Far from the mega Italo-paradiso Eataly, which has become a tourist attraction in ten years, and from the Chelsea Market, where pedestrian traffic threatens to suffocate the curious despite the nuggets, follow us for gourmet walks less popular, but just as delectable.
[En raison de la situation actuelle liée à l’épidémie de coronavirus, les dates d’ouverture des monuments et établissements cités dans l’article sont susceptibles d’être modifiées pour l’année 2020.]
Grand Central Terminal : Dining Concourse – Northern Food Hall
Peckish ? What a good excuse to discover (or rediscover) this magnificent station of New York which dates from 1913. Here, countless culinary possibilities are offered to travelers and visitors. The Northern Food Hall, founded by restaurateur Claus Meyer and dedicated to Scandinavia, is perfect for a quick breakfast thanks to the abundance of amber breads and Danish toast.
For lunch, why not sit down at one of the Americana (1950s) counters in L’Oyster Bar for six small Kumamoto oysters grown on the West Coast, fresh and fine before descending the ramp that lands in the Dining Concourse ? AT The Chula Chef Julian Medina prepares some of the best tacos in town, the vegetable tacos, light but sparkling with flavor. Nearby, La Latineria makes sancocho, Colombian beef soup a known hangover remedy. Thick and intense, the hot chocolate of Jacques Torres satisfies the craving for sweet unless you can’t resist the siren call of Magnolia Bakery, the cupcake mogul.
For coffee, go back up to the large hall and climb the few steps that lead to Cipriani Dolci. Harry’s Bar and its gondolas are far away, but the view of the huge anthill is incomparable and the cafe, Italian.
Dining Concourse – Grand Central Terminal, 89 East 42nd Street, New York NY 10017. Open daily, but check the site as some restaurants (like the Oyster Bar) are closed on Sundays. €€.
Turnstyle Underground Market
–Oh, the New York subway! Its graffiti, its unbearable screeching, its rats (yes) and yet: let the drafts guide you along an underground corridor, under Columbus Circle, where there is an unlikely market. It is here that executives in a hurry and strollers mingle around twenty gourmet stalls, shops and kiosks.
Bolivian cuisine? Try, towels to support, the salteñas from Bolivian Llama Party, plump turnovers, golden to perfection, enclosing stew of beef, chicken, pork or vegetables. A little further at Champion Pizza, it is the artichoke / spinach slice that wins the trophy. To the rhythm of the subway which vibrates just below, we queue in front Pelmeni for tender Russian ravioli, filling of your choice, served steamed or in a light broth. Impossible to be sure that the head of Pasta by Hudson dances every day in his makeshift kitchen, but his pasta machine gives birth every day, the basil abounds and his white bolognese delights the taste buds.
Turnstyle Underground Market, 1000 S 8th Ave, New York, NY 10019. Open daily. Tlj. Easy entry tip: Arrive between 57th and 58th streets under 8th Ave (there are seven entrances all around Columbus Circle). €.
Little Spain
–It floats around this ground floor of one of the skyscrapers of Hudson Yards a cloud of peppers that whets the appetite. Created just a year ago by the chef Jose Andres (responsible for around thirty restaurants) with Adrià brothers, this food court wants to be the culinary embassy of Spain. From the patatas bravas stand we move on to the churros stand before salivating in front of the gigantic thigh of an Iberian pig fed on acorns.
Au stand Firewood (wood), huge paellas (with various or vegetarian meats) crackle merrily above the flames. On the other side, we stand in line for croquettas initially crispy which, revealing a stuffing of chicken or cod, becomes creamy and languid. Oceanic specialties can be found at Mar where the octopus prepares Galician there and where the fish soup turns out as black as a Galician night. For a less nomadic experience, simply go and sit at the Spanish Diner, a sort of Spanish bistro with many of the great hits of Iberian cuisine. This market could have been satisfied with being a commercial showcase but that was without counting the taste and the sense of detail of José Andrés, passionate about the culinary heritage of his native country. A delight.
Mercado Little Spain, 10 Hudson Yards, New York, NY 10001 (main entrance 30th Street between 10th and 11th Avenue). Phone. : +646 495 12 42. Open every day. €€.
Essex Market
–The Lower East Side, a former crossroads of cultures and immigrants, has changed a lot since the nineteenth century. The market of yesteryear with its street vendors, we speak of 1888, is no longer. Today we are in the field of hipsters, the local sores, and the market has turned into a shiny complex, a sort of modern Tower of Babel on three levels where you wander through a world made of artisan bratwurst, Atlas tagines and rolls of Vietnamese summer.
You can shop at a tattooed butcher and the display of exotic fruits and vegetables exudes vanilla and cinnamon, but it is mainly for food that we come here. So how do you choose? You need a gourmet strategy: on the first level, one of the best Chinese restaurants in town, the Nom Wah Tea Parlor runs a stall where the steamed bites, light as little silk cushions, hide shrimp or soy beans. As for the method of sucking up the sticky and delicious ramen from Kuro-Obi by Ippudo, they are stretched towards the mouth with the two chopsticks in the right hand, while the left hand supports the spoon which captures the essence of a soup that has simmered for three days. On the ground floor, Scandinavia is in the spotlight at Nordic Preserves Fish and Wildlife Company but we must plead with Annika to occupy one of the stools facing the stuffed caribou. Succulent selection of herring, a salmon in pastrami, and cucumbers in brine.
Essex Market, 88 Essex St. New York, NY 10002. Open daily €.
À Brooklyn : Time Out Market
–It is necessary, at least once in your life, to cross the Brooklyn Bridge on foot for a soft landing across the East River in the neighborhood known as Dumbo (Down Under the Brooklyn bridge). The Time Out Market opened by the Time Out Group de Londres has throne there since last year and it occupies two levels of a renovated former warehouse. First, we go to the roof terrace to admire the sublime opening onto the two immense suspension bridges and the glass and concrete spindles of Lower Manhattan.
Walking opens up hunger! In Pat La Frieda, chic butcher, the cheeseburger is well worth the trip: it is double, square and perfectly cooked. Between the two chopped steaks, a finely sweet caramelized onion marmalade is nestled, which rebalances the salty taste of the melted cheese. It’s the street corn, the “street corn” from Ivy Stark which best complements the burger with its almost crispy texture and spicy tips.
It reigns in this elegant warehouse where the aged wood succeeds the red bricks with a childlike and warm atmosphere. Is it thanks to the common tables around which one squeezes and chats in all languages or thanks to the gargantuan portions of fried chicken served at Jacob Pickles ? Still keep a crumb of appetite for the bourekas of Breads Bakery, those airy puffs that hide tears of feta, spinach or potatoes. For dessert, some flock to Cookie Dö for its raw cookie dough [aux États-Unis on est friand de pâte à gâteau non-cuite, NDLR] flavored with Smarties or peanuts, others prefer Ice and Vice and its creative ice creams: coffee / champagne or bergamot / chocolate?
Time Out Market New York, 55 Water St, Brooklyn, NY 11201. Tel. : +1 917-810-4855. Open every day. €.
What is our rating system?
€: less than 50 euros per person, excluding drinks.
€€: from 50 to 100 euros per person, excluding drinks.
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