If you want to capture some sense of what Brooklyn is or what Brooklyn is becoming, the Brooklyn Flea Market is a good place to start. While antiques and handicrafts are the main focus of the market, the food vendors are equally as enchanting. They’re reason enough to come and hang around and ponder over this weird sponge that Brooklyn has become. I consider the borough the foodiest place in America. There is more going on here than one would expect: organic rooftop farms, farmer’s markets, distilleries, indie bakeshops, Bacon Marmalade, sustainable butchers, Kombucha making classes, and of course Red Hook Soccer Tacos. New gastronomic ideas are being created every day in Brooklyn and the Flea is ground zero.

A month or so ago, just after I got back to New York from a couple of months in South America, I watched the movie The Ramen Girl with my wife at our apartment. The movie stars Brittany Murphy, who follows here DJ boyfriend to Tokyo, and is then dumped. Heartbroken and confused, knowing nothing about Japanese culture, she walks into a late night Ramen joint and with the bowl of Ramen she experiences a deep comfort and her soul is instantly warmed. The next day she returns to the Ramen shop and pleads with the owner, a Ramen master, to teach her to make Ramen. The grumpy owner refuses but eventually gives in and Murphy becomes something of a daughter to him and he teaches her all he knows.

Jet Blue’s $800 million Terminal 5 at New York’s Kennedy airport is what might be the holy grail of American airport dining. Most of the typical fast casual chains and fast food regulars – only Jamba Juice and Dunkin Donuts appear – are missing, but in their place are many carefully chosen restaurants whose menus were designed by prominent New York chefs and independent restaurateurs.

Latin Fusion restaurants are common in New York and other major North American cities. While there are many traditional restaurants that focus on a particular country or region such as Peru or Oaxaca, the majority of Latin restaurants that go upscale are widely traveled. They pull dishes, cooking styles, and ingredients from so many different places in the region that as a result you are unable to tell exactly where the food and the chef is based or comes from.

A historic biscuit factory turned sleek foodie hangout with high priced epicurean treats, big name eateries, and tasteful shops and cafes. It’s a convenient Westside stop for the gourmand, but not a must see New York attraction by any means.