Take a bite of the Big Apple’s food markets
by Madeleine Morrow,
2015-04-17 06:40:54.0
TIRED of Macy’s, exhausted by Bloomingdales or maxed out your cards at the Apple store? Or perhaps just in the mood for a bit of local colour and something good to eat? Take your recycled shopping tote and get down to one of New York’s markets.
On weekends, market shoppers are spoilt for choice. Public squares transform into "Greenmarkets", where farmers sell organic fruit and veg, while breads, honeys and jams jostle with skeins of hand-spun wool and a magnificent assortment of flowers. Union Square Farmers Market, north of Greenwich Village, is perhaps the best of these and if you are seeking a slice of authentic New York, Saturday morning is the time to get there.
Staying in a hotel, one regretted not having booked a self-catering apartment. For it was love at first bite with the sculptural squashes, mutant zucchinis, purple carrots and assorted tomatoes. While the easily identified produce was exciting for the sheer variety, it was the unknown vegetables that set the pulse racing. What are tomatillos and how does one cook them? Turned out to be the Mexican relative of the Cape gooseberry. Roasted peach butter, plum applesauce or apricot salsa could be whipped up in no time if one hurried home with instructions courtesy of the Greenmarket Recipe Series leaflets. An impressive selection of chillis was up for grabs — Poblano, jalapeño, serrano, chilaka, cherry hot peppers, among others. If that was too spicy, flagons of maple syrup from Vermont added a sweet touch.
GrowNYC works with farmers to promote regional agriculture, to preserve farmland and to ensure that New Yorkers have a reliable supply of fresh produce. For visitors who have spent days in museums and gawping at skyscrapers, the simplicity of a ripe peach or a raspberry muffin heralds a welcome change of pace. Once the shopping is done, relax over a game of chess or have your tarot read.
This being New York, there is usually an edge. Sitting on a bench eating our market picnic, the chilled mood was disrupted by a lover’s tiff that broke out nearby. It turned ugly, voices rose and recriminations rang out for all to hear. Suddenly the man shouted, "I have teargas" as he pulled out a canister and sprayed it into his own face. He began to scream unbearably while his partner attempted to pour water into his eyes. We looked around to see if there was a film crew we hadn’t noticed but there was only a park attendant strolling over to check everything was okay. "Yes," replied the woman. We thought otherwise and as the smell of gas wafted over we beat a hasty retreat. People-watching is gritty sometimes.
When the rain falls or the season turns to winter, indoor eating options beckon. New Yorkers know how to put together a varied gustatory experience and West Chelsea has one of the finest.
...
SITUATED in the meat-packing district and housed in a revamped biscuit factory, Chelsea Market takes up an entire block in an area undergoing regeneration. Invigorated by the High Line, which begins above the market and runs along the west side of Manhattan, this year also sees the opening of the Whitney Museum, which has closed its Upper East Side doors and is set to open on Gansevoort Street in May. Take the morning to soak up some cutting-edge art, have a walk on the High Line, the disused, elevated railway that has been transformed into an unusual urban park with plenty to delight horticulturalists as well as aficionados of good design. Architecturally pleasing wooden benches, sculptures dotted among the plants, views over the Hudson River on the one hand and the urban landscape of New York on the other, this is a walk not to be missed. There are stairs up to the High Line at regular intervals so it can be accessed easily. Finish at 75th Street and head indoors to Chelsea Market for a well-deserved lunch. Go hungry, because this is a space to gaze and graze.
Housing some 35 quirky boutiques and food emporia selling specialist wine, coffee, spices, nuts, cheese, meat and all manner of seafood, this is a destination to stroll through slowly before deciding what to eat. Snaking along the walkway between the shops are communal tables where locals and visitors mix to eat and chat.
The interior is New York design par excellence — a look much exported to hip restaurants around the world — bare brick, steel and light bulbs. So much for the hardware. The software is equally New York — bakeries filled with shelves of Amy’s breads, Fat Witch’s brownies and Ruthy’s rugelach stuffed with every imaginable filling; spices, teas and wines from around the globe. More is more.
...
THIS being the east coast, there were impressive lobsters at the seafood emporium, Lobster Plaice. Here, crustaceans were king. They were sorted by size from large to ginormous. The giant ones were so big that even the greediest devourer of lobster might feel that any creature that had reached such a ripe age should be allowed to live out its life in the ocean and not land up as lunch. Variety was the theme here with 10 types of oyster and 53 varieties of fish. Aisles full of sushi and other piscine deli foods were ready to be taken away, or "to go" as they say in the city.
New York is not short of tacos bars but research suggested that some of the best in town were to be found at Chelsea Market. A patient queue outside No1 Tacos attested to its popularity and we passed the time amid a good-natured group of regulars who instructed us on what to order — their favourites, naturally. Soon we were tucking in to juicy steak-and-pork tacos while dipping into bags of freshly made tortilla chips slathered with guacamole. Hibiscus and tamarind juices were refreshingly delicious.
For dessert we tried a variety of flavours from L’Art del Gelato where dolce latte, coffee and biscotti were served up as ice creams.
At Sarabeth’s — a renowned bakery chain in the city — we bagged the last of the pumpkin muffins. We watched through a wall of glass behind which the bakers were busy creating magic with flour, butter and eggs. Great entertainment for children and any adults getting their thrills from Bake-Off competitions on TV.
When you cannot eat any more, pop in to Artists & Fleas, where stalls display vintage clothing, quirky jewellery and unusual trinkets that make brilliant gifts. Don’t miss the outlet selling hand-sewn pouches for stationery or makeup. The brainwave of artist Pamela Barksy, these little zip-up bags carry a wide range of fabulous slogans like "why go to therapy when I can just live in New York & be weird?" Who can resist buying a gift stating, "I am your annoying vegetarian friend" or "I am a teensy bit self-absorbed" for well-deserving folk back home? Suddenly, out popped one that summed up the trip — "I ate everything in NYC".
Reader, I bought it.
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Street art seen from the High Line, a garden walkway established on an elevated, disused railway line. Picture: MADELEINE MORROW
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Tarot cards are read at Union Square Market. Picture: MADELEINE MORROW
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Tomatillos and Poblano peppers on display at Union Square Market. Pictures: MADELEINE MORROW
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Squash and zucchini on display at Union Square Market. Pictures: MADELEINE MORROW
TIRED of Macy’s, exhausted by Bloomingdales or maxed out your cards at the Apple store? Or perhaps just in the mood for a bit of local colour and something good to eat? Take your recycled shopping tote and get down to one of New York’s markets.
On weekends, market shoppers are spoilt for choice. Public squares transform into "Greenmarkets", where farmers sell organic fruit and veg, while breads, honeys and jams jostle with skeins of hand-spun wool and a magnificent assortment of flowers. Union Square Farmers Market, north of Greenwich Village, is perhaps the best of these and if you are seeking a slice of authentic New York, Saturday morning is the time to get there.
Staying in a hotel, one regretted not having booked a self-catering apartment. For it was love at first bite with the sculptural squashes, mutant zucchinis, purple carrots and assorted tomatoes. While the easily identified produce was exciting for the sheer variety, it was the unknown vegetables that set the pulse racing. What are tomatillos and how does one cook them? Turned out to be the Mexican relative of the Cape gooseberry. Roasted peach butter, plum applesauce or apricot salsa could be whipped up in no time if one hurried home with instructions courtesy of the Greenmarket Recipe Series leaflets. An impressive selection of chillis was up for grabs — Poblano, jalapeño, serrano, chilaka, cherry hot peppers, among others. If that was too spicy, flagons of maple syrup from Vermont added a sweet touch.
GrowNYC works with farmers to promote regional agriculture, to preserve farmland and to ensure that New Yorkers have a reliable supply of fresh produce. For visitors who have spent days in museums and gawping at skyscrapers, the simplicity of a ripe peach or a raspberry muffin heralds a welcome change of pace. Once the shopping is done, relax over a game of chess or have your tarot read.
This being New York, there is usually an edge. Sitting on a bench eating our market picnic, the chilled mood was disrupted by a lover’s tiff that broke out nearby. It turned ugly, voices rose and recriminations rang out for all to hear. Suddenly the man shouted, "I have teargas" as he pulled out a canister and sprayed it into his own face. He began to scream unbearably while his partner attempted to pour water into his eyes. We looked around to see if there was a film crew we hadn’t noticed but there was only a park attendant strolling over to check everything was okay. "Yes," replied the woman. We thought otherwise and as the smell of gas wafted over we beat a hasty retreat. People-watching is gritty sometimes.
When the rain falls or the season turns to winter, indoor eating options beckon. New Yorkers know how to put together a varied gustatory experience and West Chelsea has one of the finest.
...
SITUATED in the meat-packing district and housed in a revamped biscuit factory, Chelsea Market takes up an entire block in an area undergoing regeneration. Invigorated by the High Line, which begins above the market and runs along the west side of Manhattan, this year also sees the opening of the Whitney Museum, which has closed its Upper East Side doors and is set to open on Gansevoort Street in May. Take the morning to soak up some cutting-edge art, have a walk on the High Line, the disused, elevated railway that has been transformed into an unusual urban park with plenty to delight horticulturalists as well as aficionados of good design. Architecturally pleasing wooden benches, sculptures dotted among the plants, views over the Hudson River on the one hand and the urban landscape of New York on the other, this is a walk not to be missed. There are stairs up to the High Line at regular intervals so it can be accessed easily. Finish at 75th Street and head indoors to Chelsea Market for a well-deserved lunch. Go hungry, because this is a space to gaze and graze.
Housing some 35 quirky boutiques and food emporia selling specialist wine, coffee, spices, nuts, cheese, meat and all manner of seafood, this is a destination to stroll through slowly before deciding what to eat. Snaking along the walkway between the shops are communal tables where locals and visitors mix to eat and chat.
The interior is New York design par excellence — a look much exported to hip restaurants around the world — bare brick, steel and light bulbs. So much for the hardware. The software is equally New York — bakeries filled with shelves of Amy’s breads, Fat Witch’s brownies and Ruthy’s rugelach stuffed with every imaginable filling; spices, teas and wines from around the globe. More is more.
...
THIS being the east coast, there were impressive lobsters at the seafood emporium, Lobster Plaice. Here, crustaceans were king. They were sorted by size from large to ginormous. The giant ones were so big that even the greediest devourer of lobster might feel that any creature that had reached such a ripe age should be allowed to live out its life in the ocean and not land up as lunch. Variety was the theme here with 10 types of oyster and 53 varieties of fish. Aisles full of sushi and other piscine deli foods were ready to be taken away, or "to go" as they say in the city.
New York is not short of tacos bars but research suggested that some of the best in town were to be found at Chelsea Market. A patient queue outside No1 Tacos attested to its popularity and we passed the time amid a good-natured group of regulars who instructed us on what to order — their favourites, naturally. Soon we were tucking in to juicy steak-and-pork tacos while dipping into bags of freshly made tortilla chips slathered with guacamole. Hibiscus and tamarind juices were refreshingly delicious.
For dessert we tried a variety of flavours from L’Art del Gelato where dolce latte, coffee and biscotti were served up as ice creams.
At Sarabeth’s — a renowned bakery chain in the city — we bagged the last of the pumpkin muffins. We watched through a wall of glass behind which the bakers were busy creating magic with flour, butter and eggs. Great entertainment for children and any adults getting their thrills from Bake-Off competitions on TV.
When you cannot eat any more, pop in to Artists & Fleas, where stalls display vintage clothing, quirky jewellery and unusual trinkets that make brilliant gifts. Don’t miss the outlet selling hand-sewn pouches for stationery or makeup. The brainwave of artist Pamela Barksy, these little zip-up bags carry a wide range of fabulous slogans like "why go to therapy when I can just live in New York & be weird?" Who can resist buying a gift stating, "I am your annoying vegetarian friend" or "I am a teensy bit self-absorbed" for well-deserving folk back home? Suddenly, out popped one that summed up the trip — "I ate everything in NYC".
Reader, I bought it.
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