New York City Wine & Food Festival Photos: Highlights From Burger Bash, Meatball Madness, and More

One of the first big events of the New York City Wine & Food Festival was Meatball Madness, sponsored by San Pellegrino and hosted by Giada De Laurentiis, held September 29 at 82 Mercer. Although Whole Foods Market didn't serve meatballs (its offerings included bruschetta with a roasted mushroom spread, white truffle oil, and shaved Parmesan), it put forth a splashy display. The grocery-store chain was one of the returning sponsors for the series and also held several dinners over the course of the weekend, including ones at Red Rooster, Hung Huynh's new seafood house Catch, and Ai Fiori.

Pepsi, one of the festival's top tier sponsors, was present at Meatball Madness as well as a number of events throughout the weekend. At 82 Mercer, the soda brand created an eye-catching bar comprised of its new skinny cans.

Pepsi's skinny cans also decorated the slim coolers placed around the event.

Microsoft search engine Bing was another of the New York City Wine & Food Festival's big partners. At many of the bigger events the brand brought in an interactive photo booth. Created by SuperBooths, the picture-taking area included a screen that played a video in which a photographer provided instructions on how to pose.

Buitoni, the presenting sponsor of Meatball Madness, built a different kind of photo area. With an image of an Italian street as the backdrop, guests posed on a bright red scooter.

Chefs Lee Anne Wong and Alexandra Guarnaschelli and Food & Wine editor in chief Dana Cowin acted as the judges for Meatball Madness. This year, the festival gave out a trophy topped with a plate of meatballs.

Little Owl's Joey Campanaro was crowned the winner of Meatball Madness for his gravy meatball slider. Attendees also voted for their favorite and the Meatball Shop's "steak n' bacon cheddar balls" on a buttermilk biscuit with mushroom gravy received the People's Choice award.

Chelsea Market After Dark was also held on September 29. Emeril Lagasse made his first appearance at the New York City Wine & Food Festival as host of the event. Lagasse, who signed copies of his books for attendees, held court in the Macy's lounge.

Inside its lounge area, Macy's took the opportunity to showcase its Culinary Council, a team of 13 notable chefs, as well as the new Macy's Culinary Council Thanksgiving & Holiday Cookbook.

On the morning of September 30, Time Warner Cable unveiled its Next Iron Chef Experience, a platform in the meatpacking district for the cable operator to promote its SignatureHome service as well as the upcoming season of The Next Iron Chef: Super Chefs. At the kickoff were Alton Brown and chefs Anne Burrell, Michael Chiarello, Alexandra Guarnaschelli, Robert Irvine, Geoffrey Zakarian, and Marc Forgione. Throughout the weekend, the public was invited to film their impersonation of the show's Chairman at a replica of the secret ingredient altar.

Media sponsor AOL hosted its own spot during the festival, taking over the Dream Downtown's street-level gallery for a public experience it dubbed the Oasis lounge. Produced by Fresh Wata, the space was decked out with modern furnishings and spa-like foliage, and hosted programs Friday through Sunday.

In the morning, Elena Brower of Virayoga curated yoga sessions. The Oasis lounge provided Huffington Post-branded yoga mats, which were housed in Astroturf-covered bins.

The lounge also included a library, where consumers could browse and read titles from chefs participating in the festival as well as Arianna Huffington's book, On Becoming Fearless...in Love, Work, And Life.

Fresh Wata built a 16- by 12-foot stage with weathered wood flooring and a backdrop of colored panels and pots for Saturday afternoon's cooking demo by Claire Robinson (pictured, left).

Sunday's programming focused on children and included a painting session with artist Jon Burgerman, a demo by chef Marcus Samuelsson, and a book reading with Ariana Huffington.

Following the late-night reception it held last year, the Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas took temporary residence in the meatpacking district for the duration of the festival. Set up in Gansevoort Plaza, a two-story mobile pop-up was designed to showcase the hotel's luxury rooms and house a number of activities. A terrace was located on the second floor.

On Saturday, the Las Vegas hotel's "Slice" lounge played host to a discussion presented by hospitality PR agency Bullfrog & Baum. Dubbed "In the Kitchen, Old School vs. New School, and How (Women) Chefs Get the Job Done," the panel included chefs (pictured, left to right) Traci Des Jardins, Anita Lo, Amanda Cohen, and Carla Hall as well as Alfred Portale, Marco Canora, Daniel Boulud, and Paul Liebrandt.

In addition to the "Artomat," a repurposed cigarette vending machine that dolled out small pieces of art on wood blocks, the spot also offered free Illy espresso, an olive oil tasting hosted by Zagat, and a live painting session with muralist Ian Ross.

On Friday night the Burger Bash returned to Dumbo's Tobacco Warehouse with a larger layout that made the crowds more manageable. Chef Bobby Flay, who won last year's contest, was there to defend the title.

In a playful nod to Rachael Ray's temporary replacement, gobos projected onto the space's brick walls proclaimed, "The Year of Whoopi."

As with years past, the Burger Bash sold out quickly, drawing hundreds of patty-loving foodies to Brooklyn for burgers crafted by more than 20 different restaurants.

Judging this year's Burger Bash was Andrew Zimmern, Adam Richman, and chefs David Burke and Anne Burrell (pictured, far right).

A tent in the front housed a large food court-style seating area and the stage where the band played old-school tunes. About an hour into the event, festival founder Lee Brian Schrager introduced Whoopi Goldberg and Brooklyn borough president Marty Markowitz.

With Rachael Ray unable to host, Schrager brought in actress Whoopi Goldberg to headline the Burger Bash. Goldberg happily visited the vendors at the tasting event, joining Schrager on his rounds.

Like Meatball Madness, the Burger Bash had a trophy to give the winner of the competition. Naturally it was topped with a burger-shaped piece.

Chef Franklin Becker's "Wisconsin burger" with bacon and cheddar (pictured) took home first prize, while the bison patty with slab bacon, smoked cheddar and secret sauce from Burger & Barrel's Josh Capon, won the People’s Choice award.

With a bigger layout this year, there was plenty of room at the Burger Bash for other activities, including a section where guests could post for a caricature artist.

Festival sponsor Delta brought back its Burger Bash bus, a free bus service between Brooklyn and Union Square.

Sweet, the tasting event that launched in New York before the festival itself, was hosted by Sandra Lee this year, who had an all-white lounge area at 82 Mercer where fans mobbed her for autographs.

The festival saw attendance from a number of local politicians, including New York Governor Andrew Cuomo, who showed up at Sweet in support of his girlfriend Sandra Lee.

Like Burger Bash, Sweet benefited from a looser configuration this year, providing plenty of room for larger displays and bars.

Sweet title sponsor Godiva had several different areas inside 82 Mercer, including a lounge, a chocolate bar, and a to-go section, all decorated with the gold- and white-colored boxes of its Ultimate Dessert Truffles.

Even New Zealand wine brand Brancott Estate had a sizable area, which it used to set up an outdoorsy lounge with green carpeting and wooden deck furniture.

Mark Israel's Doughnut Plant, which served an assortment of donuts, including a creme brulée option, won top honors at Sweet. Attendees could vote for their favorites using a token that was attached the program they received when entering the space.

Inside the 14th Street park, the festival's welcome center from Illy featured the Italian coffee brand's Push Button House, cabin-like coffee stops, and umbrella-covered café seating.

Bedecked with apples, the Food Network's booth at the welcome center was where the book signings took place.

The festival's Grand Tasting event moved from Pier 54 to Pier 57 this year, providing a much larger area for the different food and beverage brands showcasing their wares. KitchenAid was able to construct a large stage for its culinary demonstrations and talks, which included a discussion with Anthony Bourdain (pictured).

Presenting sponsor ShopRite also greatly expanded its presence at the Grand Tasting, constructing a series of brightly colored supermarket-style aisles to show off products.

Delta's booth got the biggest makeover. Produced by MKG, the space had a larger bar, where it served wine and flavored popcorn.

Delta took the opportunity to showcase its new partnership with chef Michael Chiarello, who created a three-course menu for its Business Elite flights.

Delta also promoted its Biscoff bake-off, handing out the cookies at the Grand Tasting and inviting attendees to sign up for the Facebook competition on site.

Last year's Sandwich Showdown returned as the Best Thing I Ever Ate Between the Bread event on Saturday, bringing chefs and restaurants to Highline Stages. The Food Network sponsored the outing along with the Cooking Channel, and used a large projection to invite attendees to share photos via Twitter and Facebook.

With an interactive projection, guests could play pool with their feet.

Wooden booths and simple decor gave the sandwich-focused event a down-home feel, while chalkboard tables allowed guests to doodle while they ate.

The Fun & Fit in the City event, sponsored by Target and the Harlem Children's Zone, took over the Harlem Armory on Saturday morning, bringing kids and their parents out for health-focused activities, like yoga, golf, and hands-on cooking lessons.

A number of chefs turned out at the uptown location for the demonstrations, including Marcus Samuelsson (pictured), Rocco DiSpirito, and Andrew Zimmern. New York City Council Speaker Christine C. Quinn was also on-hand to provide her support.

Adam Richman, host of the Travel Channel's Man v. Food, headlined the first Brooklyn's Bounty event, which was sponsored by Edible Brooklyn and held at Carroll Gardens' Green Building. In addition to restaurants and food vendors inside, the event parked four food trucks outside, including the one from Solber Pupusas.

More than 400 attendees crowded the former brass foundry for the sold-out affair, sampling food and drinks from more than 20 Brooklyn companies, such as restaurants Buttermilk Channel and Fette Sau, pickle purveyor McClure's, and coffeehouse Gorilla Coffee.

As a smart way to remind guests where their food was coming from, the staff of Colonie sported temporary tattoos bearing the restaurant's name.

Starting at 11 p.m. on Saturday night, Masaharu Morimoto (pictured, far right) hit the Harvard Club with a crowd of other toques for a karaoke party.

For the second year, Andrew Zimmern's Carts in the Parc event took place at the Eventi hotel's outdoor venue, bringing out a dozen or so food trucks and vendors on Sunday. Binghamton, New York-based band Driftwood played folksy tunes for guests.

Carts in the Parc was an ideal stop for the Cooking Channel's truck, which passed out grape- and lemon-flavored shaved ice.

The Biryani Cart was chosen as the winner of Carts in the Parc.

To close out the weekend, Guy Fieri hosted the "Party in Guy's Garage" at Highline Stages. The Ronald Reagans, a 1980s tribute band, performed live at the event.

In addition to beer, free colored sunglasses, and temporary tattoos, Fieri's bash held arcade games.

As the last event of the New York City Wine & Food Festival, the Guy Fieri-hosted party was a much more relaxed outing, with comfort food fare, chefs rocking out, and keg cups.