Tradeshow food is terribly bad and superbly overpriced. No matter what city you're in – even Manhattan – there's little effort, it seems, in producing something more to serve than a stodgy stomach filler. Sadly the same can be said for the majority of airports.
Therefore we were fortunate for a full hour and a half break for lunch within the conference program at an event held in New York City's Javits Center. After days of rain and cloud covered skies, the city was finally glistening in the summer sun and its people were eager to catch some warming rays and fresh air. We were stuck inside four walls. No windows.
Outside, nearby, good is what we needed to perk up for the afternoon discussions. The expo hall is located just north of Chelsea; walking south from Javits along the Hudson after work the night before, I noticed the sign at Jezalin's GastroMarket offering a 'patio in back'. If it was sunny eventually, the place had potential to be an obscure gem. Mental note.
And wow, indeed it is precious — very. Tall trees lined with green leaves backed by the bright sun cast dancing shadows on the large wooden deck out the back of the building on Tenth. The sun poked happily through the open spaces between the brown branches. A breeze dusted our skin with warmth. This patio immediately welcomes you to relax in the midst of the grind.
GastroMarket's menu is full of sandwiches loaded with a combination of a few of the right things. If we weren't already hungry, our stomachs were growling after a few reviews: The Spaniard, Turkey Petit and Tartufata Melt. The vegetarian options are plenty and sound as incredible as any layering including meat.
This is The Texan sandwich. A whole grain hard roll is stuffed with slow roasted beef brisket and topped with sour pickles and onions. It comes with homemade barbecue sauce, and I also asked for the creamy horseradish sauce to try. The brisket was tender, the pickles crunchy, the bbq sauce sweet and the horseradish had just the right zip.
GastroMarket offers a number of homemade salads as a side item. Since I love beets and enjoy finding new recipes for the root veg, I tried the mix. It was a bit creamy and had some chopped walnuts to add a crunch. The salad was good, but I'd probably try something else next time.
Each table is laden with a GastroMarket pub bottle holding fresh flowers adding to the natural charm outside. Inside the wooden bar and stone walls give an Old World feel.
Entrances to New York City's High Line can be found both North and South of the restaurant, which also makes it a great place to grab a sandwich to take to the park and enjoy. The High Line is a public park built on the defunct elevated Manhattan train line first built in the 1930s.
The owner of the place got started with Jezalin's gifts located inside the Limelight Shops also located nearby in a gorgeous, historical Episcopal church built in the late 1800s. The gift shop specializes in putting together exquisite, unique, quality and exclusive presents for those only interested in luxury.
The Limelight is probably most famously known for housing one of the hottest NYC nightclubs in the 1980s and nineties where debauchery and wild fun occurred nightly.
Needless to say GastroMarket suited our needs completely, and after filling our bellies with well-prepared food while taking-in the enchanting patio atmosphere, we marched back to Javits satisfied. For anyone attending an event at the center, I highly recommend taking the extra steps to this gastronomical spot. You won't be disappointed.
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad
No comments:
Post a Comment