2019 Famous Food Festival set for Deer Park and Riverhead

“Dinosaur ribs” might remind you of that towering slab of meat and bones that toppled The Flintstones' Stone Age car when their order was delivered at the Bronto Burgers and Ribs Drive-In. You’ll be able to order your own version soon – and without traveling back to prehistoric times. This smaller, modern version made with beef will be just one of the offerings from dozens of food vendors participating in the second annual Famous Food Festival being held at Tanger Outlets Deer Park July 13-14 — with an encore event coming next month at Tanger in Riverhead.

Eric Arshravan of Dix Hills, who is organizing the festival with Dylan Ross, also of Dix Hills, says there’ll be “tons” of food of all types everywhere. He says vendors are coming from Long Island, Queens, Manhattan and New Jersey.

“People will be able to taste a ton of food from different cultures — that’s essentially why we started,” Arshravan says. “We wanted to bring communities and cultures together to show off their foods, and help vendors put their new and exciting food creations out to the public.”

Tickets are $5 in advance, $8 the day of the festival, with free admission for children ages 10 and younger. A special “VIP experience” ticket costs $55-$60 and includes perks such as seating in a private VIP area and access to a private bar and bathroom trailer besides a swag bag, food samples and a complimentary drink ticket ($5 value) for attendees 21 and older.

A SAMPLING OF TRUCKS

CRUFF: Who doesn’t love ice cream--and donuts? Imagine a donut stuffed with ice cream – that’s a cruff – a donut sandwich. They’ll be on the menu of Stuffed Ice Cream, which started in Greenwich Village. Look for some flavors to reflect favorites in Asian culture like Thai iced tea and royal milk tea.

WOWFULLS: Another “wow” for ice cream lovers. This Manhattan-based company also knows their stuff — homemade ice cream is stuffed into a waffle, chocolate and caramel is drizzled on top, and edible Japanese Pocky Biscuit Sticks are added to the mix.

TACO CONE: Also called a ‘’tacone,” this new treat from Right Coast Taqueria in Deer Park is made of a crispy flour tortilla “cone” filled with homemade creamy queso, shredded beef or chicken, Pico, sour cream and guacamole.

DINOSAUR RIBS: Festival organizers says these “giant ribs of beef” are made only for special occasions by the Lake Ronkonkoma-based Rolling Smoke BBQ Wood-Fired Grill.

JOHN’S JUICE: “All Juice, No Cups!” is the motto at this Manhattan-based juice bar. All beverages are served in the fruit of choice, so watermelon juice gets served in a mini watermelon, pineapple is served in a pineapple and so on.

OTHER ENTERTAINMENT

While the food will be the main attraction, festival organizer Arshravan says there’ll be lots of no-calorie entertainment for the whole family including live music, a Cuban cigar and bourbon lounge, ziplining, a rock wall, face painting, balloon making and a butterfly tent. A fireworks display will light up the skies at the Aug. 10 festival in Riverhead at about 8 p.m. and if the festival is canceled that day due to rain the fireworks are scheduled for the same time on the Aug. 24 rain date.