Delectable slices of cured meats with scents wafting through the air replaced the sounds of rolling balls and crushing pins on Sunday afternoon. In fact, the pig was the guest of honor all day long as Bowlmor Times Square welcomed in the folks from iAdventure.com to host the second annual “Bacon Bash,” with three fun-filled sessions of pork-filled consumption. With choice selections of bacon infused fare, the third session became a necessity based upon the strong ticket sales for the noon and 3:30 time slots. And the afternoon, like so many others previously hosted by the iAdventure.com team, proved to be one that combined good eats, a fun soundtrack, and a room filled with excitable and hungry guests looking to wind down the close of their weekend in style.

As temperatures soared during the mid-afternoon, the second session’s line began wrapping long around 44th Street and into a typically crowded Times Square as guests awaited entry at 3:30pm. Upstairs and inside meanwhile, the participating restaurants scurried to have their tables ready and waiting for the next sea of entrants to make their way inside the modernized bowling alley turned event space. As the elevator doors opened, attendees were treated to pose for pictures with girls donning skimpy bacon dresses and a gentleman gleefully parading about the space in a full on bacon costume, setting the stage for the afternoon to follow. Once finished grabbing a beer at the main bar courtesy of Sixpoint Brewing Company- the evening’s beer sponsor, we quickly jumped around from station to station to score some food samples before any lines got out of hand.

With our $45 ‘Oink Ticket,’ we were entitled to five different bacon tastes and a draught beer to boot, on top of $2 additional bacon tastings sold inside the venue. Aside from the beer on hand, customized bacon cocktails like the “Bloody Bacon” (Bacon Vodka, Spicy Tomato Mix) and the “Fizzy Piggy” (Bacon Vodka, Bacon Strip, Fizz) were being sold at the bar for a reasonable $8 a pop. Our first stop was to Tres Carnes, as the Chelsea area shop was doling out “Pork Belly Tacos,” smothered in pickled vegetables and a peppered bacon ranch. The creamy dressing only brought out more of the cured, smoky flavor enveloped in the soft white tortilla. Just mere steps away, House of ‘Que’s “3-Way Bacon Chili” combined smoked pork shoulder, pork belly, and hunks of bacon into a smothered Mexican inspired conglomerate. The dish avoided the perils of spice, instead focusing on the collaborative flavors included and worked entirely well despite the utilization of pork rather than beef.

The day’s longest line belonged to Bareburger, whose “Pork Slider” was tender and topped with a bit of slaw and marmalade. Guests were fortunate to stop here early as the lengthy wait proved a bit frustrating for some, extending out far into the main adjacent space. Instead of waiting for too long, we opted to return to Guy’s American Kitchen & Bar, despite the absence of celebrity chef and TV personality Guy Fieri. The restaurant, situated directly next door to Bowlmor, was offering up mouthwatering cups of “Bacon & Chicken Mac N Cheese,” perhaps the richest comfort food being served all afternoon. The creamy, subtle cheese compliment the salty hunks of fresh cut bacon well and allowed the pig parts to stand out rather than overwhelm the overall flavor of the sample. Other dishes courtesy of Little Town NYC (“Bacon Latte”), and samples from Baconery, and Bacon Bites rounded out the selection of participating vendors using innovative techniques to fashion their porky confections. As the afternoon session headed toward its conclusion, we returned outside to the now stifling heat, a bit winded by the jam packed space and the delicious fare inside. But the restaurants themselves were just gearing up for another action packed tasting session- each one, an ode to the pig.