Famous Food Festival coming to Tanger Outlets in Deer Park

Feast up — the Famous Food Festival is coming to Tanger Outlets in Deer Park this weekend, inviting Long Islanders to get adventurous with chicken shawarma and shark sandwiches as well as riffs on traditional comfort food (think macaroni and cheese served in a waffle cone).

“This is for people who like to try new things and aren’t afraid to dip into the bizarre or the weird,” says Eric Arshravan, festival co-owner. “Our vendors represent a specific cuisine that most people haven’t really seen before.”

The event offers more than 40 food booths and trucks to satisfy any craving. Here’s a sample of what to taste:  

SHARK SANDWICH

Get even — eat a shark. Caribbean Street Eats of Flushing, Queens, sells mako shark sandwiches topped with coleslaw, pineapple, lettuce, tomato and garlic sauce then wrapped in fried dough. “The taste is not strange,” promises chef Sean Ramlal. “It’s not fishy at all, it’s very meaty. People really get into it.” Cost: $10

WEEPING COW BURGER AND BOUGIE HOT DOG

Farm to Truck, of Patchogue, is bringing on the beef with its Weeping Cow Burger — an 8-ounce patty topped with beef brisket finished with jalapeño peach jam, roasted tomatoes, pickled red onions and cilantro encased in a pink brioche bun dusted with crystal sugar. “There are so many different flavors hitting your tongue at once but it all goes together,” says owner Jason Tepper. “Everything intertwines — the sweetness with the salty flavor and the savory.” Then there's the Bougie hot dog — an 8-inch Nathan’s Famous hot dog smothered with barbecued beef, homemade barbecue sauce, pickled red cabbage and cilantro nestled in a black brioche hot dog bun. Cost: $11, Weeping Cow burger; $10, Bougie hot dog

MAC & CHEESE WAFFLE CONE

Forget ice cream, go for a mac attack. Mac Daddy 'n Cheese of Smithtown delivers multiple scoops of this triple-cheese pasta treat. “It’s comfort food that’s grab and go,” says owner Brian Karppinen. “The combination really works.” Cost: $10

CHICKEN & BEEF SHAWARMA

Lebanese food anyone? Toum, of Brooklyn, marinates chicken and beef in Lebanese spices, roasts them on a spit and slices off strips from a rotisserie into a pita with lettuce, tomatoes, pickles, onions with homemade garlic sauce. “It’s like a party in your mouth,” says owner Christine Chebli. “The sandwich, which is the size of your forearm, is really juicy, flavorful and spicy.” Cost: chicken shawarma sandwich  $8, beef shawarma sandwich $9

WOWFULLS

This waffle has been known to “wow,” hence the name. Homemade ice cream (it might be Double Cookies and Cream or Crazy Vanilla) gets stuffed into a freshly made Hong Kong egg waffle topped with chocolate and caramel drizzle, plus edible Japanese Pocky Biscuit Sticks.“People call them pancakes on steroids,” says Wowfull owner David Chan from Manhattan. “They are crispy on the outside and soft and sweet on the inside. Each one is customized to your liking.” Cost: $10

BEYOND THE FOOD

There’s more to do than just eat at the Famous Food Festival. Live music will be played by acoustic singer Rick Roche, electric violinist Sarina “The Violin Diva” Suno and the nine-piece comedy band Billy Mira & the Hitmen. For kids there’s a virtual reality experience from Virtual Realms in Hicksville with 12 games to choose from as well as a butterfly garden featuring more than 200 specimens. For adults, there’s a beer and wine garden plus live demonstrations from celebrity chefs including Jonathan Scinto of North Bellmore (The Food Network’s “Chopped,” “Master Chef”) who is known for “Itasian,” his fusion of Italian and Asian food. “When demoing we keep it as simple as possible so people can recreate this stuff at home,” Scinto says. “I don’t want them to be afraid of cooking. This is about having fun.”