I won’t lie to you people. I rarely do. When I first saw the new Essex Market, it felt like I just discovered a new Foodie paradise as the NY Post put it. A mini Chelsea Market without the crowds, was the first thing that came to mind. A striking contrast to the old Essex Market which felt sad and unwelcoming at times. But around 10 visits, a few hits and too many misses later I come back crawling to the Chelsea Market zoo asking for forgiveness, and a Currywurst.
It turned into a strange love hate relationship. I keep gravitating to Essex Market, so there’s something definitely there. Mad kudos to the designers of the space. Its pleasing to the eye, comfortable, and the sitting area on top is just pure joy when compared to other food courts. Its part of a new complex that also includes a swanky new Regal with reclined seats and giant food trays. I never understood movie theaters that serve food or food friendly theaters like this. My enjoyment of watching a movie while eating somehow never transferred to watching a movie while sitting next to a total stranger munching on chicken wings and almost spilling his coke on me three times.
But while the Essex Market vendors wouldnt really fair well at Chelsea Market, there’s definitely a very interesting variety of eats. Some of the old vendors are back, and some new ones joined, and still joining (Another section will eventually open looks like). Here are some of the best bites I tried so far.
Bourekas at Zerza – I’ll give them a pass for serving it a little cool in the middle. The flavors are there and its what you normally would expect from a well crafted Bourekas. Loaded with Spinach, raisins, feta, and pine nuts. A sound competitor to the Bourekas queen in Hell’s Kitchen, Gazalas.
Fried Chicken at Eat Gai – Come for Gai, stay for fried chicken. Its known for Khao Man Gai which is a Hainaese chicken and rice dish that is popular in Thailand as well. Might be an acquired taste or a cultural thing as it just didnt do it for me. The fried chicken on the other hand, marinated with Turmeric was more like it, especially the first time I had it.
The Nordic Sandwich at Nordic Preserves – One of the old guards from the old Essex Street Market (Note they dropped the “Street” at the new place). Its a Scandinavian cured and smoked fish specialist that also crafts a couple of sandwiches like the outstanding The Nordic with Creme Fraiche, Lumpfish Caviar, Pico de Gallo in a Pain D’avignon olive Baguette. Or better yet, buy their Pastrami lox, and enjoy it with a fresh bagel with cream cheese.
Croissant Bread Pudding w/ Crème Anglaise at Pain D’avignon – Bread Puddings in NYC rarely come close to something you can find in every corner in New Orleans. Its often too dry, too bready or just missing any zing. Leave it to baking legend Pain D’avignon to correct that with a perfectly balanced, apple filled (on this occasion) bread pudding that comes with a creamy Crème Anglaise on the side. So you can pour as much of it as you want (suggested amount: all of it)
Banana Ice Cream at LES Ice Cream Factory – Not sure if its the best way to build a brand, but the folks from The Original Chinatown Ice Cream Factory opted to give themselves a different name here. I suppose, and this is just a crazy guess, that the reason is that this is not in Chinatown. That didnt stop many other businesses however. Not every flavor works (had better Horchata in NYC) here, but the banana does.
Also Consider: Chicken Shawarma at Samesa, Arancini at Arancini Bros, Empanadas at Dominican Cravings, Salted Caramel Panna Cotta at Mille Nonne.
While I was sitting out on a bench on Grand and Mulberry 
July 20, 2019 Update:
Wind Sand Chicken at Pinch Chinese (Soho)– A tasty rendition of a Hong Kong classic. The whole bird is cooked like Peking duck. Two days of Marinating (cinnamon, star anise, other herbs and spices), drying, spanking, repeating. The skin gets thin and crispy, and the flesh redefines moist. Garnished with the sand like fried garlic which gives it the name. Update: Just made resvs for 4 this Saturday night to have this again
Pollo alla Diavola at Maialino (Gramercy) – In the sea of Roman pastas and other Italian classics, this is possibly the unsung hero. Heck, after all those years, I needed some help from a reliable insider to discover this gem. The peppery ultra moist beauty comes with a tangy sauce you’ll want to scarpetta the heck out of.
“What, no Seafood?!? No problem, I give you Octopus!” No, I didnt crash a Greek wedding, nor have I actually heard this said before. It was simply the pre-trip imagination at work, anticipating yet another seafood heavy leg. I imagined after 10 fishfull days, we stumble onto a small family Konoba somewhere on the Istrian coast, begging an English speaking baka (a Croatian Babushka) for some meat. But luckily for us, not only we never really got tired of those Adriatic c
Evidence of the “Pierogies/Vareniki Belt” can still be found on 2nd ave in East Village, dating back to the late 19th century when Ukrainian and Polish immigrants started flocking the area. Less than a quarter of the 100,000 at the peak, still remain, and the percentage of the Pierogi shops dwindled even more. We are down to Little Poland near east 12th, the Pierogi speakeasy of Streecha on 7th, and the Pierogi kingdom of Veselka, arguably the most famous and popular Ukrainian in the country. I may be forgetting one or three.
Eating With Ziggy 