Bites and Sites at Fort Greene's Brooklyn Flea

This past Saturday was a perfect day to check out Brooklyn Flea in its Fort Greene location at Bishop Loughlin Memorial High School's yard.

While the Flea is a destination unto itself, the surrounding streets are lined with stunning, historic, landmarked buildings that enhance the experience. While the shopping is a feast for the eyes, the prices are more fitting for a Queen bee than a mere flea.  We decided to make a B-line straight to the back of the schoolyard known for its many unusual and delectable edibles.

The food offerings are from local purveyors of creative, fresh, and fun gastronomic treats.  The air was filled with the aromatic scent of roasting meat. Porchetta was in the house, although we were equally tempted to try the sliders from Bed-Stuy's (m)eatery Lone Star Empire.  Speedy Romeo, another local eatery was serving up meatball sliders in lieu of what they do best, pizza.  Probably a smart move since a few stalls away was Flea favorite Pizza Moto.

New York City is surrounded by water, which means fish and seafood are abundant at the Flea. After slurping some oysters from Brooklyn Oyster Party, we just had to try the unusual fusion of sushi and Mexican food by crunching on a Spicy Tuna Taco from Takumi Taco.  We skipped Red Hook Lobster, but only because we were saving room for dessert.

And dessert there was!  We wanted one of everything, but with so many new vendors and perennial favorites, we limited ourselves to a few.  No trip to the Flea is complete without checking out Bed Stuy's Dough, but the pickings were slim so we decided to try a big ball of sugar, popcorn and goodness on a stick from Park 

Slope's Gather.  

Then we made an incredible discovery, Alchemy Creamery.  What we thought was heavenly ice cream turned out to be a deceptive mix of hazelnut, almond, & coconut milk blends. Their fantastic flavors are all dairy-free, gluten-free & vegan. Without a shop of their own yet, you've got to get yourself over to one of the Brooklyn Flea locations or Smorgasburg.  Filled to the brim, it was time for us to head out of the Flea for a stroll. With a festive farewell from the People's Pop stand, we vowed to return for their summery shaved ice.

We were tempted to sit for a while, but the guilt from the antique scale and the hefty pink elephant persuaded us a walk was best. We made it less than a block before we did need a sit-down.  

We chose to rest and digest on the stairs of the 100-year old Queen of All Saints Church. As we prepared to leave Fort Greene, we said a prayer that we'd survive another day so we could do this again next weekend.