hester street fair

Trips into the city are rare occurrences for me.  Between working from home and extracurricular obligations, I do not get in as often as I would like.  That said, when The Sister comes into town, I plan on a couple trips for some foodie fun.

We drove into Manhattan on a sweltering hot Saturday —this summer, what Saturday hasn't been?— and visited the Hester Street Fair.

I was expecting something on a street, but this Flea/Fair is situated in Seward Park, under a canopy of trees.  Ahh, shade!

The first two vendors you see when entering are La Newyorkina, Mexican ice pops purveyor, and Sigmund, pretzel purveyor.

Having The Little Man along definitely meant stopping. Given a choice of anything for dessert on any given day, he most always picks a popsicle (though I think gum might be a close second.)  La Newyorkina takes these icy treats to a totally different stratosphere.  Saturated with flavor and color,  they are beyond delicious.

He chose Watermelon.

The pretzel was equally tasty.  We got the Truffle Cheddar Pretzel, with honey mustard dip.  I also couldn't resist their trademarked Wankos cookie which was delicious, sturdy, and peanutty. (Watch out, the pretzel nuggets indeed are quite hard.  Don't chip a tooth!)

We tried Luke's Lobster Roll, which was delightfully devoid of mayonnaise, allowing the fresh flavor of the lobster to shine.  Luke's father owns Portland Shellfish seafood processing company in Maine, so there's a familial relationship that guarantees fabulous product.  A squirt of lemon to brighten the flavor and add a little zing might help, but really, their lobster roll is fabulous.  (I do still love Pearl Oyster Bar's, though Luke's is a better value.)

We bought a Japanese red bean pancake in the form of a fish. The treat was novel and delicious, but I would have preferred a lighter dough texture.

We stopped by La Sonrisa for a beef empanada to take home to The Daughter, who had three soccer matches that day.  She enjoyed the treat, but declared my crust better. (Good Daughter!)  The Son enjoyed the game they had at the table, which involved dropping a quarter into a shot glass in a big fish bowl of water.  If your quarter got into the glass, you'd receive a mystery prize.  Six quarters and twenty five minutes later... I had to tell him the fun was in the trying.

I was so full that I couldn't squeeze in an ice cream sandwich by melt bakery or the beautiful macarons from Macaron Parlour, but really, it was because I had to leave some room for Doughnut Plant, which is right around the corner from HSF. Too many choices, too little time, too little stomach room.  I cannot wait to go back.