Upon first entering, we see the big olive specialty shop on the left hand side, Olive with a Twist. Naturally, I always start on the left and go clockwise when making my way through any store or food facility. Now when I say big, I’m talking about a massive variety of Olive oils in all kinds of infused flavors, and many different kinds of stuffed olives. The best part is that you can sample any of the oils. That made it easier to decide which ones you’ll like. I wanted to bring home one or two flavored oils, but it was hard to choose (considering that I’m also a very indecisive person). I ended up getting the mini sampler that came in their 6 best flavors: Italian Lemon, Tuscan Herb, Garlic, Italian Fig, Champagne, and Cask 10. Colin, my husband, picked out two different kinds of stuffed olives–blue cheese and citrus.
The quality of these green olives were amazing. It was nice and buttery and tasted very fresh. My favorite out of the two were the blue cheese. Even the blue cheese tasted fresh. It wasn’t hardened like most olive stuffed cheese I’ve had. The owner was very helpful and friendly in answering our questions and
helping us pick out flavors we’d like. As far as the olive oil, I haven’t tasted everything from the same I got yet, I did try the garlic and champagne ones. Garlic was great, I used it in a salad dressing. The champagne was not what I had expected, but still good. I was hoping it would taste more like the champagne vinaigrette I always get from the store (Girard’s). It tasted a little more like apple cider vinegar mixed with oil, still could a good dressing nonetheless. Overall, I was pretty happy with my purchases and glad I stopped by this wonderful specialty store.
Next up was coffee. It was still pretty early and we did not get to have our morning coffee before leaving to the market. Lucky for us, a Fieldstone Coffee & Tea was a few feet away. I was going to get my usual regular matcha latte, but the options from their specials menu intriqued me. I got the “Dirty Matcha”–it was a mix of coffee, some healthy herbal additions (turmeric and cinnamon), and matcha. It was an interesting combo. I do like turmeric, but I guess I could do without it in my matcha latte. It wasn’t bad though! I’d come back just to try the regular next time. I do hear good things about their cold brews and nitro coffee. Aside from drinks, they some freshly baked scones that you can enjoy with your coffee or tea. Prices are a little on the expensive side, compared to other coffee shops. I guess you can say it’s comparable to New York
City coffee shop prices.
Now onto the two highlights (what I came for)! Artisan chocolates from Chocodiem and wine slushies from Tolino Vineyards. Yes, wine slushies. Need I say more?
At Chocodiem, the truffles I picked out, were amazing. I could not decide which flavor I liked best. I got mango, honey lavendar, pearl, strawberry shortcake, bourbon pecan, red wine, salted caramel, and hazelnut. If you’re looking for to gift a chocolate lover, this would be the place. You can’t go wrong with any flavor. They’re all just made with such good craftsmanship, quality, and flavor that it’s worth every penny. It’s like eating a delicious piece of art in every bite. I can go on raving about these chocolates forever, but I’ll leave you here with pictures instead.
Hand-crafted artisan chocolates
Chocodiem Truffles. Great texture and perfect melting point
Tolino Vineyards have a great selection of wine at the market. The wine specialist was very helpful in helping us pick out a wine we would like. Since we have a lot of red wines in stock, we were looking for a white one we’d like. Something slightly fruity, but also dry at the same time. He recommended to us Vidal Blanc. The sample we had was very good, so we were sold. It had notes of mangoes in it and the perfect amount of dry. What makes this vendor so great is that they have $5 wine slushies you can enjoy while you are exploring around at the market. We were a fan of the slushies. It was very refreshing and had great dry and fruity flavor. It’s not everyday you go somewhere that serves wine slushies. So I get a little excited every time I hear those words. Thank you, Tolino for serving these wonderful wine slushies. Cheers!
Spicy Ramen
Bacon tempura ramen
By this time, it was lunch time so we headed over to Mister Lee’s Noodles. This is not your traditional Ramen place. I’d say it’s more like fusion ramen. It’s a farm-to-table ramen bar with fresh noodles and uncommon things you’d find in a bowl of ramen..like fried chicken and tempura bacon. The chef plays with the basic Japanese bowl of ramen and combines it with western influences. The portions are generous. I got the the spicy ramen and my husband got the tempura bacon. Each bowl was packed with flavor. Though everything was a bit rich for us towards the end, it was still a great concept and we enjoyed our ramen thoroughly. It even comes with a neat little fortune-telling fish.
While we were waiting for our ramen to come out, I made a quick stop by Dundore and Heister to take a look at what meaty goodies they had in store. Dundore and Heister is an artisan butchery with Pennsylvania Dutch traditions. They carry many cuts of grass beef and lamb, as well as bone broth, meat pies, and jerky. The jerky looked really good, so I had to try it. I liked that the cuts were thin and flavorful, but not overly salty. It’s a nice change from the thick, tough cuts of jerky I’m used to eating. Ther meat sticks were pretty good too. The guy ringing me up said he had just made the jerky overnight. I could definitely taste the quality in the meat. Next time, I will try out one of their meat pies.
If I had more time, I would’ve tried more vendors, but alas, I only had 2 hours to spend here (that is very little time for someone who wants to indulge at very vendor at the market). The market would not be complete without a little farm-fresh mini grocery area.
Places not mentioned, but are worth trying (did not get to visit these vendors): Full of Crepe, Barred & Broody Bakery (so disappointed I forgot to pick up one of their delicious looking pies!), Eight Oaks Craft Distillers, More Than Q Barbecue, Scratch, and The TAZA Stop.
There you have it…my Friday morning experience at Easton Public Market. I came there at 10:30 am, so it wasn’t very crowded yet. There’s a play area for your little ones some small areas around the market with tables for eating and drinking. If you’re planning to visit Easton Public Market, come with a big appetite!
