Food Shopping in PH

saintmarky

I know there have been other posts about this but hear me out. I find that I am shopping like Europeans: one place for bread, one for meat, another for fresh produce, etc. Being still new to the neighborhood, though, I think I must be missing some ideas. So, advice on where to buy the following, ideally of the most excellent quality for the most inexpensive prices!

Bread?Meat?Cheese?Fresh produce?Flowers?Dry groceries?

ltjbukem

brooklyn victory garden for bread, cheesekey food on flatbushkey food on vanderbilt

union market for produce/meat

smokin joe

bread: natural land, the green grocer on flatbush, has an excellent selection of bakery breads. not cheap but not bad.

cheese: brooklyn larder (flatbush and bergen) probably has the best cheese selection, but prices are steep. i'm not a coop member, but they have good cheeses.

produce: natural land is good but overpriced. the met on vanderbilt is usually good, tho not always, and reasonably priced. there's also a cart on park and vanderbilt, small selection but what they have is good and reasonable.

flowers: natural land again. (but if you go there for all these things, you'll be shocked by the bill.)

dry groceries: met on vanderbilt or c-town/nsa on washington.

as you may gather from the above, we shop european-style too.

elizabetty

For really good fresh bread, (ie, real loaves, with good crusts, not in bags) we go east to Franklin: Lily & Fig. I think they only have bread on Saturdays, though, and they run out quickly...

idlewild

Farmers Market as a one stop for all, if you can wait until Saturdays. Otherwise, for bread, I actually like going to Christie's Jamaican Beef Patties on Flatbush between Plaza and Sterling. It's different, but very tasty. I'll second Bklyn Larder for cheese. Meats-maybe the butcher on Nostrand between Herkimer & Atlantic. The rest-I'd just hit the Koreans on Flatbush between Park & Sterling. Is that Natural Land? I actually enjoy shopping like a Euro. I mean why limit yourself to one grocer, ya know?

Has anyone checked out the new supermarket on St. Marks behind the Jewish Hospital/New Condos?

urbanexplorer

Yes, it is called " Compare Foods " it also has a bakery and fresh seafood dept. as well but no flowers yet. Produce is excellent lots of organic options as well.

jgregorie

I just bite the bullet and make a weekly run to union market on union and 6th ave. its pricey but they have everything you requested on your list except I think flowers.

brownie

Is there parking at Compare Foods?

ntfool

A little tiny bit... maybe enough for 5-7 cars.

MOD

jgregorie said:

I just bite the bullet and make a weekly run to union market on union and 6th ave. its pricey but they have everything you requested on your list except I think flowers.

There is a flower shop on 7th & Carroll, walking distance from Union Market.

Saint Marky, clarify for others on this thread. You are asking for 1 place to find all those things right? Not jumping around everywhere?

If you don't mind the trip or have a car can I suggest Trader Joes on Atlantic & Court st. Flowers/excellent cheese/breads/beer/meat/frozen foods/vitamins... one stop shopping. Totally worth it. Plus Sahadi's is right there too.

http://www.sahadis.com/

Yeah it's not close, but it's good.

saintmarky

No no, I totally get that there isn't a good one-stop in the neighborhood (it seems). Was looking for specifics on those items! Love what I've heard so far!

xlizellx

excluding flowers, there's nothing I wouldn't buy at Compare. If I want super nice (expensive) cheese I will go to Bklyn Larder or Bierkraft - but that is very rare.

trumystic

I think part of living in NYC and the cost of rent means its very rare to find one place where you can do all of your shopping. I just live with it and enjoy it. Also where I go depends on what I am cooking and when. I might shop in one place if I am coming back from work or decided to go to Prospect Park. But these are these places I habitually go to because there is a combination of quality, price and selection.

Bread? The Met food on Vanderbilt for the yummy pan de mantega or whatever fresh rolls they have. Ditto for Key food on Nostrand or to the Caribbean bakery on Prospect between Rogers and Nostrand. For crusty breads I go to Green Grape Provisions in Fort Greene. Or rarely Pathmark if I am already shopping there.

Meat? Depends on what I am cooking. Sometimes Met on Vanderbilt or Key food on Nostrand or Pathmark. If I want lamb or special poultry I go to farmer's market, Whole Foods or Union Market.

Cheese? Green Grape Provisions in Fort Greene or Pathmark.

Fresh produce? Sometimes farmers market or Pathmark. Mostly the veggie/fruit stand on the 4 blocks Nostrand closest to EP. Keyfood on Nostrand.

Flowers? In Fort Greene I go to the fauxdega on Lafayette or to Nams on Franklin.

Dry groceries? Sometimes the Met food on Vanderbilt, Keyfood on Nostrand, Compare Foods on St Marks or Pathmark.

FYI I think Bklyn Larder is overpriced as is Brooklyn Victory Garden. I might be willing to return to Brooklyn Victory Garden if they had a better specialty meat selection.

ms. brooklyn

For bread I usually stock up at the Greenmarket and then freeze it, or hit up Natural Land as others have mentioned. Breukelen Coffee on Franklin has Balthazar baguettes in the mornings (and great iced coffee, but I digress).

Trader Joe's is definitely the best for dry goods, but in our neighborhood I too favor the Met on Vanderbilt for its reasonable prices and wide aisles. The Met on Fulton across from the post office also has a really good selection.

Agree that Natural Land is the best for produce and specialty items but it's pricey for sure so I usually go there last to get the random stuff that I can't find elsewhere.

bkchickie

For cheese I like both Bklyn Larder and Blue Apron. Produce and fish: hands down, it's Natural Land.

I bake my own bread, but I think the farmers' market is the place to go to get ready made loaves.

For staples and non-perishables, I most often find myself at the Key Foods on Flatbush and The Met. I think the NSA on Washington has very good prices, and a decent selection also, but it's not the most convenient place for me.

Funny how no one has mentioned the PS Food Co-op. I'm not a member, nor do I intend to become one, but people seem to love it.

smokin joe

ahem. . .

Smokin' Joe said:

i'm not a coop member, but they have good cheeses.

mg

I like the Forest Floor on Vanderbilt for flowers. I haven't bought from the skate/flower shop on Park and Classon, but they've looked pretty when I've been by.

bexster

The Met on Fulton, across from Brooklyn Victory Garden, is surprisingly good. They have lots of organic produce and it's cheaper than Natural Land.

whynot_31

Western Beef at Empire and Washington isn't galmorous, but consistently has really cheap prices on canned goods and produce. Lots of produce

scrolls

I just started going to Compare Foods, on St. Mark's between classon and franklin and was very impressed by this store. maybe i am just used to smaller stores with less options from years of living here. some of their products are the same prices as others (cat food, etc) but they have great weekly sales and the store is BIG, so there is actual selection when you go to purchase anything. My main problem with the Met was their inconsistency, and the fact that half the sale items don't ring up as such. The manager at Compare Foods actually made sure i had a ride home last week. I am injured and had a few bags. I could have managed but he insisted that the delivery truck take me home, When he was told the truck was out on a run, he gave an employee his car keys and told him to get me home safely.

if that ain't service I don't know what is!

prospectus

For meat and fresh mozzarella we go to M&S Prime Meats, on 5th Avenue by 2nd Street. (proscuitto, pancetta, fresh pork, Bell&Evans chicken)

United Meat Market is also really good, though it's in Windsor Terrace...

For flowers, we like the stand on the corner of Seventh Avenue and Garfield. For the area, it one of the few places where few to none of the flowers are withered and the prices are decent. Also, they have a nice selection of roses.