BLISS Blurb: Bistro Six49 and Grits and Biscuits 5 year anniversary review

Last Saturday Jacquel and I spent the weekend in north jersey in order to attend the grits and biscuits 5th anniversary block party in New York. Prior to attending this long awaited event we decided to eat brunch at Bistro 649 in Irvington with friends. If you haven't been to Bistro 649, we highly recommend it!  The chef, @chefdomcreates (Instagram) turns food into art right before your eyes. 

Bistro 649, ( bistro_six49 on Instagram), has an incredible menu fusing American fare with some Haitian fare like black rice. The head chef Dominique Hermann cooks all of the dishes himself right in front of you, and creates nothing short of artistic deliciousness. The restaurant is byob, which is great for the pockets, and the prices are very affordable compared to the portion sizes you receive. 

My meal consisted of salmon and shrimp, on top of black rice with vegetables and moscato sauce. This meal was a hands down ten and I couldn't finish it all. 

Jacquel had shrimp on top of black rice with moscato sauce and gave it a ten as well. 

One of my friends decided to go for the chicken and red velvet waffles, which she also gave a ten and could not complete. 

Lastly, my other friend ordered a fish sandwich with French fries which she also gave a ten. 

Overall the food was amazing, and to top it off we got served by Chef Dom himself. He chatted with us for a while and he is a really sweet and humble guy. He just wants to create good food for people and give back. I encourage you to check out his page on Instagram and the restaurants page for more pics, and to see his great work. 

After we left Bistro649, it was on to NYC for grits and biscuits 2015 block party edition. This was our first grits and biscuits event, and we were informed it usually takes place inside of a venue versus outside. This year it was out on a pier in NYC and could therefore house a lot more people. 

The pros's of this event was that since it was so much larger, more tickets could be sold versus it being sold out almost instantly. Also, because it's such a highly coveted event and there were so many people it was like a college reunion. 

Jacquel and I saw so many people we knew from college that traveled to NYC for the weekend just to partake in grits and biscuits. 

We didn't get the opportunity to takes pics with everyone, but it was a very pleasant surprise to see so many familiar faces. Events like this always bring out the masses, and it was truly a welcomed trip down memory lane. 

Although it was great seeing so many familiar faces, there were a few cons and I attribute them mostly to the venue. First, it's hard having a musical event at a venue like a pier because it throws off the acoustics. Unless you were closer to the stage it was hard to hear what song was playing. If it wasn't for the sound of screaming fans we would've had no idea special guest Trina had hit the stage. Trina's performance was good for what it was, but we were so far back it was hard to see or truly hear her. 

Also, with it being an outside venue, there's no escape from the heat or the sun beating down on you. There's also no place to sit and if you are older like myself, no matter how comfy you may dress after a few hours you will need a quick break. As the night went on and the sun went down, we moved closer to the stage and could hear the music better. As I started getting in my groove I found myself rapping along to lyrics from rappers from NYC on songs from NYC and other places outside the south. 

There weren't many non southern tracks played, but a few slipped in the mix. I figure after a long night you run out of dirty dirty tracks to play, and you play to the crowd a bit. Overall, the music I could hear was good and I'm not upset about the non southern tracks that slipped in. After the event ended, we were "herded" out a totally different way in which we came in. It was a much longer roundabout way, but I assume it was to control the flow of traffic with the mass exodus. 

At the end of the night I wasn't sure if I would attend another grits and biscuits event, but my friends assured me the regular ones are totally different. I would rate this event a 7, because I wasn't crazy about the venue. It does get points for the crowd it brings, because there were no issues, drama or fights. It's definitely a laid back scene, you can wear comfy sneakers, a tank and shorts and be good. The food and drinks available were overpriced, but that's expected in NYC and overall the music I could hear was good. I may give grits and biscuits another try at the regular venue, but if I miss it I won't be hurt. It was great seeing so many faces, but I was definitely exhausted the next day.