Zibetto, New Amsterdam Market, Lulu and Mooky's

It was a gorgeous fall day yesterday - perfect weather for strolling around and checking out the New Amsterdam Market. On the way there I stopped at Zibetto, a beautiful espresso bar on Fulton street of all places. Completely different from any of the neighboring discount clothing stores, delis, and dvd street vendors, the modern space has a marble bar, lovely glass globe lights and a friendly staff that make a perfect cappuccino. I also tried a couple of the best Italian cookies I've had - buttery, sweet and a little bit salty.

The New Amsterdam Market was in full effect by the time I arrived, with queues at all the popular stands. There were numerous cheese, meat, wine and restaurant stands with samples or small plates - my favorites are below:

Meat Hook: bratwurst, sauerkraut and a touch of mild mustard on a bun.


Saltie: a delicious potato leek pie, with pickled onion and spicy mustard


The Bent Spoon: yummy new ice cream flavors - chocolate with rosemary, pumpkin with cacao nibs, and cranberry cider sorbet


Taza Chocolate: their chocolate is minimally processed for a rich flavor and slightly crunchy texture

Shellbark Hollow: creamy goat's ricotta with a strawberry jam topping

After leaving the market, there was one last place I was dying to check out: Lulu and Mooky's. They make ice cream to order using liquid nitrogen, with about 50 flavors that you can choose or mix and match to make your own new flavor. I choose pineapple and basil and then watched as they combined the flavored syrups and liquid nitrogen in a mixer and watched the fog consume the counter.


The result was incredibly dense and creamy ice cream that tasted oddly like a Dum Dum's cream soda pop.