THIS IS The Bronx Night Market! (c) travelincousins.com
If you are a foodie, it should interest you to know that on the last Saturday of each month, through October is the Bronx Night Market in Fordham Plaza. As a lover of food myself, I was totally stoked to finally check things out for myself.
The largest food market in Uptown, The Bronx, and Westchester County, this monthly, open-air festival (which is free, I might add!) attracts more than 10,000 people each month and this past weekend, I was one of them!
Driving with my daughter, my friend, her two daughters and my huge appetite, we made excellent time traveling from Long Island, arriving shortly before 4pm when the festivities began. Parking was a breeze at the lot adjacent to the Plaza (and across from Fordham University).
The largest food market in Uptown, The Bronx, and Westchester County, this monthly, open-air festival (which is free, I might add!) attracts more than 10,000 people each month and this past weekend, I was one of them!
Driving with my daughter, my friend, her two daughters and my huge appetite, we made excellent time traveling from Long Island, arriving shortly before 4pm when the festivities began. Parking was a breeze at the lot adjacent to the Plaza (and across from Fordham University).
The Bronx Night Market (c) travelincousins.com
I perused the vendor list prior to my arrival, which includes more than 40 food, beverage, and merchandise businesses, and even made contact with a few prior to the evening, to insure that I would have some one-on-one time to say hello and get the 411 on their special offerings.
Truthfully, I can tell you that my eyes were way bigger than my stomach, but, I'm very proud of the amount of yummy goodness I was able to consume for one small woman.
Upon arriving, I was struck by two observations. The first is that the market is very manageable in size and well laid out, making it possible to get an overview of the various vendors, to plot out an eating strategy and thereby, try as many different foods as possible.
Truthfully, I can tell you that my eyes were way bigger than my stomach, but, I'm very proud of the amount of yummy goodness I was able to consume for one small woman.
Upon arriving, I was struck by two observations. The first is that the market is very manageable in size and well laid out, making it possible to get an overview of the various vendors, to plot out an eating strategy and thereby, try as many different foods as possible.
 Twisted Potato (c) travelincousins.com  Gianna getting ready to dig into the barbeque potato (c) travelincousins.com |  Proud proprietors (c) travelincousins.com  The girls checking out the market (c) travelincousins.com |
Additionally, the array of food offerings were diverse, interesting and covered a great many tastes and dietary preferences. From quick bites, to main courses and desserts to meat dishes, vegetarian and vegan options, savory and sweet, this really is a "global food celebration" as it is described to be.
Kudos to the organizers, Edible Bronx and Bronx-based creative agency BLOX, for their vision and discerning inclusion of such a divergent group of food merchants.
Our first purchase of the evening - yummy potato on a stick for $5 each. With numerous flavoring options, Gianna and I chose barbeque and it was the perfect choice. Just the right amount of spicy flavor and the potato was crisp but not greasy.
Kudos to the organizers, Edible Bronx and Bronx-based creative agency BLOX, for their vision and discerning inclusion of such a divergent group of food merchants.
Our first purchase of the evening - yummy potato on a stick for $5 each. With numerous flavoring options, Gianna and I chose barbeque and it was the perfect choice. Just the right amount of spicy flavor and the potato was crisp but not greasy.
(c) travelincousins.com
Next stop - a chicken taco on a fresh corn soft tortilla - super fresh and deelish! It was 2 for $7, so me and my girl, again shared and split the order. Your choice of toppings and sauces, we selected pico de gallo and cilantro to complement the moist, shredded chicken.
Chicken Taco (c) travelincousins.com
Diggin into my taco (c) traveincousins.com
One of the vendors I was looking forward to visiting and contacted beforehand was Next Stop Vegan. Unfortunately, we never made contact, but let me tell you that this vegan eatery pop up stand was undoubtedly the most packed of all the booths at the market.
The lines were consistently huge from the time we arrived until the time we left.
The lines were consistently huge from the time we arrived until the time we left.
Next Stop Vegan Booth - the busiest booth at the market (c) travelincousins.com
The good news is they have a storefront restaurant, which many of the vendors do not have. The bad news is, we never got to sample their food, for which I've read a great deal about.
Between our group's hunger level, the sun beaming down on us on line and wanting to experience the entire market, we opted not to wait on line (which at one point, while we were on it, wasn't even moving), and instead, plan to visit the restaurant on another trip to the Bronx.
Between our group's hunger level, the sun beaming down on us on line and wanting to experience the entire market, we opted not to wait on line (which at one point, while we were on it, wasn't even moving), and instead, plan to visit the restaurant on another trip to the Bronx.
Haitian Homecooked Meals featured rice and beans and mac & Cheese (c) travelincousins.com
I had the pleasure to chat with Martine Dardignac at Taste Buds Required, to hear about her homemade Haitian Mac N Cheese recipe, which was not vegan, but seriously folks, it was AMAZING.
Although it was rich and cheesy, it was, at the same time light. Not sure how she managed to accomplish this, but it was wonderful!! And the portion was a nice, healthy size at $7.00. Sadly for Gianna, who does not eat dairy, she did not partake, leaving the entire serving to me!
Although it was rich and cheesy, it was, at the same time light. Not sure how she managed to accomplish this, but it was wonderful!! And the portion was a nice, healthy size at $7.00. Sadly for Gianna, who does not eat dairy, she did not partake, leaving the entire serving to me!
This is the perfect segue for some vegan talk. I was thrilled to see just how many vegan offerings there were! As you know, I haven't converted to full-on vegan, but I do eat vegan whenever I can and now that my daughter, Gianna has given up dairy, I'm cooking and eating out, increasingly vegan.
Aside from the humane reasons, eating vegan is much more healthy, for the most part, if one eats a balanced diet.
But, I digress. We stopped at Dolce Brooklyn for some vegan sorbet, featured below. I opted for blood orange which was superb!!! And Gianna chose Cucumber Mint Lemon, which was light, refreshing and uniquely tasty. Each cup was $5.
Aside from the humane reasons, eating vegan is much more healthy, for the most part, if one eats a balanced diet.
But, I digress. We stopped at Dolce Brooklyn for some vegan sorbet, featured below. I opted for blood orange which was superb!!! And Gianna chose Cucumber Mint Lemon, which was light, refreshing and uniquely tasty. Each cup was $5.
Dolce Brooklyn and their sweet, refreshing sorbets (c) travelincousins.com
Vegan Sorbet - Blood Orange on left, Cucumber Mint Lemon on right (c) travelincousins.com
We found some shelter from the hot shining sun and sat for a while behind the food booths to enjoy our sorbet.
(c) travelincousins.com
Next stop, Freshly Made. Gianna asked me if I was interested in doing a ginger shot and I promptly, and immediately responded NO. lol
But, Bella decided she would try one. At $3 each, these girls decided to give it a "shot" (lol)
And so they did - check out their reactions in the video below
But, Bella decided she would try one. At $3 each, these girls decided to give it a "shot" (lol)
And so they did - check out their reactions in the video below
A nice slice of watermelon ($1) to wash down the Ginger, Gianna poses with the owners of Freshly Made.
Gianna with her watermelon after doing a ginger shot (c) travelincousins.com
The music was fab as was one of the singers, creating an upbeat atmosphere to this outdoor event.
Great music at The Bronx Night Market (c) travelincousins.com
I was thrilled to meet up with Gary Axelbank from ThisIsTheBronx.info and catch up a bit before I continued eating fest!
Did I mention that the Bronx Night Market has more than just food??
Yup - there are also vendors offering art, t-shirts, merchandise and even jewelry!
Did I mention that the Bronx Night Market has more than just food??
Yup - there are also vendors offering art, t-shirts, merchandise and even jewelry!
with Gary Axelbank from ThisIsTheBronx.info (c) travelincousins.com
Playful Event is a hand made jewelry line, designed and owned by Nan Siegmund. Using wire, she creates whimsical, "wearable art" in the form of earrings, bracelets and necklaces, along with other mediums like crystals and a variety of beads, including decoupage beads.
Playful Event - one of the non-food vendors at the market (c) travelincousins.com
(c) travelincousins.com
Our last and final stop was The Uptown Vegan. I had the pleasure of speaking with owner and pastry chef, Drea Smith briefly, and what an entrepreneur!! (Not to mention an amazing chef!!!)
(c) travelincousins.com
We decided to have one cupcake on-site and take four to go, as well as two cookies, to enjoy later. (a total of $21)
Gianna decided on the Sweet Potato Cupcake, while I went with the Chocolate.
WOW!!! These vegan dessert items are too good to describe, but I will attempt it.
Gianna decided on the Sweet Potato Cupcake, while I went with the Chocolate.
WOW!!! These vegan dessert items are too good to describe, but I will attempt it.
My chocolate cupcake from The Uptown Vegan (c) travelincousins.com
Moist through and through! (c) travelincousins.com
Super, super moist and light, I could have ingested four of them without blinking an eye. I controlled my self however. We took home an assortment including: Pineapple, Confetti, S'mores and Red Velvet.
(c) travelincousins.com
We stayed for close to two hours and decided to head home. You really need a few visits to try everything and with that said, I'm pretty sure we'll be heading back there again next month.
Parking for our duration totaled $5, so for a grand total of $59 ($54 for food), it was an amazing night out!!
Parking for our duration totaled $5, so for a grand total of $59 ($54 for food), it was an amazing night out!!
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