By Tod Shapiro and the Flatiron Hot! News Editorial Staff

It’s that time of year again, and sure enough, the fantastic cornucopia of the Madison Square Eats Food extravaganza is upon us for 2014!  The annual food fair, sponsored by our friends at the Madison Square Park Conservancy, with the help of Urbanspace, will run from September 5th through October 3rd, and many of our favorite area eateries (numbering as many as 29 food pavilions) will be running booths with a terrific subset of their regular menus.  The food is all cooked fresh right on site, and is reasonably priced – no more than $8 or $9 per dish.  It’s ideal to pop in for a quick lunch-time treat or an under-the-open-sky dinner.  There is generous public seating in the North Public Plaza between 24th and 25th Streets bounded by 5th Avenue, so one can buy food and drink and take in the lively happenings of nearby Madison Square Park, with the Flatiron Building and area landmarks in easy view.

Yours truly took advantage of Roberta’s well-stocked booth, and saw my thin-crust pizza cooked in a mobile oven right in front of me as I waited (no more than 3 minutes).  I followed up with some fine ale served by a local establishment’s at-the-ready tap, as I watched the evening strollers in the park.  Definitely a must-do dining opportunity for Flatiron dwellers to try before its 2014 run is over.  Check out the quick video Flatiron Hot!’s staff put together to feel the flavor and excitement of the dining scene for Mad .Sq. Eats 2014.