Food Rules at Hester Street Fair

Hungry for the Brooklyn Flea? Not so fast.

Hester Street Fair organizers kicked off Year Two with a spotlight on food and it's working. The Saturday-only market boasts nearly two dozen food vendors selling top-notch tacos, saucy veggie meatball sliders, and international treats such as poffertjes (mini Dutch pancakes) and Taiwanese shaved ice.

Speaking of ice, The Shaved Ice Factory was creating quite a stir with its mile high signature treat ($6). It's a mountain of shaved ice, drizzled with condensed milk, and a variety of popular Asian toppings including sweetened red beans, coconut jelly and fruit.

It's eye catching for sure. Not sure if my taste buds were up for it just yet. A NY Times photographer was busy shooting the sundaes on a recent Saturday. Let's see if the Taiwanese treat catches on.

A perfect lunch: brisket taco and Mexican corn

I opted for something savory to start. That meant a fine brisket taco ($4) and Mexican corn rolled in cotija cheese ($3) from Brooklyn Taco. That's the taco in Time Out's recent best 26 tacos in NYC. It's goooood. So's the corn. If all goes as planned, BK Taco will soon be a permanent fixture in nearby Essex Market.

The excellent empanadas ($3.50) from La Sonrisa are back again this year. It's exciting to see new temptations in the mix too. Standouts included Mighty Balls meatballs (and veggieballs), La Newyorkina fruity ice pops ($3) and Melt Bakery's red velvet whoopie pies ($4).

I loved meeting Mackenzie Smith of Herbin' Spoonful. She transformed her love of caramel into a handmade line of luscious sauce infused with herbs and spices like lavender and habanero. Ingenious. And she happily offers tastes.

Get your caramel fix at Herbin' Spoonful

What I really admire about the fair is that it's succeeding in being part of the community. It's surrounded by a buzzing playground, tennis courts and even a little lawn for relaxed picnicking. It fits right in without overwhelming. And the carefully curated offerings - edible and otherwise - make you yearn for Saturday even more now. There's even a ping-pong table.

Corner of Hester St + Essex, LES 

Saturdays 10 am - 6 pm through October 2011