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Andaz Wall Street Gets Eco With A Farmers Market

Go To The Hotel's Web Site Where: 75 Wall Street [map], New York, NY, United States, 10005
June 6, 2011 at 5:18 PM | by | Comments (0)

There are two places we never expected to see an artsy fartsy, eco-er than thou farmers market: 1) In the heart of the concrete jungle and 2) in a hotel back yard. But seeing as Andaz always likes to do things a little differently (and usually in a way we like), when we were in New York last week, we timed our trip Downtown to coincide with the market at Andaz Wall Street.

The market is the brainchild of the lush Maximo Lopez May, chef at Wall & Water (the hotel’s restaurant), and Joel Patraker, food sourcer for the hotel who just so handily happens to have a background in farmers markets. It takes place every Wednesday and Saturday and, according to the hotel blurb, promises

Items from local Hudson Valley farms and markets including fruits and vegetables from Migliorelli Farm, poultry and game from Quattro’s, jams and chutneys from Beth’s Farm Kitchen, cheese and other dairy products from Farm Catskills, artisanal soaps from Ash Hopper and artisan breads from Orwasher Bakery.

When we initially turned up on Wednesday, we were a little disappointed to see the market consisting of just one produce stall. But then we talked to them and we learned that not only had the other stallholders had gone home early because of a tornado warning (relief!), but that this stall - Migliorelli farmers from New York State – is a fifth generation Italian immigrant-owned farm, which still grows its broccoli from a plant they brought with them on the boat over - and we were intrigued. Then we bought some of their sugar snap peas, some apples we’d never heard of, and a bag of apple and cinnamon donuts, put it all in our mouths, fell instantly in love, and resolved to come back Saturday.

This time, there was a much better showing. As well as the yummy veggies of the Migliorelli clan, there was Quattro farms, selling eggs (chicken, turkey and pheasant), smoked meats and chutney, Orwasher’s bread (one of the oldest bakeries in Manhattan), a stall selling sandwiches from Wall & Water (may we recommend the wild mushrooms with camembert and arugula on wholewheat bread, which instantly made it into our list of all-time top sandwiches) and jams, chutneys and mustards from Schoolhouse Kitchen. They, by the way, are the least local firm – they’re based in Brooklyn but their factory is currently based in Pennsylvania – but their jam is some of the most intriguing we’ve ever had, with combos like peach and rosemary, rhubarb, raspberry and thyme, and our joint favorites, cherry, blackberry, sage and clove, and strawberry and black peppercorn.

Oh, and there was a a folk trio fiddling away, too.

Apparently the market is bigger on Wednesdays (milk and cheese, as well as artisanal soaps, with fish coming soon) and it’ll continue to grow throughout the summer. In in the meantime, though, what was there was so good that if we had give a verdict, we’d say it’s time to break out the old size doesn’t matter adage – it may be a tiny market, but there’s nothing on sale that we wouldn’t want to buy.

Shame we couldn’t buy any of it because of Continental’s overpriced baggage policy, but that’s another story.

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