The Markets: No Bailout Necessary

From moist brownies to fresh banana bread, these New York food markets need no bailout. We have the best of the outdoor and indoor markets in the big apple.

Outdoor
New York’s Greenmarket is a “food meets art” open-air market which showcases great foods, wine tastings and art displays in New York. This market fuses SoHo’s art district with New York’s unmatched food quality at various times and locations in the cities most stylish destinations, like Union Square, most notably. Popular chefs come to this market to buy food for their restaurants, while the locals come grab fare for the week, and pick up some photography, bracelets or paintings. With local wineries such as Chateau Renaissance Wine Cellars in Hammondsport, the wine tastings are unique with refreshing apple peach wines and pear champagnes. The fresh breads of banana and apple from Hawthorne Valley Farms exude smells of caramelized granny smiths and sautéed sweet banana. Fantasy Fruit Farm brings in delicate "small" fruits like tristar-variety strawberries and purple "royalty" raspberries that are impossible to pass up. Long before the shelves of Whole Foods offered grass-fed meats and wild fish, farmers from 3-Corner Field Farm, New York Beef Company, and Blue Moon Fish were bringing it here. And if the sights and smells aren’t enough, fragrant exotic flowers are also available. Greenmarket is unmatched in its neighborhood feel, promoting "regional agriculture and ensuring a continuing supply of fresh, local produce for New Yorkers." The Council on the Environment of NYC (CENYC), a non-profit organization, has organized and managed open-air farmers markets in NYC since 1976. This market is unique in that it pulls in New York’s young city chic, the Park Avenue elite, contemporary artists, and celebrity chefs, and if you’ve visited, you know why.

Indoor
While the Greenmarket is only available certain days and easier to enjoy in the better weather, Chelsea Market offers daily shopping in the safety of a warehouse. With many little specialty stores and bakeries, the Market is rounded out with equally impressive grocers. Buon Italia houses specialty Italian goods, including fresh mozzerella and sausages made in house on a daily basis. Looking for canned tomatoes straight from San Marzano or creamy gelato from Roma? Stop in and pick from a wide array of Italian vendors. You could shop for olive oil for a lifetime and not buy the same kind twice. The food display out front is loaded with pastas and proteins to feed any hearty appetite. Past Buon Italia is the famed Lobster Place featuring the freshest fish the city has to offer with a knowledgeable and helpful staff. In addition to the catch of the day they offer great lunch options of sushi or seafood bisques. The lobster bisque in an Amy's Bread bread bowl may just be the best cold-weather lunch one can find. With a shopping bag full of fresh pasta, bread and fish, Manhattan Fruit Exchange is a suitable last stop on the markets of the Market tour. This refrigerated box toward the back is where happy produce comes to find good homes on healthy plates. The lack of decor and cash-only policy keep prices at the lowest in the city for vegetables, fruits, potatoes, mushrooms, herbs, cheeses, and more. Of course the salad bar in the middle also makes the perfect choice for a healthy meal. We can't forget Chelsea Thai, which offers specialty goods for harder to find ingredients and Ronnybrook Dairy with the freshest of milk products, also amongst the shops of Chelsea Market. For all these reasons, it is easy to see why the Food Network is housed in a building as fully loaded as this one and why it is flooded with appreciative customers every day.

Whether it’s Union Square in the summer and Chelsea in the winter, both markets offer the best local and fresh food New York has to offer.

Written By Andrea Scalici and Brandon Johnson