The Chelsea Market: A Virtual Tour Through an Epicurean Paradise
Jan 22 '02
The Bottom Line The one-stop shop for all food-savvy hosts and hostesses. Guarantees culinary success for any festive occasion.
I’ve been toying with the idea of breaking into the events planning business. Of course, given market conditions, now is not really the ideal time for such a career change, but one thing that all folks fall prey to from time to time is the tendency to dream. I’ve even thought about where my new business would be housed. It’s a place where divine inspiration would be but steps away. In fact, it’s already the first stop I make whenever planning any sort of social gathering for my friends because anything edible that you would need for a party can be found at the Chelsea Market at 75 Ninth Avenue in Manhattan.
Not only is the Chelsea Market the perfect place to shop for any social gathering, it’s also the perfect place to hold a party. If I had the means, I would rent out the whole space and host a massive food tasting bash. Located within a cavernous brick warehouse on the edge of west Chelsea and the ultra-trendy Meatpacking District (whose dubious charms have never been apparent to me, but I suppose seediness and a thin veneer of danger can be alluring to some), the Chelsea Market has a certain unfinished, industrial quality that makes it chic, and enough interesting structures and wall textures to make it sort of artsy. Formerly the Nabisco factory, the building is now home to a number of top-quality food purveyors with café/take-out operations on its ground floor, and several e-commerce and technology companies on its higher floors.
A profusion of orchids greeted Mr. Epicure and me as we walked into the Chelsea Wholesale Flower Market (212-620-7500) last Friday. The Flower Market, the first store adjacent to the main entrance of the Chelsea Market, boasts an incredible selection of blooms rarely found in your typical Manhattan florist. Half of the florist is a jungle of huge leafy floor plants. The other half contains gorgeous flowers ranging from graceful birds of paradise($7.75/stem) to stunning cymbidium orchids ($19.50/stem) to French country sprays of dried lavender ($9.25/bunch). Within a spacious refrigerated room, you can choose among a half-dozen colors of sunny Holland tulips, much more modestly priced at $5.00/bunch. The Chelsea Wholesale Flower Market is indeed a top-notch florist. I only wished it lived up to its name, and offered truly wholesale prices.
Down the hall from the Flower Market is the Chelsea Wine Vault (212-462-4244) which hosts free wine tastings every Friday from 4-7 p.m. and every Saturday from 1-5 p.m. The employees here are extremely friendly and helpful, especially to wine amateurs like myself. The wines are organized by region with wines from California, Italy and France being the best represented.
The most sinful aromas drew us to the stores across from the Wine Vault. Is somebody pumping the scent of fresh baked brownies through the air ducts? Mmmmmm.... Remember my idea of a massive food-tasting party? Well, isn’t it fortuitous that many of the sweet shops are at the front of the building? Eleni’s (212-255-7990), a specialty cookie store, sells delicious frosted sugar cookies decorated as dolphins, happy faces, hearts and whatever else befits the season for $2.00-$2.50 each as well as your more traditional peanut butter, oatmeal, and chocolate chip cookies for $1.25 each. This is also a nice place to purchase a gift, given Eleni’s trademark pastel-colored, gingham gift tins.
Next door to Eleni’s is the Fat Witch Bakery (212-807-1335), which was the source of the intensely chocolate aroma pervading the air. Known for baking wicked brownies of every variety, the Fat Witch Bakery appeals to the indulgent child in all of us with its wirey-haired, grinning witch logo and cleverly named confections. The Snow Witch is a brownie made with white chocolate. The Blonde Witch is a brownie made with chocolate chip cookie dough. The Red Witch is a regular dark chocolate brownie studded with dried cherries. Each moist, cakey brownie costs $2.25.
Now I wish I could recommend every store in the Chelsea Market with equal enthusiasm since I really am such a devotee of the entire complex, but there are a few mediocre places of which I consider my duty to steer you clear. Sandwiched between the Fat Witch Bakery and Amy’s Bread is Night Bagel and Ruthy’s Cheesecake, both of which I have patronized a few times and then never again. In a city famous for its bagels, Night Bagel falls disappointingly short of providing you with the delightful experience of biting into an authentic crusty-on-the-outside, chewy-on-the-inside New York bagel. For the real thing, head over to H & H Bagels on Broadway and 80th or Barney Greengrass on Amsterdam and 86th. I avoid Ruthy’s because I find its cheesecakes and other bakery items too sugary and commercial tasting. You will not be missing anything by skirting right past these establishments.
Amy’s Bread (212-462-4338), on the other hand, is an institution not to be overlooked. Served by many of New York’s finest restaurants, Amy’s hearth-baked loaves are hand-made daily, using high-quality ingredients like organic wheat flour, fresh herbs, nuts, fruits and olives. Some of our favorite breads include the Potato Onion Dill ($3.00/loaf), the Parmesan Cheese Twists ($1.00/each), the Black Olive($ 4.25/loaf) and the signature Semolina with Golden Raisins and Fennel ($4.25/loaf). You might want to spend a few extra moments observing the artisinal bread-making progress occurring in the spacious room next door to the café as that will only whet your appetite. I find kneading dough to be a very satisfying pastime that I can enjoy even vicariously while munching on one of Amy’s Applesauce Donuts ($1.50). Unlike many of the other businesses in the Chelsea Market, Amy’s has several small tables inside where one can enjoy a sandwich or a slice of focaccia.
For award-winning dairy products at their most wholesome, you must stop by Ronnybrook Farm Dairy (212-741-6455), which by the way, was also featured in my review of the best ice cream shops in the city (“Cheap Thrills and Chills in Manhattan”). There is something quaintly old-fashioned about the “full-bodied” chocolate milk sold in glass bottles and the multiple varieties of freshly churned butter displayed on Ronnybrook’s refrigerated shelves. It brings to mind small-town America and Norman Rockwell illustrations. Ronnybrook’s ice cream is the richest, creamiest ice cream in the city. I sampled a divine scoop of Oreo ice cream ($2.15/scoop) on Friday as I further tested my willpower by reading about Ronnybrook’s latest offering: Hot Ice Cream Floats ($2.75) - thick hot chocolate or freshly brewed coffee topped by a scoop of Ronnybrook ice cream. I highly recommend the Hudson Valley Vanilla, which also happens to be the filling in Ronnybrook's chocolate dipped ice cream sandwiches ($2.75). Oh, and for a real treat, try substituting Ronnybrook’s creme fraiche the next time one of your recipes calls for sour cream.
I’ve never been big on frozen foods (other than ice cream, of course), but I do make exceptions. The Cleaver Company (212-741-9174) is one of those exceptions. Though primarily a catering company, the Cleaver Company has a small storefront in the Chelsea Market where they stock frozen pot pies. Yup, the infamous stuff that is the foundation of many a tv dinner. But the Cleaver Company’s pot pies are so much tastier with tender chunks of chicken in its Chicken Pot Pie ($12.95/serves 2) and flavorful mushroom gravy in its Mushroom Pot Pie ($9.95/serves 2). The crust is also a marvel - amazingly crisp and doughy. Not a bad alternative when one feels the laziness setting in.
Being a seafood lover, I am a frequent patron of The Lobster Place (212-255-5872), which has not only an impressive selection of fresh fish, different grades of packaged crabmeat and some prepared foods like crabcakes, but also wonderful take-out fare. They use to make a Lobster Roll, which I don’t see advertised any longer. Perhaps they have replaced it with the Lobster Rhapsody ($8.50) - lobster salad and romaine lettuce rolled in a tortilla. As I recall, there was a generous amount of lobster chunks in the lobster salad, but it contained slightly too much mayonnaise and salt. In my opinion, lobster is best when prepared as simply as possible. The Clam Chowder and Lobster Bisque ($3.25/sm, $5.95/lg) are reminiscent of the offerings of a small New England fish shack. I made a mental note to try the new Tuna Salad ($8.95) next time, which sounds like it has more kick to it than your typical lunchbox staple. It's prepared "South of the Border" style with green chilis, sweet peppers, jalapenos, onions and scallions. Also new to the establishment is the The Sushi Place where the sushi is made to order. Though there aren’t any tables inside The Lobster Place, there are rustic wooden tables right outside for you to enjoy your purchases. The sound of rushing water cascading from an open-ended rusted pipe located across the hall from the tables adds to the ambiance.
I had one of those quintessential New York shopping experiences in Buon Italia (212-633-9090), an Italian food purveyor/café to which I am grateful for importing a little slice of Italy. About two months ago, I was browsing in the olive oils section of the store (there are well over a dozen) when I heard a voice asking me what type of flavor I wanted. Something peppery? Something grassy? I turned to see a man whose humble attire and friendly smile belied the authoritative gleam in his eyes. Being as passionate about Italian food as I am, I quickly engaged him in a discussion about the merits of olive oils from various regions of Italy. Being from Liguria, he not surprisingly preferred the delicate taste of Ligurian olive oil to the robust flavors of Tuscan olive oil, which he characterized as too aggressive. He generously introduced me to the pleasures of cooking with imported canned tomatoes. I was skeptical that canned tomatoes could impart the same unique flavors of true Italian tomatoes, but after having tried Buon Italia’s peeled tomatoes($3.75 for a 3 kg can), I assure you that you will do far better making pasta sauce with Buon Italia’s canned tomatoes than with your supermarket’s fresh ones. A bottle of Il Vincotto ($11.50) was his last recommendation. Produced in the Apulia region with Negroamaro and Malvasia grapes, it has a fruity, aged vinegar taste which is lovely with berries and cheese.
Chelsea Thai (212-924-2999) is already so busy that it goes against my better judgment to extol its virtues to you now. Who would suspect that this dusty-in-the-corners Thai mini-grocer would serve some of the tastiest Thai food in the city? I love its Curry Puffs ($3.00) - light and flaky with a fragrant curry filling of chicken, potatoes and onions. The Tow Hu Tod ($4.25) -delicately fried cubes of tofu with a slightly tangy, fermented flavor complemented by peanut chili sauce - is fabulous as is the Gang Panang ($7.25), a colorful stir fried dish consisting of Penang curry paste, chicken, bamboo shoots, red and green pepper, tempered with kaffir lime leaves and basil leaves. Of the noodle dishes, I am partial to the Pad See Ew ($6.95) made with broad, transparent rice noodles tinged with sweet peanut sauce and served with a mix of slightly bitter Chinese broccoli, cabbage, carrots, scallions and eggs. As with Amy’s, there are a few tables inside and directly outside the store.
Having grown up in Southern California, I developed a bit of an obsession for fresh-squeezed juice. I don’t think I’ve ever visited any other part of the country where there are as many fruit juice and smoothie joints as in Southern California, Jamba Juice being my favorite. So I can never resist The Juice Factory’s free samples of fresh squeezed orange juice ($2.00/pint) and grapefruit juice ($1.25/pint). I usually take a pint of the carrot apple juice ($2.25) to go. Of course, if I had my own juicer, I could always stop by the Manhattan Fruit Exchange for fruit and make my own glass of Vitamin C at home. The Manhattan Fruit Exchange carries fruits and vegetables that would be the envy of any produce grower. In particular, I am a fan of their apples, mangoes and selection of exotic mushrooms.
And finally, at the end of the main hall across from the Fruit Exchange lies another epicurean gem - Sarabeth’s (212-989-2424) - store, café and baking operation. Building off Sarabeth’s restaurants’ reputation as some of the best brunch places in the city, Sarabeth’s wholesale bakery at the Chelsea Market offers many of the same pastries that can be found at the restaurants at lower prices. On a recent visit, I saw my favorite apple crumb pies($3.75), currant scones ($1.25) and slices of Budapest coffee cake ($1.50) beckoning from the countertops. There is a large communal table set in the window of the café where one can sample Sarabeth’s legendary brunch fare like her fluffy Apple Cinnamon French Toast ($5.50) served with bananas, apple butter and real maple syrup, her savory Smoked Mozzarella Sandwich ($5.50) with avocado and tomato slices on toasted seven-grain bread and her aptly named Green & White ($5.25) - scrambled eggs with cream cheese and chives. Has scrambled eggs ever tasted so silky? On selected Saturday afternoons, one can even watch couples practicing the Argentine tango on the open floor space adjacent to Sarabeth’s.
To walk straight through the entire Market would probably take the average person less than 10 minutes. For the journey I described, I'd give myself a good two hours. After all, you do need to budget in digestion time.
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Epinions.com ID:
Epicure
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 - Top 500 |
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Location: New York, NY
Reviews written: 88
Trusted by: 100 members
About Me:
I generally avoid temptation....unless I can't resist it.
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