All the New Eeeats at Smorgasburg, Starting With a 14-Year-Old’s Banana Bread

When Smorgasburg returns to Williamsburg at the end of the month, there’ll be plenty of fresh faces among the new vendors. One of them is really fresh. Believe it or not, 14-year-old baker Jack Greenleaf is even younger than the teen chef who just opened Gem on the Lower East Side.

Last summer, Greenleaf started personally delivering loaves of his homemade banana bread to apartments in the Battery Park City area, under the name Bread & Monkey. He ended up selling 328 loaves in 49 days. Now that he has entered his freshman year at Loyola High School, on the Upper East Side, he only bakes on Sundays, according to his website. But when Williamsburg Smorg returns March 31, he’ll be posted up with the 100-some vendors at East River State Park, selling loaves of his plain, nut-free Banana Nana Bo Bana and his Banana Choco Choco Chip breads. A grilled French toast version is also in the works, according to an announcement by Flea co-founder Eric Denby.

As for the other new eats at the Williamsburg and Prospect Park Smorgs, the international mix includes Honduran baleadas, Japanese shaved ice and donburi bowls, Canadian butter tarts, Korean fried chicken, Szechuan rice noodles, and even Himalayan hot pockets. Here’s the rundown with some photos, direct form team Smorg.

---

Smorgasburg 2018 – Williamsburg + Prospect Park

504 HN Market – Traditional Honduran baleadas, made with a fresh flour tortillas and topped with refried beans, Honduran cheese and cream, and avocado. Other varieties include eggs and chorizo.

Big Mozz x DO – The folks behind Smorgasburg’s famous mozzarella-stick stand, Big Mozz, has teamed up with DO to create a deep fried cookie dough! Each piece of cookie dough is battered and deep fried, creating a warm crispy shell with a melty, gooey middle. The ultimate weekend indulgence!

Bonsai Kakigori – Perfectly fluffy Japanese shaved ice, made with a vintage machine imported from Japan, and flavored with housemade syrups and toppings. For the perfect light summer treat, try the Strawberries & Cream or the Matcha Persimmon. The texture is everything!

Btarts – Canada’s favorite dessert is now at Smorg! Btarts bakes the classic Canadian specialty, butter tarts, made with organic butter (of course!) and eggs, plus Canadian maple syrup.

Dashi Fried Chicken – Korean Fried Chicken (KFC) served with housemade dipping sauces and fried to order! Crispy, perfectly seasoned, and so delicious.

Frico Italia – A traditional Italian “pie” made with potatoes and three Italian cheeses then pan fried to create a crispy crust on the outside that gives way to a soft, creamy inside. Take one home or eat on the spot.

King St. Kitchen – Baked goods from a former pastry chef at Eleven Madison Park.  Top sellers from her menu include a peanut butter + chocolate fudge brownie, golden oat cookies, and olive oil + citrus bundt, which is also gluten free.

Lobsterdamus – One of the most popular stands at Smorgasburg Los Angeles, Lobsterdamus mesquite grills whole lobsters, which are topped with garlic butter, lemon and parsley, and served over noodles. They’ll also have lobster truffle fries and lobster nachos!

PopdUp – Also from Smorgasburg Los Angeles (one of two new vendors!) PopdUp makes delicious cold brew teas. Tea leaves are sourced from a partner farm in Taiwan and steeped for 24 to 48 hours, depending on the variety.

Ya Ya Noodz – Szechuan rice noodles made from a machine imported from China, steamed and rolled with fillings like shrimp, pork, or butternut squash.

Smorgasburg 2018 – Williamsburg Only

Boutros – Spinning off from their Atlantic Ave. brick-and-mortar location (right next to Sahadi’s), Boutros is joining Smorgasburg to sell pork shawarma tacos and bulgur fried rice for a Lebanese take on two famous dishes.

Bread & Monkey – Jack Greenleaf, a high-school freshman with an entrepreneurial spirit, debuts his banana-bread stand. Moist and not too sweet, his loaves come in banana and banana chocolate chip flavors. He’s also working on a grilled french toast version for Smorgasburg. Jack plans to sell as many loaves as he can until he sells out each day, so come early to snag one to take home or try a slice at the market.

Himalayan Horizon – Nepal native and Jackson Heights resident Kunsang Lama teams up with longtime Smorgasburg vendor Masaki Momose of Momo’s Dressing to serve a beloved Himalayan street food known as shabaley: circular pockets of dough filled with buffalo, beef, or potatoes and fried til golden and crisp. Distinctive ginger-scallion and tomato-fenugreek sauces perfectly balance the juicy texture for a hand-held market delight.

Yoshimoto Fish Company – Yoshimoto Fish Company is bringing their donburi bowl concept straight from a fish market in Kobe, Japan. Each bowl is served with sushi rice and a sprawling assortment of seasonal fish imported from Japan, like fatty tuna, salmon, herring roe, sea urchin, red snapper, squid, octopus, and more. The bowls won’t be cheap but they’re quite substantial, so bring a friend (or two) to taste and share!