Market Meals

By Suzanne Wasserman

Credit: Todd Coleman

You never used to be able to get pancakes at New York City's Essex Street Market, but today the place is home to some of the best in town—namely, chef Kenny Shopsin's pumpkin pancakes (see Shopsin's Pumpkin Pancakes), which he serves at his diminutive eatery, Shopsin's General Store. Shopsin is one of several new tenants at this ever popular market at the corner of Essex and Delancey streets on Manhattan's Lower East Side. The Essex Street Market, which opened in 1939, is one of several indoor retail markets built under Mayor Fiorello La Guardia, who sought to replace the pushcart marts that had crowded the streets of several New York neighborhoods at the turn of the twentieth century. Over the years, the market has changed to reflect the evolving demographic of this formerly Eastern European district. Latin American foods began appearing in its stalls in the 1950s, and newer shops selling organic produce and artisanal cheeses have cropped up, too.