Mac & I firmly believe in date night. Even when the boys were little we made sure we went somewhere without them at least every other month or so. Sometimes it was just to Wal-Mart, but let’s be real; what parent doesn’t want to go to Wal-Mart without their kids?? It’s not that the boys were bad or yelled and caused scenes, it’s just that sometimes, you want to be alone; as much as you can be in Wal-Mart.
Our date nights became more frequent as they boys got older. Since we’re empty nesters and we love to eat out, we make it a point to go someplace neither of us have been so it’s an adventure for both of us at least once a month. This week our date was to Ponce City Market.
The Market is located in the Old Fourth Ward in the historic Sears & Roebuck Building. The building was built in 1926 and in 2014 began the process of transformation into flats, stores and restaurants. If I had to describe the Market in three words they would be ‘hip’, ‘loud’, and ‘fun’. The Central Food Hall was were all the action was. You can find everything from burgers to seafood to kimchi (Simply Seoul Kitchen) and the ultimate after-dining treat, King of Pops!
The stores were a little pricey for our budget but they were fun to window shop at. My favorite boutique was Citizen Supply. It’s a compilation of hand-crafted clothes, leather goods, toys and artwork that were very, very good. Mac’s favorite was Simply Seoul Kitchen. He loves Asian food and is always on the lookout for kimchi. Kimchi is a traditional fermented Korean side dish made of vegetables with a variety of seasonings. It is definitely an acquired taste and good kimchi can be hard to find. At Simply Seoul, they sell the traditional cabbage kimchi and daikon radish kimchi and both are phenomenal! Don’t take it to work though; your co-workers will not be happy with the way the smell of your lunch permeates every space in the building.
For dinner we had the Featured Burger at H&F Burgers. We love burgers, but this had slaw on it so was way out side our comfort zone. The menu said it was a “house made blend of pork shoulder, beef chuck & brisket, local smoked gouda, house made KC style BBQ sauce, pepper slaw, buttermilk dipped onion rings and dill pickles.” Oh my… it was excellent!! We were both very pleased we took the chance. It wasn’t your normal slaw and paired perfectly with the BBQ sauce. The burger was perfectly seasoned and so juicy – we needed hand wipes when we were done.
If you get the chance go. It is a fun place to people-watch and just chill. One suggestion would be to use Valet parking. For only $8/4 hours, it is well worth it to avoid the hassle of self-parking. Also, I didn’t think it was the most child friendly of places on a Saturday night simply because the longer we were there the busier and more crowded it became. If you went around lunch it would probably be fine. There’s a slide on the roof so if you take your kids, make sure not to miss it.
You can find additional information on the Market, plus search classes they give (i.e. pasta making classes) at Ponce City Market.
My Crazy McLife 