Grub Street Fair at Hester Street Weekend Fair : The Shaved Ice Shop Splendor

This past summer, I attended the Hester Street Fair for the first time. I had always heard how amazing it is and how it is known for its food and also crafts and vintage items. I enjoyed myself so much, that when I heard they were having an end of the season last fair that was going to be over 3 times the size as the usual fair, and have many more food stands, and call it Grub Street Fair, I knew that I had to attend!

I happened to have made brunch plans for the same day, so I unfortunately could not attend the fair with a hungry stomach. I did love seeing all the vendors there, people watching, and listening to the music.

According to the guide, there were 74 food vendors at the festival. This was one of the better food festivals that I have been to in the city. The lines weren't long and each vendor still had food. Some past events that I have attended, I have waited in line for an hour, only to get up to to the front, and have the vendor run out of food.

Each stand had something special to offer. Because I was so full from brunch, I mainly focused on dessert, since I wanted something sweet. However, I did notice two more savory stands that caught my eye. I noticed a meatball stand that had a super catchy name "Mighty Balls, Not yo Mama's balls." This stand had several different kinds of meatballs in different sauce selections. Had I been hungry, I definitely would have liked to sample these balls.

I also walked past a stand with homemade pretzels. These weren't just ordinary pretzels, they had unique flavors. I saw the word "truffle," and I had wished that I had not had brunch. Truffle Cheddar pretzels! 

Yes, Please!

I also noticed a macaroon table. These weren't the french kind that I have previously written about, but they were the standard Passover style that I am used it, but with an added touch! There were 10 different flavored macaroons with different toppings. It was almost like a sundae, but instead of ice cream, you had a macaroon! 

Flavors of Macaroons 

Macaroons 

Now onto the best part of the food festival! My friends and I have been wanting to try "The Shaved Ice Shop" stand for over two years now. We had attended the Food Truck Festival on Governor's Island two summers ago, and had waited in line for shaved ice, only to have them run out of all the toppings, and the ice cream. We had been told that they were at the Hester St. Fair every weekend, and if we wanted to try it, we could find them there. Since we have not had a chance to attend the fair together until attending Grub Street Fair, this experience was two years in the making! 

The Shaved Ice Shop is a Taiwanese inspired dessert that is made of snowflake like shaved ice, fresh cut fruit, unique toppings, drizzled sweetened condensed milk, and a scoop ice cream. 

With each order, you are given the choice to choose 3 toppings, which include : strawberry, watermelon, mix jelly, fruity pops, caramel corn, bar nuts, granola, mango, red beans, phoenix rolls (cookies crumbs), kiwi, frosted flakes, and matcha mochi (homemade sweet rice bites). Also, you get a scoop of mango sorbet or green tea ice cream. 

The shaved ice is made from getting shaved in the ice cutting machine below

I ordered this mountainous snowflake dessert with strawberries, match mochi, Phoenix rolls, green tea ice cream, and sweetened condensed milk. The mochi, which I've always ordered ever since my Pinkberry days, give a nice soft, gummy texture to the dessert, while the Phoenix rolls add a nice crunch. The condensed milk soaks into the ice giving it a very sweet unexplainable flavor. All in all, this was the most refreshing dessert that I have had in a while! I hope that I can find them somewhere else, now that the fair is closed for season. :( 

So tasty! 

See you next year, Grub Street Fair!