Smorgasburg - May 12, 2012

This past weekend, my parents were visiting. I made sure to take them to local food market Smorgasburg, as a visit there is quickly becoming a near-weekly tradition. So, what did I eat this week?



Mighty Quinn's pulled pork sandwich (the "big" is $9). The sausage that is supposed to be included on this sandwich wasn't quite ready at 11am, when I arrived at Smorgasburg. That's no big deal. I knew I was taking that risk when I got in line. This was my first eat of the day because the line gets long quickly. I'm not sure I'd have the patience to wait in it as long as some people do, no matter how good these are. And they are good. I especially liked the flavor of the bbq sauce used.

Beware! If you don't ask for a small sandwich, you get the big one.  Also, the guy who made it told me the sandwich would be a dollar off because of the missing sausage, but no one told the guy taking the money. I'm not mad about any of that, though. It was delicious and I'm glad it was big.



Hash browns with Grafton cheddar and pickled jalapeños,  accompanied by bacon mayonnaise, from the Egg Hash Bar. From what I could see, fried eggs were not listed on the menu, but several people ordered them alongside the hash. These hash browns are an excellent new addition to Smorgasburg. I'd visit this booth again and again.

Not Pictured: The Stand Rhubarb Rose limeade. Wow! The baby made an awesome sour face when he tried it, then asked for more. It was really tasty.


Olive breadstick from ?? Dan bought this for the little guy, but we shared. Anyone recognize it? [Update: reader Mechanic says they're from TomCat. Update2: They're actually from Commerce.]


Margarita Sandwich from The Good Batch. The cookies outshone the ice cream, but the whole package was really tasty.

I looked everywhere for horchata, to have as a parting beverage, but didn't see a stand selling it this week. I miss you, horchata!!

Have you been to Smorgasburg? What should I try next?

-------

Birthday Bites

You may have noticed that I'm fond of the edible birthday. It's true. I hardly need gifts anymore. Just feed me.

This year's birthday was another good excuse for eating with friends. I was surprised (truly surprised) by a birthday brunch of some favorites from Pies 'n' Thighs -- chicken and waffles, chicken biscuits, and a doughnut "cake." What you see above are the delicious, delicious remains of that party. Thanks, friends!




Because I didn't have time to bake myself a cake to share with family and friends, Dan brought home "cookie pies" from The Blue Stove. One was chocolate chip, one chocolate crinkle, and one snickerdoodle.  Happy Birthday to me! We shared two after dinner and had one with breakfast the next morning. Frankly, I liked them better than traditional whoopie pies, though they had a little too much cream filling (event for my taste) in their middles.

My favorite almost-four-year-old also helped her mom bake me a "proper" birthday cake the next night.  It was lemony and rich (not pictured). We all enjoyed large pieces with whipped cream. I probably need the recipe.



Finally, on a whim, I bought myself a package of these limited edition Birthday Cake Oreos. Don't you hate it when the store is out of classic Double Stuf? It leads me to all sorts of wild experimentation. Anyway, Happy Birthday, Oreos (their 100th birthday is TODAY!), but I really didn't like the Birthday Cake flavor much. I have a sweet tooth, but MAN, are they ever sweet. And Dan was out of the country during the week that followed my birthday, so I was forced to eat them all myself. Total Oreo-filling-plus-weird-sprinkle-pieces overload. But I managed. I nearly always do.
 
I miss you, Double Stuf!! You're my true birthday wish. Be back in stock soon!

------

Quesadilla of the Day

Urban Rustic
236 N 12th St 
between Driggs Ave & Union Ave)
(718) 388-9444 
 www.urbanrusticnyc.com        


-------

Let Them Eat (Fish and) Cake

Bon Chovie fried, fresh anchovies.  Eat the head or twist it off -- it's up to you!


Ridiculously good pumpkin cake with hot fudge sauce and bourbon whipped cream -- the perfect cake to eat outdoors on a frosty autumn afternoon.

Months and months ago, we made our last sojourn to Smorgasburg, the seasonal (outdoor) Brooklyn Flea food market that is for neighborhood "foodie" fare what a farmer's market is for fresh fruits and vegetables.  Shortly after this trip, it closed for the winter.

I haven't come anywhere close to trying at least one thing from each vendor, but I look forward to continuing this quest in the spring. Smorgasburg reopens April 7th.

See past Smorgasburg/Brooklyn Flea posts here and here.

-------

From the Vaults: Doughnut Teaser

I keep eating doughnuts.  Here are a few.




Doughnuts by Pies 'n' Thighs, via Gimme Coffee





Doughnuts by Dough, via Gimme Coffee

Now that Gimme has switched over to doughnuts from "Dough" in Bushwick, I have to say I like the change.  Pictured above are a blood orange doughnut (anybody else reading Tyra Banks' Modelland? If so, you'll know why I am nuts over blood orange anything), a mixed-berry doughnut, and a chocolate chip and sea salt scone.  I found them superior in flavor to the dense and sometimes greasy Pies 'n' Thighs doughnuts.  I'll still eat PnT's flavors, especially lemon poppyseed, but I'm more often in the mood for a "Dough" frosted glazed.

p.s. Pies 'n' Thighs doughnuts are good if you're looking for the "window to weight gain" pictured below:



-------

More Work To Be Done...

I'm trying my best to eat my way through the vendors at Smorgasburg, the local Saturday "flea market" for food. Here are some highlights of my trips there this summer:


Doughnut holes from Dough


Landhaus maple bacon on a stick


Landhaus BLT


Brooklyn Soda Works blackberry-mint artisanal soda


Nana’s (made by Cecile Dyer of Pies ’n’ Thighs) frozen banana with nuts and sea salt

Okay, so I haven't really made a dent.  Smorgasburg closes for the winter on November 20th, so there's still time for me to visit a few more times. Have you been there? What do you recommend I try?

-------

Shake and Say Hello

Momofuku Milk Bar? Hello at last!



Rootbeer float milkshake? Happy to make your acquaintance! I wish you weren't so teeny, but I can deal.

Oh, and decadent birthday cake truffles? [not pictured] Super-nice to eat you!

-------

Welcome Waffles

    

I'd like to post a belated welcome-to-the-neighborhood for a new shop called Waffle and Wolf. We happened in on the first day and tried a waffle folded and filled with feta and honey. Tasty!



There are lots of heartier "specials" if you want to make your folded waffle a meal instead of a snack. I'm into tuna these days, so my eye is was drawn to that one (mercury load; yeah I know).

Waffles and more? Now that's a tastebud-pleasing business model.

    

Waffle and Wolf
413 Graham Avenue
Brooklyn, NY, 11211
347 889 6240

------- 

There was this one time?

This one time? We had a fairly new baby? And Rusty brought us muffins from Variety?

Much appreciated!  Especially pumpkin cream cheese.

--------

Mmmm....composty...

I haven't yet made it to Smorgasburg, Brooklyn Flea's all-food market in Williamsburg, but I was happy with the food options at the flea market itself, which I visited well before Smorgasburg opened.

Told I had to try one of the Compost Cookies from Momofuku Milk Bar's stand, I obliged.  It was tasty, but not as exciting as I was hoping it would be.  Perhaps the texture was too homogenized.  I'm looking forward to making my own version.

While there, I also enjoyed my favorite Asia Dog -- the Mash (not pictured).  Potato chips, spicy ketchup, jalapeno mustard? I have no complaints.  I've now had Asia Dog's food at a bar (where they originated), a flea market, a wedding (which they catered!), a pop-up soccer clubhouse (oh, the wasabi potato salad!), and their restaurant in Nolita.  I'm a fan.

-------

My compliments

We did nothing to deserve a complimentary Lemon-Brown Butter Mochi Cake with kumquat sauce, black sesame streusel, and Il Laboratorio Buttermilk Ice Cream, but were thrilled when it was brought to us at one of our favorite neighborhood spots, Five Leaves.

Thankfully, our relative unworthiness did not sour its flavor.  Delicious!

-------

"We'll eat you up, we love you so."

Here's to the people and restaurants who provided special snacks and meals in the first several weeks after I gave birth to my son (three weeks ago today).

• My smarty-pants husband had Thai delivered from Cheers for the two of us, our doula, and the midwife, an hour or two after our home birth.
   
• Moss, Rachel, and Hero brought fried chicken, macaroni and cheese, biscuits, and slices of pie from Pies 'n' Thighs for dinner that first night.  Turns out that two pieces of fried chicken was EXACTLY what I wanted after 8 1/2 hours of labor.
  
  
• Nick came by with dark beer (good for milk production, they say) and ice cream and chips and...numerous other good things.  Matthew C. also brought beer (which turned out to be more for my husband than for me).
  
  
• Tim and Holly made lasagna and fennel salad, and delivered it with chocolate cake (and brought their gorgeous 6-month old daughter).
  
  
• David and Molly donated homemade chicken pot pies, ready to cook, and chocolate-coconut hand pies (pictured above).  Oh, yum!
  
  
• Carmine's was the first place we "ate out" with the baby.  We only purchased two slices of pizza at the counter, but they still let us sit in the back (which is usually reserved for people ordering from the menu), away from the construction noise on the street.

Inedible but Lovely "special mention" goes to Willow and August's cherry blossoms and two bunches of flowers from Matt C. -- not to mention all the other friends who stopped by or mailed cards and gifts of rattles, blankets, onesies, books, lullabies, and more.  Sorry I haven't named you all here!

I feel really, truly blessed. 

Shower Power!

Jeff and Michelle are having a baby (they beat me to it).  I felt privileged to attend one of their baby showers last weekend -- and not just because the food served there was excellent.



But it was.







The party was held in the back room of, and catered by, a charming local bar called The Richardson.  They laid out a great spread of grilled sandwiches/panini, veggies, pickles, cheese, deviled eggs, pretzels, and meats.



I believe I ate quite a bit. 





Seriously intense, moist, and attractive cupcakes (chocolate, vanilla, red velvet, and carrot cake) were provided by another local favorite shop, The Blue Stove.

Congratulations, Jeff and Michelle!  And thanks (also to Jeff's mom, who hosted) for the party!

Happy Birthday, Kyle!

On Kyle's birthday, I was privileged to join the folks celebrating at local beer garden Loreley for sausages, fresh pretzels, and chats.

They had beer; I had Possmann Country Apple German Apple Juice.  There's no alcohol in there, but it tasted like a party.  And I don't like beer anyway, so I'd drink this any day.


p.s. Technically, it's Poetry Tuesday, but I haven't gone to bed yet (been up making cookies), so it's still Monday for me.

-------

Thighs n Thighs

I have a new favorite dinner at local favorite chicken joint, Pies 'n' Thighs.  Surprising as it may be, this doesn't involve pie.



My current favorite side dish is the watermelon salad, which includes cucumber and jalapeño.  This is significantly different from how I like to make watermelon salad (with red onion, feta, and black olives), but it's light and refreshing.



The horchata is my beverage of choice this summer.  It's cold and tasty and spiced, without being too sweet.  I've had it at several restaurants, but the mixture at Pies 'n' Thighs is one of the best I've had.

Here's the main event:




It's the "Chicken Biscuit," it's $5, it's decadent, and it's phenomenal.  What you see here is a sandwich of chicken breast with hot sauce and honey butter on a fluffy biscuit.   There's so, so, much butter.  It can't possibly be healthy.  Just watch it ooze:



I love it so much.  This is currently my go-to comfort meal, y'all.

-------