The Brooklyn Flea is making its outdoor return! A clear sign that it's finally spring. For six years now the Brooklyn Flea has been one of NYC’s finest attractions. It literally has something for everyone from jewelry, art, crafts, clothing, collectibles, re-purposed furniture, and antiques to donut, hot dog, taco, and sandwich stands. You can easily spend thirty minutes or three hours browsing, shopping and noshing.

We fall in love with a new artists, jeweler, or food-truck every time we visit, but the below are tried and true:

Milk Truck for a swoon-worthy grilled cheese sandwich. Go with the classic ham and cheese, or mix it up with fried egg and caramelized onion.

Uttapam serves up tasty dosas and uttapams (similar to a thick pancake filled with the meat or vegetable of your choosing) served with rice, dal and authentic Indian spices.

Jessica DeCarlo creates delicate, nature inspired jewelry - we love seeing her latest gems.

Heirloom to admire the sustainable, reusable and gorgeous handmade rugs.

Bleeker Street Antiques where you’ll find chic paintings, prints and other decorative items for an affordable price.

Alyssa Ettinger for detailed, authentic handmade decorative accessories.

A day of browsing deserves a treat, so don't miss Dough, they make the most delicious donuts you’ll ever have! Or if your sweet tooth prefers a cooler bite, Blue Marble's organic ice cream is the perfect pick-me-up.

Not all vendors sell every weekend, so be sure to check out the Brooklyn Flea website to see the layout and list of eye-catching & mouth-watering vendors will be there.

Enjoy!

]]> Mon, 08 Apr 2013 19:37:12 +0000 http://www.dwellstudio.com/blog/fave-local-fare/ While Sandy has us dwellers working from home, we're keeping our spirits high by day dreaming about all the delicious treats that will be available at our first annual Urban Tag Sale this Saturday!

We're looking forward to homemade candy like peanut butter and jelly bars from Liddabit Sweets.

Image via The Cultureist.

Crafty cupcakes like Wild Maine Blueberry Cobbler, Chocolate Peanut Butter Pretzel, Hazelnut Kiss and Rue McClanahan from Robicelli's

via Robicelli's Tumblr.

Honey-lavender shortbread cookies from Whimsy & Spice.

Image via The Brooklyn Flea.

And strawberry macarons from Macaron Parlour.

Image via Macaron Parlour.

Can't wait to see you this Saturday!

Where do you look for new recipe ideas? Here are a few of our favorite food inspiration staples...

Roost is a visual feast of dreamy food photography with a focus on gluten-free baking. We're entranced by this blog's beautiful images and interesting recipes.

We're obsessed with our recent discovery of The Food Life. Fashionable tastemakers dole out their personal food fascinations from underground restaurants to secret family recipes.

Sunday Suppers holds classes and events in Brooklyn with a focus on seasonal and organic ingredients. We love the communal vibe this site encourages.

You already know about our love for Kinfolk Magazine. But we've recently discovered their gorgeous food films, which always leave us salivating for more.

Where do you go for food inspiration? We would love to know!

To celebrate the launch of our debut dining collection we decided to beg, borrow and steal from some of our coolest staffers to cobble together a list of elusive supper clubs that are serving up some scrumptious fare under the radar. Check them out!

With a communal table, farm-fresh ingredients and a collective spirit, Outstanding in the Field tours the country—setting up farm-to-table dinners that connect diners to the land. Harvesting farm feasts since 1999, from Queens to Hawaii this dining collective has become a well-known standard on the supper club scene.

You might have to answer “You’re about to die, what’s your last meal?” to gain entrance to the club’s elusive email list, but that’s just part of the fun. Known around Brooklyn for their devilish dining rituals that run the gamut from subway stunts to intimate Sunday gatherings—StudioFeast throws gastronomic gatherings that focus on creativity and pure foodie fun.

More exclusive than scoring a coveted reservation at one of Jean Georges’ foodie temples, New York Bite Clubsells out within half an hour of announcing its monthly events. This chic club serves up a studied menu of high-brow edibles like caviar and foie gras in unlikely locales.

Conceived in Paris and replicated in New York, Diner en Blanc gathers people for a chic dining experience in urban spaces. Sign up online, dress in your fine whites and wait for an email beckoning you to your al fresco table.

August documented the trip though food photos (a favorite of ours) here’s what we were eating in China!
Top - These are just cucumbers, but very fresh and crunchy and artfully cut! Bottom - These are the most delicious mushrooms I have ever had...so good! They were cooked with chillies and ginger.
Top - Fried rice with some veggies, also yummy. Bottom - A tasty pork dish that Rachel enjoyed!

Which pattern do you think we should get him to make next? 

Our Customer Service Super-Star, Robby, stopped by the Go Burger truck last week, here's what he thought of his meal! 

Philly Burger: 8 oz sirloin burger on toasted sesame seed bun with melted provolone, peppers, onions and jalapeno peppers, served with a side of skinny fries.

The fries are truly perfect. The crispy-outside, soft-inside ideal that so few restaurants have perfected. The burger is expertly cooked, juicy without being pink inside, and the provolone cheese is fresh and creamy, countering the spiciness of the jalapeno peppers beautifully. The sesame bun was toasted to order, and that kind of attention to detail is impressive anywhere, and more impressive at a food truck. The onions get lost in the shuffle, but it’s a small quibble with a great burger. Also, they take credit cards! A food-truck first? Hopefully not the last. 

We've noticed a new dining trend and we like it.  It seems several up-and-coming restauranteurs are beckoning those nostalgic memories of summer camp and implementing them in their decor and food.  We first noticed it with Ruschmeyers in Montauk, which has become a family destination for many of us...and then again, last night, I dined at the hottest new place in Williamsburg: Masten Lake.  

While Masten Lake might not have tee-pees and rope swings everywhere, it definitely has that lake-front, camp dining feel.  The food, however, far surpasses camp-grade-quality.  More on that in another post.

Clean simple lines - lots of white with painted wood gives that fresh, pickled feeling.

White painted benches with simple, rough wooden chairs and industrial tables - all with fresh-from-the-field flowers.

The bar (and cocktail list) is filled with garden-variety ingredients like okra...another trend we are loving.

Even the waitresses felt a little like camp counselors, as they took my 3 year old son around the corner to inspect a grasshopper that had been hanging out with them all day.  A little slice of camp in the city.

I mostly think of Emporio as a cozy, dimly lit place perfect for chilly fall or winter nights. Turns out it’s perfect for hot summer days, too!

We started with a light, refreshing watermelon and tomato gazpacho with a dollop of crème fraiche, followed by great flash-fried artichoke salad with pecorino cheese.

The porchetta panini was simple and thoroughly satisfying, stuffed with juicy, fatty, seasoned pork on crispy bread. Delicious!

Robby says: the trick to delicious red velvet is: equal parts cocoa powder and white vinegar + vegetable oil (no butter). Apparently, if those strict ingredients are not held to, by definition it is not a true red velvet cake, it's just a chocolate cake with red dye.  They were amazing so I'd trust this guy.  Happy Friday!

To celebrate the exciting new arrivals we’ve been sharing our favorite summer drinks! Here are a few more to top off the week.
 
Bingka’s sipping on No-jitos this summer and Ainsley is enjoying sweet Sangria…

 
Our fearless leader Josh’s favorite is a classic margarita on the rocks, with salt. He says the best one he’s ever had was from Dave’s Grill in Montauk.
 

 
What is your favorite summer drink? Let us know!

A huge thank you to Mrs Lilien, we are thrilled to welcome her to the Studio Blog: 

 

 
Hot summer days call for cool bitter libations, which is why the Negroni is my favorite summer sensation. It's bright and packs a pretty big punch, it's the perfect thing to sip during a leisurely lunch. I love this rendition for its unexpected twists, if you're looking for a summer cocktail, this is one that cannot be missed!

Cheers!
 

Don’t forget to browse our new drinkware collection, any cocktail tastes better in a glimmering gold glass!  
 

(images via Oprah.com and In The Mix)
 

I love this drink, the mix of heat from the jalapeno plus a cooling cucumber all in one drink, with a salty rim, is one of my favorite combos.

(image and recipe via Gastro Chic)

And to celebrate the arrival of our sparkly new glasses, we’ll be sharing our favorite summer drink recipes for the rest of the week - we’re kicking things off with Ashley’s favorite, direct from Texas.

So sit back, relax and grab a glass, cheers! 

(image via Smitten Kitchen)