Wintermarket Dec. 2007 – Fresh Produce in the Midst of a Nor’easter

I actually managed to drag my lazy sister out to brave this horrid weather all for the sake of yummy fresh goodies. I had read that the market was going to be under an awning but for some reason still thought at the back of my mind, “they probably just mean the entrance is under an awning…right?”

Wrong. Indeed, the market consisted of a long line of stalls under the old Fulton Building awning. Well, at least we had cover from the rain/sleet/snow. No such cover from the 20 degree weather though.

At first the entire scene made me a little depressed. There, in a dim, desolate lot, on a dim, desolate day, these lovely and strangely cheerful (considering the weather conditions) purveyors came out to support New Amsterdam Public and sell their produce/wines/honey/cheeses, but there weren’t many people to buy them when I arrived. It was already 11:40am, where was everyone? Don’t tell me a little thing like a winter storm is gonna keep NYers away from their organic produce. And you know what? It didn’t. Not twenty minutes later I was cursing these devoted foodies, willing them to move out of my way while I tried to get some hot apple cider and a sample of some cheese.

At first glance, there didn’t seem to be many stalls or many things being sold. I thought we’d be in and out in 15 minutes. We ended up being there for a little over two hours. We sampled cheeses from Saxelby Cheesemongers (normally located at the Essex Street Market) and the 3-Corner Field Farm and ice cider from Sylboro Ciderhouse. I sipped Eastern European pork stew with dried mushrooms from a tiny paper cup and tantalized my tongue with a succession of pickles (beets, okra, green beans, and asparagus). My sister and I lunched on warm, pressed, crusty little ciabatta rolls from Sullivan Street Bakery filled with pickles and Grafton cheddar. They were delicious, despite the fact that it took about 20 minutes of standing, hovering over the young lady who was wielding two hot plates and four frying pans and frantically pressing sandwiches as the line behind me grew longer, hungrier, and rowdier. The sandwiches ended up not even being that hot but I appreciated her efforts.

Yummy sammy…*CHOMP*

And yes, Mario Batali was there and by “there” I mean I saw him for about five minutes in the two hours I was there. He seemed to be zipping to and from his station where his little mignons were handing out pork sandwiches next to a giant pig’s head. I imagine he didn’t stay long though because he wasn’t even the one handing out sandwiches or slicing the pork. He stood next to the girls doing it and alternated between looking cold and looking bored. By 1pm all of the pork was gone and I believe so was Mario. It’s alright, I still love you, Mario.

The man with a plan himself – Mario Batali

Hands down, one of the most disturbing pictures I’ve ever taken

I don’t know about you but nothing puts me in the mood for pork sandwiches better than a rotten looking severed pig’s head on a cold December’s day. Moving on.

As I said earlier, my sister and I left the market around 1:45pm and a lot of the samples were already gone. The market is supposed to go until 4pm, so let that be a lesson for future events such as these. Get there on the earlier side!

In the end, we bought: 2 bottles of ice cider (in small, skinny olive oil-like bottles), 1/3 lb. of goat tomme cheese (a “goat”-y, grassy initial flavor with a wonderfully sharp AfterTaste), a half round of Atlantic Mist (a buttery cheese with the texture of Camembert and the salty, smooth flavor of an Epoisse cheese), a jar of Rick’s Picks Windy City Wasabeans (wasabi, garlic pickled green beans with hints of sesame and soy, to die for!), a bag of polenta, and some frostbitten toes (who needs that second toe anyway?). Quite the feast.

All in all, I believe the Wintermarket was a success, although I don’t know if it was so successful as to convince money grubbing developers to keep their dirty mitts off of that building, which is so perfectly suited to be an indoor market. Let’s hope so.