We’re not knocking the crunchy, greasy goodness of a traditional latke, but there are about a million and one ways to spice up the fried potato pancakes associated with Hannukah, and you can try several of those at the ninth annual Latke Festival at the Brooklyn Museum next month.
The tasting event and fundraiser returns to the Prospect Heights art museum for its second year at that location on Dec. 18. Latke lovers won’t have to go any farther than the building’s glass-enclosed lobby pavilion to sample more than 20 latke varieties, from the archetypal to the indulgently inventive.
Attendees will also get the opportunity to vote for their favorite and help determine which entry wins the “People’s Choice” award.
Among the 2017 competitors vying for that title — as well as recognition from a panel of food experts — are: Williamsburg’s Kings County Imperial, serving a Chinese cuisine-inspired daikon radish cake with tea-smoked duck and orange hoisin sauce; the upscale, Prospect Height’s R&D Foods, offering a beet latke with onions, carrots and horseradish; and the Brooklyn Museum’s own restaurant, The Norm, plating plantain latke with shrimp ceviche and jalapeño cilantro crema.
Veterans like Chinatown’s Baz Bagel, the East Village Ukranian eatery Veselka and the Brooklyn appetizing store Shelsky’s are slated to appear on the lineup alongside newbies like French-fry specialists FryGuys and Loreley Beer Graden.
Latke aficionados can wash all the fried bites down with drinks from Tito’s Vodka, City Winery, Schmaltz Brewing and more.
Proceeds from the event support the Sylvia Center, a nonprofit that educates younger New Yorkers in ways to choose and cook healthy foods.
The annual fundraiser organized by the catering company Great Performances is set to take place at 200 Eastern Parkway on Monday, Dec. 18, from 6 to 8:30 p.m. Tickets are $70, including as many latke samples as your heart desires and boozy beverages.
