Reasons why New York Sucks



romafan said:

Agata&V

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best fresh squeezed orange juice in the city, and i pay dearly for it ($9.99 for a half gallon)



and yes, i have done comparison taste testing of various fresh squeezed orange juices throughout the city's markets. Citarella is a close second.



aravenel said:

I have actually never been to the USQ farmer's market amazingly enough.

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past 11 AM and it's just a zoo of people.


I was last there a few months ago, I needed sorrel. Foof was with me, actually.

I like walking through it during the day if I can escape work. Lots of eye-candy.



StephenHero said:

Union Market is the only grocery store chain I look forward to going to. It's a tightly run ship. The Korean stores around Brooklyn are a great value. That market on Essex is a bundle of fun too, but I've only browsed.

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I thought you moved.



dopey said:

Foo: we use a combination of Fairway, Trader Joes, Fresh Direct and West Side Market. Citarella very rarely and West Side Market only a little bit more often. I asked because I assume Fresh Direct is the Devil, but don't really know. It has to be absurdly overpriced, but my wife insists it really isn't. I don't think we have used Gristede's or Food Emporium more than five times total in the six years we have lived on the UWS.

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Gristede's is terrible. I don't know how they stay in business. Less-than-mediocre quality. combined with ridiculous pricing.

We use FreshDirect from time to time. The vegetables are of the very large, shiny, unmarred supermarket variety. Perfectly fine for ordinary cooking, but nothing special. The meat errs on being too lean. The short ribs are almost always disappointing for that reason. Essentially, it's geared toward bland eaters who think giant chunks of umarbled ruby-red meat and humongous over-breasted chickens signify high quality.

I am always wary of giant vegetables. In my mind it is nothing but a bunch of chemicals and hormones. I have no idea if there is any merit to it being bad for you, but in my yuppie bubble I have accepted that, small, ugly fruit and vegetables will turn me into Popeye and cleanse my body of all disease, bigotry, racism, and hysteria.



mafoofan said:

Gristede's is terrible. I don't know how they stay in business. Less-than-mediocre quality. combined with ridiculous pricing.

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they seem to be carried along by old ladies who have rent controlled apartments and seems to not know that Fairway exists.



patrickBOOTH said:

UNSQ Farmers Market is absurdly expensive. The markets in Brooklyn, while smaller are always not only low priced, but quite a steal.

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this depends - yes, if you get e.g. the organic flying pig pork chops or the windfall handharveted microgreens (&much the 'organic' stuff), but most of the produce, the fish guys & places like quattro game are reasonable...

it is unfortunately a real 'must visit' destination (witness :foo: venturing below 57th st) - i would never go after 9 a.m. you can also take your chances at the end of the day when a lot of stuff is gone but you can get some really good deals on remainders

produce can be had on the cheap there, though there are some venders that will squeeze your wallet by the balls. I remember one guy was there selling only ramps, but they were like $7 for these two little bunches. total rip off.



i visit a NYC greenmarket that's in my neighborhood every saturday instead. there's fewer vendors and all, but not having to get on a weekend subway train and not having to deal with weekend Union Square pedestrians is always a big plus.



gomestar said:

produce can be had on the cheap there, though there are some venders that will squeeze your wallet by the balls. I remember one guy was there selling only ramps, but they were like $7 for these two little bunches. total rip off.



i visit a NYC greenmarket that's in my neighborhood every saturday instead. there's fewer vendors and all, but not having to get on a weekend subway train and not having to deal with weekend Union Square pedestrians is always a big plus.

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I bought a bunch of arugula at one of the vendors for two salads (a big one for me a normal one for the lady) and it cost me $26. When he told me the price I had too much pride to say, no ******* way so I swallowed hard and enjoyed every bite of that golden arugula.

for $26, i hope Jesus personally picked it




and I'm with you on the pride thing. that's how I once ended up with a $12 pint of ice cream.

Fairway has great oils/vinegars/cheese/charcuterie and their great baguette. Their produce is garbage. Their "prime" meats are mediocre and the seafood is never that good. Whole Foods has better produce, prepared foods and for those with families like me, they have great deals of "family" packs of various organic meats. Although most of my meat needs uhoh are met by Florence. The Whole Foods outside of NYC have the added advantage of selling quality wine/liqour. The farmers market in USQ, at least last time I was there, is awful. Too many people, prices to high etc. There are better farmers mkts in the city.


As for $12 pints of ice cream, after lunch in the meatpacking district, we bumped into a stand selling sno cones. 2 adult and 2 kid sno cones were $38.

Where do you gents go to buy beer?



patrickBOOTH said:

I bought a bunch of arugula at one of the vendors for two salads (a big one for me a normal one for the lady) and it cost me $26. When he told me the price I had too much pride to say, no ******* way so I swallowed hard and enjoyed every bite of that golden arugula.

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that sounds like windfall - beautiful stuff (and the 'coarser/bigger' greens, while a little dear, are a bargain compared to the primo level



GreenFrog said:

Where do you gents go to buy beer?

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I used to drink beer, then my dad got a job.