In New York City, the holiday season is one of the busiest, buzziest, action-packed times of the year. You want to see the tree, bask in the lights, catch some topical entertainment and pop into a pop-up. And all of these offerings are all over the place, across boroughs and through the subway. Brooklyn’s Time Out Market, however, has oodles of options all under one roof.
Several of the Dumbo food hall’s splendid vendors have created celebratory specials in honor of the most wonderful time of the year. Some are super spot-on the wintery wonderland theme, some are simply limited to the next several weeks, and they’re all available right on the first and fifth toasty floors of 55 Water Street, where you can cheers to the frosty air from the warmth of the great indoors.
Clinton St. Baking Co.
Hugged by a cozy nook facing beautiful Brooklyn Bridge Park, famed Clinton St. (which first opened on the Lower East Side in 2001) has a peppermint hot chocolate ($7) to defrost your icy fingers and delight your palate. This cocoa is emboldened by whole milk, peppermint Schnapps syrup (booze-free) and whipped cream, all ornamented with a sprinkle of crushed peppermint candy.
Pat LaFrieda
Imagine you’re Santa gliding toward the glittering NYC skyline from the rooftop view at Pat LaFrieda, which looks out on the East River and Manhattan beyond. You can also sample the top meat purveyor’s cranberry chicken melt ($17), with seared chicken, cranberry sauce, pickled onions, arugula, provolone cheese and mayo on a baguette.
Wayla
Wonderful Wayla is always a winner and its crab fried rice ($23) will put a twinkle in your eye that shines like a snowflake. Jasmine rice, white onion, carrot, scallion and butter are all in the cretaceous mix.
The Migrant Kitchen
The chorizo and halloumi bowl at The Migrant Kitchen ($18) will have visions of holiday brunches dancing in your head at any time of day. It takes its titular halloumi cheese, house-made chorizo, adds chickpeas, potatoes and roasted pepper, and tops it all with a fried egg.
La Bella Ferrara
Little Italy icon La Bella Ferrara joined the market from Manhattan earlier this year, bringing all manner of cannoli options over the bridge. Its present special is a fun zag from its classic confectionaries: rum baba with vanilla custard.
Dough
NYC favorite oversized doughnut maker Dough is always innovating with new flavors, and now it’s especially on-the-nose. It has gingerbread, white chocolate and peppermint cannoli-filled, crushed pistachio-topped treats ($5.75-$5.95) for this magical moment.
Sugar Hill Creamery
Sweet Sugar Hill spins inventive ice cream flavors here and at its Harlem locations all year long, and it’s heating things up for these colder months. Sip an ice cream hot chocolate ($7.75) topped with marshmallow fluff without even needing a spoon. Sugar Hill’s also stocked with peppermint bark ice cream cakes ($41.95) to be the star of all your yearend parties.
Jacob’s Pickles
Popular for southern-influenced savories here and on the Upper West Side, Jacob’s Pickles has sweets for the season. Its “Munchy Crunchy” Christmas cookie ($4) includes candy bar bits in cookie form.
Ivy Stark Mexology
Hark back to your favorite family holiday recipes with this butternut squash tamale with mole coloradito ($7) at Ivy Stark Mexology’s center-market location right on Time Out Market’s first floor.
Forninio
“The art and science of pizza” always meet here, and this December they’re joined by cheer at Fornino. Its Cosenza pie ($24) is piled with butternut squash, n'duja, fontina d'Aosta, burrata, oregano and spicy honey.
Bubusan
The market’s sushi maker, known for its fresh fish and Instagrammable packaging, has added a kaleidoscopic chirashi bowl ($26) to its photogenic options. It’s a bowl full of tuna, salmon, hamachi, tuna, avocado, scallion, shiso, ginger and tobiko, with enough variety that every elf will want to take a bite.