On November 12th ,2016, I went to the Somorgasburg, winter flea and holiday market, in One Hanson Places near Barcleys Center and Atlantic Terminal. It is about 25 indoor Somorgasburg vendors selling food. Also maybe about 70 vintage, antique and other vendors in there. There were a lot of tourists around and some locals coming by to get their lunch.
The only vendor I went to is the “Ramen Burger” because I’m curious and amaze about it. The line is kind of long , but is was just a 10 minute wait. When it is my turn to order, I notice there some different kind of favors like original, teriyaki, cheese and veggie. So I choose the original one and is was $10 only for the burger without any drink. While I’m waiting, I can have a view on how they make my burger. First they fried the ramen to make it crispy. Then add some texture on the ramen bun and a ground beef with sauce added. That take like about 8 minute to make a Ramen Burger. Also there a picture in the front of the table it show a nice Ramen Burger and what else is added inside the burger. I notice there is shoyu sauce and some textures like scallions and arugula. It didn’t mention anything about portion size and calories. When I tasted it, the shoyu sauce and the ground beef gave a delicious sweet taste but the ramen is not crispy and the texture didn’t stand out either. After all I still manage to finish the Burger. I Still would recommend to try it.
Later I went to tour around to see other vendors. There some teriyaki chicken and it smell delicious. It was $6 for four pieces and the pieces are like the size of a chicken nugget but just adding some sauce on it. I think it didn’t worth it and I was kind of full after eating the Ramen Burger. While I was touring around I notice all the vendors handled the food cleanly by wearing gloves while making the foods and change gloves after they touch other things. Also they organize the food by categorize in different tables. Most of the price are very different because they different portion of what they are serving. I think is kind of overprice, however it worth for an experience.
Somorgasburg is so unique because there are multiple vendors in one area. It can have you walking around to decide what to eat for your meal. I think is a place for experience and maybe trying some food that never been heard before. Definitely recommend to visit at least one time.

On Sunday November 6, I attended the Smorgasburg festival in Brooklyn, Ny. When I first arrived i felt the environment as packed and a bit stuffy, however i also felt the wonderful essence from all the different kinds of food. It was overwhelming at first considering the fact that this was my first time attending, yet i had no idea what item to eat first. I first took a look around before i decided to buy anything. I remember as i walked i saw how much diversity this exact festival had to offer, and it was amazing. It had been a great experience watching all the different nationalities brought together by food. As i continued walking i came across a little table not too far from the entrance. It was decorated in beautiful Asian patterning. The drapes behind the table tied in nicely with the aroma of a fresh fruit smell. This presentation immediately caught my eye, so i knew i had to stop and see what this mysterious table had to offer. I take a look inside this small booth and i see a small Asian Woman with a sweet smile. I had complimented her on her decorations and she smiled back. As i kept looking around i see these small apple looking plates. I asked the woman what it was and she said “Apple KImchi”. First bite into this and it had a sweet yet spicy taste, however while chewing the sweetness from the apple kicks in adding a flavorful blend. As of result i enjoyed it so much i ended up buying two pieces.
As the festival came to an end, i realized all that i missed out on over the years. This whole time living in this city and had no idea of this festival. This was by far an excellent idea to come and experience great food. I would highly recommend to anyone who wants to spend a day exploring new things, come to Smorgasburg and enjoy some great food.

At the Smorgasburg food trucks I first saw three vendors. One of them was selling coffee, the other two were selling food. Tradicional plates with duck and burgers. The saturday after that one I went again. There were lots of food trucks. The food trucks were selling different types of food from different countries. Many people attended to this place to buy food and enjoy the day close to the river. I decided to only buy pastries in this occasion because the quantity of the food was a lot and needed to be eaten at that moment. First I got three small butter cakes for $5 dollars from the St. Louis tradition. I didn’t like it a lot because it felt too oily. It was very buttery, soft and very very sweet. These cakes had three different layers topped with powdered sugar. It also had a gooey and crisp consistency. The second pastry that I tried was a Cinna Bis Stick for $5 dollars too. It was bland, sweet, with a cinnamon flavor and a little dry. But the flavors didn’t blend well, it was a little dry. The pastry was twisted topped with cinnamon and sugar glazed. The third pastry that I tried was a Japanese Sweet Rice Cake. The consistency was sticky and soft. It tasted like chocolate and rice. The color was brown and light yellow with a little bit of green. The last thing that I bought was a Cafe Au Lait donut for $4 dollars. I didn’t like this donut because it was very dry, bland, too sweet and it tasted more like flour. The prices of the food that the vendors were selling were pretty good. This is a good way of selling traditional food and choosing different types of food to  try. They had simple foods on their menu and easy to do. I will go there the next year to try the other type of food that I didn’t get to try. Even though some of the food were not as traditional Ill love to try it. 

Amethyst Chiaramonte

Smorgasburg is a seasonal event that takes place in Brooklyn on Saturdays and Sundays at two separate locations. I decided to go to the Saturday Smorgasburg in Williamsburg. The Smorgasburg featured many Asian food stands, as well as having a variety of different cuisines. This seemed like a local attraction to me, it brought in many families with children. Every dish looked delicious, but the two items that caught my eye were the “raindrop cake” and the “ramen burger”. I’ve heard of this ramen burger before but the prices of the items weren’t convincing enough. The portions were very small in comparison to the prices. Dishes ranged from about eight to twelve dollars. Do not come here hungry. This would be a nice place to visit if one is just in the mood for a quick bite. Dishes were served in brown paper packaging, which is convenient for on the go use. Although it was a friendly environment, it seemed as if there was some sort of tension between vendors. Each vendor had something unique that the other vendors didn’t, which is bound to happen in an event like this. I would recommend this event to families, couples, friends, or even a single person trip. It appeared to be an attraction for hipsters, most likely because it was located in Williamsburg. The customers were not very diverse and seemed to be middle class. The environment felt friendly and comfortable. I would recommend the Smorgasburg to foodies or any family looking to get out of town. 

The Smorgasburg contains more than 100 vendors displaying their food for more than 10,000 visitors every Saturday and Sunday from April through November. The Smorgasburg promotes culinary tourism therefore making it one of the most popular destinations in Brooklyn. On Saturday October 29 I went to the Smorgasburg in Williamsburg with my parents, siblings and a close friend of mine. Due to the weather the area was full of people and the choices of food were endless. The area provides a great view and a bunch of benches for the customers, making it a great site for families.

First, I went to take a look at the different vendors to see what type of food they were offering. There was a lot of diversity in the food from Mexican to Japanese, Chinese, American anything that one would crave for. I was very impressed on how vendors organize themselves in order to serve their consumers in small spaces. As I walked I heard different amounts of music in each booth, most relating to the food that were being sold. Most of the food tempted me, mostly because they were things that I never heard about, tasted or the way they were displayed. However I will try them once I go back. I’m the type to try different dishes, I see it as a way of learning about different cultures and expanding my knowledge on culinary tourism. The prices vary with each vendor, some are rather high for the portions that they serve. The customers that I saw were teenagers around 18 or 19 and older, probably 40. It seems that the area was almost full of tourists which would explain the prices for the dishes.

Once I finished my small tour I decided to go to the two vendors that had a huge line so I could see what the fuss was all about. First I went to the Ramen Burger, which I never knew existed until that day and it seemed very interesting. While I was waiting on line I observed the process of how the burger was made. It all starts with the noodle buns, they are cooked on a griddle with a splash of sesame oil making the texture chewy instead of crunchy. The beef is then griddled and coated with a secret shoyu ramen sauce. The middle of the burger contains arugula, scallions and based on the preference of the consumer cheese. The burger was $10, it would’ve been a good price if it was a little bit bigger however I was satisfied with the flavors. At the first bite you can taste the mixture of the sauce with the beef and bun, the scallions and arugula taking it to a whole other level. This is a must try burger for those who have yet to experience new culinary creations.

My second stop was in Home Frite, this was the #1 stop for every consumer everyone was walking around with their fries. It was obvious that this was going to be my next stop. The line was a bit longer than the Ramen Burger and it took some time for me to be at the front. I ordered the Dutch fries which were topped with curry ketchup, lemon aioli and chopped onions. The fries were $8 which was a reasonable price due to its size. I shared them with my friend and both us agree that the mixture of flavors were amazing while the crunchiness was perfect.

My friend made a stop at Dough to get some donuts since they looked very delicious and there was a good amount of different flavors. She ended up getting the Hibiscus and Dulce de Leche donuts. The hibiscus was sweet with a little bit of tanginess, but good. The Dulce de Leche was sweet enough and the toasted almonds gave it an exquisite taste. The dough in both donuts were cooked perfectly and tasted like they were fresh out of the oven.

The Smorgasburg was a very wonderful experience that makes me want to come again and do it all over again. The best thing about it is that once the weather begins to get cold the Smorgasburg is then placed inside. I’m looking forward to check the place out and see how different it is from the area that I visited.

          On October 29^th, I went to the Smorgasburg food market located at 90 Kent Ave, Brooklyn. It was a sunny day, and I felt very excited because there were about 100 vendors selling their food there. It was a good place for friends gathering.

I chose the “Ramen Burger” as my first meal, because I was curious about how it tasted like. I saw there were many people waiting there, and it seemed they were all interested in this creative burger. I spent twenty minutes to get my ramen burger. And, the burger costed ten dollars for each. I saw the workers cooked the ramen and beef separately. Actually, the ramen was already cooked in a little square size, and then the workers just fried the ramen until it became a little crispy on both side.  Once the ramen and the beef were done, they would put into two separate tray. Then, they put the ramen and beef together. They offered original flavor and cheese flavor. And I decided to try the cheese flavor burger with ramen, ground beef, cheese, green onion and a little arugula. When I taste the burger, I felt nothing special and it just a burger with a sweet soy sauce on it. However, the ramen was not enough crispy on both side and the ground beef was dry. Thus, I wasn’t enjoyed my first meal.

The second dishes I tried was “Mofongo”, which was a Puerto Rican dish. I usually eat Asian food in my daily, such as Chinese, Japanese, Korean and Thai food, but I never tried this special food before. So, I was very attracted by this Puerto Rican dish. This vendor offered two different kind of mofongo, one with fried pork on the top, and the another one with some little piece of stew beef on the top. I only could choose the stew beef one, because they already sold out the fried pork one. And, this dish costed me ten dollars. This Mofongo was made with plantain, garlic, little piece of stew beef, a soup made with special spices. It was very interesting to try a dish which was made by banana. I sipped the soup first, but it tastes a little bit salty. Then, I ate from bottom through the top. The bottom was mofongo, which mixed the fried plantain and garlic together, and it tasted very soft and full of garlicky. The stew beef was very yummy, and it tasted a little bit tender and sweet. Comparing to my first meal, I liked my second meal much more.

At that day, I spent twenty dollars on these two dishes. The ramen burger was not as good as many people said and it was not worth for ten dollars, because it was smaller than the regular burger size, and the quality of the beef was tasted the same as the normal ground beef. Fortunately, the Mofongo surprised me a lot. You would be full, if you finish the whole mofongo. Because the mofongo was made with banana, and banana had enough nutrition to comfort your stomach. In conclusion, it was a wonderful experience for me to explore different culture food in Smorgasburg.

On October 08^th 2016, I went to the Smorgasburg, a Brooklyn Flea Food Market, in Williamsburg with a group of friends; including Jessie. Smorgasburg has variety of food from different cultures including: American, Japanese, Vietnamese, and etc.  There were burgers, wraps, tacos, philly cheesesteak, takoyaki, donuts, and etc.

Upon arriving there, I ordered Karaage Fried Chicken with Barbeque Sauce. The word “Karaage” refers to a Japanese method of deep frying various foods such as chicken, fish, and other meats.  It costs $7 for a single serving portion of 8 to 11 pieces. This fried chicken tasted average and didn’t meet my standards. Fried chicken usually have a crunchy texture, however, what I ordered didn’t have it. According to the menu, there should be Barbeque sauce along with the chicken yet I did not taste any sweetness. The vendor added some sesame and other spices, which I do not know of, instead of Barbeque sauce; there was a hint of spiciness but not very strong.  The sauce, in general, smelled like those appetizers from Korean restaurant. I finally understood why there wasn’t any line for this vendor.

I was tempted by the Raindrop Cake because I think this dessert is unusual and extremely creative. However, I didn’t try it because I don’t think the price matched the size of the portion. It costs $8 for one cake.  Overall, most of the customers in Smorgasburg are adults in between ages of 20s to 30s. Majority of the food vendors there have a minimum of two staffs and some have three. Usually, one staff works as the cashier meanwhile the others handled and cooked the food. For example, at the vendor where I bought my Karaage Fried Chicken, there was one who deep fried my chicken meanwhile the other one handled the money.

Visiting the Smorgasburg was a great experience however, I didn’t like the way how most food vendors handled the food. Some vendors’ cook didn’t wear gloves, especially since the cashier and cook switch their roles frequently. Therefore, I think there’s some sanitation issues and should be fixed.

On November 5th, 2016 I attended the first Smorgasburg of the winter at Williamsburgh inside the Savings Bank Clock Tower. It was an interesting visit as the flea market is split into two sections. On the ground and upper level there are vendors that are selling clothing, souvenir, and more. While the food vendors are all in the level below. To get into smorgasburg you have to pay a small entrance fee of $1 which is not bad at all.

Smorgasburg is right around the Barclays center in Brooklyn and the Atlantic Terminal. Upon entering smorgasburg you can see all kinds of people from tourists to residents in the area. I already had a plan of what kind of food I wanted to try, burgers. Burgers is one of my favorite foods and I’ve heard a lot about the ramen burger. At the ramen burger stand they offered The Original, The Veggie, and the Teriyaki. I went for the original, it cost $10 for one. The line was quite long and it was a short wait. As soon as you bite the burger you can taste their secret shoyu sauce. The sauce was sweet but not too sweet to overpower the burger itself. The burger also came with scallions and arugula that added texture to the burger. Yet I was a bit disappointed with the ramen buns because they were a bit chewy. Yet I would definitely have it again. 

The next thing I tried was the season sandwich at the Duck Season. The season sandwich went for $12 and it was bigger than the ramen burger. The season sandwich was a good sandwich that came on a brioche bun. The duck on the sandwich was tender and well cooked. The sauce was a bitter-sweet that complimented the sandwich. It also came with pickled cabbage that gave it a sort of crunch to it. While it was a good sandwich it would of have been a better sandwich with the bread not being soggy with all the excess sauce it had.

Smorgasburg was a very unique experience that I would like to enjoy again. I only had two foods for the different varieties it had to offer and each food would have its own unique twist to it. It’s definetley something to go over again to experience all the foods it has to offer. Though I did accomplish my goal of trying out burgers, the ramen burger and the season sandwich, and out of those I would say that the ramen burger would be my favorite. Smorgasburg is something to experience at least once and I’m glad I did and will definitely be going back!

On October 8, I went to the Smorgasburg in Williamsburg. There were many interesting foods sold there. The stand that I went to was a takoyaki booth called “Teriyaki Balls”. Takoyaki is a Japanese street snack that is shaped like a ball. It is made from batter and is cooked with a filling. There were different type of takoyaki sold. They had octopus, shrimp, sausage, and potato fillings. I chose the most expensive one, which was the octopus filling. It cost $8 and comes with 6 balls. The other fillings cost $6. The cook used a special pan to make the takoyaki. They used batter, scallion, and octopus for my food. When the balls finished cooking, the cook spread okonomiyaki sauce on top. They then put nori (seaweed) and Bonito flakes on top of the sauce. Last, they put some mayo as the finishing touch. The food had a doughy and sour taste. I believe it was the Bonito flakes that gave it a sour taste. The reason I chose takoyaki over all the other food was because Japanese cuisine interests me. I ate takoyaki in another Smorgasburg before and liked it. I wanted to eat it again so I ate it in this Smorgasburg.

There were many adults in the Smorgasburg. I did not see many kids there. The customers that I saw were very diverse. The two workers in the “Teriyaki Balls” booth were Asian. They had the special pan on top of a table in front of them. The pans were also next to each other. The ingredients were on another table. The only thing I worry about in this booth was sanitation. The food was cooked very close to each other.

There were other food that caught my interest. I wanted to eat donuts from another booth. The line to buy the donuts was long and the price of it was $3.50 each. The price had me rethink my choice on buying it since $3.50 was too expensive for a donut for me. There were also other food that I wasn’t willing to try. I did not want to try the banana ice cream from the ice cream booth. I dislike the flavor and hate the fruit itself. I just can’t stand it. The most unusual food that I saw was the raindrop cake. It cost $8. The dessert looks like a huge rain drop. It is served with Kinako (roasted soybean flour) and Kuromitsu (sugar syrup).

I went to Smorgasburg Sunday morning on November 6th. It was located nearby Barclays center in a building called Skylight One Hanson. When i went inside the building they had the flea market and the food bizarre in the same building but on different floors. There weren’t a lot of people and it wasn’t as packed because it was early morning and people had just began to arrive. Everyone in the area was very friendly. There were many customers from different areas that all came together to this huge event to socialize and have a great time trying out new things.. The smells around the area were delightful and attracted customers to each individual stalls. I went around the entire place trying each food seeing which i liked and which ones i didn’t.

There were many stands and each of them served their own unique item either from their culture or from their own creations. There was one dessert item that really caught my attention and it was called Gooey Butter Cake. It was composed of two layers. The bottom was a traditional cake with a little extra butter which made it taste very sweet rich taste to it. The cake was very soft and it was very moist. The top layer of this dessert was cheesecake with cookie crumble on top. The cheesecake was very sweet and it combined well with the bit of saltiness from the butter which combined very well. There were many other foods but i loved the taste of this dessert so much it kept me away from other stands. The price wasn’t outrageous, for three small cakes it was $5 and it was well worth the pay.

There was only one unusual food that i didn’t like out of the entire event and that was this weird thing. I think it was called kimchi, and i didn’t like it one bit. When i bit it it was sour and it was very spicy. It had a very weird flavor and it wasn’t pleasant to my taste. Every stand was handling their products in their own manner because each food required certain care to be organized and produced. One of the vendors had made their own ice cream flavor which they needed to keep well frozen while the Gooey Butter Cake was placed on display inside a glass cabinet which did not need to be cooled or kept hot. Each stand also had their unique prices because the serving size differed depending on what you were going for. For example, the quality of the small cakes were amazing but the size was small. You pay for something small but it surprises you with this huge flavor unexpectedly.

Smorgasburg was a really great experience because it opened my pallet to brand new unique flavors. I would recommend that people go to one of these events because it’s fun, and you get to taste new foods that you probably haven’t seen or tasted before. It’s best to go early because it won’t be as packed like in the afternoons. It’s highly recommended that you try everything that’s available because you might never know if you find a new food you’d love.