Stone Barns Harvest Fest

Nico's been begging to go apple and pumpkin picking now that it's starting to feel like Fall here in New York. Last year, we took a day trip to an orchard about an hour or two from Brooklyn. Sadly, I don't even remember the name due to some major sleep deprivation back then, but what I do remember is that as fun as it was to pick apples with Nico and take funny pictures of Leo perched in trees, most of the food we ate that day, aside from the apples, was disappointing. There were cinnamon sugar donuts that were stale and didn't seem homemade and don't even get me started on the lame snack bar at the pumpkin patch we went to after.

So, imagine my excitement when I heard about the Stone Barns Harvest Fest on Hither and Thither yesterday. Daniel, my Mom and I celebrated my 30th birthday at Blue Hill at Stone Barns back when I was pregnant with Nico. A farm-to-table restaurant, their food is right up my alley. On another visit, Daniel and I had some wine and appetizers before a friend's wedding reception.

I happened to get electrocuted that evening as well. True story, I swear. I was so enamored by the farm's adorably plump pigs that I didn't even notice the warning signs about their electric fences. The last time I went, Nico was about 18 months old and in the middle of a major acorn obsession. He could have cared less about the animals, or the farm-fresh lunchtime fare.

It was all about the acorns on that trip, but at least I was able to snap one of my favorite pictures ever of him that day.

Now that he's a bit older, I know he'll be into the hay rides, live music, farm activities (egg collecting! pig feeding!) and Leo, our mini foodie in the making, will be all about the unbelievable food at the Farmers Market, a lot of which is from places in Brooklyn, but nothing is better than getting out of the city and onto a farm. The Harvest Fest is Saturday, October 1 from 10am-3pm and you can buy tickets here. Stone Barns is truly stunning, especially during this time of year.

Madison Square Eats

I had an appointment in the city yesterday, so after walking through Madison Square Park, mesmerized by a giant 44-foot sculpture of a girl's head, I decided to finally check out Madison Square Eats, the pop-up food court that opened earlier this month. There were so many places I wanted to try, but since most had long lines and I didn't have much time, I went with a vegetarian Lebanese wrap and green lemonade, made with cucumber, lime and lemon juice from Ilili.

Madison Square Eats is open every day from 11am-9pm and ends on Friday, June 3. That leaves me just one week to go back and try Roberta's, the Bushwick pizzeria that everyone raves about, Sigmund pretzelshop, Asiadog, ice cream from Goat Town, plus a wine and chocolate tasting from Nunu Chocolates, a place I already love.  Daniel's birthday is next week and an early dinner at Madison Square Eats could be a fun way to celebrate. I bet it's even nicer at night all lit up with the Flatiron Building looming in the distance.

Have a wonderful Memorial Day weekend! We're thinking about heading to Rockaway Beach at some point. I want to finally try Rockaway Taco and some of the other cool concession stands that are opening there tomorrow.

Smorgasburg: A Brooklyn Food Flea Market

Daniel and I tried to snag a table at Marlow & Sons a few months ago when we were in Williamsburg for our Mast Brothers Chocolate tour, but didn't have any luck. We ended up at Fatty 'Cue instead, but for months, I've been meaning to try again, and I want to pick up some stuff at Marlow & Daughters as well.

Now I have another reason to go back. Smorgasburg, a food flea market opens this weekend! The New York Times recently shared a list of all the vendors  and I continue to be both amazed and overwhelmed by how much incredible food is made in Brooklyn. But the fact that so much of it can now be found in one place is very exciting. I'm not sure I'll make it there this weekend, but it looks like I'll be spending more time in Williamsburg very soon.

Smorgasburg
Saturdays from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
27 North Street, between Kent Avenue and the East River (near East River State Park)
Williamsburg, Brooklyn