after strolling through the place, my impression is that a lot of these stalls will be gone within a year. lots of "commodity" fruit/veggie sellers. need a watermelon in the loop? now you have a place to go.

i suspect the big winners will be the places that sell ready to eat food.

jesteinf wrote:Just got back from a very bustling French Market and am enjoying a sandwich from Pastoral at my desk (with some coconut macaroons from Delightful Pastries for later). I thought the vendors were doing a nice job today considering the crowds. I also thought the meat and fish looked really good and I look forward to next summer when I can pick stuff up to grill at home. All in all, an outstanding addition to the city.

Josh,

Is the meat and fish being sold fresh, or is the the same frozen stuff they bring to the farmers markets?

Walked over to French Market to check it out...what a cool place! As expected, opening day was utter bedlam. The place was jam-packed with media, curious lunch-seekers, and hordes of aisle-blocking, cellphone-chatting, Blackberry-scrolling, sauntering gawkers

Some pics:

The entrance, nestled between a couple sets of Metra platform stairs.


Fresh fruits, plus a case of some very nice-looking fresh lamb & Tallgrass beef (among other things) right near the entrance. A case of extremely fresh-looking fish is just past the meats.


Another fruit stand, with an extremely busy Dobra in the background in the Delightful Pastries kiosk. Just after taking this pic, I popped over there to pick up a little somethin'-somethin' sweet for after lunch (went with a piece of moist & tasty banana bread).


Tons of people - the group on the left is queued up for charcuterie samples from Fumare (which were delicious - I snagged a couple while waiting for my sandwich).


Pastoral is 100% up and running - my Canard Balsamico sandwich was perfect! Luckily, I got my order in just before this ridiculous line formed. (I blacked out the face of the girl in the foreground after I got back to the office and noticed that I'd caught her mining for nose gold)

It pleases me to no end to have a Pastoral outpost 1.5 blocks from my office. However, I'm also looking forward to trying the Vietnamese place (which sadly had a sign on the counter that said "Not Open Until 1:30")...banh mi for lunch would rock. The crêpe place next to Delightful Pastries looked interesting also, and a big, fancy Lavazza counter will be handy when I inevitably get sick of my office's novel-but-mediocre Flavia coffee. And Dobra's presence there will no doubt encourage my sweet tooth (which is a good and bad thing).

stevez wrote:

jesteinf wrote:Just got back from a very bustling French Market and am enjoying a sandwich from Pastoral at my desk (with some coconut macaroons from Delightful Pastries for later). I thought the vendors were doing a nice job today considering the crowds. I also thought the meat and fish looked really good and I look forward to next summer when I can pick stuff up to grill at home. All in all, an outstanding addition to the city.

Josh,

Is the meat and fish being sold fresh, or is the the same frozen stuff they bring to the farmers markets?

All fresh. I think the Trib said that the fish is being brought in daily at 4am.

I just wanted to add that although the line at Pastoral was long, they were doing an outstanding job of managing things (at least as best they could). It looked like many of the employees were veterans from the Lakeview store so that certainly helped. They had one person working the line and taking orders. You would hand your order slip to the cashier, pay, and then wait for your sandwich. My sandwich was actually done pretty quickly after I paid. I give them a lot of credit for avoiding what could have been a total clusterf**k. This was all at around noon.

jesteinf wrote:I just wanted to add that although the line at Pastoral was long, they were doing an outstanding job of managing things (at least as best they could). It looked like many of the employees were veterans from the Lakeview store so that certainly helped. They had one person working the line and taking orders. You would hand your order slip to the cashier, pay, and then wait for your sandwich. My sandwich was actually done pretty quickly after I paid. I give them a lot of credit for avoiding what could have been a total clusterf**k. This was all at around noon.

Agreed. Out of all the places slammed by crowds & long lines, Pastoral stood out as the one place that was working like a well-oiled machine. My sandwich took less time to prepare than it normally does at the Lake/Wabash location.

jesteinf wrote:

stevez wrote:

jesteinf wrote:Just got back from a very bustling French Market and am enjoying a sandwich from Pastoral at my desk (with some coconut macaroons from Delightful Pastries for later). I thought the vendors were doing a nice job today considering the crowds. I also thought the meat and fish looked really good and I look forward to next summer when I can pick stuff up to grill at home. All in all, an outstanding addition to the city.

Josh,

Is the meat and fish being sold fresh, or is the the same frozen stuff they bring to the farmers markets?

All fresh. I think the Trib said that the fish is being brought in daily at 4am.

To me, this is the biggest deal of them all. Seriously. My favorite impulse buy -- a whole fish on the way home. Lord knows I've thought about bringing a fish back to my hotel room in NY, Philly, Seattle . . .

PS, the idea of Fumare is great -- a collection of smoked and cured meats from around the city. I'd rather have a well-curated selection of ethnic charcuterie than a nuovo-salumeria of the sort that people often pine for on the boards. I'm eager to see whose stuff they got. (Is Da Riv too much to hope for? Paulina? Romanian? Beograd?)

Khaopaat wrote:The place was jam-packed with media, curious lunch-seekers, and hordes of aisle-blocking, cellphone-chatting, Blackberry-scrolling, sauntering gawkers

Which of these classifications applies to you?

=R=

ronnie_suburban wrote:

Khaopaat wrote:The place was jam-packed with media, curious lunch-seekers, and hordes of aisle-blocking, cellphone-chatting, Blackberry-scrolling, sauntering gawkers

Which of these classifications applies to you?

=R=

Considering I was there for lunch while looking around and taking pics on my iPhone with the intention of writing up a report on the place, I'd say I fit into the "Chinatown lunch special" category...pick an item from each column

3:45 Just returned from a lunch-seeking, sauntering gawk-through.
Lots of fun. Crowds very much diminished so one could really stroll and look and chat.
Very much enjoyed the not-quite-ready-to-open-but-what-the-hey vibe infusing the area. Went straight over to the Saigon Sisters and was cheerfully informed that they had completely sold out of banh mi. (The more surprising as it says up-thread that they didn't even open up till 1:30.)
Chatted with the friendly and now very available counter lady. She said that they will be getting in pho. They will make it themselves in the kitchen of Pho Xe Lua and bring it down. Only a basic chicken and basic beef, not all the various types.

The taqueria can't take plastic yet, so I was defeated there.

The Korean stall seemed to be idle, whether sold out or just closed, it was hard to say.
Had very nice visit at Fumare: Picked up some Gypsy Bacon which the prop. described as double-smoked and peppered and fully ready-to-eat, not to fry. It looks disconcertingly like raw bacon, but I took him at his word. With the description, i expected a much bolder flavor. It's all very light and delicate but very nice. $6.99/lb. (as I recall).
There were several other bacon-esque products which he described as "very lightly" smoked. If that meant lighter than the Gypsy, then I would think it was barely discernible. Also tasted the kielbasa and two stick sausages, one pork, one veal. Bought the pork one. Very reasonable. $2 and change, I think, for one.

Went to the bread stall (whose name now escapes me) and brought back a foccaccia of candied lemon and rosemary. The counter girl said they olive oil the tops and butter the bottoms for a chewy texture, and so it proves. I could wish the candied note was a bit less, and the overall savoriness a bit more, but it's very nice. At $8 and change a bit pricey. The other breads included boules stuffed with an onion-balsamic jam and another stuffed with parm. and sun-dried tom. There were several other breads as well. As we talked two little girl faces popped up from behind the counter. I assumed they were hers, but in fact, she didn't now them or how they got there. They were beautifully dressed and incredibly cheeky, making free behind the counter as if in their own playroom. As it quickly turned out, they were French and belonged to a family who soon appeared to retrieve them. Dad scolded and one of the girls made an extraordinarily rude face at him.
I skipped Pastoral simply because I'm well acquainted with the. Lavazza looked very nice, offering coffe and gelato. Also skipped the chocolatier as I was in a meal mood and pressed for time.
Wanted to try at least a croissant at Vanille, but walked out and simply forgot to stop.
Was interested in the Wisconsin Cheese purveyor, but the counter was tall and I couldn't get anyone to notice me. Nor were there any prices or other signage posted, so I came away with no info there.

(I'm sorry to report that with every bite, as I type, the sweetness of the candied lemon foccaccia becomes more cloying. It might as well be served with High Tea. But I will certainly try some others in their line to see what they're like.)

I most enjoyed the clusters of machers in dark suits nervously mingling, hovering, watching how everything was going. Affects ranged from visiting impressario observing from an olympian height to anxious tenants' partners, and from old-world Shop-Around-the-Corner gemutlich, to cool Euro-contempo-entrepreneurial sophisticate.

All in all, while I would have expected there to be service glitches and people running out of food, I was surprised at the extent to which almost no one had things like price sheets, basic signage to identify product, and even the simplest brochures to take away. But, it's a very nice addition and I look forward to trying everything I missed today. Particularly the Asians. the overall effect is a bit like the market at Grand Central on a much smaller, less hyper-charged scale---with all the pros and cons that that might imply.

mrbarolo wrote:3:45 Just returned from a lunch-seeking, sauntering gawk-through.
Lots of fun. Crowds very much diminished so one could really stroll and look and chat.
Very much enjoyed the not-quite-ready-to-open-but-what-the-hey vibe infusing the area. Went straight over to the Saigon Sisters and was cheerfully informed that they had completely sold out of banh mi. (The more surprising as it says up-thread that they didn't even open up till 1:30.)
Chatted with the friendly and now very available counter lady. She said that they will be getting in pho. They will make it themselves in the kitchen of Pho Xe Lua and bring it down. Only a basic chicken and basic beef, not all the various types.



The Korean stall seemed to be idle, whether sold out or just closed, it was hard to say.

I must have gotten one of the last bahn mi sandwiches from Saigon Sisters. I liked it a lot.

The Korean stall ran out of rice around 1:30, and at that point people started turning away. They were doing a good business earlier in the day.

I was there around 6:30 tonight. After chatting with several of the vendors I know, it seems they were very happy with the opening. Vanille said they had to have five different truck deliveries unload, business was so good. No restaurant food stalls had any available food for purchase to eat when I was there, except sandwiches at Pastoral. My friend at Pastoral was thrilled with the way the day had gone. I really was hoping to taste the Belgian fries that were so highly touted, but I did not even see any signs of this booth. The fish guy said everything was brought in fresh that morning. It looked incredibly fresh. I wish them the best of luck.

Cinnamon Girl wrote: I really was hoping to taste the Belgian fries that were so highly touted, but I did not even see any signs of this booth.

Actually, their small sign was up but they weren't in business. Still waiting on equipment, which is very unfortunate as it seems this place is one of the more anticipated. Patience required, I guess.

I'm glad I missed the crowds. I got there around 4 pm. I was excited to try Raw, but alas they won't open until 12-12. I ate next door at the Mexican kiosk, Buen Appetito I believe.

I ordered the vegetarian taco meal w/ rice & beans. I watched as they placed a portabella mushroom on the grill along w/ zucchini, red peppers & onions, it took a while b/c my taco really was made-to-order. Total bill, w/ rice & black beans, was $4.46. It was good & I would do it again.

I'ts a bit of a walk for me now that winter is here, but I certainly see myself eating there & picking up tomatoes & sweet potatoes & salad greens on the way home, but the downtown farmstand, at Randolph & Wabash has quite a few of those items as well.

I look forward to trying the food at Raw w/ a side of fries.

Hey Khaopaat, I'm in your third photo! That's me at the Delightful Pastries counter with my back to the camera.

In any event, I was impressed by the market. While the feel isn't quite the same as the markets I've been to in Milwaukee and Toronto, it's certainly in the same spirit. There are a good number of bakeries, which surprised me a bit; I do think that the prepared food stalls will make a killing given the mediocre food options at the other Ogilvie food court.

Yesterday I had a ham + cheese + egg crepe for breakfast from Flip and enjoyed it. And for lunch I had a BLTA - prosciutto, greens, tomato, avocado and mayo sandwich - from Pastoral, which was just perfect. Pastoral had the longest line there as jesteinf pointed out, but they were also very efficient and friendly... a tough feat when you've got massive crowds there.

Looking forward to trying some more goodies as more vendors open up. Very pleased.

JeffB wrote:To me, this is the biggest deal of them all. Seriously. My favorite impulse buy -- a whole fish on the way home. Lord knows I've thought about bringing a fish back to my hotel room in NY, Philly, Seattle . . .

PS, the idea of Fumare is great -- a collection of smoked and cured meats from around the city. I'd rather have a well-curated selection of ethnic charcuterie than a nuovo-salumeria of the sort that people often pine for on the boards. I'm eager to see whose stuff they got. (Is Da Riv too much to hope for? Paulina? Romanian? Beograd?)

You know I thought totally of you when I hit the samples of Fumare for about the fifth time. This IS a place for JeffB. Oddly enough, or to their detriment I'd say, they have one of the smaller booths at the market. Given what they can offer, it would be good if they could offer more. The other thing about them, they were being cagey about where they were getting any specific product. And where was the Montreal smoked meat promised in the PR materials!

On the other hand, I never would have imagined you, or anyone, saying I'm an impulse fish buyer. I mean I can get it. There is something very enduring about a really nice looking piece of fish. Still, thought that was something we mostly kept to ourselves! I wish all the success to City Fresh in their purveyance of fresh fish. They had a whole Atlantic wild salmon. Something hard to find in Boston these days. It was previously frozen, they admitted, but it looked like a hell of a piece of meat. Most of the other stuff was fillets, which hardly inspires take-out. Yet, yet, to this locavore, there was also a row of very nice, very freshly red, whitefish. I'm not sure the crowd at MetraMarket shops like their customers on Devon, but this was fish to buy.

I hope you are right JeffB, that people will be inspired to grab some fresh fish. As I noted the other day on the Local Beet, the stated mission is to fulfill something Chicago needed to be a "Global City". They made this point right off the bat in the official speeches yesterday. In Da Mare's eyes, Global Cities bid for the Olympics and Global Cities have Permanent Indoor Markets. Will the shoppers of our community be as accepting as the IOC?

To Steve, the meats are not "farmer's market meats" like Mint Creek or Arnolds or anyone else you would see at Green City or a Winter Market. City Fresh is selling the Miller Amish chickens from Indiana, which gets my local stamp of approval, and they are selling Bill Curtis's Tallgrass beef, not so much local as local in spirit. Not bad stuff, yet to meet Daley's aspirations, should they not have a butcher that's carving away at whole beasts. After all, the presence of much carcass is one of the big appeals of Cleveland's West Side Market (in fact any "real" market). I mean what's a market without some hanging guts for sale?

Vital Information wrote:To Steve, the meats are not "farmer's market meats" like Mint Creek or Arnolds or anyone else you would see at Green City or a Winter Market. City Fresh is selling the Miller Amish chickens from Indiana, which gets my local stamp of approval, and they are selling Bill Curtis's Tallgrass beef, not so much local as local in spirit. Not bad stuff, yet to meet Daley's aspirations, should they not have a butcher that's carving away at whole beasts. After all, the presence of much carcass is one of the big appeals of Cleveland's West Side Market (in fact any "real" market). I mean what's a market without some hanging guts for sale?

I'm more than excited that somone is actually selling fresh meat and fish at a Chicago "farmer-style" market. The frozen stuff at Green City and other farmers markets is just plain unacceptable to me. I'm looking forward to getting down there on my next downtown sojurn.

JeffB wrote:I'd rather have a well-curated selection of ethnic charcuterie than a nuovo-salumeria of the sort that people often pine for on the boards.

Jeff,

Look no further than Fresh Farms in Niles. An amazing array of charcuterie from around the globe, in particular Eastern Europe. Three types of basturma/pasturma, multiple bacons, many types of local sausage, Hungarian brand, Andy's, Bobak's, Schmeissers, and a number of others. And this is only the cold case vacsealed product, not the by the pound deli case. Seriously, there has to be a fifty or more, not counting various dried/smoked/salted fish.

Speaking of fish, the fresh fish case includes, and I am beginning to sound like an advert, a ridiculously large bounty of fresh clear eyed fish, shrimp, clams, snails, oysters, octopus, even lively blue crab. I've only seen a larger selection at H-Mart, and I like the general quality better at Fresh Farms.

This is not to say I'm not looking forward to checking out the French Market, but I highly suggest you fire up the Vespa and motor over to Fresh Farms, Niles.

Enjoy,
Gary

I had a nice time at the opening yesterday. I got there around 12:30 which was a pretty bad idea, in hindsight, as that's when the crowd seems to be the largest. I can't wait to go back and try some of the food that I saw!
More pictures on my flickr page.


Truffles at Canady le Chocolatier


Meats at Fumare


Kolachky and what appeared to be a Jelly Roll from Provo's Village Bake Shoppe


And Flip Crepes. I stood there for a good 5 minutes waiting for them to use the damed flip machine, but they never did.

I also ran in to David Hammond. I'd never met him before, but when I walked by him I thought his face looked familiar. (Though, to be honest, I wasn't sure it was him until I recognized his hat.)

G Wiv wrote:

JeffB wrote:I'd rather have a well-curated selection of ethnic charcuterie than a nuovo-salumeria of the sort that people often pine for on the boards.

Jeff,

Look no further than Fresh Farms in Niles. An amazing array of charcuterie from around the globe, in particular Eastern Europe. Three types of basturma/pasturma, multiple bacons, many types of local sausage, Hungarian brand, Andy's, Bobak's, Schmeissers, and a number of others. And this is only the cold case vacsealed product, not the by the pound deli case. Seriously, there has to be a fifty or more, not counting various dried/smoked/salted fish.

Speaking of fish, the fresh fish case includes, and I am beginning to sound like an advert, a ridiculously large bounty of fresh clear eyed fish, shrimp, clams, snails, oysters, octopus, even lively blue crab. I've only seen a larger selection at H-Mart, and I like the general quality better at Fresh Farms.

This is not to say I'm not looking forward to checking out the French Market, but I highly suggest you fire up the Vespa and motor over to Fresh Farms, Niles.

Enjoy,
Gary

I'll have to do that soon. I hadn't realized. Unfortunately, Niles is not a place I get to regularly, and traffic up that way is a challenge on the weekends, if I remember correctly. The problem for me with trips to Caputo's, Westbrook, H Mart, Mitsuwa, Patel Bros, etc. is that, sure, some cured meat, lentils or jars of sour cherry compote will travel and keep. It's the fresh stuff that I'm excited to have in the Loop where I and millions of other people pass through every day and can grab a fish, a bunch of flowers, and so on without making a whole day of it.

JeffB wrote:It's the fresh stuff that I'm excited to have in the Loop where I and millions of other people pass through every day and can grab a fish, a bunch of flowers, and so on without making a whole day of it.

That's the concept. A lot of us tend to "stock up" on groceries during weekends or a few times a month, but the French Market is really encouraging shopping on what is more the model in Europe, Asia and elsewhere -- you buy fresh more frequently, and most critically, you can do that more easily because the market is right there, by the Metra, by the Clinton El stop, and in the middle of many offices and residences.

Khaopaat wrote:However, I'm also looking forward to trying the Vietnamese place (which sadly had a sign on the counter that said "Not Open Until 1:30")...banh mi for lunch would rock.

Do not go expecting Argyle pricing on the banh mi -- appeared to be $7 per sandwich. Still cheaper than Pastoral's sandwiches and perhaps necessary in light of the rents alluded to by Cinnamon Girl above, but about a 2x mark-up on Argyle pricing.

I gotta say that I left somewhat disappointed in the place. That said, I want this market to succeed. First thing I noticed, wow, for $8 million in TIF funds, I expected a little more atmosphere (the main seating area is small and, currently, is as characterless as can be imagined).

First noticed that Saigon Sisters were only serving banh mi and spring rolls--no pho. Then searched for the Belgian fries--like someone said, a sign, but otherwise completely empty as of today (why all the mentions in the lead up articles, then?).

Decided on the banh mi, got in the long line, and suddenly realized, as Matt mentioned, that wait a second, a banh mi more than TWICE the price of Ba Le? I then noticed that they weren't scooping out some of the inside of the bread, which suggested that creating the best banh mi possible was not exactly the priority, despite the $7 price. The vegetable ingredients being added to the meat looked scant. I left.

I'll go back when the fries are ready.

majorlance wrote:First thing I noticed, wow, for $8 million in TIF funds, I expected a little more atmosphere.

That's 12 million in TIF funds.

As I wrote elsewhere, it seems this place will be a boon to West Loop residents and Northwestern commuters, but it doesn't serve the role of the central marketplace so many of us have hankered after. The focus is more on prepared meals than on raw ingredients, it's not big enough and the prices seem high. Reading Terminal Market in Philadelphia has three times as many vendors, and you don't pay more than twice the price for a cheesesteak there as you would in a neighborhood stand.

I'd like to see the old Post Office facility over the expressway converted to a marketplace. Plenty of room there for all kinds of vendors and parking.

We stopped in yesterday afternoon. The place was busy, but not like in the photos above.

We had the bahn mi. $21 for two sandwiches and bottled water was a bit surprising. We got a loaf of raisin bread from the bread vendor (who's name I forget) and it was delicious. A bouquet of fresh flowers for $8 was a nice find. Disappointed that the fries place wasn't ready to go.

I visited the Milwaukee market this past summer and was expecting something similar. It was nice, but not quite as much unique products as I was hoping for.

LAZ wrote:As I wrote elsewhere, it seems this place will be a boon to West Loop residents and Northwestern commuters,

And people working in the Loop looking for quality lunch options, and people working in the Loop going to Ravinia and looking to pick up picnic supplies, and people working in the Loop who want to pick up some nice fresh meat or fish to throw on the grill for dinner...

So yeah, I guess it mainly benefits those who live or work in or near the Loop but, well, that's a lot of people. I do think that, overall, we're better off with it than without it. Also, the place has been open for less than a week. Let's see how it evolves.

CCCB wrote:It doesn’t appear there’s going to be a wine shop, but CVS sells wine so it will be possible to pick up everything for a splurge dinner on the way home.

The guys at Pastoral said they'll be carrying wine sometime soon, maybe by next week.

Tried the 7-layer cookies from Delightful Pastries and the chocolate and almond croissants from Vanille. The selection of baked goods is quite nice, and I'll make return visits mainly for breads and pastries.

I had the infamous $7 banh mi for lunch yesterday. It's a good sandwich (taken on its own merits), but probably just an ok banh mi. I had the "classic" but there's also a pork belly version that looks fantastic. I'm going to give that one a try next.

jesteinf wrote:I had the infamous $7 banh mi for lunch yesterday. It's a good sandwich (taken on its own merits), but probably just an ok banh mi. I had the "classic" but there's also a pork belly version that looks fantastic. I'm going to give that one a try next.

It sounds like we're on a similar wavelength when it comes to French Market lunches - first the Pastoral/Delightful Pastries combo on opening day, then the "Classic" bahn mi yesterday.

I don't have a problem paying $7 for a bahn mi in theory, considering how much their overhead costs...however, I was very disappointed in how stingy they were with my sandwich. The meat layer was very, very thin, the pate was almost imperceptible, the vegetables were meager, and the sandwich featured exactly two slices of jalapeno. My coworker who walked over there with me got the same sandwich, and we ran into each other at the office vending machine around 2:30.

I'd like to give the crêpe place a shot, and look forward to sampling some frites, but other than that it looks like most of my French Market lunches will come from Pastoral going forward.