We’re all for expanding our horizons and learning new things, especially when it comes to cooking! Benchmarc Events just did a private event at De Gustibus Cooking School in Manhattan for EDI Institute, Recommind and Glenmont Group, and it was a great success!

Founded in 1980 by Arlene Feltman Sailhac, De Gustibus is now owned and run by Salvatore Rizzo, former Director of House Operations and Events at the James Beard Foundation. Located on the 8th floor of Macy’s in Herald Square, it is a recreational cooking school where anyone is welcome to enjoy the demonstrations of superior international chefs and wine experts.  

We loved working with the team at De Gustibus for last week’s private event. We had the opportunity to interact with the attendees, which is always a fun change of pace. Marc prepared a fantastic menu of Ginger Chicken Cakes with Lemon Aioli, Pan-Seared Duck Breast, and Chocolate Molten Cake - just to name a few. Check out the pictures below to see all of Marc’s delicious creations from the night. He’s even on their wall of fame amongst the likes of other great chefs like Julia Child! 

De Gustibus offers classes in the fall and spring, which make great gifts for the chef or foodie in your life. Marc will be teaching another class on June 4th, so get your tickets now!

Marc on the wall of fame!

Delicious menu for the night

Marc and our amazing catering chef, Jennifer!

Marc in action!

Ginger Chicken Cakes with Lemon Aioli

Celery Ribbons, Mushroom + Parmesan Salad

Salmon Tartare

Roasted Cod

Pan-Seared Duck Breast

Chocolate Bourbon Cake

After a summer hiatus, the Landmarc Wine Dinner Series are finally back by popular demand! Whether you’ve never joined us for a wine dinner or were a monthly regular, this one should not be missed. Join us this Tuesday October 2nd for A Taste Of Chile . Chef Marc Murphy developed a special menu to pair with wines hand-selected by Benchmarc Wine + Beverage Director, David Lombardo, and Landmarc Tribeca General Manager, Jules Bianciardi. U.S. Director of Wines of Chile, Lori Tieszen, and her team, will also be on hand to highlight and explain the amazing diversity of this region, while you savor the flavors of the wine you are tasting. 

Some menu highlights include mussels and clams served with sauvignon blanc from the Aconcagua Valley, and braised boar shoulder accompanied by Odfjell “Orzada” carmenére. See the full menu and buy your tickets here!

Listen up New Yorkers, you’re invited  to a very special, one-of-a-kind evening with our very own Marc Murphy and Food Network’s Ted Allen.  On Wednesday, September 19 at 6:30 PM, Marc will be partnering with Share Our Strength to present an encore screening of the Food Network’s documentary Hunger Hits Home to help raise money to end childhood hunger in 2015. This event held at Tribeca Cinemas will include a panel, special screening of Hunger Hits Home and a post-screening reception with bites from Benchmarc Events and beverage provided by Brooklyn Brewery and Southern Wine & Spirits. Tickets are $100 and net proceeds benefit the No Kid Hungry campaign.

Buy your tickets here today! Hope you to see you there!

By now, you’ve most likely seen ads and commercials for Fashion’s Night Out - next Thursday September 6th. Not only is it an opportunity to get great deals on amazing designers, but also to score some free food and drinks! 

If you’re planning to venture out for FNO, make sure to add a stop at Bloomingdales (at 3rd Ave and 59th St) to your itinerary. Our chef Marc Murphy will do cooking demos with All-Clad cutlery, and Benchmarc Events will be passing around some of our favorite hors d’oeuvres. Stop by the housewares department on the 6th floor to sample our zucchini latkes with sour cream, mini chicken pot pies, mini loaded baked potatoes, sesame shrimp toast, mini fish tacos, and beef carpaccio on a parmesan crisp. And don’t miss Marc at 6:30 and 7:30pm when he’ll demo our tasty sesame shrimp toast. 

So go ahead and splurge on that new bag or pair of shoes, because all of our delicious bites will be free! 

Beef carpaccio on parmesan crisp

Mini fish tacos!

With Father’s Day this weekend, Benchmarc Events has a few easy tips to spruce up your barbecue to really treat dad this year!

1. Very important: season your meat (or vegetables) before throwing them on the grill.

2. Grill your buns for a few minutes before assembly for added flavor and texture to your burgers.

3. The grill isn’t just for savory foods. Grill large, stable fruits like watermelon and pineapple spears to serve in a salad or top with vanilla ice cream for dessert!

4. Don’t fuss with proteins on the grill. No pushing down on your patties, no flipping back and forth. Let the grill do the work to keep all those juices inside the meat!

5. Switch up your regular Heinz for more unexpected toppings, like this Chipotle Ketchup from our chef Marc Murphy:

1 cup ketchup

1 tsp cracked pepper

2 scallions, thinly sliced

1/2 tsp salt

2 chipotles, chopped

juice of 1 lime

Combine all ingredients in a bowl and mix together. 

Happy Father’s Day from Benchmarc Events!

It’s Tuesday and we’re still recovering from Sunday night’s Underground Eats launch party at Sleep No More’s McKittrick Hotel. We’d been planning the decor and menu for months, and after many phone calls with petting zoo rentals and scouring eBay for chainmail, it was amazing to see everything come together. From the raw bar to full-roasted pigs and a singing priest, it was a surreal culinary trip back in time to the 1939 World’s Fair. Check out pictures from the event here and here - and below!

Bar is stacked with tantalizing drinks and handsome waiters :)

Lots of lobstah!

Landmarc Tribeca’s chef Angelo getting into character

Beautiful and delicious roasted pig

Our chef Marc Murphy in action!

Photo credits: Grub Street 

Get out your boat shoes and join us for Smorgasboat on Wednesday June 13th! The party cruise onboard the East River Ferry will support City Harvest, a charity that is very close to Marc and the Benchmarc Events family.

Benchmarc Events will cater the event with featured local food vendors from Smorgasburg.  And we’ll be sure to quench your thirst with Brooklyn Bridge Wine Bar, Brooklyn Brewery, Brooklyn Roasting Company and Reyka Vodka also onboard! Your ticket includes food, drinks, the cruise, and the after party, which will take place at the King & Grove Williamsburg rooftop bar. It’s sure to be a night of smooth sailing, so purchase your ticket here today!

Tonight we’re excited to host an event at Ditch Plains Upper West Side in support of Ken Biberaj who is running for NYC City Council 2013. Ken is running in a Democratic Primary on the Upper West Side, so Ditch Plains is the perfect neighborhood spot to get supporters together. 

Ken is a stand up guy with a real commitment to public service and a strong understanding of the challenges that face small businesses, which is important to us as a restaurant and events business. 

The cocktail reception will feature our Ditch Plains favorites: fried pickles, deviled eggs, mini fish tacos, mini pulled pork sliders, mini chicken cheeseburgers, and of course, mini Ditch Dogs! There’s still time to RSVP for tonight!

Today we’re excited to highlight our new partnership with the East River Ferry, through which we are offering concessions onboard for riders. Our menu features items from several local Brooklyn vendors, like coffee from Brooklyn Roasting Company, retro U-Bet Egg Creams, Butter Lane cupcakes, and McClure’s potato chips. We also offer some of our favorite pastries from our catering menu, like chocolate croissants and banana bread. 

The new concession is great for commuters and tourists, but that’s not all. Benchmarc Events is also the exclusive caterer for all private events hosted on the ferries. So start planning your July 4th or Labor Day party at sea, and we’ll make sure it’ll be smooth sailing from there!

Landmarc Tribeca is near and dear to everyone at Benchmarc Restaurants and Benchmarc Events. As the first restaurant to open within Benchmarc, Landmarc Tribeca truly embodies the welcoming, neighborhood vibe that sets the tone for all of our restaurants and events.

It’s also our preferred location for events like rehearsal dinners, bridal showers, and birthday parties. The intimate nature of the spot gives a wonderful warming and friendly feel to special occasions to be spent with close friends and family. Clients can rent out the entire upstairs floor to ensure that guests will have the whole space to themselves. The decor and lighting upstairs creates a romantic and soothing atmosphere.

On top of the events that we can host, Landmarc Tribeca also offers some great perks for locals and guests. We serve our full menu until 2am in addition to a special late-night menu of small bites. You also can’t miss our Monday Wine + Dine: after 4pm we offer select half and full bottles for $13 and $26, respectively, and a special French classic dish. 

There’s so much to love about Landmarc Tribeca. We hope that you’ll visit and consider it for your next special event; we’re sure you’ll fall in love with it, too!