Tom
“Food’s so good we could practically live off it.” –Vimbly motto, kinda…
Whether you’re a summer griller, NYC foodie, or just a little hungry, the city is filled with culinary adventures–from specialty shops to eclectic cuisine. You just need to find them. Well, we compiled a list of the fun, obvious, and peculiar cooking endeavors in the neighborhood.
1. Chelsea Market: Cultural mecca and cuisine wonderland, NYC houses an eclectic mix of flavors–both great and horrible (looking at you summer subway stench). At Chelsea Market, you can easily indulge in a tasty tour of the world. How does imported Italian olive oil sound? Oh, and steps away rests a diverse selection of Thai spices. For every food enthusiast, Chelsea Market answers any culinary desire.
2. Union Square Farmers Market: At this point, it goes without saying that Union Square’s Farmers Market is among the best in the city. Since 1976, the market houses over 140 culinary artisans and feeds up to 60,000 New Yorkers. Visitors enjoy tastings, demonstrations, and lessons of New York’s local culinary scene. Local food, local fun, and so many strawberries guarantee an amazing experience. Some may even they…relish the market.
3. Scope Fresh Fish at New Fulton Market: You may not be tossed a fish like at Pike Place in Seattle. You may not enjoy a 4:00 a.m. rock concert and some salmon at the Hamburg Fish market. And the place is nothing compared to Japan’s Tsukiji fish market. But New Fulton Market showcases old-fashioned New York fishing. In a Bronx warehouse at 3:00 a.m., you can witness the same shuffling and scuffling among chefs and fisherman that existed centuries earlier. If you’re itching to relive the days of New Amsterdam, New Fulton Market is a must. It will satisfy every NYC foodie.
4. Craft a personal NY-Style Pizza: If you haven’t heard, NY-Style Pizza is kind of a big deal. We’ve all indulged in the 4:00 a.m. life-support slice and the 9:30 a.m. “Pizza can be breakfast, right?” It’s time to explore the secrets behind crafting a personal pie. Now, this isn’t a childhood Lunchable experience. Here, you’ll make dough from scratch, mold it, and top it with ingredients. Time to quench that pizza craving that never really goes away.
5. Attend Hester Street Fair: With dozens of delicious NYC food vendors, Hester Street Fair offers the smorgasbord you’re craving–from Lobster Rolls to Thai Chicken to mini Cheesecakes. Supporting a community of artists, collectors, and foodies, you need to trek to the Lower East Side and discover the next big thing…and that just may be a pork sandwich.
6. Let the food truck rally begin: Start your engines! Seriously, start them because the food truck rally is exhausting. How often do you enjoy Lobster Bisque, a waffle, and some Korean Tacos…in one sitting? These aren’t your soggy, corner hot dog carts. Whether you’re at the Prospect Park Rally or one of the numerous Manhattan events, NYC Food Trucks offer delicious food at absurdly low prices. Tune your inner-foodie and fill up with an array of delectable bites.
7. Take a Chocolate Tour: As desirable as a tour of Nestle, Hershey, or even Wonka Mobile ride sound, it’s not often we explore NYC’s chocolaty side. With a New York chocolate tour, chocolate connoisseurs and hungry patrons will strut to the best chocolate shops in the city, sampling their treats…and more treats…and, inevitably, buying treats for later. In a single afternoon, you can enter chocolate heaven and purchase enough chocolate to be considered a “hoarder.”
8. Eat your way through Greenwich Village: Recognized as a bohemian epicenter, Greenwich Village boasts a history in art, jazz, the beat movement, gay rights, and even culinary extravagance. Today, Greenwich Village’s bohemian bars, which were frequented by Hendrix and Dylan, remain–even with its lost luster. While you’ve likely eaten in The Village numerous times, have you explored its Italian roots and culinary diversity? Housing Northern Italian fare, English Tea, Viennese delicacies, and French bistros, it’s time you, any good foodie, indulged in the unique Village culture.
9. Once you’ve eaten your way through Greenwich Village, drink your way through the East Village: Whether you’re looking for a swanky lounge on 2nd Ave. or a speakeasy in a hot dog shop, the East Village welcomes any and all drinkers. Seemingly designed for pub crawls (so many bars!), the East Village isn’t just for your St. Paddy’s Day endeavor or Birthday party-hopping. The neighborhood lodges an assortment of bars specializing in craft brews. With an official East Village Pub Crawl, you can taste over ten different beers and experience a beer revolution that’ll be poured over and over again.
10. Devour dumplings in Flushing – The Real Chinatown: Manhattan’s Chinatown – a tourist trap of underwhelming noodles and disappointing dumplings. Flushing? Who visits Flushing? World famous chef and traveler Anthony Bourdain visits Flushing…and loves it. ‘nuff said! Flushing is what NYC foodie dreams are made of.
