Brooklyn Flea Market

New York is known for its markets, so my expectations for the Brooklyn Flea Market were extremely high. Riding the 4,5,6 south, I imagined all of the interesting jewelry, vintage coats, rustic furniture, and used books I was going to find. My friends Kristi, Lindsay, Kate, Claire and I wound our way through the streets of Brooklyn until we came upon the Brooklyn Masonic Temple and the Fort Greene Brooklyn Flea market. It was beyond expectation...

The crowd was a mixture of old plaid shirts, black rocker boots, whimsical tweed fedoras, boxy tortoise shell glasses, and on and on and on... artsy, should I say? The booths were full of treasures from vintage Dooney and Burke purses to handmade gold rings to watercolor-developed photographs. We spent hours flipping through old records, trying on vintage designer dresses, and soaking up the culture of Brooklyn.

I, of course, had my eyes on the food tents. In Mississippi, the traditional "flea market" food is fair food - overcooked corn dogs, greasy hamburgers, sugary cotton candy... need I say more? Every now and then, one might find a fruit stand or baked goods stand, but that's rare... very rare. At the Brooklyn flea, however, these types of booths were nowhere to be found. In fact, I doubt they would even sell a dollar's worth of food even if they were at the flea. The booths in Brooklyn are gourmet... fresh... unique. The Milk Truck is a food truck that makes specialty grilled cheeses and milkshakes; Choncho's Tacos stirs up flavors of Mexico in their fish tacos; and Whimsy and Spice brings hearty cookies and savory pastries.


All of the booths incorporate organic, local ingredients into their menus and focus on exposing the market-goers to fabulous, high-quality food. After surveying all of the food stands, Kristi and I decided on hot dogs. Now this may seem like a crazy choice, but wait just one second... these were not just any hot dogs, these were "Asia Dogs".


The Asia Dog serves gourmet, exotic hotdogs with all sorts of yummy toppings. I ordered a vegetarian hotdog with mango, red onion, peanut, cilantro, and fish sauce slaw. It was amazing. The warm, toasty bun, the crisp, pungent bite of slaw, and the smoky, juicy "dog" all came together in an intricately-textured, bursting-with-flavor bite. I loved it!

The flea market is an iconic Brooklyn spot, but it's also one of New York's best kept secrets. Some New Yorkers have lived their whole life without venturing East of Manhattan... not me, though. I take the road less traveled...to the flea market.