HDSID Farmers Market Celebrates 10 Years!

The HDSID Farmers Market at Grove Street is celebrating their tenth anniversary!

Community News

• Congratulations to Razza on being named one of the best pizza places in New Jersey on Thrillist. 
• Satis Bistro is opening a new location in Bloomfield, NJ.
• Frequent market vendor, Squeeze'd, will soon be debuting their new food truck and with it, an expanded menu.
• Chef Ryan DePersio and The Kitchen Step were featured in an article about spring dishes on OpenTable.

The Farmer's Market at Grove Street Returns

Today, 5/2, marks the return of the Farmer's Market at Grove Street. The market will run every Monday and Thursday through December from 4:00pm-8:00pm.

Community News

• Left Bank Burger Bar is going to appear on Food Network's Burgers, Brew and 'Que. Filming is taking place tomorrow, 11/16, from 3-6pm.
• On Nov. 9th, beginning at 7pm, HopsScotch is holding a five course tasting dinner with beer pairings by BFM.
• Congratulations to  Bwe Kafe who opened their Jersey City location, 140 River Drive South, this weekend.

Community News

• Congratulations to Maritime Parc, Union Republic, Talde, Thirty Acres, dullboy, and Carrino Provisions for being Best in Jersey City by Time Out.
• Journal Square PATH Plaza will be getting an outpost of popular falafel chain Chickpea.
• Satis Bistro is holding a special Interesting & Fun Wines of Spain night with light appetizers on April 16th for $45/person. Sign up now to reserve your spot. 
• Satis Bistro will also be introducing a new cocktail list this week for Spring. 

Grandma Downtown is Bringing Specialty Homemade Bread to the Farmers' Market

One of the new vendors this year at the HDSID Farmers' Market at Grove Street is Grandma Downtown, owned and operated by Krista Zevoteck. Inspired by her Sicilian grandmother who lived in downtown Jersey City, Grandma Downtown is a fledgling Italian-American bakery that focuses on stuffed breads and rolls. There are usually large loaves, mini-loaves, a variety of stuffed rolls, breadcups, and grissini (herbed breadsticks) available.

When I visited, I got an onion roll and what I imagine is now probably one of their biggest sellers, the double-smoked bacon with smoked mozzarella roll. Made with thick-cut Schaller Weber bacon and fresh smoked mozzarella, the roll bakes up to be slightly chewy with a nice crust on the top. The bread is fairly dense but light and baked completely through without any soggy or overly doughy parts still left. The bacon and mozzarella impart a meaty, smoky flavor into the bread so each bite is is a bit salty, a bit smoky, and even a little sweet and creamy. The cheese melts to gooey indulgence but doesn't become overwhelming. While a couple of bites were on the salty side and I did wish the bacon had been cooked down a bit more, for the most part, this was a delicious and hearty roll.

After the bacon and mozzarella roll, I was worried the onion roll might pale a bit in comparison, but quite the opposite. It had a very different flavor although the roll itself seemed to be the same dough. The onions were cooked to a melt-in-your mouth tender sweetness with savory herbs liberally used throughout the roll that almost made me nostalgic for Thanksgiving stuffing. It was homey, familiar tasting and incredibly flavorful even it its simplicity. This is one of several vegetarian rolls that Grandma Downtown typically has available.

Every week seems to bring new and tempting flavor combinations including some sweet options like banana walnut nutella and I can't wait to keep trying more and more. If you can't make it to the market, Grandma Downtown also has an Etsy shop where you can purchase these delicious home-baked goods.

What To Do This Week in Jersey City

Left Bank Burger Bar has come up with another challenger to face off against the reigning champ from last week, the Holy Molé. This week's contender is the Sloppy Joe: Brisket patty, homemade chili, pale ale cheese sauce, sloppy joe sauce, red onions, and roasted red pepper fritos.

This week, the Roman Nose is enjoying Negroni Week by offering classic Negronis, Negronis Sbagliato made with Prosecco, and Negroamaros with Amaro Ciociaro and $1 from each drink will go to support United Way of Hudson County.

On Thursday, head to Grove Street for the HDJC Farmer's Market from 4:00pm-8:00pm. You can pick up fresh produce, Stella's Empanadas, vegan food from the Cinnamon Snail, and much more!

The Weekend Ahead

Jersey City weekends are the best weekends!

Coming up, we have Surf City reopening tonight, May 15th and on Friday, they're officially kicking off the grand reopening with a First Friday party. Get ready to enjoy the first signs of summer!

Thursday is also the second day of the HDSID Farmers' Market at Grove Plaza with all your favorite farms and stands.  The Taco Truck, The Cinnamon Snail, Stella's Empanadas, and more will also be there serving up delicious food.

Farmers Market Find: BBQ at Legal Beans

I’ve seen the somewhat clumsily named BBQ at Legal Beans at various events downtown and they’re a pretty constant staple at the Grove Street farmers’ market but I’d never actually stopped to get anything. A couple years ago, I went to the storefront and truthfully, wasn’t that impressed but always thought I should give it another shot. Naturally, I never got around to it and in the meantime, it seems as though Legal Beans has reworked and expanded their menu.

Figuring I might as well take advantage of their presence at the farmers’ market, I stopped by to get dinner and see if the food had improved.  As I approached the stand, I was hit with the mouthwatering smell of grilled meat and warm BBQ sauce. It smelled like summer. They had a series of large covered foil pans on one table that held different cuts of chicken, at least two kinds of ribs, pulled pork, and probably a couple more I didn’t see. There was also a second side table with smaller pans containing all their side options; I saw rice, beans, mac and cheese and mashed sweet potatoes. I ordered a grilled quarter chicken with a side of mashed sweet potatoes.  The server asked me if I wanted extra barbecue sauce on top and I went with it, noticing he was being pretty generous when pouring it on without flooding the container. My total came to $8 which I found incredibly reasonable, especially when taking into account the huge serving of mashed sweet potatoes they gave me. 

Scenes from Downtown Jersey City Farmers’ Market

Monday night, I took some time to wander around the Farmers' Market outside the Grove Street Path.  I love the Farmers’ Market and make it a point to do some shopping there whenever I can. It’s grown a huge amount over the past few years and I love seeing the variety of stands and vendors that show up.  Here are some samples of what can be found:

Choc-O-Pain was there, advertising their store-front, and selling some very tempting-looking pastries.