New York, NY –
Saturday was opening day for the newly created Indie Design + Food Mart, held in Gowanus Grove in Brooklyn. The market was created by the founders of ‘Curious Jane’ an after school program and summer camp for young girls in Brooklyn. Curious Jane promotes design, collaboration, and community to all of their little ladies. The market is powered by these same ideals and all the vendors at the market are owned by women, sorry men Curious Jane is all about girl power!
The venue itself is a very small almost neglected area next to the Gowaus canal that can easily be overlooked. The market is very quaint and designed in the charming DIY style that only Brooklyn can get away with. The handful of design vendors were selling interesting handmade items, greeting cards, hand printed and dyed scarves and a bracelet that had the NYC subway map printed on top-seems very handy. There was something for everyone here, a craft area for kids, musical entertainment, beer, and food. They also were serving mulled wine, which I was dying to try but had to restrain myself, as I had to work later.
The hot food at the market was limited to only two stands. The Fat Beagle, they served southern style comfort food and Bite Size Kitchen who offered three types of steamed buns. Naturally I had to try both places. It was a brisk fall day in the shade so I headed straight for the steamed buns. I selected the roast duck bun and the braised pork belly bun 2 for $7.00 seemed like a bargain to me and how could I pass up duck or pork belly. The duck came with a handful of cilantro and a sprinkling of toasted sesame seeds, fried crunchies and slivers of lemon grass. The cilantro was the perfect fresh zing to the super rich and tender duck that was so juicy it had me licking my fingers. The lemon grass made for beautiful presentation but ended up on my tray as I squeezed the soft bun together to take a bite. The braised pork belly was served with thinly sliced cucumbers and scallions; I topped the salty pork with a dab of the sweet and hot sauce that was recommended. The cucumbers gave the soft bun and pork just a hint of crunch that I really appreciated with the soft fluffy bun. I could have eaten five of these buns but compared to the juicy, juicy duck the pork came in second. Go Ducks!
As I was licking my fingers I stepped to my right and was ready for some Fat Beagle. A friend of mine was working the stand and hooked me up with one of the best looking pulled pork sliders, sandwiched between a toasted bun and topped with coleslaw. The coleslaw was crisp with a hint of sweetness that served as a great compliment to the slow-cooked, juicy bbq pork. I found a little picnic bench to sit on and enjoy myself. To wash this melt in your mouth slider down I took a sip of apple cider with a twist. It was cool and refreshing, served with both a slice of apple and lime. I am not positive what the twist actually was but it rounded out the apple cider with a light sweet notes –this would be a perfect fall cocktail with a little bit of rum.
The Gowanus Girls market was a delightful way to spend a fall Saturday afternoon complete with pumpkins and twinkly lights. I thoroughly enjoyed both Bite Size Kitchen and The Fat Beagle and have already made plans to hunt them down at other festivals in the City. There were a few more things to munch on but I was on a duck and pork high that I wanted to go out on a juicy savory note. Next time Gowanaus. I think they had a great turn out and it was a good way to kick off this girl-powered festival. If you missed it this weekend you can check out the market on Saturday October 27th 12pm to sundown.
Cheers!
Nicole Simper
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