Spring Time at Smorgasburg

The fabulous Smorgasburg in Williamsburg is back and in full swing!  Just a small change from last year in location to the lot next to the old spot preserving the fantastic view of Manhattan.  This year, I visited earlier in the season for some of that milder spring weather and so I can visit again and again.

AM and I did a walk through the numerous stalls before others arrived to scope out the scene.   Is it me or has the fair increased in size multiple fold this year?  Colorful macarons, gigantic turkey legs, and Greek foods?  The choices were a little overwhelming at first as we tried to keep a mental list of stalls that piqued our appetites but no worries, AM had organized a large enough group to sample more than just a few vendors.

The first stop was at the Lumpia Shack for a quick bite.  The traditional Filipino snack was updated with some modern flavors.

The sampler platter was the easiest way to try a few of these flavors at once.  In addition to the traditional pork lumpia, it included a Peking duck as well as a mushroom and truffle oil lumpia.  We all agreed that the Peking duck was the surprising winner even though the traditional pork lumpia was extremely flavorful.  Delicious washed down with organic apple and ginger soda from The Soda Works.

By the time we finished the lumpias, our group had grown a little bit bigger so onto the next!  We shifted down a few stalls to stop by the Hash Bar by the people who brought us Egg and Parish Hall and Goatfell Farm.  I remembered how delicious these made to order  hash browns were last year and knew immediately that this was a must try.  This time, we built our hash brown with braised bacon, ramps, cheddar and scrambled eggs.  The best part besides the bacon was that creamy soft scrambled eggs with cheddar mixed right in.

We debated back and forth on whether or not the never ending line at Mighty Quinn’s was worthwhile.  In the end, the smell coming from their stall was too enticing.  AM and I volunteered to stay behind while others went to seek out other goodies.  A few minutes later, they arrived back with arepas from La Esquina.  The little golden crispy corn cakes were piled so high with braised pork that it was a little hard to eat while waiting in line without making a mess.

Timing is key to exploring Smorgasburg properly.  By the time we finished with the arepas, it was our turn to order at Mighty Quinn’s.

While I was tempted to order a large brisket sandwich, I exercised restraint and went with mini sliders instead.  These cute little moist flavorful bites were gone within seconds of us settling down on the patch of green next to the lot.  Too bad the line had only grown longer since we had sat down.  Good thing Mighty Quinn’s now have a storefront to satisfy the ever growing demand for their brisket and pulled pork sandwiches.

After soaking up the sun to a DJ that was spinning some relaxing music, it was time for us to seek out some desserts to round out our feast.  Just as we were about to venture back into the crowds, we ran into AM’s friend who had just endured a long wait at BFC for their fried chicken and waffles.  Too full to properly enjoy, we sampled a bite and were blown away by the moist and flavorful fried chicken.  I will definitely have to remember them for next time.

What to have for dessert could have been a tough choice but we knew from the second we came across the Good Batch stall that this was the ultimate choice.  The twenty person long line was just another validation of our pick.

The Goodwich was the classic and for a good reason.  Two gigantic oat chocolate chunk cookies with sea salt sandwiched generous scoops of vanilla ice cream with delicious fudge drizzles.  This was so big that it was more than enough to satisfy at least three sweet toothes.

And of course, you can’t go wrong with the classic combination of chocolate and peanut butter made with gluten free cookies!

Even though it was already well into the afternoon when we finally started the trip back into the city, the crowd was just as big as when we had arrived.  Looks like all the vendors will be busy well into the afternoon with hungry New Yorkers seeking delicious food and great weather.

Smorgasburg | East River Waterfront (at North 7 Street), Brooklyn, NY | http://www.brooklynflea.com/smorgasburg