Just Pictures (New York City Edition): Markets Are Like The New Malls

Specialized markets are my new favorite places to go.  It used to be a chore to go to a market to pick up food, but with food becoming a new "fashion trend", markets with gourmet foods, local and organic produce, and items that are just one of a kind have become quite popular and hip!  We visited several markets during our New York trip.  It was fantastic! 

Eataly // Flatiron

Eataly (sounds like Italy) is a grand Italian market where you can shop for remarkable gourmet items and fill your empty stomach with the same delicious foods, all in one trip!  Their motto: We Sell What We Cook And We Cook What We Sell.  The market it divided into different sections, from sweets such as gelato and pastries, to breads, to pasta, to cooked and roasted meats, to vegetables, to seafood, to cheese and deli meats, and also fresh fruits and vegetables.  Whatever your Italian-craving heart desired, Eataly had it.  I was quite overwhelmed and circled the market 10 times before I can decide what I wanted to buy and eat.  I thank the hubby for being a patient person.  Heh.

(From left to right, clockwise) Fresh breads, gelato counter and sign, outside of Eataly (you can enter from 4-5 different entrances), focaccia, more breads, the Vegetarian section, and packaged breadsticks in the pasta section.

Of course, we had to sample some food here.  After 3 full days of eating breakfast, morning snack, lunch, afternoon snack, dinner, dessert, and more snacks, we opted to go for something light on our last day in NY.  The I Salumi, I Formaggi section caught my eye.  We picked the Grande Piatto Misto Di Salume & Formaggi from the menu, which was an assortment of their best meats and cheeses.  The lemon soda was for me (a great choice)!

Forgetful me, I didn't ask the waiter what these meats and cheeses were so I can't describe it to you here.  All of the meats were delicious, and I really liked the blue cheese (very left) and the medium-soft cheese right next to it. The other cheeses were either too hard or didn't have a distinct taste.  Now, the most amazing thing on this plate were not the meats or cheeses, but it was the almond honey (shown on white plate).  Oh my lord.  It was the most delicious sweet honey I've ever put in my mouth!  I gasped and smiled immediately.  I did ask the waiter about the almond honey, hoping they would sell it, and they did!  But then he laid on the bad news that because it was freshly made everyday, they were placed in the refrigerator.  It needed to be refrigerated 2 hours after purchase, which was impossible for us as the flight alone from NY to SF was 6+ hours.  Damn.  I left without that amazing honey.  The other two items on the plate were candied orange peels and figs.  The platter also came with 4 slices of fresh bread.

The I Salumi, I Formaggi section.  I wish I had the time and money to sample all of these!

Dessert... a must in my book.  After looking at all the different choices at the counter, this triple chocolate mousse cake caught my eye.  It was delicate and the perfect portion for our light lunch.  Also, it wasn't overly sweet, which is a big thumbs up for me!

This place was glorious!  I think this is what I would want my heaven to be like.

Brooklyn Flea // Brooklyn

On this trip, we decided to venture outside of Manhattan to see other cities in New York.  It was our first time to Brooklyn.  We hit up a famous pizzeria for lunch (details to come in a later post) and stopped by this flea market afterwards.  Although this market sold mostly inedible things (I know, oh darn!), they had a small area for local foods.

During the winter time, the flea market is held inside this empty, old-school bank.  The architecture was amazing, as you can see!

Lots of different unique things on sale.  I took a picture of these mirrors because, as explained by my friend, the frames were from old window frames of abandoned buildings.  Prior to demolishing old buildings, the frames would be salvaged and made into mirrors.  So cool!  I also bought an Apple Ginger Lemonade (top right) from The Stand to quench my thirst.  Hmm hmm!

More markets to come!