New York City Super Bowl Parties For Food Lovers (Slideshow)
Super Bowl Kickoff Spectacular
Super Bowl Kickoff Spectacular, a free concert and fireworks on Jan. 27 at Liberty State Park in New Jersey kicks off a week of Super Bowl celebrations in New York and New Jersey. Concertgoers can stay warm by purchasing $40 tickets to the Host Committee NJ Warming Lounge featuring comfort food, soft drinks, hot cocoa, coffee, and tea from 5:30pm to 7pm (drinks served until 9:30pm). Tickets include entry to a VIP concert viewing area to see Daughtry, The Fray, Goo Goo Dolls and fireworks.
Super Bowl Boulevard
The NFL is transforming 13 blocks of Broadway into Super Bowl Boulevard, a free celebration Jan. 29 to Feb. 1 featuring free food and drink, interactive displays, afternoon athlete meet-and-greets, nightly concerts, and a 60-foot tall, 180-foot long Times Square toboggan run ($5 per person, tickets available via Ticketmaster). The NFL Shop at Super Bowl, Macy's Herald Square serves as the entrance to the wintery fan fest, which is open noon to 10pm daily. Fans can stock up on Super Bowl apparel at the 36,000-square-foot store on the fourth floor of Macy's Herald Square. Papa John's is giving away free slices of its newest pizza creation, McDonald's is handing out cups of McCafe Coffee while Snickers and M&Ms are serving free chocolate treats. Fans can try kicking a field goal and run through a stadium tunnel. Follow on Twitter @SuperBowl hashtag #SBBLVD for updates.
NFL Pop-Up Restaurant: Forty Ate
The name is a play on Super Bowl XLVIII, the 48th in NFL history. Fans can feast on the NFL's first-ever Super Bowl-themed pop-up restaurant Forty Ate at the Renaissance New York Times Square Hotel on West 48th Street. Overlooking Super Bowl Boulevard, the 78-seat steakhouse is open for lunch and dinner for one week – Jan. 27 to Feb. 2. Danny Meyer's catering company Union Square Events is collaborating with the hotel to run the dining room and bar which is decked in NFL Pro Football Hall of Fame memorabilia. Diners who snag a reservation are likely to see NFL players who are scheduled to eat at the pop-up restaurant throughout the week. The menu includes a "Gridiron" burger with Vermont cheddar, caramelized onions, tomato jam, and rosemary fries ($22); mac and cheese gratin with Parmigiano crust ($7); and iron skillet apple pie with New York state cheddar crust and topped with walnut-brown sugar ice cream ($12). Reservations: 212-450-2014.
DirecTV Celebrity Beach Bowl
NFL alums like Joe Montana take on celebrities like chef Guy Fieri and comedian Tracy Morgan at the DirecTV Celebrity Beach Bowl at Pier 40, Hudson River Park in Manhattan on Feb 1. The action takes place in a heated tent, which contains a 'beach' made from 1 million pounds of sand. Free admission and entry is first come, first served. The tailgate begins at 10am and kick off is 2pm. Food Network's Andrew Zimmern is hosting the half-time show. The event ends with a free concert featuring Paramore.
5-Borough Playbook
NYC & Company, New York City's official marketing, tourism and partnership organization, has released the 5-Borough Playbook, a guide to exploring beyond Times Square and Super Bowl Boulevard during Super Bowl Week. The free book shares general information about neighborhoods and attractions that are accessible via public transportation like Tompkinsville in Staten Island, which is known for its Sri Lankan cuisine, and Arthur Avenue in the Bronx for Italian fare. The book includes Big-Game Deals, discounts that are good until Feb. 2 like $20 No. 10 Bison Burger and draft beer at Midtown's Ted Montana's; free appetizer or dessert at the theater district's Inakaya; and free beer with any purchase at the Garment District's The Strand Bistro.
Taste of the NFL
Football fans ready for some football and wanting to eat like an NFL player can go to Taste of the NFL, a Super Bowl-sized soiree featuring celebrity chefs and NFL athletes who are cooking classic and creative culinary creations on Feb. 1 at Pier 12 of the Brooklyn Cruise Terminal. Chopped host Ted Allen, E & J Winery's Gina Gallo, and Bizarre Foods host Andrew Zimmern are attending the charity event, which is held annually in the Super Bowl host city. More than 35 chefs, including one from each of the 32 NFL markets, are paired with 35 current or alumni NFL players from each NFL team to whip up 50,000 sample-size treats. Each guest receives a commemorative wine glass to sample the E&J Gallo wines, which are paired with each dish. More than one dozen New York-area NFL players and chefs are cooking for the 23rd annual Taste of the NFL's 3,000 patrons. Football fans can tackle pre-game bites from the New York Giants' Bill Ard and Chef Kamal Rose of Tribeca Grill, who are preparing Italian wedding soup and New York-style cheesecake. The New York Jets' Freeman McNeil and Chef Taku Sato of Nobu 57 are serving rock shrimp tempura with a spicy sauce.
TOUCHDOWN at Bronx Terminal Market
The shopping mall is hosting TOUCHDOWN, a three-hour celebration on Feb. 1, featuring a meet-and-greet with Ottis Anderson, former New York Giants Running back, football-themed activities like a throwing clinic, and free hot chocolate.