Allie’s Adventures in Eating: Smorgasburg

Chris and I still lived on the Lower East Side of Manhattan when Smorgasburg opened last summer. We couldn’t have been more blown away to see that Brooklyn Flea, which had limited food vendors, was hosting a Saturday spin-off “Food Market” just a quick cab ride away in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. Fast forward to today, we’ve visited the food lover’s paradise at least five times–the vendors seem to get better and better each time we go.

1. Bon Chovie, Classic Fried Anchovies with Pickled Peppers and Smoked Paprika Mayo: This vendor has one of the catchiest names ever. While anchovies aren’t typically a popular food, Chris loved these for the crunch. I wasn’t a huge fan–no amount of breading could mask that fishy flavor for me.
2. The Landhaus, BLT: What a beautiful sandwich. The bacon was more like “melt in your mouth” pork belly, and it wasn’t chewy at all. The tomato was perfectly ripe–adding a wonderful sweetness. They also sold “Bacon on a Stick,” but we’ll try that next time.
3. Mile End, Smoked Meat: My parents grew up in Montreal, so I’ve eaten smoked meat sandwiches many times in my life. Smoked meat is very similar to pastrami, also served on Jewish rye with spicy mustard, and is absolutely delicious. Mile End’s version is pretty darn good compared to what you get across the border in Montreal.
4. Milk Truck, Grilled Cheese w/ Bacon, Cheddar, Bleu, Caramelized Onions, Spicy Pickles from Milk Truck. This was one of the best grilled cheese sandwiches ever! The cheddar and bleu cheeses were mixed together, which toned down the bleu just enough so it didn’t overpower the rest of the ingredients. The sweetness of the onions versus the tartness of the pickles was perfect.

1. Egg, Hash Browns with Pimento Cheese and Spring Onions: What a fun concept–build your own hash browns with fun, local ingredients. My only complaint was that the spring onions weren’t very “handheld food friendly.” I know you shouldn’t cut these up, but I ended up with all of them in one bite.
2. Mozz Shop, Italian Corn Dog with Hot Italian Sausage and Fresh Mozzarella in a Polenta Batter–served with Pickled Peppers and Marinara Sauce: The mozzarella in this corn dog was fantastic. My first bite consisted of a pillowy, soft batter with soft, oozing cheese. The sausage and the marinara were great too, but I found the peppers useless.
3. Mozz Shop, Fried Mozz Balls with Marinara Sauce: Chris ordered these, stating they were “the most amazing fried mozzarella balls you’ve ever had.” Enough said.
4. The Meat Hook, Rapture Dog: I saved the best for last. The Meat Hook has been our go-to establishment for sausages since they opened, and I intend to dedicate an article to their encased meats one day. The Rapture dog is stuffed with cheese, which squirts out of your mouth during every bite. Awesome.

As you can see, Smorgasburg has many fantastic food vendors. These are just a sample of the offerings you can get, if you go on your own culinary adventure at this Williamsburg food market. If you’re in the neighborhood on a summer Saturday afternoon, you should absolutely stop in.