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We have discovered the best day to visit Smorgasburg is when it is cloudy and rain seems imminent. There are fewer crowds and the whole experience involves less queuing and more space to wander around stalls and snack. Call me curmudgeonly but waiting over an hour for a basket of street food really doesn't seem like the most fun one can have on a weekend. On this trip we were even more rewarded by the Renegade Craft Fair pop up next door.
We kicked things off with a lovely Maine lobster roll from Red Hook Lobster Pound - cool sweet chunks of claw and tail meat in a light lemon mayonnaise, piled into a sweet roll that had been buttered and crisped on the outside.
Next up the folks at Bon Chovie were playing classic tunes (by guess who?) and served us anchovies deep-fried in Italian breadcrumbs with smoked paprika mayonnaise. The pickled red peppers paired brilliantly with the crisp, oily little fish.
Bloody Mary mix from McClure's pickles made using their brine was mouth-wateringly good the first time, then mouth puckering and briny the second. I think I drank two empty jars worth of pickle juice...
We marvelled at the hour-long queue for a ramen burger...
Keizo Shimamoto's ramen burger is advertised as the original and his methods for making the noodle 'buns' and his signature shoyu onion sauce are reported to be carefully guarded secrets. The only other ingredients are rocket leaves, American white cheese and spring onions.
We made a bad decision to try some truely awful, lukewarm, soggy battered cheese curds with truffled cheese whiz.
But made up for it with crispy fred shrimp...once we managed to get some salt from the lovely Bon Chovie people.
And finished lunch off with a couple of little cheesecakes.
90 Kent Avenue
Brooklyn, NY 11211