Hoboken Mutzfest

Attending every year and this by far was the worst. If M and P and Vito’s didn’t attend I wouldn’t even go. I love margheritas for its Italian but come on– you must have been selected because of the other amazing delis that didn’t participate this year. Get back the real hoboken delis which is what makes this «authentic and real» and get rid of the out of Towners we won’t realistically ever go to to make this thing worth the 20 $ otherwise I will just continue bringing my business to the two only note noteworthy places there. Sorry but the other contenders this year were not even close!!!

I skipped ’14 but after returning in 2015… it was just ok.
The good stuff: M&P Biancamano is still far and away the best game in town, and honorable mentions go to Tony Baloney for creativity (gaucho mutz was crazy good) and Little Eatly of North Arlington with a strong showing as the only out-​of-​towners. But seriously… Little Town? How did they get in the door?
The no so great: Since 2013, the price doubled to $ 20, still totally reasonable. The 45 minute wait for ticket holders isn’t really suited for January weather, it’s crammed and chaotic inside, and many of Hoboken’s Finest don’t even show up (Firoe’s, Frans, Losurdo’s, Lisa’s, Luca Brasi, I’m talkin’ to you)! Spreads and accompaniment were not as extravagant in previous years (experience in 2013, word of mouth from kid sis Amanda W. about 2014). And the speakers needed to be dialed back about 30% to be tolerable.
Anyway, I think the event would really benefit by selling time-​slotted tickets to control the chaos. And time to sweeten the deal to bring back the Hoboken All Stars.

Overall, Mutzfest was a good time! It gave me an opportunity to try fresh mozzarella from several different establishments in Hoboken that I hadn’t tried before, presented in different ways. They really were all good and picking a favorite was tricky. I was impressed with how orderly the event was despite its impressive turn-​out. While the DJ could have been better, playing «This Girl is on Fire» and «Call Me Maybe» multiple times plus «Sexy and I Know It» at an event full of older people and small kids, this was a great event and I would definitely go again,

one of Hoboken’s many claims to fame is the density of its drinking establishments — «more bars per square mile» is the usual phrase — but MutzFest highlighted another gastronomic powerhouse of the Mile Square… fresh mozzarella!
five delis (no Fiore’s, sadly) showed up — Vito’s, Biancamano’s, Lisa’s, Fran’s, and Losurdo’s. each had an impressive array of food at their table. fresh mozzarella in its pure form, as well as in sandwiches and other methods of preparation.
a ticket at each table entitled you to sample each vendor’s offerings, and they were extremely generous with the portions. holy dairy overload, Batman! not a single bad dish in the joint. my vote ultimately went to Biancamano’s, who ended up winning ²⁄₃ of the competitions.
I used to get Vito’s sandwiches on an almost-​religious basis back in my days at Stevens (thousands of years before Sigourney Weaver), but this event sparked me to go and try the other places now!
the event was organized fantastically. tickets sold out early, which was great because it meant the Elks Lodge wasn’t too packed. volunteers made sure people weren’t being too grabby with samples and kept moving. a DJ provided tunes (though hearing «THIS GIRL IS ON FIIIIIIRE» four times was a bit annoying) and they even had the bar open with cheap drinks!
for a mere $ 10 entrance fee, which went to a local volunteer organization, this was an awesome deal. I had to go to Hoboken that morning for a meeting anyway, so this just let us make a day of going to town and hanging out with our friends. hopefully they do this event next year. MUTZ MUTZ MUTZ MUTZ MUTZ MUTZ EVERYBODDDDDY!!!

This was a great event. Kudos to all those involved in setting it up.
Got to try a few different mutzes (is that even a proper term?), mostly from deli’s I haven’t eaten from. After this though, I have new places to go, and will seek them out and try a full fledged sub/​hero/​grinder/​whatever it’s called in NJ with mutz.
If they do this again next year, I’m definitely going!