Food hall

Professor Krondl Food & Beverage

Sarah Hemmerle

HMGT 1102

10/40/18

I chose to go check out the DeKALB market hall in the city point shopping center Saturday October 6th from 2-3pm.  I wanted to go because I have never been to a food hall and it was located in Brooklyn close to where I live. When I entered the market I was overwhelmed by the many stands and options. Smells were coming from every direction, it was busy, people were eating and enjoying their food.  There were neon signs hung everywhere which made the place a whole lot brighter. There was a variety of vendors, each with a unique touch to their cuisine. The diversity of the food and the cultures was amazing, there was the Eight Turn Crepe which is a Japanese crepe shop, there was the Arepa Lady which served arepas which is most found in Colombian cuisine and Fulton Landing seafood Co. which serves a variety of seafood.

  When I went to the  market I tried out the Tikkai chicken from DK Jani, an authentic pakistani food stand. It was a pita wrap with lettuce, tomato, red onions, chicken, cucumber and a creamy spread with herbs and mint.  The dish was very pleasing to the eyes, had quite an amount of heat to it. I payed $12 for the meal and thought that It was a little pricey because the portion size was small. I also ate food from the Foragers Market and got their home style with a choice of 3 sides and 1 protein.  I chose to get brussel sprouts, sweet potatoes, salad and chicken. The meal was very filling and perfectly seasoned. I was stuffed after eating half that I had to take the rest home as leftovers. I payed $13.49 for my meal which I thought was a pretty good deal because of the size of the portion.  Afterwards I got a creamy matcha latte from the Noble Tree. It was on the pricey side ( around $6 ) but I think its because its a specialty drink and I added almond milk to it.

When walking around the market I saw a lot of varieties of stands one of them included Cafe Davignon that served coffee and pastries. I was interested but thought it was too basic of a place to get food from because in NYC there’s plenty of coffee shops and they all serve similar options.  I wanted to try new foods I hadn’t before and step outside my comfort zone. I usually don’t prefer to eat spicy cuisine but wanted to try something new which was the pita wrap from the pakistani stand. Something I was not willing to try was Guss’ Pickles because they only served pickles and I felt that they needed to serve it with something else.  I’ve always seen pickles as a side to a dish or eaten it with something that blends well. At Guss’ pickles all I could get were pickles, I didn’t want to purchase just 1 item that wasn’t filling and didn’t think it was worth buying because pickles are pretty simple.

I was tempted to buy food from Wiki Wiki a shop that serves Hawaiian food. The reason I didn’t get any of the food was because I thought the bowls were higher in prices around $12-14/bowl and the food offered reminded me too much of the food I work with at my job. I wanted to branch out.  The portion size was pretty large and I wanted to save room for different foods I wanted to try.

Overall the market had a lot of vendors and each shop had an open kitchen which made it interesting to watch.  In the kitchens not only had fewer workers than a restaurant would but, I noticed a lot of the workers were of spanish and asian origin.  The shops were smaller in size, and had smaller menus compared to if they were a restaurant. I think the prices were the same whether the shops in the market would have been a restaurant because the items on a lot of the menu were pricey or the same as prices in restaurants which is a range of $8-15.  I noticed when walking around the market that the customers were made up of a lot of hipsters, young families and adults.

I would definitely go again to this food market because there is so much I hadn’t gotten to try. I loved the variety of choices and how it was all in one location.  It’s a lot more fun if you bring friends or family to share the food with and explore. The food was delicious but a bit pricey and I would recommend not going on a busy day because you don’t have to wait in a long line and trying foods you’ve never had before.  

Citation:  

DeKalb Market Hall. (2018). Retrieved from http://dekalbmarkethall.com

Laurel Polanco.

Prof. Krondl

HMGT 1102.

10-31-2018.

If one day you take the L train to Manhattan, I will recommend you to make a stop in Bedford Avenue. When you get off the train and take the stairs, you will be in a nice, kind of fancy and attractive neighborhood: Williamsburg. If you decide, and I encourage you to do it, walk some block to North 3^rd Street, then make  a right (If you are walking against the traffic), cross Berry Street, and before you get to the next street, you will see the North 3^rd Street Market. This is where I went, a food hall with a nice design in Williamsburg.  I decided to go there because I like the area, I´ve been around, and I like the vibes in that particular neighborhood. North 3^rd Street Market is like a little place where you can find different spots of food. Four big glass doors give you a warm welcome to the place. If you use the two main entrances, you will see the names of the stores inside. They have a pair of seats per each entrance, and a little tree. The arcs of the doors are decorated with corn leaves. They also have a black flag with white letters with the name of the food hall. When you get inside, you will see a decoration with branches, and as you walk in, you will see that all the stores are well organized. If you walk to the right side, you will see a “mini disco” that gives you entrance to the all gender restrooms. In general, this market has a quiet and bohemian décor.

North 3^rd Street Market is a place where you can go with your friends and you can be sure that all of you will find what to eat. You can find Italian food, like pizza, calzones, pies, etc. There is also Mexican food, and the place is called “JaJaJa”, they sell burritos, tacos, and salad. There is also a spot for coffee, another for burgers, one for sushi, other for ice-cream and another one for macaroons.

I ate at Baba´s pierogies. Very clean place with all the required posters on its walls. I had no idea of what type of food it was. I didn’t know what culture does the place represented. I only saw the little menu they offer, and decided to eat Mac and Cheese. Very traditional! But guess what? They don’t take cash, and there is nobody to take your order. Instead of that, they have a screen where you can order and swipe your card. The only person there, besides you, is the cook. They have two types of Mac and Cheese, boiled and fried. I don’t know what a fried Mac and Cheese is, so I ordered the boiled one (That I thought I knew until that day). This place was full of surprises because the cook handed me something that I had no idea existed. According to what I know that wasn’t Mac and Cheese, but I ate it, five pieces of “Mac and Cheese” with chives to décor. I can describe it like boiled dough with cheese inside. While I was eating, I changed my mind because it tasted amazing. I don’t know if it was that I was hungry, or the chives, or the cheese, but now I prefer this type of Mac and Cheese. A little spicy, but not so much, all the flavors where there. The price of this dish was $10.25 and it appeared in the menu as “Mac and Cheese yes! Mac-n-Cheese in a pierogi! (5) 10.25”. Now I know that Pierogi means dumplings in Polish. I drank Coke, the little bottle and I paid $3.00 for it when I regularly pay $1.00 for a can.

Two things that tempted me were a calzone, and macaroons. I didn’t try the calzone because of the price. It was $30.00 without a drink and the portion size wasn’t good for the price. There was no line, I think because I went on Monday. The macaroons were good in size, the price was affordable, $2.75 each, but the spot was closing. I don’t know why they closed at 8:00PM if the board outside says that the market closes at 10:00PM.

What I would not be willing to try was the sushi because it makes me nauseous. I think the most unusual food on offer in Baba´s was the Mac and Cheese because this dish was totally different from what I normally know as Mac and Cheese.

All the vendors are ecofriendly and that also goes with the design of the place. They use eco plates, forks, knives, napkins and cups. They also have recycling bins all around.

Talking in general about what I ate, the price was okay, I am not disgusted because it tasted amazing. The quality was good. Very well presented but, I would prefer 10 dumplings in a smaller size, instead of five of that size. But it was okay and good enough to be the first time trying something different.

I didn’t see a lot of people in there because as I said, I went on Monday and it was almost empty. But the people I saw were mostly white with blond hair, maybe Americans or Europeans, and Asians. Very quiet people, they didn’t disturb the peace of the place and most of them ordered to take out.

I would highly recommend people to go there, but not in a weekday. Also, to go with friends, and open to try new things or to try something you think you knew but turns to be something prepared in a different way.

Gissell Hernandez-Silva

Professor.Krondl

10-22-18

Food Hall Blog

                                                 The Bowery Market

          A few weeks ago I went on my journey to a food hall. Super confused I came upon this market which made the whole idea of a food hall come together and make more sense. I googled this and it seemed really “instagram worthy” as I call it and decided to stop by. I chose this market because I wanted to explore something closer to home. When I got to this place it was around 12:30 pm, it was slightly busy. The first food stand I saw was of Mexican cuisine, which I immediately went over to.  They offered very basic traditional food like carnitas tacos and some unusual ones like Beer Braised Chicken tacos and a grilled cheese torta. I decided to try their carnitas tacos even though I do not like to eat pork, and well I proved what I already knew; that I did not like it. I also tried their Strawberry peach agua fresca and was surprised that it actually was not so bad.

         The prices for the tacos were definitely more expensive than what a regular taco would cost you. It was $4 for a taco, in Brooklyn you can get one for as low as $1.25. Portion size was not bad but could be better, the food felt like it lacked something. There was also this Japanese sushi place right next door that tempted me but the prices were too high. It was like a buffet or a 3 course meal food stand. They offered a lot of dishes with raw fish that looked oddly satisfying. For 30 minutes you were charged $58 which I was not willing to spend. What I noticed was that the vendors were really clean about their food and were cautious when it came to preparing the orders.

        The type of customers I saw were Asian and a mix of hispanic and white people. They seemed to really enjoy the food but most ordered it to go than to stay. Overall it was a great experience and ended up trying some italian gelato as well. Prices were high but the quality was well worth it.  

Marian Cepeda

HMGT 1102

Professor Krondl

Food Hall Reaction Blog

 Ever wondered what is like to go out and try different kinds of food? The different smells, tastes, shapes, colors that the food industry can provide. Food Halls also do this for us. The Plaza food hall located in 59th street under the Plaza Hotel is one of the places that with their amazing and different variety of foods can expand our taste in food.

The Plaza Food Hall is very fancy and interesting, the design on the walls is different from other hotels it was modern but at the same time I felt like I was in a castle, the golden color of the walls  and the lights were low which made me feel relaxed. The first floor was filled with fancy jewelry stores. I took the escalators down to the lower level where the food hall was located, and there I saw  so many food stands. It was hard for me to just pick one. Each food stand sold something different, they sold things like, soup, cake ,donut ,crepe stand, tea , and last but not least a pasta. I was indecisive and did not know where to start, i walked in circles wondering, then, I decided to try pasta. The squid ink pasta, yes! Squid ink, it goes well with this kind of pasta because of it purplish color. At the “ORA DI Pasta” they give you different kinds of options, you can make your own pasta and watch the amazing service provided by Kevin who greeted me with a smile as soon as I walked in and took my order. My struggle to pronounce “squid ink pasta” made him laugh, he gave me different sauce options and ofcourse, I chose the best sauce, my personal favorite, Alfredo sauce and added some fresh tomatoes and shrimps to go,It was delicious!, it was also very affordable, I payed $21 for my food. The place was decorated with chalk boards that  had quotes about food in Italian. The smell of the tomato sauce and the other smells around  was so strong I can almost taste it.

At Ora DI Pasta , the  products were handled with care and since my order was to go, they gave me a very nice plate and put my food in a bag that contained a flyer, their business card, parmesan cheese, tissues, and garlic bread. I could taste the Crepes from the place next door, and the smell of donuts. I was intrigued by the macaron gift box but it was too expensive, it costs $74.00, but I hope one day I can go back and try it. There was so many things but there was one thing I did not want to try, it was a pie made with potatoes, caramelized onions, and eggs, almost like a omelette but in shape of a pie. The customers looked like people who were staying at the hotel, the way some were dressed made it seem like a conference room full of business people, others looked like tourists, taking pictures of the food and trying  different things. At the food hall I noticed how the cooks have conversations with the customer, asking them how they are doing and if they would like to add anything special to their meals, which I loved because it’s always important to communicate with your customers and give them he best service, it attracts customers. The prices on the food were very affordable, the crepes were $10, the pasta was $21, the donuts were $9 for 5 small donuts, and a bowl of soup $12. Some things were not so affordable for example, a bar a chocolate in the macaron stand was $40-50 depending on the size and the macarons were 12 pc for $74 dollars.

Food halls are the best places in my opinion to visit when it comes to trying new things. Visiting The plaza Food Hall was amazing and so was the food at the ORA DI Pasta kitchen. I recommend this place. I hope that others like me visit The Plaza Food Hall and have an amazing experience.

images of The Plaza Food Hall