Union Market

Ian and I met up with our friend Courtney this afternoon to grab lunch at the newly opened Union Market. Restaurants and food stands are intermingled with produce vendors, butchers, a flower stand, wine store, and a home goods shop to name a few of the over 40 artisan vendors.

Ian and Courtney both tried the Korean tacos. They said they were very good, although they both prefer the beef taco.

 

I tried a smoked hummus and apple sandwich (with an orange soda, of course), and sadly I have to say that the smokiness of the hummus was completely overpowering and I was only able to eat about half the sandwich.  Maybe I'll try the Mediterranean food stall next time.

Along with lunch, we also picked up some fresh produce and meat for dinner this week. 

One thing that I liked about the market was that the personality of each of the vendors really came through. The stalls and restaurants all had different signage and design so nothing seemed cookie cutter.

 

Margaret and I did a little bit of consulting work with the developer. We recommended a local artist, Dan Steinhilber, to creature a custom chandelier for the main entrance and we were thrilled when they selected him.  Dan often uses consumer materials in his art and this chandelier was made using water bottles. As part of the project, the developers asked Dan to take on a local high school art student as an apprentice for the duration of the project.  You can read more about the project here.

The area around the market is pretty industrial and I'll be curious to see the impact of the market on the rest of the neighborhood. This is the view across the street from the market: