brooklyn bound: smorgasburg

August 10, 2011/

This is one of those times where I wish I could just transport you all to this place, rather than attempt to describe it in words:

……I mean, seriously???

I mentioned Smorgasburg (the name is a mash-up of “smorgasbord” and “Williamsburg”) in a recent post about Brooklyn Flea. Seems that one of the more unexpected (and totally wonderful) developments to come out of the Flea was the growing popularity of the small, enterprising food vendors there. In a relatively short time, Brooklyn Flea became a destination as sought out for its amazing lobster rolls, salted caramels and ricotta cheese as it was for its vintage clothing and fabulous, one-of-a-kind crafts.

So it wasn’t long before the clever minds behind the Flea decided to give these (and many other) food vendors their very own market, to showcase all that is so great about the food movement taking place today. Thus, Smorgasburg was born. Nestled between 2 luxury condos in a waterfront parking lot in Williamsburg, Smorgasburg is a weekly food market bursting with some of the most interesting, inventive and DELICIOUS food, drink and produce you’ve ever had. Did I say produce? Yes! The Flea guys raised the bar with this market by including several greenmarket farmers selling seasonal, locally grown produce. I loved having a carrot that was just picked off a rooftop farm a few miles away in Queens.

carrots from Grady’s Farm

It was as inspiring to experience the creativity of these chefs, bakers and confectioners as it was to try some new things too (see here for how I prepared my first batch of dried beans, courtesy of Erica and Will of The Brooklyn Bean Co.). I learned about the difference in buying real vegetable pasta made from organic flour, herbs and vegetables, from the owner of Flour City Pasta (and made this colorful, delicious and toddler-approved dish). I bought one of my favorite new kitchen tools (which will be featured in an upcoming “favor-ette friday” post) from The Brooklyn Kitchen. And I took home the most heavenly, unusual jams and preserves from Maiden Preserves and Anarchy in a Jar (strawberry/verbena and smoked salt/grapefruit, respectively). We had a great morning shopping, sampling and listening to people who were clearly so proud of their work, and eager to share it (maple syrup shots anyone?).

The Brooklyn Bean Co.

Flour City Pasta

Maiden Preserves

By the way, the key word here is listened, as my mouth was full for most of the morning –as was this guy’s:

Which is why Smorgasborg is a challenging place to capture in a single post. Because while I could almost sample everything there is to eat and drink at the Brooklyn Flea (between what I consume on the spot and what I bring home), it would be impossible at Smorgasburg (without doing some serious damage to my wallet – and my waistline). Suffice to say that you will NOT go hungry if you make the trip. The list of vendors changes weekly so check the website prior to heading out.

There are plenty of places to spread out and enjoy the water view while you eat so plan on spending the day. I loved supporting so many small, interesting and high quality businesses, and continue to be grateful for the Brooklyn Flea team for offering up yet another uniquely “New York” destination!

For the complete slideshow of our day at Smorgasburg, click here.