NYC: Taste Of The Nation Announces Its Restaurant Lineup

It's one of the best food and drink events of the year, and all of the proceeds go directly to charity. That's right, New York, it's Taste Of The Nation, the annual tastearound/drinkaround featuring many of the city's top restaurants and bars serving up all you can eat/drink items for a great cause. Proceeds from the event benefit Share Our Strength, an organization devoted to ending childhood hunger.

What's that? The $225 ticket price ($425 for VIP entry) is steep? Not if you think about the last set-course menu you shelled out for at the latest downtown/Brooklyn hotspot. In fact, it's about what you'd spend at such a restaurant, and here, you get to sample just a crazy array of dishes, from the likes of A-listers Betony and Estela, and cocktail destinations like Dead Rabbit and PDT. Seriously, the FR team went last year and we'd say it was one of 2013's best food/drink events in NYC.

You should buy your tickets immediately here, and here's more information on the event from Share Our Strength:

Join forces with over 75 of NYC's top tastemakers and best chefs for the 27th Annual Taste of the Nation on April 28. Honorary event chairs – restaurateur Danny Meyer, Food & Wine Editor-in-Chief Dana Cowin, and chef John Delucie – gather for the premier culinary benefit supporting Share Our Strength's No Kid Hungry® campaign to end childhood hunger in America.

  • Date: Monday, April 28, 2014
  • Location: 82 Mercer
  • 82 Mercer Street
  • New York City, New York 10012
  • Time: 7:00 to 10:00 p.m.; 6:30 to 10:00 p.m. for VIP
  • Admission: $225 for General Admission; $425 for VIP
  • VIP tables available for $2,500

A number of chefs will be signing books, including Alex Guarnaschelli, Anne Burrell, Marc Forgione, Melissa Clark, Scott Conant, Daniel Holzman and Michael Chernow, and Anita Lo. A silent auction includes a four-night stay at Caribbean Club in the Cayman Islands, and a Sussman Brothers dinner party for 10, featuring recipes from their new cookbook. New this year is a Marketplace featuring artisanal goods such as Taza Chocolate and Brooklyn Brine.

General admission ($225 per person) includes access to two floors of unlimited food & drink from the city's best culinary talent, a brand-new artisan marketplace, raffle and silent auction featuring exclusive culinary and travel experiences, 7:00 to 10:00pm.

VIP admission ($425 per person) includes all general admission perks plus early entry and exclusive access to the VIP Lounge featuring plush seating, opulent bites and fine wine, 6:30 to 10:00pm.

VIP Table ($2,500 per 4 guests) includes reserved cocktail seating inside exclusive VIP lounge with sparkling wine and waiter service throughout the evening in addition to all VIP amenities and admission, 6:30 to 10:00pm.

Participating restaurants in this year's event include: 21 Club • Acme • Ai Fiori • Alder • Almond • All'Onda • Anfora • Armani Restorante • Bergen Hill •Betony • Bill's Food & Drink • Blue Hill • Blue Smoke • Bo's • Butter • Brucie • The Butterfly • The Cecil • Cesca • Clement • The Cleveland • Clover Club • Colonie • Commerce • Contra • Crown Davio's Steakhouse • Dead Rabbit • Death & Co. dell'anima • Dirt Candy • Do or Dine • Dominique Ansel •Dutch Kills • Edi & the Wolf • Empire Diner • Employees Only Epicurean Events Estela • Francois Payard Bakery • Gramercy Tavern • Hecho en Dumbo • Hill Country Barbecue + Market Il Buco Alimentari • Jeepney Filipino Gastropub • Juni • L&W Oyster L'Apicio • L'Artusi • Landmarc • Laduree • Left Bank The Lion • The Liquid Chef • Louis 649 • Macao Maharlika Filipino Moderno • Maison Premeire • The Meatball Shop • Mile End • Minton's • Miss Lilly's Nightingale 9 • Nios • Nourish • The Peacock + the Shakespeare • Pearl & Ash • PDT • Pegu Club • Pies & Thighs • Pinch American Grill • Play • Pouring Ribbons • Raine's Law Room • Red Rooster Harlem Ristorante Morini • The Rum House • SD26 • Stanton Social • The Shanty • The Smith • Talde • Telepan • Toloache Thompson • Toro NYC • Untitled at the Whitney • Ward III

To purchase tickets for Taste of the Nation New York City, visit TasteOfTheNation.org/NewYorkCity.

About Share Our Strength's No Kid Hungry® Campaign

No child should grow up hungry in America, but one in five children struggles with hunger. Share Our Strength's No Kid Hungry® campaign is ending childhood hunger in America by ensuring all children get the healthy food they need, every day. The No Kid Hungry campaign connects kids in need to effective nutrition programs like school breakfast and summer meals and teaches low-income families to cook healthy, affordable meals through Cooking Matters. This work is accomplished through the No Kid Hungry network, made up of private citizens, public officials, nonprofits, business leaders and others providing innovative hunger solutions in their communities. Join us at NoKidHungry.org.