City Hall Farmers Market

4 out of 5 Stars

901 Bagby
Houston, TX 77002
(713) 880-5540

Instead of my usual lunch hour, my friends and I evacuated our cubicles for CULTURE HOUR....right in the middle of City Hall (every Wednesday).

We concluded our short walk from our building to the smell of piping hot sausages (which we came to find out were grass fed burgers courtesy of Georgia's Farm to Market) - one of the 40+ vendors today.

Blue and white tents bordered the beautiful reflection pool consisting of everything from various cheese suppliers (like Houston Dairy Maids), to fresh produce (less common), to tamales, breads (Slow Dough), meats (Revival), tacos (Fusion Taco Truck), crepes (Melange), and other unique specialties.

Performing on the steps of City Hall was a great meringue band, and while I didn't see any lawyers from Vinson & Elkins salsa dancing, there were several others (me) doing some shimmying to the Latin beat.

Was it crowded? Yes, BUT, the crowd was hovering way below the uncomfortably annoying line. It was difficult to get our sample on during prime time 12 - 12:30. But come after, and samples are aplenty! Unlike most farmer's markets - the majority of the crowd was there to dine, not shop.

We finally settled on a hot lunch from Nisha's Quick N Ezee Indian Food which also sells samosas, naan, chutney etc. to take home. They only offered one dish for lunch- ginger chicken, veggies, rice and naan for a fair $8.

While I ADORED the samples on the product side of their stand passed out by Nisha herself, our lunch was rather underwhelming (boo). While I enjoyed the veggies, the carnivore in me found the chicken CRAZY dry even though it was bathed in a mildly spicy sauce. The rice was also insanely dry and flavorless even though it had been cooked with onions. Even the naan failed - where is that bite as light as air I has been craving? Regardless, I'd give them another try.

By the time we aimed for some Melange crepes as a sweet ending to a sad meal, they were out of batter. Also sold out - the goat cheese chocolate truffles from a nearby cheese stand.

Despite all of our first time fails, I ADORED the Farmer's Market. A great atmosphere with TONS of Houston Flavor (IE a complete melting pot). I would like to see more Asian representation - Urban Harvest, get on it!

So City Hall Farmer's Market - next week, we've got a date. Same Place. Earlier time (gotta ensure crepe amazingess).