The Lower East Side’s Hester Street Fair will open the weekend of April 26-27 for its fifth year, a date that marks the debut of several new food vendors who’ll join a lineup that already includes the stellar Luke’s Lobster, Vendy winner Khao Man Gai NY, and Fany Gerson’s La Newyorkina. Butcher Hudson & Charles is serving things like grass-fed porchetta sandwiches and cocoa-spiced “Texas-style chili” on a rotating basis, while fried-rice-ball outfit Zhà-Mi, which counts bulgogi and char siu among its flavors, will debut its menu in advance of opening a brick-and-mortar restaurant. Another new vendor is Ssam BBQ, which specializes in Korean lettuce wraps, rice bowls, and brioche “Ssam-wiches” loaded with sustainable meats. On Saturday only, barman Warren Hode of the nearby Rosette will be “mixing specialty tonics” based on experiments undertaken at the restaurant, where he’s also turning out drinks like housemade sarsaparilla. [Hester Street Fair]
