Tag Archives: chelsea market

Lucy’s Whey Cheese Shop

Cheese. It’s probably my favorite ingredient. Add it to practically anything and you’ll be much happier.

I was exceptionally happy this week when I received my copy of Food Network Magazine and the special booklet of recipes inside the magazine are of dozens of ways you can make a grilled cheese! I’ve been putting pesto on my grilled cheese for years, I recently discovered adding avocado, and now I’m obsessed with adding figs.

chelsea market shops

If you’re in the mood for one heck of a grilled cheese you need to head down to the Chelsea Market where Lucy’s Whey has mastered their grilled cheese! I mean, of course a cheese shop is going to make an awesome grilled cheese — they have the cheese, I’m sure they know what bread goes best with which cheese, and this little cheese shop also has fantastic toppings that they sell in their store.

This past weekend, my friend Brittany and I split the “Prairie Breeze” which is Lucy Whey’s specialty grilled cheese and they actually serve it every day! It’s made up of cheddar cheese with a fig spread. Once we bit into our half of the grilled cheese we realized how perfect this shop makes the sandwich. Rich savory cheddar cheese with a sweet fig spread = the grilled cheese of my dreams.

What else is fabulous at this charming Chelsea Market shop? My favorite goat cheese called Bijou! It’s unbelievable when paired with honey and honey comb — spread these two ingredients onto a thin piece of baguette and the flavors you’ll taste will never be forgotten. I also have a love for the salted caramels and the stroopwafles that remind me of the time I spent in Amsterdam. Of course you can eat a stroopwafle by itself, but it’s even better when you let it sit on top of a hot cup of tea or coffee for a few minutes, that way the caramel inside will melt first before you bite into it!

Whether you’re a cheese lover, or a sweets lover — you need to head to this adorable shop in the Chelsea Market. The staff is friendly and very knowledgable about cheese — it’s a shop I will always be dedicated to. (Oh, and did I mention how inexpensive they are for a specialty cheese shop? Well, they are! Forget Whole Foods, this is the place I’ll always go to for cheese!)

Artichoke Basille’s, Chelsea Pizzeria

Every single time I go to the Chelsea Market, I walk by Artichoke Basille’s pizzeria. I’ve heard a lot about this restaurant and usually I hear all great reviews. That’s why I figured I would bring my mom here when she came to visit me the other weekend. My thoughts were: I always hear good things about this place, I love artichokes, the prices aren’t that bad, and it’s only a 5 minute walk from my apartment… SOLD!

We went rather early (about 6 p.m.) because I got out of work and all I could think about was eating dinner. Plus, my mom is an early-to-bed type of person and going to friday night dinner at the usual 9/9:30 time slot would never fly with her. When we arrived there weren’t that many people there so it was easy for us to get a table (I didn’t expect anything else). But I was rather surprised when I sat down and looked at the menu… The prices on the menu did not match in any way to the prices that were available online. I told the waitress this and she said that she would tell the manager. I mean, for an appetizer it was about a 4 dollar difference online vs the print version at the restaurant! I have never had this happen to me before, it’s seriously such a disappointment. I’ll tell you why too — because I was planning on having us order a few things so we would get a nice sample of what the menu had to offer. But, with the surprise of price increase we opted to order just a simple “half pie.” We easily picked the Artichoke Pizza option since it was our first time there and that’s what the waitress recommended.

pizza from Artichoke Basille

I was happy that the “half pie” sort of option gave us the perfect amount of food — two slices each. The slices were also fairly big so it was definitely a filling dinner. I guess I wasn’t prepared for the style of pizza even though I read the menu… “Artichoke hearts, spinach, cream sauce, mozzarella & pecorino romano cheese.” My eyes must have skimmed over the cream sauce. I love cream sauce, especially on my gnocchi or pasta but this was the first time I’ve ever had it on my pizza. It was delicious! My one complaint: the cream sauce wasn’t spread over the pizza evenly — so I had several bites that had way too much sauce, which was actually a bit unappetizing. Other than that all of the ingredients went beautifully together! I love spinach and love putting it on practically everything. And I love artichokes! What else should I have expected since the name of the restaurant is called Artichoke Basille’s?

New York City Holidays

christmas cards
This year I am sending out a few different types of Christmas cards. One packet of cards I bought from an unexpected place — the Fat Witch bakery in the Chelsea Market. I loved the New York City theme combined with the classic Christmas song “12 Days of Christmas.” Even though they used the idea of the Christmas song, the actual card wasn’t saying “Merry Christmas,” rather it was saying “Happy Holidays.” It is literally the perfect card to send to anyone — whether they celebrate Christmas or any other holiday!

So, from me to you — Happy Holidays! I hope everyone has a healthy, happy holiday season! And I hope everyone is able to be with those they love!

A Chelsea Market Bakery

Barbie CakeInside the Chelsea Market you will find so many amazing surprises… We all know how much I love this market and the thought of it ever shutting down upsets me so much. Over a month ago, an elderly man asked me to sign a petition and I asked him what it was for and he told me “to save the Chelsea Market.” I couldn’t believe what he was telling me, it has been in the works to shut down the Chelsea Market. I have no clue what the current status of all of this is but he told me if I signed the petition and included my email address then I would be updated. I haven’t heard anything yet but I will keep you all posted once I have received any news.

From Australian food, to cheap vegetables to take home to cook, to Italian cookies and cheese — The Chelsea Market has it all. Really, it has it all. If I had the time to cook everything from scratch I could actually do all of my grocery shopping from here. I love it!

There are a few bakeries in the Chelsea Market and there is this one I pass by all the time and see all of the cakes decorated in their store front window. I had to show you all this insanely gorgeous Barbie cake. Any little girl would be lucky to have this as her birthday cake. It’s okay if you can’t go all out with such a massive cake, instead you could get adorable Elmo cupcakes! I have been hearing loads about Elmo lately, probably because Good Morning America did a special on the puppeteer of Elmo. I thought this cupcakes were adorable and everything little boy and girl would love these!

The Green Table in The Chelsea Market

When my friend Leah came into the city for a quick visit we went to the Chelsea Market to do a little bit of shopping and we decided to eat at the restaurant The Green Table for dinner. This restaurant is all about sustainable dining — all of the food used is not only seasonable but it also produced only a days drive (or less) away from New York City. I love this concept of cooking although it would be interesting to see a restaurant have this concept for literally every ingredient, including sugar and coffee and wine (although that would be very difficult to do).

Since the food used for every plate is in season, the restaurant changes their menu often. I had eaten here this past summer and had a completely different experience. Leah and I ordered a bowl of the Pumpkin Soup to start. It was more like a bisque, nice and thick and creamy and we spent most of our time guessing which spices were used. A little bit of cumin? Nutmeg? What else do you think was in it? I will reveal the ingredients in a post next week — but I would love to hear first what everyone else puts into their pumpkin soup. This is my first experience eating pumpkin soup and I enjoyed every sip.

We also got a side of the goat cheese mac and cheese. This was unbelievable! It was much less rich than I expected it to be, which is a good thing because I loved how flavorful and obvious the goat cheese was in this dish. And i loved the extra toasted bread crumbs and crunch on the top of the noodles.

We unfortunately did not enjoy our main course, which was a gnocchi. It was so salty and unbearable — the waiter was so kind, he took the plate off of our bill. It was so surprising for the plate to be too salty because I have never had a bad experience here. Just because I had one disappointing plate doesn’t mean I won’t return. I love the vibe of the restaurant, and overall the food. Plus, I will always support my favorite market in all of Manhattan.

The Filling Station in The Chelsea Market

Chelsea Market WaterfallMy very good friend from PSU came to visit me the day before Thanksgiving and I was so happy to be able to spend some time with her. She’s a smart cookie — she’s getting her Doctorate at Penn State… She’s been a Penn Stater since the beginning — it’s where she did her undergrad (with me) as well as her graduate degree. So it’s nice when she is able to take some time to hang out with friends and enjoy some time to herself. She loves going to the Chelsea Market when she comes into the city (and of course, I love it too)… So naturally we headed right to Chelsea Market when she arrived. We both got some holiday goodies and we even ate dinner at the Green Table — a restaurant in the market.

A new discovery made in the Chelsea Market was a stand/shop called The Filling Station. This stand has different types of salts (just like my favorite store called The Meadow in the West Village) as well as many different types of olive oil. There are tons of olive oils that are flavored, so my friend Leah and I took a sample of a few and discovered this one flavor called Tuscan Herb. We both loved this so much because you would never need to season your olive oil or buy fancy bread ever again because this oil is seasoned with some of the best herbs… rosemary, oregano, basil, and of course some garlic are what make the oil so flavorful. I actually bought a bottle of this for my dad for Christmas. There isn’t anything better than having a nice glass of wine with a tasty snack. I can see him dipping some classic Italian style bread into this Tuscan Herb olive oil!

Stay tuned for more on our food adventures in the Chelsea Market before we left for Thanksgiving! (More to come this week!)

Australian Cuisine At The Chelsea Market

Tuck Shop's Australian Meat Pie filled with beef... check out the fluffy, crispy crust they've got going on!

My new obsession … Tuck Shop at the Chelsea Market.
I actually became interested in this food stand when I could smell it from at least 200 feet away. My nose led the way as I weaved in and out of tourists and I quickly found myself sniffing the air until I wound up at Tuck Shop. This Aussie food stand knows how to cook-up one mean meat pie. I ordered the beef pie and found myself in heaven. It’s obvious how much love goes into creating these pies, the meat and other ingredients are 100% all-natural. The flaky pie crust is hard enough to keep the insides from pouring out but soft enough for you to not have to fight each bite. I also love how I can have it wrapped-up to-go and the pie will stay hot for a couple of hours while I shop.
I found it interesting that the shop prides itself for the freshness of the pies, but they also will take orders to make frozen pies so you can bake these delectable feasts at home.
I allow myself to go once a week — it’s so inexpensive to order one pie that will fill me up just like a meal at a restaurant would. On some days I order the side dish of scalloped potatoes — they’re perfectly seasoned, creamy and an easy way to expand your waistline. Who cares.
Either get to the Chelsea Market or to their East Village location and indulge in the Aussie cuisine. These folks from Down Under really know how to cook!

Dutch Stroopwafels Found In The Chelsea Market

dutch_stroopwafel

A Dutch Stroopwafel I found at Lucy's Whey in the Chelsea Market.

I was shopping for cheese at Lucy’s Whey in the Chelsea Market when I discovered that they sell my favorite Dutch Stroopwafels! I used to start my day off in Amsterdam with a cup of tea and this exact type of cookie!
How does it work? You don’t just eat it … First, you make your cup of tea and make sure it is nice and hot, then you put your Stroopwafel on top of your cup and let it sit there for a few minutes so the caramel melts on the inside of the cookie. Have you ever thought of a better way to eat a caramel cookie? The Dutch are brilliant! The crispy and crunchy cookie (which reminds me a bit of an Italian pizzelle) is on the outside and soft gooey caramel fills the inside. What goes perfect with a Stroopwafel? The tea you used to melt part of the cookie!

Chelsea Market’s Ronnybrook Creamline Milk Bar

Ronnybrook_milk

Ronnybrook's coffee milk from the Chelsea Market.

There are always new things to discover in the Chelsea Market. I consider myself one of the luckiest people to have the market only a 5 minute walk from my apartment. Of course, that walk is much more enjoyable in the summer months when I can make the walk on the elevated Highline (which will extend further this summer and I will be able to get up on to it right from my block!).
Most shops are there to stay in the market, while others are continuously rotating and new stores come and go. Ronnybrook is a fairly newer store to wander in to and all of the products are based around their fresh milk.
A milk bar is actually what they are known to be — a bar where all of your beverages are based on the creamy milk from the local Ronnybrook farm in New York. Another wonderful way to support the local farms, enjoy a tall glass of milk! I actually opted for the coffee flavored milk (with decaf coffee, I was hoping for some caffeine to spark-up my day) and as soon as I took my first sip I was in heaven. This is the way milk should taste. I understand that America is getting fatter by the second and people are more interested in cutting out fat in their lives, but why do it with milk? Skim milk, one percent, two percent, whole milk — you find all of these options in the grocery store, but really there should only be two percent or whole milk. That’s exactly where the flavor is, in the whole milk. I never really drink milk, I rarely eat cereal, and the only time I really use milk or cream is when I am using it in a recipe … so I am guessing that it’s okay for me to really indulge in a glass of whole milk every once in a while. Ronnybrook’s milk bar will make any non-milk drinker into one. The smooth creamy texture with the added coffee flavor was such a treat.
What’s next on the list? Does Ronnybrook sell insanely fattening yet flavorful butter? Butter. Butter. Butter. The best ingredient to use while cooking. I’m not French, but I sure love butter!

L’Arte del Gelato

The Chelsea Market is full of fun things to do and eat — there’s sushi, the best lobster bisque I’ve ever had in Manhattan, great sandwiches, tasty bakery desserts, a popsicle stand (made from organic products, yum!), but my favorite part of the market is the to-die-for gelato stand.
L’Arte del Gelato has three locations: the Chelsea Market, Barrow Street and 7th Avenue in the West Village, and in Lincoln Center Plaza. No matter where I decide to go for their gelato — it will always be made fresh daily and be made from natural products with no artificial flavors. So when you get a Nutella flavored gelato, you get real Nutella. Some of the flavors are seasonal and to see a full list of the different types of scoops you can view it on their web site. The flavor I devoured was Biscotti — or cookies. Before I ordered my cone they gave me a sample and right away I knew it was meant to be. It was even difficult for me to take a photo of my order before eating the gelato.

amazing gelato from the Chelsea Market

Not only was I hungry, but it was an insanely hot day — Manhattan reached 104 degrees and swimming in a public pool didn’t interest me in any way, but a rich and creamy biscotti flavored gelato did. It took me about 4.5 minutes to finish off the ice cream and cone (you can pick a sugar cone or a waffle cone — I didn’t have to think about which would be best, obviously the waffle was the best).
I returned in the evening to get another round of biscotti but the flavor was all out. I learned my lesson, I should of bought a pint of the flavor and brought it home with me. L’Arte del Gelato will give you a cone, a bowl, or they will put it in pint containers or 4-quart containers if you decide to have a party (or a simple movie night, I’d eat it all).