The next time your family is bickering about where and what to eat on vacation, suggest a progressive dinner.
I know, you think progressive dinners mean forays in the neighborhood, one house for appetizers, another for the main course and another for dessert. That’s not what I’m suggesting. I’m talking about the latest urban dining trend your tweens and teens will especially love, as well as all the picky eaters in your family.
Trust me, as we discovered at Stanley Marketplace just outside of Denver, it’s a great bet for sampling local eats, supporting locally-owned businesses and pleasing every member of the family — not easy to accomplish.
Welcome to food halls. You’ll find them in major and smaller cities, with more opening all the time, in re-purposed historic buildings like The Ferry Building on San Francisco’s waterfront with it’s famous farmer’s market outdoors; Pike Place Market founded in 1907 and where Starbucks first opened its doors in 1971; Indianapolis City Market where a farmer’s market has operated since 1866; the Bourse in Philadelphia ,which has re-purposed an exchange founded in 1891; Quincy Market in Boston, one of the oldest in the country dating back to the early 1800s, and the new massive Tin Building by Jean-Georges located in lower Manhattan’s historic Seaport with multiple restaurants with open kitchens, retail and a central market with locally sourced seafood, meats, cheeses and seasonal seafood. DC’s Union Station, with three levels of dining and shopping, is visited by 40 million people a year.
