Chelsea Market

I love Chelsea Market, a long hallway of gourmet food shops, restaurants, and shops, at the ground level of the former National Biscuit Company (Nabisco) complex. Yes, this is where the Oreo was invented in 1913 and where Rachael Ray and other Food Network stars tape their shows at the studios in the building!  It's the best place to spend a few hours when it's super hot and muggy, and alternatively, frigid and windy.

You can pick up all the ingredients for a great meal at home, or stop for a fun lunch at The Green Table or a quick sandwich.  I always shop at The Lobster Place for fish (posts here and here), and Buon Italia for an authentic Italian grocery (post here).  There are classic New York shops like Fat Witch, Jacques Torres Chocolate, Lucy's Whey cheeses and Sarabeth's.

At both the Ninth Avenue and Tenth Avenue entrances, you can stop and see historic Nabisco boxes like Uneeda Biscuits (which your grandparents may remember), and snacks that we recognize today: Vanilla Wafers, Saltines, Fig Newtons, and of course, the Oreo.

The Green Table

Chelsea Market Baskets

Posman Books

Bowery Kitchen Supplies

Eleni's Cupcakes

Chelsea Wine Vault

Lobster Place

Lobster Place

I can't believe I only just found Lobster Place in Chelsea Market and on Bleecker Street.  Sorry Citarella, but this is where I'll be getting seafood now.  They have every type of seafood I could ever want to buy and don't mind me asking about sustainability and where the fish was caught.

Beautiful!

Lobster & Wine at Chelsea Market

How adorable is this picture? I smiled when I saw them in person and smiled remembering them when I uploaded this photo. What a great lunch for four Italians visiting New York--fresh lobster from The Lobster Place at Chelsea Market & a bottle of wine!

 

Buon Italia, Chelsea Market

Out of all the fabulous stores and shops in Chelsea Market, I love browsing at Buon Italia for imported Italian food.  It's the best source for real Italian goods in the city (though Eataly is now a favorite too), with pasta, beans, tea, spices, cheese, fish, etc. etc.

The olive oil table itself has at least 50 different Italian olive oils to look at.  Usually, I'm scratching my head and wondering if the $50 small bottle would taste 10x better than my normal olive oil (the answer: not really).