I went to the Hester St. Fair and Grub Fest on Sunday. Vendors either have places in the city, some travel around the city or go to events like these, and others are manufacturers.
Pretty good atmosphere, music, and a good sized crowd showed up too. I got there between 2:30 and 3pm. I left a little after 5, by which time it was starting to wind down. Some vendors had sold out by then too, and some were even sold out of their most popular items when I had first got there.
Here’s the places I ate food from/sampled:
(click the name to go to their website)
Adirondack Creamery: I had their Coffee Bean Ice cream, which was really good, and didn’t leave a weird feeling in my mouth I sometimes get from other brands. You can buy their ice cream in stores, check out the website for more details.
Mighty Balls: I tried a beef ball with their own take on brown sauce, which was a bit like a Swedish meatball sauce. It was pretty good
Heatsweets: I tried their strawberry jalapeno fruit leather, which I liked and wasn’t spicy for me. They were also selling relishes and jellies.
The Chibi Chef: I tried a sampling of their chocolate flavor. It was delicious, and had a good texture (which is really important for me) They had a box of 5 and a smaller box of 3. As well as individual ones. The sizes are cute, and the designs are too, check them out
Fresh Ginger, Ginger Ale: I am not a ginger fan, but I couldn’t stop drinking this. I had the Jasmine flavor. The ginger gives a kick in your throat but it doesn’t last and I kept wanting more.
Ditch Plains: I had the mac n’ cheese on a hot dog (called a “Ditch Dog”)… now I know how that sounds, but if you like mac n’ cheese and you like hot dogs it’s a good combination… a very good combination. and no its not the same as having a hot dog with mac n’ cheese on a plate like when we were kids (and some of us still are ;) )
Snap: I had the cheese burger (organic beef) and belgian fries (skin is on). Delicious. Came with Chipotle mayo on the side too.
Accessibility: I got dropped off right outside of where the fair/fest was. There is a curb cut from the street to the sidewalk a little left of where the entrance to the beer garden area was. The beer garden area was a bit tight with the crowd. The main part of where the food was to the left of the beer garden was a bit more spread out. There was just some crowding around certain vendors, and there is a lot of wiring and cables on the ground. A few long lines, and it its hard to find an empty seat in the middle area. Note: that the main food area is higher than the beer garden, so there is not an access point directly from the beer garden area to the bigger area. You have to walk down the sidewalk to the entrance.
All-in-all it was a great day, hopefully the weather will hold out for next year too.
