Smorgasburg (DUMBO Edition)

For all my love of small, local food producers, I just could not bring myself to attend Smorgasburg the past couple of years. I'd heard from fellow celiacs that there weren't many safe offerings; last thing I wanted to do was go watch my friends eat tasty things while I ate (yet another) LARA bar. Also: Crowds and waiting in long lines? For the birds. Oh, and I'm not a fan of Williamsburg. I've tried - truly! - but just not my scene.

Turns out I'm now in walking distance of the Sunday Smorg in DUMBO and after checking the vendor list, found there are things I can eat this year! So I rounded up some friends and walked down right after opening (11am) to avoid the crowds and lines.

11:30am. Quiet. No lines. Joy. 

I walked a loop around the site, stopping to inquire re: gluten-free options here and there. First promising stand, Saucy by Nature, which had GF options marked on their board. Sadly, upon inquiry, I found their fare to be unsafe, as they cook everything - including regular pita bread - on the same griddle.

Alas, not really gluten-free. 

Next up, Hash Bar, which serves highbrow takes on that humble breakfast staple, hash. (No website, so find them on Twitter at @hash_bar). They don't serve any gluten-containing products - hooray! Wasn't in the mood for breakfast food, but I'll be back at their stall another day.

No gluten ingredients used - on my list for next time! 

Was happy to see gluten-free friendly Mighty Quinn's (read my review here), but wasn't up for BBQ right then. Onward.

So gluten-free friendly!

I've heard good things about Palenque and they had GF items marked on the menu, but there was a bit of a line, so I kept moving. Will check it out next time.

Wanted something carby and cheesy, and found it in pupusas from Solber Pupusas, a Red Hook-based vendor.

Ding, ding, we have a winner! 

Pupusas are corn cakes stuffed with cheese and savory fillings. Solber has a variety of options, including fish, pork, chicken, and a number of vegetarian options. All of their menu items are gluten-free. I went with the pupusa platter ($7) which included two pupusas, pickled cabbage, sour cream, jalapenos, and tomato sauce. Delicious - totally hit the spot.

Next up: dessert. I noticed at least one purveyor (Blue Marble) of that old celiac stand-by, ice cream, in attendance, but wanted to try something different, something I couldn't get just anywhere.

One of my friends had snagged a regular ice cream sandwich from The Good Batch and excitedly told me that they had GF ice cream sandwiches, too! Went to check it out and was shown a beautiful ice cream sandwich made with giant flourless chocolate cookies and mint chocolate chip ice cream. While they are careful to use clean equipment/avoid cross-contamination, the GF cookies ARE baked while regular ones are being made in the same space. I've been glutened a few times recently and just wasn't up for taking a risk that day, though may give it a go another time. (Anyone tried it?)

I have to give a shout out to the rep working that day - she was cheerful and utterly patient with all my questions and not miffed in the least when I decided it wasn't a safe option for me. Best case scenario exchange.

This place, whimsy & spice, offered a gluten-free bar, but it was the only GF item AND on display (unwrapped) on a cake stand right next to regular baked goods. So, yeah, no to that. NEXT.

NOT a safe option.

After a few other not-worth-mentioning misses, I circled back to my safety, the vendor I had researched and knew to be GF-friendly: Danny Macaroons! (The only one we can't have is their Black Chocolate Stout macaroon, which has beer in it.)

Cute little bag:

Your first macaroon is $3 and there are price breaks on additional items purchased. I went with two (for $5), a chocolate and a salted caramel.

Delicious. Very moist and the toppings make them more decadent than your average macaroon.

Aside from the food, the venue is fantastic. From the vendor area I spied Jane's Carousel:

And there's plenty of room on the grassy lawn to plunk yourself down and enjoy this view:

Views like this make me grateful to live in Brooklyn. 

Bottom line: I ate well, didn't get sick, and had a thoroughly enjoyable time - I'll be back. In fact, I'm even going to brave the G train on a Saturday and head over to the Williamsburg Smorgasburg soon! There are some vendors (see: Krumville, CakeBites) that I need to visit over there. 

Smorgasburg has two locations: Williamsburg on Saturdays, and DUMBO on Sundays. Vendor lists for the coming weekend are posted every Friday.