In need of a fix for street eats outside of campus? We got you. In its 14th season, Smorgasburg is a food festival dedicated to local vendors. Starting in Williamsburg, the festival has grown on a local level to Prospect Park and The World Trade Center and nationally to Miami and Los Angeles. The festival is always packed regardless of the time, but it’s best to go when it first opens to find a shaded spot to picnic, a rare and necessary commodity in the blistering summer heat. The dog-to-person ratio is easily 1:3; it’s usually a family affair and people dress to impress. Because the food is fresh, local and limited, the prices tend to be a little steep — so it’s best to share, sample and make a smorgasbord!
Mao’s Bao’s Chicken, Pork and Beef Baos
A Smorgasburg staple, Mao’s Bao has served steamed bao for years. The stand offers pork, beef, chicken and impossible baos, all of which make the perfect snacks while browsing for entrees. Out of the four, the beef packed the most flavor. However, all three are safe for those with spice sensitivity or picky eaters looking to expand their palates.
Common Meadows Creamery’s Willamette Blackberry Gelato
Returning for its second year at Smorgasburg, Common Meadows is a Brooklyn-based gelateria known for its unique, refreshing flavors like quindio coffee, shizuoka matcha and nijisseki pear. I sampled the willamette blackberry, tristar strawberry and shizuoka matcha, but ended up committing to the blackberry. A sweet and piquant blend, it was a perfect palette cleanser after eating such rich and heavy foods. What I like about Common Meadows, similar to most traditional gelaterias, is that there were no frilly toppings like extravagant displays, chunky mix-ins or over-the-top garnishes. In other words, the gelato was simply gelato-ing.
Birria LES’s Chicken Birria Tacos
The only birria stand at Sunday’s Prospect Park location, Birria LES, brings comfort food to Smorgasburg. Its birria tacos are the star of the show, but esquites and tostadas are just as worthy of praise. The vendor even has special “flaming hot cheetos esquites” that make you sweat even more than you already are from the summer heat. If you can’t catch Birria LES at Smorgasburg, there’s a location in Williamsburg available for delivery on GrubHub.
Home Frite’s Truffle Fries
While a little conservative on the truffle for my taste, Home Frite’s truffle fries served with lemon garlic aioli is my newest form of therapy. If you’re not a fan of truffle, the stand also has “Dutch Fries” with curry ketchup, lemon garlic aioli and diced onions, as well as nacho chili fries with buttermilk ranch and cheese sauce.
Red Hook Lobster Pound’s Connecticut Lobster Roll
Of the two seafood stands at the festival, Red Hook specializes in lobster rolls as opposed to Oyster Party, which focuses on oysters. The vendor has the classic Connecticut and Maine-style lobster rolls, but also introduces two new rolls: The California-Maine lobster salad, lettuce, cucumber and avocado — and the BLT-lobster salad, chipotle mayo and applewood smoked bacon topped with paprika and scallions. I personally prefer Connecticut rolls over Maine style, and Red Hook’s warm and buttery bun did not disappoint. If you take a trip to the beach, you can find Red Hook at Beach 97th in Rockaway.
Parish Po’ Boys’ Whitefish Po’
For those unfamiliar, po’ boys are seafood sandwiches native to New Orleans, traditionally slathered with mayonnaise and served on French bread. While Parish’s po’ was too big to eat all at once, it let me relive the glory of the sandwich for a second time the next day. The whitefish was fried right in front of me and only took a few minutes to come out. I didn’t have the room in my stomach for it, but the Crawfish Mac & Cheese is also a must-try.
The Little Sicilian’s Riceballs
It’s not every day you find arancini outside of Italy, let alone arancini the size of your fist. The risotto balls are loosely held together by mozzarella and the ingredients of your choosing: prosciutto, pork sausage and broccoli rabe, sauteed spinach or chicken tender and buffalo sauce. If you’re still reeling from your sample at the festival, The Little Sicilian offers next-day shipping on its website and a reservable food truck for any occasion.
C Bao’s Pork Belly Bao
Though the price for one bao is a little steep at $8 a piece, the C Bao’s classic pork belly buns are filled to the brim and kept me full all day. Along with being regulars at Smorgasburg, C Bao also has a permanent tenant in the Queens Center Food Court and pop-ups at festivals like Dream Food Fest, Japan Fest and Revere Beach.
Hibiscus Brew’s Hibiscus Smoothie
Smorgasburg novice Allison Dunn created Hibiscus Brew to get in touch with her Jamaican roots, serving refreshing sorrel — a Jamaican name for hibiscus — based drinks. The hibiscus smoothie with agave and ginger was a necessary treat to combat the midday sun. The sorrel refresher and hibiscus lemonade were also standouts.
Contact Bella Simonte at [email protected].