Ah, the smell of it, the taste of it...no not the East River. I'm talking about my second visit this summer to Smorgasburg in Brooklyn, and what a perfect day to do so! Of course a whole bunch of other people felt the same way, it was packed, making it a tough challenge to maneuver through the crowds. That's a good thing, right? Lots and lots of people spending their hard earned money on great food. However, and as usual, I didn't follow my own advice which is to set out with a plan for what I want to eat, that way I wouldn't waste time trying to decide. Honestly that's a hard thing for a foodie to do
First up was a delicious Fresca Pizza with Pepperoni from Rubirosa Ristorante. It was my daughters choice and a very good one. Let me just say that this was as good a Pizza as any in New York as far as Thin Crust Pizza goes. The Sauce and Fresh Mozzarella were amazing as well as the super crunchy Thin Crust. What really got me was the little Pepperoni slices didn't overpower the rest of the flavors on the Pizza like it normally does. Oh man I could have eaten the whole thing, but then of course my daughter would have been mad...I was only allowed a few bites, damn.
My son tasked me with finding him Noodles, that was it, because he basically eats nothing else. Thankfully there were a couple of Ramen Noodles choices at the 'Burg, so I thought it would be really easy. Not so my friends. He was hot, he was tired, he wanted to sit down, oh brother. I simply told him that he had to choose and that if he didn't pick soon I would never feed him again . His eyes widened almost as big as his mouth when his jaw dropped, he couldn't believe what I had just told him. "Daddy, I can't eat ever again?!" With a wry smile on my face I told him I was joking, but six year olds don't have an adults sense of humor. After pouting for a moment he asked me to stop at Ramen Yebisu, which as you can see in the pictures, looked absolutely delicious. However I knew we were taking a chance. Even though I know he likes Ramen Noodles I wasn't so sure he'd like the Spicy Grilled Chicken that they put on top. "I like it." He said. Ok problem solved right? Sort of. After eating most of it, I mean the Noodles, he proclaimed..."That was OK." I beg to differ. I got enough of a taste to know that this was very good Ramen, and the Chicken which you see above, had a really good flavor and wasn't overly spicy. One thing I always forget is that kids remember everything, and because of that joke my son later blackmailed me into buying him a toy...I'm such a sucker.
By the time I had met my family with my food selection, my wife had already eaten her food from We Rub You, so I didn't get a picture or a taste. How selfish! If it weren't for the Italian Beef Sandwich from Home By The Range in my hand I might have been a bit aggravated, but good food always calms me down. This was no ordinary sandwich either. The amazing mixture of flavors was only enhanced by the Au Jus that was poured over the top of the Beef, settling down at the bottom of the container that it was served in. So instead of picking it up and eating it like normal, I took off the top piece of bread to dip and then used my fork to eat the rest. By the time I reached the bottom of the sandwich all that was left was Cheese and Bread that was completely soaked by the Au Jus, so delicious! I almost forgot the Watermelon on the side, not only was it tasty but it made for a truly unique presentation...
Last but not least, I sent my wife over to Mimi and Coco's to pick up some Shrimp Teriyaki Balls, a must have at Smorgasburg every time we visit. It was sort of a punishment, but only because I didn't let her have any. OK, that's not true, I do want to sleep in the bed after all.
What a great day! I love going to Smorgasburg, not only for the amazing food, but for the fact that it brings me to a part of town that is absolutely filled with fun things to see and do.
Next up...what we had for dessert!
