Reasons why New York Sucks

[Manton]

my fairway is gigantic but it's the same story, they are always restocking and half the aisles are impassable at any given time.

Whole Foods is way more orderely but they just don't carry so many necessities that I can't shop there exclusively.

 

[aravenel]

Agree re: Fairway. It's good for staples if they have it in stock. The one in Brooklyn isn't too bad if you have a car--we have friends near us with one that shop there regularly, every now and then we go with them and stock up on non-perishables.

Whole Foods is good for produce and meat and seafood. Just about anything else there is overpriced, and like Manton said, you definitely can't do all your shopping there.

We use a combination of a local greengrocer than I love, Union Market (see rant above), and a Met Food near us for staples (milk etc).

 

[patrickBOOTH]

The worst as far as prices hands down has got to be Dean and Deluca.

 

[dopey]

What about Fresh Direct? Anyone use that?

 

[patrickBOOTH]

Great produce and meats are just too convenient for me to use Fresh Direct honestly.

 

[tropics]

i live next door to a trader joe's. very handy to run down on a tuesday at 8.30 AM and have the place to myself.

thursday evening through monday it is a nightmare.

outside of that i do top ups in sahadi's, such a great store.

 

[aravenel]



What about Fresh Direct? Anyone use that?

Great produce and meats are just too convenient for me to use Fresh Direct honestly.

We actually used to use FreshDirect in our last apartment because we were pretty far from stores I liked. On the whole, we really liked it. Our biggest issue with it was that you can't pick the produce you get, so sometimes you get really unripe bananas or avocados or whatever. Meat and seafood is good though. Prices a bit steep, but not out of the ordinary for New York, and the convenience is definitely nice.

But, like pB, we now live within three blocks of a good greengrocer and four from a great butcher, so we haven't used them in quite some time.

 

[TheFoo]

We use Fairway for ordinary shopping, Schatzie for our butcher, Zabar's for finished specialties, and Citarella for high-end, special occasion ingredients. Dopey, on the UWS, you should be spoilt for choice.

 

[aravenel]

The food shopping options on the UWS are one the best things about that neighborhood, IMO.

 

[dopey]

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.

 

[gomestar]

i went to Trader Joe's USQ after work once. Whoops.

 

[gomestar]

the variety of fish they have at Citarella makes the price premium easier to take.

 

[romafan]

USQ Food Emporium is, as PB said, not bad. Gristedes are just universally disgusting. believe it or not, back in the late 70s/early 80s they were considered a 'fancy' semi-gourmet grocery store! We split btwn USQ farmers' mkt, WF, Agata&V, and Citarella, depending on what's needed. GoE on 14th was an old favorite bu since A&V opened we go there less. Stop in TJ at opening after dropping kidz off maybe 4 times a year. Ottomanelli/Florence/Pino's are all good for meat but a little far afield. Faicco's & Baczynsky's (EV Meat Mkt) are also good...

 

[patrickBOOTH]

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

 

[aravenel]

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

Used to live right by the Grand Army Plaza farmer's market in Park Slope. Some stalls very pricey, some very reasonable. On the whole, we really enjoyed it--it is still the thing I most miss about Park Slope. We have one right by us in our new place, but it's about a third the size of the GAP one.