The Brooklyn Taco Experiment...

or should I say, disappointment. I digress.

The Food Experiments is a collective of competitive cooking enthusiasts in Brooklyn that host cooking competitions. Now, to me, the idea of competitive cooking is great. After all,  I've become quite the fan of reality TV cooking competitions like Top Chef and Chopped. Indeed, I've fallen victim to the foodie craze, as if you hadn't already noticed with this little blog of mine. Anyhow, the fine folks at The Food Experiments  provide foodie wannabes with the opportunity to beat other aspiring foodie wannabes. Believe it or not, I really do think this competitive cooking deal is rather ingenious and lots of fun. In fact, I may very well put my money where my mouth is and partake in some competitive cooking one day. Your time will come, Tickle, oh yes, it will come.

On Sunday, January 31st, The Food Experiments hosted the battle royale of cooking competitions - The Brooklyn Taco Experiment! Tickle considered joining the competition, but, in the end, decided to attend as a spectator and judge. The event, held at the Bell House in the Gowanus, was billed (in my head) as an opportunity for the fish taco to flex its muscle. Sure, there would be your pork, beef, chicken and even veggie entries, but the fish taco would not only be well represented, it would rise above the rest.

Enter disappointment. Upon arriving at the Bell House, I experienced camera issues. I came prepared with my camera to document the event for tickle me. My film SLR camera was not cooperating with me at all, as it refused to take more than six pictures per roll on two separate rolls. After tinkering with it for a while and losing my patience (sorry, Jr!), I gave up. Not to worry, merely a minor setback, and the competition awaited me, or so I thought. I got to the front of the line, but, to my dismay, my name was not on the list - I know I paid for those tickets, I swear! After a while of scratching my head  in disbelief and feeling like a fool, I gave the patient young lady more of my money to get in. I was 0-2, my spirits were down, and my youthful anticipation was dwindling. Nevertheless, I could sense fish taco goodness just a few footsteps away.

The floor of the Bell House was filled with young food enthusiasts, competitors and a good amount of plaid button-ups, including my own. The excitement that had escaped me returned. What a rad event! To top things off, I had a free beer ticket. All I needed was a fish taco and all would be well. As I scanned the area in search of a fish taco, two things quickly became apparent to me: 1) the pig has become quite a foodie phenomenon...pork this and pork that, and 2) more importantly, there were ZERO fish taco entries. Pork you, Taco Experiment! NO FISH TACOS?!?!?! Blasphemous!

I felt defeated. How could a taco competition be void of the fish taco? If I were in San Diego, a riot would have ensued. I was wallowing and couldn't overcome it. To curb this emotion, I cashed in my drink ticket and settled down in the bar area to recover. After chugging my beer, I went back to the competition for one last lap and left shortly thereafter. The Brooklyn Taco Experiment, for me, was over. Boo.

One redeeming aspect of the competition was the Beer Battered Shrimp Taco entry, our only seafood friend represented. They were traditionally made topped with slaw, creme fraiche and hot sauce, and wrapped in a homemade corn tortilla. Needless to say, I voted for them (and went back for seconds and thirds).

All in all, The Brooklyn Taco Experiment was a great idea and a great event. I'm looking forward to see what they dish out next. I cannot deny, however, that I feel even more responsible to make the fish taco a household name. Fish Tacos forever!