Always one to try new foods and better yet new experiences coupled with those new foods I had the opportunity to find out about Food of New York Tours and decided that the Chelsea Market/Meatpacking District Food Tasting Tour looked both tasty as well as historically interesting.
So I showed up at 3:00 p.m. at Chelsea Market which is located at 75 9th Avenue between 15th and 16th Street and found my way to the Chelsea Wine Vault where I met up with tour guide Curt Upton and the rest of the members of the group…
Now, before I tell you more about all the amazing and interesting food stops that we made—just a short background history on the Meatpacking District where The Chelsea Market is located.
The Meatpacking District is a 20 square block, 24 hour neighborhood on the West Side of Manhattan which is bordered by Chelsea Market to the north and Horatio Street to the south. All kinds of interesting graphic designers, architects, fashion designers and creative corporate headquarters have moved side by side with meatpacking plants which has created a very eclectic and cutting edge type of community.
And for some short remarks on the history of the actual market, Chelsea Market was once owned by the National Biscuit Company a.k.a. Nabisco. And where would we be today without our beloved Oreos and Saltine Cracker for which Nabisco is so very famous.
OK …and now it’s time to share the tour’s food tasting stops!
Our first stop in the Market was Eleni’s, an American Bakery which had all kinds of fun cookies and cupcakes.
We were served as shown below chocolate milk from Ronnybrook Farms and a Red Velvet Cupcake which as you can see in the second picture belowSoLOL didn’t last for more than a second!
Then we stopped at Dickson’s Farmstand Meats which is a butcher shop and we tried the most delicious steak tartare EVER!!!
Then off to Buon Italia which is the largest Italian food purveyor in New York. We got to taste Crostada which was similar to a quiche and it was absolutely delicious. Filled with onions, mushrooms and a light egg batter it was really sublime.
Then off to Lucy’s Whey where I must tell you that I fell absolutely in love with the heated Prairie Breeze Cheddar and Fig Jam on Ciabatta bread. I MEAN IT WAS SO DIVINE THAT I PLAN TO RETURN TO THE MARKET JUST TO HAVE THAT FOR LUNCH “AS SOON AS POSSIBLE.”SOLOL!
Then our next stop was to The Filling Station where they sold specialty foods and I must share with you that tasting truffle salt was really a treat!!!
Then off to Tuck Shop, an Australian Eatery where we got to taste the most awesome beef pie—totally considered great comfort food—and which I totally recommend!
Then off to the Doughnuttery where I ate the mini cinnamon sugar donut so quicklySoLOL! that I completely forgot to take a picture of it.SoLOL!
Then… a short, surprise stop at Liddabit Sweets… which sold beer and pretzel caramels, bourbon-bacon caramel corn, pumpkin pie bars (which we tasted and WERE DIVINE) and let’s not forget the spice lollipops…
Wow…we did taste a lot and see a lot as well…
But now moving right along, we then went to Chelsea Market Baskets which is a gourmet shop that created lovely gourmet gift baskets which could include artisanal cheeses, caramelized onion, shortbread of Edinburgh as well as kitchen garden preserves.
Then our last actual food tasting in the market was at Sarabeth’s Bakery which is a French American Bakery and there we got to taste biscuits with the choice of strawberry/raspberry jam or apricot/orange marmalade.
Then yeah!!!-a bathroom stop at Iron Chef’s Morimoto’s Japanese restaurant Morimoto and then off for a short walk on the High Line to reach our final “tasting” destination at the restaurant Macelleria which is located at 48 Gansevoort Street.
Oh, by the way…it was really cool that on the way to the restaurant we got to go the the rooftop bar of The Gansvoort Hotel where they had an outdoor pool and a really fun place to hang out and enjoy a cocktail with a great set of views!
And so here we are at our last “tasting” destination Marcelleria…
where we enjoyed a wonderful dish of Garganelli Pasta alla Bolognese as shown in the photo below which was really great!
So if you’re a tourist new to the city, or just want a great “I live in the city and want a tourist experience” I totally recommend Foods of New York Tours (www.foodsofny.com) and totally, 100% recommend giving The Chelsea Market/Meatpacking District Food Tasting and Culture Walking Tour the go ahead.
It was all very organized, very fun and a thumbs-up New York City experience!
Go for it!
