I have eaten lunch at the giant food court that is the City Hall Farmer's Market numerous times,…read moreand Pure Catering finally won me over.
When facing City Hall, Pure Catering is located on the Northwest side of the farmer's market. If you really want to enjoy your experience with Pure catering, however, get here early, as the line fills up quickly.
The menu at Pure is simple, yet alluring. The names of the dishes have clever little titles, like "ruby beef" or "emerald chicken." I don't know if that is correct or not, but it sounds about right. Each dish is made to order, which is why you need to get there early. If Pure has a fault, it is that when the line gets long, Chef James and his partner can get woefully backed up. The second time I went there, I was told my food would take five minutes. Twenty minutes later, I was picking it up. Another reason you need to get there early is that they are prone to run out of the more popular dishes. The first time I dined with Pure, they had run out of both the chicken and the beef, so I instead got the lentils. A note, though: I would go for the meat dishes over the lentils. More bang for your buck.
Each dish is well constructed, with a protein, some veggies, and some grains. The appeal to me is obvious. You get a nice, healthy entree for only $5. Be warned, though, the portion is not large. If you're wanting it as your only source of food for lunch, I would look to supplement this with some sort of side dish. Perhaps a nice, unhealthy quiche from Canopy?
Beware, though: things can get a bit disorganized at the stand. People crowd around like annoying, starving zombies or something. So, keep an eye on your food and make sure someone doesn't swipe it. My friend had her food taken and it pushed our wait experience into the unacceptably long time-frame.
Pure Catering can be summed up as follows: arrive early, get the chicken or beef, and keep an eye on your food. The end.