I have been anticipating this month’s New Amsterdam Market, a temporary monthly market, held where the old Fulton Fish market was. The stands focus on local farms or purveyors that source from local farms, with a special focus on meats this time. I knew there were several vendors from Brooklyn, NJ, or upstate NY, places that I may not always get to, so this would be a great opportunity to get tastes from several.

New Amsterdam Market 2

This was also an extra special treat because we were walking the market with Jen (left) and Bianca (right), two friends I met while working at Aix (now closed). Jen was the sous chef who had to deal with me, the green little student doing an externship. Bianca was a waitress, putting herself through business school, and we’ve been friends ever since. The two of them are just such awesome people, especially to eat with!  Edible was giving out free magazines (Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens, Huson Valley, and more) and we were grabbing them.

Jen, Jessica, Bianca with Edible Magazines

Bianca and I were particularly fond of the cheeses at Bklyn Larder 228 Flatbush Avenue, Brooklyn, NY 11217 (sampling and selling). The guy was trying to explain the cheeses but at events like this, it’s loud and people are pushing to get in and I end up feeling bad if I’m standing in front and blocking people. I realized that it’s actually hard to learn this way so I decided to make this more of a tasting trip, and to learn more about the ones I like, later.

Bklyn Larder cheeses

The sausage was good but expensive for $5 (one link with beans).

Bklyn Larder sausages

Lon loved the Mexican chocolate samples at Taza Chocolates, again, piles of people pushing to get chocolate. I couldn’t even get in so we came back later.

Taza Chocolate samples 2

W & T Seafood was selling oysters at $1 per piece, $1.25 shucked. They had three types (I know there was Wellfleets but I don’t remember the other two, sorry) and they were all super fresh and juicy, with such clean tasting liquor. If I wasn’t already full, I might have hung around this booth for 10 to 20 more.

Oysters 4

Luke’s Lobster was another winner with crab rolls for $9 and lobster rolls for $14. The soft potato rolls were warm and toasty. The lobster was so fresh, the meat was less dense, almost flaky, probably some of the best lobster I’ve had. I loved that it was not drenched in mayo, leaving you to taste the lobster.

Luke's Lobster Roll

The Bent Spoon had some wonderful ice creams. The pumpkin mascarpone had a really balanced and natural flavor. The feel was very smooth and it sold out quickly.

The Bent Spoon

After several good samples of various charcuterie of pig parts, Lon bought some pate from The Piggery. Knowing Lon, he was already taken by the suitable name, but $4 for a 4oz jar is very reasonable for good pate.

Pork Confit

Not everything was super though. I wanted to try these English pastries called Eccles ($2 per piece) by Saltie, but the currants were dense and chewy inside. Is it supposed to be like that?

eccles

I wasn’t a fan of the $5 little sandwich from Porchetta, it was fatty and cold, not a good combination, with a chewy piece of skin inside that doesn’t make sense in a sandwich.

Porchetta Pork 2

The neighboring stand, Jimmy’s No. 43, also disappointed, although more reasonably priced at $1 per piece. The slow cooker beef was actually dry, then drenched in sauce, and the bread was hard and seemed stale.

Jimmy's No. 43 Slow Cooker Beef

The Bratwurst from The Meat Hook irked us and we each had different reasons. Jen didn’t like the texture, a large coarse grind. Lon didn’t like the lemon-y kraut. I didn’t like the overly herbly meat. I don’t have a good picture of it but here’s the stand. I’m not sure if one guys is giving the other a massage, or they’re fighting?

guys at The Meat Hook stand 2

There was two kimchee vendors, Mother in Law’s Kimchee and Mama O’s. Neither were bad but they didn’t impress me either. They seemed to be toned down kimchee and can’t compare to Bill’s mom’s kimchee.

MIL Kimchee

Some vendors were giving out samples, some were selling products, some did both (and this post does not cover them all). Some stands were there purely to educate and answer questions about their methods or philosophy. It’s a great mix going on and I highly recommend going (two more: Nov 22nd and Dec 20th) for education and/or a full belly. It’s a fun group activity and they couldn’t have picked a better location, where you’ll be reminded of how beautiful this city can be.

scene by South Street

posted by jessica at 02:05 PM Filed under Events, News, Shopping. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.