Take Seattle’s Pike Place Market, add in a taste of Portland’s Pearl District, and a little New York flavor and you end up with Chelsea Market. We ventured down to Chelsea in search of some fresh milk goodies, and stepped into the Chelsea Market. Which, just so happens to be across from the Google offices, although you really can’t tell from the outside of the building. The complex was built in 1890, and was the house of several bakeries all the way into the late 1950’s. After the bakeries headed out of Chelsea, there were listings of a few other industrial operations before the area became a graveyard of old factories throughout the 19070’s and 80’s. By the time the 1990’s rolled around, technology firms started to re-rent out the upper space in the market and eventually the market was renovated to house different stores.

Today, the market houses retailers like Amy’s Bread, Anthropologie, Chelsea Wine Vault, and a variety of local bakeries, dairies, and restaurants.

The really cool thing about Chelsea Market is that is still very much has the old industrial feed. The renovations tried to presserve and keep that general feel in the building. Chelsea really does remind me a lot of Portland’s Pearl District, because of the industrial vibes and cobblestone streets.

We adventured through the market stores and through the flea market that is also there. We made the mistake of getting bagels before heading to the market, not knowing what to expect. There ended up being so many delicious fresh food options there though that I wish we would have skipped the bagels! Next time!

They also had a really cool store there called the Chelsea Market Baskets that had an idea I thought was brilliant. Basically, they offer all local New York products and you can go through and pick what you would like and then they make gift baskets out of everything. Such a smart idea! They had every gift opportunity covered too, which was really cool. 

Finally, we headed to the one place I wanted to visit, Ronnybrook Dairy. The actual dairy is located upstate New York, but they ship in fresh products. We decided we weredefinitely in the market for some delicious milkshakes, and that is just what we got. I decided to be a little different and try their blueberry milkshake. Yummy! One of the other cool things about the market is that is really feels like a classic market. Most of the stores make their products on-site, and they are very big about all natural products. From their farms to your lunch plates. 

Chelsea Market, I will see you again soon!

There are few foods in this world that I love more than a nice juicy burger. And I’ve only met one person who loves and appreciates burgers as much as I do. That person being Chris. Case and point, my idea of a the perfect Valentine’s Day date? Burgers.. let’s make that two years in a row! Ha.

The great thing about New York? There are tons of burger places! What can be that different about burgers restaurant to restaurant? Well, I am here to tell you just that!

Let me introduce you to BareBurger. So funny story actually about how we found out about it. A burger joint Chris used to order from pretty regularly actually referred us there, just don’t tell her boss ;-)

It doesn’t take much for me to agree to check out a new burger place, so I didn’t know too much about the restaurant before we headed there. It ended up being a really cool place with kind of an industrial “Portland” kind of feel. Once there, we soon realized that  the “bare” in their name actually related to their mission of providing all fresh, all natural and organic foods. 

I’m not really big on buying green and organic products, so this wasn’t a huge draw for me to the restaurant, but it was a cool factor. All of their meats come from all grass-fed and free-range animals too, so that is nice to know that the animals had humane treatment.

I saw homemade root beer on the menu and couldn’t say no… and Chris quickly followed with that order decision as well. For lunch, I ordered their Maple Bacon CheeseBarBurger with their Bison burger. Normally, we don’t have the option to choose the type of meat, so this was a cool factor. Plus, I was feeling a little adventurous to try a bison burger for the first time. Other unique burger options they have are lamb, wild boar, elk, bison, or even ostrich. 

I’m not entirely sure if it was the bison, the organic ingredients, or more likely, a combination of them both but the burger was fantastic! We also ordered a side of their onion ring and fry baskets and I must say they were some of the best onion rings I’ve ever had. My only pet peeve about burger places in New York is that burgers do not normally come with fries or any sides. You usually have to order them separately, which racks your bill up a little. 

Regardless, BareBurger was definitely a success and I will definitely be back there for more! Maybe I’ll try some elk or the wild boar next time!

Oh hey there Flat Iron Building!