74 LONGISLANDPRESS.COM • AUGUST 2018
PRESS MAIN DISH
INDUSTRY STANDARD:
THE NIGHT MARKET
By CJ ARLOTTA
With a menu consisting of modern
takes on traditional pub grub and
Asian-inspired dishes, one NoFo bar
has a new item on its cocktail menu
that’s got customers asking, “What’s
the Night Market?”
“Night markets in Asia are my
favorite way to experience food,
culture and flavor,” says Charmaine
Strange, bar manager at Industry
Standard Bar, a Greenport gastropub.
“They’re full of interesting
people, and the vendors are always
phenomenal.”
With this in mind, last year she
asked her executive chef, Greg Ling,
to pick up pandan leaves — commonly
used to flavor many Southeast
Asian dishes — the next time he
was in Chinatown. He obliged, and
she infused the pandan leaves in
Absolut vodka for a month.
“Pandan leaf is a really interesting
flavor profile I had always wanted
to use,” Strange says. “It’s nutty with
a vanilla fragrance, which is really
what makes it unique.”
She then combined coconut milk,
simple syrup and butterfly pea
tea, “which is bright blue and very
earthy,” into a stainless steel cocktail
shaker with the pandan-infused
vodka.
“Butterfly pea tea is super cool
too,” she says. “It’s a brilliant blue
when steeped, but if you add an
acid to it, the color changes. It also
has a nice light flavoring similar
to green tea — herbaceous but not
overpowering.”
After shaking the ingredients, she
strained them into a highball glass
with ice and black tapioca pearls, also
known as boba, resting at the bottom.
“Adding the tapioca just makes it
a grown-up boba tea!” Strange says.
“The cocktail works really
well,” she adds. “The
fragrances don’t overpower,
and its complementary to the
Asian dishes on our menu. It’s
light, refreshing and easy to
drink.”
When asked how she’d
describe Night Market to a
curious customer, without
hesitation, the bar manager
replied, “Something like
you’ve never tried before but
very Asian.”
“When I make drinks I always
try to make something
that is exactly the right drink
for the person in front of me,”
she says. “If I can evoke a memory,
then I’ve done my part.”
Industry Standard is located
at 45 Front St. in Greenport. They
can be reached at 631-333-2500
or industrystandardny.com
Industry Standard in Greenport mixed
up the Night Market, an Asian-inspired
cocktail.
FOODIE CARD:
DINE OUT, GIVE BACK Since launching in February, Foodie
Card has donated more than 6,000
meals to the hungry by selling membership
cards that offer discounts at
nearly 200 restaurants and growing
across Long Island and beyond.
Eateries ranging from Matteo’s to
Kyma to Bagel Boss offer 10 percent
discounts to members of Foodie Card,
which costs $29.99 annually. In turn,
participating restaurants help Foodie
Card donate to food banks such as
Island Harvest.
“We believe that Foodie Card can
grow into a national brand that fosters
a sense of community, whether
it’s the less fortunate we help feed, the
members we help save money, or the
local businesses we help drive traffic
to,” says Foodie Card cofounder Neil
Foster, of East Hills. “It should be
something you’re proud to have in
your wallet.”
Foster and his partner, Ryan
Alovis, CEO of Garden City-based
The Stella Group, were inspired
to launch Foodie Card after
seeing the engagement of their
Tri-State Restaurant Club Facebook
group, which has more than
62,000 members who share dining
recommendations.
“Our initial strategy was to build a
company that had a moral compass,”
Foster says. “It made a ton of sense to
build a real membership program
that drives business to restaurants
with a discount while helping those
that are struggling within our
community.”
Besides founding Foodie Card, Foster
was a tastemaker at the World’s
Fare, an event at Citi Field this
spring created by Long Island Press
co-owner Joshua Schneps that showcased
the cuisine from more than
100 countries. Leading up to the 2019
World’s Fare, organizers will host the
World’s Fare Passport Series at 525
46th Ave. in Long Island City, starting
with a taste of The Americas (Aug. 11-
12), Europe (Sept. 8-9) and Asia (Oct.
20-21). Visit www.theworldsfare.nyc
for more info.
Eventually, Foster expects to help
restaurants by providing insights
into patrons’ dining habits.
“It has the potential to transform
into a technology and data company,”
he says. “One that knows much more
about our audience, from what type
of food they like, how often they go
out ... how much they spend, etc.”
In the meantime, he’s encouraged
by frequent messages he receives
about how much money people save,
or how some restaurants have seen a
major influx of business. The average
member eats out two or three times
weekly and pays off their card in
three meals, he says.
“Foodie Card is all about people
helping people,” he says.
For more information, visit
Neil Foster cofounded Foodie Card. foodiecard.com
sponsored
/www.theworldsfare.nyc
