NYC: Magnolia Bakery & Chelsea Market, Greenwich Village

On one very wet and windy morning in Manhattan, Mother and I set off downtown. Stop one was Perry Street.

Blurred out on Google maps due to it’s popularity, with strict rules against standing on the steps, the home of Carrie Bradshaw.

Right around the corner was The Magnolia Bakery, which was actually on my list of places to visit on my last trip that I didn’t have time to get to.

If it’s good enough for Carrie, it’s good enough for me.

Spring colours and flowers despite the miserable NY weather.

I was told the ‘must have’ at Magnolia Bakery is the banana pudding. My source seemed correct as all the people in the queue in front of us seemed to be ordering banana pudding pots. They have three sizes, so we went for the smallest.

Again, silly me expected banana pudding in the British sense of the word ‘pudding’. Yet another pot of banana, custard, cake smush not dissimilar from the pot at Mimi Cheng’s. Having also eaten it at Mimi Cheng’s, I don’t think there was anything that amazing or different about the one from The Magnolia Bakery.

After popping into a few very overpriced, yet picturesque, stores we went for a march along The Highline to burn off some of that banana pudding.

There are exits dotted along The Highline every few blocks. Not many pictures unfortunately as the weather wasn’t great so neither were the views. We made our way off down the steps at 23rd St for Chelsea Market.

I expected a little more from Chelsea Market but hey, I guess expectations lead to disappointments. We ventured into most of the stores and market spaces of the indoor market, being most wowed by Lobster Place.

I will eat you all.

And you, and all your family.

You look like you’d make great Good Friday fried fish.

I didn’t get pictures of everything as it was bustling in there, but there was pretty much every fresh fish and type of seafood you could think of. Dozens of fishmongers stood behind the rows of ice counters deboning, scaling and filleting fish.

In the centre of the unit was an island of sushi and shellfish with a bar and stools all around for eating. Again, freshly prepared and served for you once ordered.

The kings of the shellfish world were hiding at the back. Water running straight out of the ceiling pipe down to crates, labelled by the weight, of fresh lobster.

Behind the tanks were huge pots for blanching. We spotted someone walking away with their freshly cooked whole lobster; Mum was very jealous.

I picked up one item from one of the vendors in the Artists & Fleas section of the market which was a gold plated ring for $30 by Marina Pecoraro.

Head on over to Chelsea Market for Lobster Place (and a browse in Anthropologie). It’s not very big, so you could get thorough it all in an hour or so.

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Harleigh Reid

I write about food and eat a lot.

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