Last eve, droves of Jets fans and sports-appreciating fashion types alike donned their hunter green-hued finest to hit up the 11th annual Taste Of The Jets. The charity bash, benefitting the Food Bank Of New York City and sponsored in part by Saks Fifth Avenue, was held this year on the 54th floor of 4 World Trade Center. Needless to say, the views were spectacular, and the dozens of tasting stations from chic restos around the city (plus a couple from Jersey, fittingly, since the Jets’ home turf is across the Hudson) were equally as impressive. Noshes included a great steak tartare from STK, lobster tacos from Tao, autumn fruit guac (finished with blackberries and pomegranate seeds) from Dos Caminos, a few iterations of meatballs, raspberry habanero-spiked chicken wings, and more comfort food-skewed eats. As for the sweets on offer, massive wedges of red velvet cake proved to be a hit. (The mac ‘n’ cheese from Emma’s Tap House was the first dish to get tapped, from what we saw…)
Between bites, the dedicated fans in the crowd made the rounds getting their gear signed by a handful of players in attendance. The longest line was, by far, for quarterback Michael Vick, for whom fans queued up to meet a solid 20 minutes before he even sat down, while the second-longest wait was for wide receiver Eric Decker. The players strutted their enormous selves in a fashion show comprised of dapper blue and (of course) green Saks suiting, MC-ed by the department store’s men’s VP and fashion director, Eric Jennings, as well as its VP DMM of men’s clothing, Shawn Howell. Also on the agenda: an auction featuring all sorts of experiences with the players: Dinner for two with Jets center Nick Mangold fetched $10K. That’s devotion, non?
Jets quarterback Michael Vick struts his stuff in Saks gear
