Sunday, December 29, 2013

Bergers at the Smorgasburg!: Brooklyn, NY

I had been begging to go to the Smorgasburg for months.  The Smorgasburg, for those of you not aware, is a roving band of food vendors that set up in various Brooklyn locations every weekend.  Food stand upon food stand, it was a Mecca of sorts for me.  If I still lived in New York, I am certain that this would be a part of my usual weekend routine, and one December Saturday we finally got there.  (Lucky for me, this year the Smorgasburg now has a winter indoor location).  I'm fairly certain that the outdoor Smorgasburg is a completely different experience, and I look forward to going come Spring, but for now 75 food vendors will just have to suffice. 

That's right, 75 food vendors under one roof in a Williamsburg warehouse, if only I had the time, stamina and stomach to try them all.  We did our requisite research on the drive in, each vendor is listed on the website in advance along with a map so you can attempt to plan your visit.  Lines can be long especially for the "it" item.  For example, we did not feel like waiting an hour for the Ramen Burger but we took a peak at it and perhaps JB can recreate it at home.  

Some of our highlights: 

- Dough: The first stop because Big Z had been so patient on the drive to Brooklyn (not really). Z's reward was a massive, plain glazed donut for $2.25.  It was big enough to keep him entertained through our entire visit.  I hear they have a Bed-Stuy location, we may be stopping by.

- Cemita's Mexican Sandwiches: JB had seen a TV show that featured these Mexican behemoths, so we braved a moderate line for a freshly made sandwich.  Our Cemita was a roll piled with steak, Mexican cheese, avocado, onion and a few different kids of sauces.  In a word, it is awesome and worth every bit of $8. 

- Kelvin Natural Slush Co.: While waiting for the cemita, I was able to sample, for free, a spicy ginger slush. Not exactly my thing, but I appreciated the opportunity to try something that I would usually skip.  

- Landhaus: Little D is our bacon lover.  Sadly, he was not a Smorgasburg lover.  We saw bacon on a stick and thought this would be better than any cookie would be.  We were wrong on that front, but our $3 bacon on a stick was just awesome.  Awesome sugary-glazed bacon.  Thanks for sharing, D. 

- McClure's Pickles:  The bacon didn't work.  But the pickles did.  We made two stops here for their spicy wonders, $2 each, made with both cayenne and habanero versions.  Perfect for our feisty 4 year old. 

I could have stayed all day. But not all of the members of our party (namely the ones 5 and under) were as into it.  I drooled past the BBQ, the grilled cheese, the lobster, the Asian-style hot dogs, just so much amazing food.

I highly recommend a visit, whether you have one snack or twenty, it is certainly a New York experience.  

I can't wait to go back. 

Until our next Berger, 
KLB

Smorgasburg.com
Find more info about the Smorgasburg including locations, hours and the vendor list.  Enjoy!



No comments: