Good Eats at 6th Borough Market

This past Sunday, 6th Borough Market moved to their new home at the lot across from City Hall and the market at the new space proved to be bigger and better than ever.  

Beyond the usual wonderful crafters and vendors, there were several new (or at least new to me) food and drink suppliers with both exciting new products to take home and to enjoy there. While I was tthere, I picked up two bottles of all natural hot sauce produced by a company in Bayonne called Outer Limits. One is a Jalapeno Lime and the other is their Habanero hot sauce. I was able to taste them there and both packed quite a bit of heat, the Habanero especially, but beyond the spice, they also had a strong peppery tang that I immediately imagined adding a nice flavor pick-up to dishes.

While there, I also tried Iced Tea Fusion for the first time. New this year to the market scene, Iced Tea Fusion uses organic tea and fresh herbs and fruit to brew all sort of delicious flavor combinations. They had a couple lemonades, a green tea, and a hibiscus tea with fresh watermelon and mint. I decided to try the hibiscus. You can order their drinks sweetened or unsweetened; I went without. The tea was very refreshing, slightly sweet from the fruit, and the flavor of the hibiscus tea came through nicely without being overpoweringly floral. I look forward to trying some of their other combinations and bet their lemonade would be fantastic on a hot summer day, but be warned - this is not a quick pour of iced tea. They hand muddle, shake, and pour all their drinks so some patience is required while they make it.

However, the real star of the show/market was the porchetta sandwich I had from Hamilton Park's Goods & Greens. Served on fresh bread (it said ciabatta but I don't think it was although it was good and nicely chewy), it was a very generously sized half sandwich (by which I mean it wasn't cut into two halves but was definitely enough for one person) and was probably the best $5 I've spent on food in a long time. The porchetta itself had a nice crisp skin that hadn't yet crossed over to the overly tough and chewy realm, followed by layers of tender, juicy and flavorful meat. It was herby and delicate but undeniably porky. The slightly crisped kale added a bit more substance and a welcome textural difference to the mouthfuls of tender pork and the combination created a filling and delicious sandwich. It seems like there's going to be a lot to look forward to from Goods & Greens.

The next 6th Borough Market will be Sunday, June 22nd. Swing by and discover your own favorites!