Eating the Big Apple: Looking for Food Heaven? Its At Smorgasburg

1. Looking for Food Heaven? Its At Smorgasburg
2. Dinner at Per Se
3. JW Marriott Essex House
4. Eating Our Way Through NYC
5. United Airlines: BusinessFirst Class JFK-SFO
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My wife was heading to New York City for a quick 2-day business trip, and I decided to tag along since I'm behind on my quest to re-qualify for Alaska Airlines MVP Gold and a transcon trip from SFO to JFK would certainly help. As an added bonus, we were able to get last minute reservations to Per Se which has been high on our eating bucket list for quite some time.

We were booked on a Saturday night redeye from SFO to JFK on Delta. It's been a really long time since I've flown Delta, but since Alaska Airlines partners with both American Airlines and Delta, it's probably something that I'll be doing more often.  As a benefit of that partnership, we were able to reserve Economy Comfort seats using my Alaska Airlines MVP Gold status, but complimentary upgrades aren't available on the SFO-JFK route.

It's worth mentioning that we were pleasantly surprised by the Delta flying experience - between the seat-back IFE, free sandwiches, and blankets for each seat, it was a welcome change from what we've been accustomed to.

Good night SFO, good morning NYC!

It had been a while since my last domestic redeye and had forgotten how brutal they can be. Major props to all the road warriors who do this week in and week out. We landed around 6am and after crashing for a few hours, were ready to head out and meet up with our good friends Rich and Meenakshi who we had actually met last year at the Conrad Maldives Rangali Island and have kept in touch with ever since.

They suggested that we check out Smorgasburg which is an outdoor food fair at the Brooklyn Bridge Park on Sundays (Saturdays in Williamsburg) with over 100 vendors. The Brooklyn Bridge Park is a gorgeous location with perfect views of the Manhattan skyline.

By the time we arrived in the early afternoon things were already in full swing. I was like a kid in a candy store and did a full lap around the park, scouting out everything that I wanted to eat. Even though it was crowded, there are so many vendors spread across so much space that aside from a couple spots (ramen burger and grilled cheese in particular), for the most part it was less than a 5 minute wait at each place.

A couple tips: Parking can be a bit hairy as the parking lot next door fills up, so be prepared to spend some time looking or take public transport/taxi. Also, it's cash only so come prepared as the ATM lines were very long.

In terms of the atmosphere, the best way I can describe it is food heaven. Almost anything you can dream up is probably there. Lobster rolls? Fried anchovies? Bacon on a stick!? It's also a nice respite from the hustle and bustle in Manhattan, with a vibe that felt really casual and relaxed.

For any food lovers out there I highly recommend a visit to Smorgasburg. Overall, it's just a fun way to spend a weekend afternoon with friends while enjoying some of the best food and drinks that NYC has to offer all in one place.

Here is the full list of vendors and a few of our favorites:

•  Porchetta - the first thing we ate! Juicy pork and crunchy pork skin inside a soft roll

• Brooklyn Piggies - Mini pigs in a blanket; delicious pork sausage inside a freshly baked buttery crust

•  Asia Dog - hot dogs with an Asian twist; spicy ketchup, kimchi, green onions, and seaweed flakes

• Landhaus - one of my favorites, maple bacon on a stick. Need I say more?

• Red Hook Lobster Pound - best lobster roll I've ever had (which may not be saying much, since the West Coast isn't known for lobster rolls). Buttery, toasted roll packed with fresh Maine lobster

• Parantha Alley - Big dough balls stuffed with meat and veggies, thrown on the griddle and basted in butter. Don't let the whole-wheat sign fool you, nothing healthy here!

• Bon Chovie - Not the typical anchovies you get on pizzas; huge anchovies covered in batter and deep fried

• Milk Truck Grilled Cheese - one of the longest lines, but well worth the wait for grilled cheese perfection

• Jack's Chedbred - if cornbread and a ball of cheese had a baby, you'd get chedbred - this one was a fan favorite among our group

•  Gooey&Co - time to move on to dessert! Gooey, creamy, and buttery cake bites

• Dough - grabbed a donut while waiting in line for People's Pops 

• Monsieur Singh Lassi - perfect way to cool off on a hot, sunny day in Brooklyn. Frozen mango lassi served push-pop style

•  People's Pops - hand-carved shaved ice with cool and unique syrup flavors

After spending a couple hours eating our way through Smorgasburg, the meat sweats were beginning to kick in and I needed to find a place to take a break and cool off. We walked around the block to River Deli which was a perfect place to sit down and chat and of course eat and drink just a little bit more.