Broadway Bites by Urban Space

There’s a new food court in town and it’s sandwiched between Broadway and Sixth Avenue, and 32nd and 34th Streets. The market fits the oblong space perfectly. What's unique about Broadway Bites, and markets like it, is that the small scale allows first time vendors to try something before making a big financial commitment. They also get an opportunity to serve a demographic they might not usually find, a mix of both tourists and office workers.

I am neither of those things. With the magic of a neon pink wristband I was lucky enough to get to visit every single shop, and repeat these magic words: "Hi, I’m here for the press event. What can I taste?" I learned quickly that I should ask for small portions.

Takoyaki balls from Mimi & Coco.

I started with takoyaki, small wheat balls––with a pancake consistency––that are filled with octopus and coated with a sweet brown sauce and bonito flakes that wave in the wind. They're warm and filling, a mix of a savory doughnut meets something fishy.

I sampled a friends gumbo, which was good. I told the nice Southern boy that it could have used a bit more heat, but I am an especially heat forward person.

Short ribs and beer from The Mason Jar.

Two Tablespoons has a great selection of vegan bowls. I tried their chickpea and spinach stew, which was good, but needed more salt and perhaps a bit more oomph in its flavor profile.

Briefly I went out of order and tried a stuffed artisan cannoli (what, you've never heard of artisanal cannoli?). It was filled with a pumpkin cheesecake filling and it wasn't too sweet, which is always my barometer between a good and bad dessert.

Heavenly chocolate babka from Breads Bakery.

Tiny doughnuts coated in sugar and spice. Oh yeah.

At the arepa stand I wanted to try everything (they have several gluten free options), but made do with half an order of a traditional corn arepa with portabello mushrooms, it tasted very fresh and I think this is reasonably healthy choice. I could imagine eating a whole one with a salad for a perfect quick lunch.

At The Mason Jar I was promptly given a beer and barbecue beef short ribs that were very hard to resist. Especially the Brooklyn Lager.

Best bite of the day: Spicy pork bulgogi from Seoul Lee Korean BBQ.

My favorite bite of the evening was a spicy pork bulgogi taco from Seoul Lee Korean BBQ. Greasy, and spicy, with so much flavor and texture. It was a super satisfying bite.

I grabbed a pretzel from Sigmund's, which lord knows I didn't need. And then I made room for dessert: I had three tiny doughnuts from Doughnuttery, where you can see the doughnuts coming off a little metal and oil assembly line. The doughnuts go into a bag, then you select your topping, and they're thrown in a paper bag and shaken up. I chose a sugar and cardamom blend. I ate them so fast that I only have a photo of the bag. Then I picked up 2 macaron's and high-tailed it out of there. I rode my bike home, but there weren't enough miles ahead to undo my caloric damage.

The wood-fired oven at Roberta's Pizza reminded me of cooking pizza's outdoors in Sonoma.