts Center as 43 arts organizations and 17 indie artists are honored with nearly a quarter of a million dollars by the Queens Community Arts Fund (QCAF). The QCAF is an award presented by Queens Council on the Arts from a handful of benefactors—New York City Department of Cultural Affairs’ Greater New York Arts Development Fund, the New York State Council on the Arts Decentralization Program, and the JP Morgan Chase Arts Foundation Regrants Program—whose generosity ensures that this borough’s creative voice is heard.

The short winter days are conducive to indoor activities like reading, but that doesn’t mean that you should live by the seat of your armchair. Books like travel are about inward and outward journeys, and they can inspire you to visit new places. They can also help you rediscover familiar destinations. So instead of dreaming about the summer in South America or Australia, let these books about New York rekindle your passion for the city.