"If it's Sunday I have to be at Union Market" says a little voice inside me, not because it is the only day it's open (Union Market is open 7 days a week) but because it is the most convenient day for me to make a trip there, and enjoy it without the crowds (valid for later part of the afternoon.)
Thanks to Washington Metro doing no work on the tracks during Cherry Blossom Festival, I had a chance to explore the market via metro, and found that it is a convenient and short walk from the NoMa/Galludet University stop (only one stop from Union Station) on the Red Line. You walk one block to Florida Avenue, turn right, then 2 blocks on Florida Avenue, and turn left on 5th to where the market is located - this would make only one block in New York or Chicago!
Thanks to Washington Metro doing no work on the tracks during Cherry Blossom Festival, I had a chance to explore the market via metro, and found that it is a convenient and short walk from the NoMa/Galludet University stop (only one stop from Union Station) on the Red Line. You walk one block to Florida Avenue, turn right, then 2 blocks on Florida Avenue, and turn left on 5th to where the market is located - this would make only one block in New York or Chicago!
This time I am meeting friends who are visiting the market for the first time, so I will see if I'm overexcited about this place or if it's really exciting (see details of my first and second visits to Union Market at "Eat, Drink, and Don't Tell Anyone"). Not surprisingly, at the end of the day, they are as happy as I am with the Union Market, and they are planning to come back soon.
On this rather chilly-for-spring Sunday, it looks like we are not the only people excited about this place. At 1pm, the place is the busiest I've ever seen with no seats anywhere and 10-15 people lines at almost every food vendor. Yes, I say to myself, DC is hungry for good food!
While I wait for my friend, I wander around, and found my new favorite: Border Springs Farm which seems to specialize in lamb: Lamb sausage is not unheard of, but lamb chorizo anyone? Lamb salami? Lamb ham? Yes, LAMB HAM!!! Unfortunately the piece I was lucky to taste was made for an earlier event, and it was not available for sale until probably later this spring. My mind was already creating recipes of Eggs Benedict, Lamb Ham hash though... Then there was the Lamb Prosciutto which made me think of so many things before I had to gather my thoughts and walk away to meet my friend (prosciutto and blanched asparagus tossed with al dente linguini anyone? maybe drizzled with olive oil, pecorino romano, and lots of pepper? Or how about carbonara with lamb ham?)
Any friend I take to Union Market wants to try the Salmon BLT from Neopol Smokery after reading my first review of the market. So we always start there, and then work our way around... This time, I was there early enough for the smoked green mussels, which are very good, slightly sweet, almost like baked oysters but with a deep smoke flavor, which reminded me of Nelson, New Zealand... If you like seafood and smoke flavor, you gotta grab these green gems when you see them, they fly pretty fast from the shelf! I think there will be lots of smoked mussels paired with a good sauvignon blanc or the pouilly fume from Righteous Cheese in my future... If you have couple of friends and come prepared, probably a bottle from Cordial Wines would make a nice picnic at the market, too... Cordial Wines do tastings most weekend afternoons, and what I've seen so far has been mostly Italian, and lighter wines, perfect for spring!
Then we headed to Righteous Cheese where the cheese is very good, but the offerings are too strict and limited to my liking. You have to pick the beverage pairing offered with the cheese selection, which doesn't make sense a whole lot of sense to me. What if I want wine instead of beer with my cheese? Or what if I want an adult beverage with my cheese selection instead of the homemade sodas? The answer is pretty much "you can't" and I don't like that kind of approach at an artisanal market. Once you grab one of the very coveted seats at the bar, you can't even grab a larger portion of the cheese you want, you have to go with the pairings, and "no sharing, they are per person" - I am sorry but there are many other vendors willing to accommodate the way I want to eat at this market, so for now, if I decide to go back to Righteous Cheese, it may be only packaged cheese to take home. And they are kind of limited on the non-sparkling red wine offerings, which comes as a surprise. Yes, it is spring, but most of the world drinks lighter red wines this time of the year, especially with beautiful spring cheeses. This goes in the pile of "give it some time before you go back" in my mind...
Based on that experience, when my second friend arrived, we pretty much ran to Red Apron, where they are always willing to accommodate with a smile. I am not a picky eater, but I have a pretty developed palate, so when I know something can make the experience better I am not shy about asking for it, and if it is not possible, that is ok, too, as long as it comes with a smile (and preferably a reasonable explanation.) Last time I ate a wonderful sausage sandwich here and asked for more hot mustard, the chef was happy to take my sandwich back to the kitchen and give me a whole big schmear of it, and didn't forget to ask how I liked it. Red Apron also lets you taste great beer in proper beer glasses, and gives you time to enjoy your beverage, food, and conversation. So after we bought the Smoked Salmon BLT (another friend who read about my first visit,) we grabbed our seats at Red Apron, tried couple of beers and made our selections happily.
It wasn't too late before I was ready to run back to Border Springs for a chorizo sandwich (topped with mango chutney and goat cheese) and even as I was eating my first sandwich, I was thinking about possibly getting another one (yes, it was that good!) Fortunately, sometimes, I can tame myself... (for those of you that are keeping track, all I ate that day was half a salmon BLT, 2 mussels, and 4 crackers with tastes of 3 pieces of cheese in the first 3 hours! Did I say Union Market is a great place to graze all day?)
Good thing spring is around the corner, so we will enjoy more lamb goodies from Border Springs Farm. They also have lots to take home, including couple types of sausages, and a great menu that would make your tummy happy any time of the day (I have to come back for the Lamb Hash, and the Smoked Leg of Lamb Sandwich, and... and...)
A day spent at Union Market always makes you happy, yet craving for more, so I will be back, hopefully for more discoveries... In the meantime, cheers to the vendors and producers who make our lives better one bite at a time!
On this rather chilly-for-spring Sunday, it looks like we are not the only people excited about this place. At 1pm, the place is the busiest I've ever seen with no seats anywhere and 10-15 people lines at almost every food vendor. Yes, I say to myself, DC is hungry for good food!
While I wait for my friend, I wander around, and found my new favorite: Border Springs Farm which seems to specialize in lamb: Lamb sausage is not unheard of, but lamb chorizo anyone? Lamb salami? Lamb ham? Yes, LAMB HAM!!! Unfortunately the piece I was lucky to taste was made for an earlier event, and it was not available for sale until probably later this spring. My mind was already creating recipes of Eggs Benedict, Lamb Ham hash though... Then there was the Lamb Prosciutto which made me think of so many things before I had to gather my thoughts and walk away to meet my friend (prosciutto and blanched asparagus tossed with al dente linguini anyone? maybe drizzled with olive oil, pecorino romano, and lots of pepper? Or how about carbonara with lamb ham?)
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| Tasting Plate at Border Springs Farm at Union Market |
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| Smoked salmon BLT and smoked green mussels from Neopol Smokery, with view of the Border Springs Farm |
Based on that experience, when my second friend arrived, we pretty much ran to Red Apron, where they are always willing to accommodate with a smile. I am not a picky eater, but I have a pretty developed palate, so when I know something can make the experience better I am not shy about asking for it, and if it is not possible, that is ok, too, as long as it comes with a smile (and preferably a reasonable explanation.) Last time I ate a wonderful sausage sandwich here and asked for more hot mustard, the chef was happy to take my sandwich back to the kitchen and give me a whole big schmear of it, and didn't forget to ask how I liked it. Red Apron also lets you taste great beer in proper beer glasses, and gives you time to enjoy your beverage, food, and conversation. So after we bought the Smoked Salmon BLT (another friend who read about my first visit,) we grabbed our seats at Red Apron, tried couple of beers and made our selections happily.
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| Smoked Salmon BLT from Neopol Smokery, and good beer from Red Apron |
Good thing spring is around the corner, so we will enjoy more lamb goodies from Border Springs Farm. They also have lots to take home, including couple types of sausages, and a great menu that would make your tummy happy any time of the day (I have to come back for the Lamb Hash, and the Smoked Leg of Lamb Sandwich, and... and...)
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| Border Springs Farm Enticing Menu |
A day spent at Union Market always makes you happy, yet craving for more, so I will be back, hopefully for more discoveries... In the meantime, cheers to the vendors and producers who make our lives better one bite at a time!
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| Map of Union Market Vendors - click to enlarge |
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