Eat FRESH
I had the chance to go by the new Fresh Market in the Renaissance at Highland Colony development today, and I saw some very interesting things indeed. Fresh Market reminds me alot of Whole Foods, and it's clearly based on the same values.
The whole place is like porn for foodies, quite frankly. While I was there today, it was PACKED, and they must have been making money hand over fist. I saw several couples during the course of my visit in which one person was saying things to the other like, "They have make your own six-pack!! This is GREAT!" and "Oooooh, they have all the earth-friendly cleaning products!" and "Did you see the CHEESE?!"
The least remarkable section for me was produce. While they did have some good-looking stuff on offer, it didn't look too much better than what I see in my regular supermarket on a weekly basis. They did, however, have a few unique items for sale - lemongrass, purple asparagus, an assortment of organic potatoes - that caught my eye.
And, boy, do they know their customer. At the checkout, instead of a bunch of People and Us Weekly magazines, they have shelves of Gourmet, Food and Wine, Bon Appetit, Saveur, and other food-centric mags. Clearly, they know who they are selling to.
Here's why you should go:
5. The meat counter. OMG. Though expensive, the meat and fish there was some of the freshest I've seen in the metro area. PLUS, they had alot of cool make-at-home selections: prepared kebabs, chicken cordon bleu, fresh pot pies, little beef wellingtons, etc. Now these are not frozen, mind you. They have been freshly prepared, and you can buy them at the meat counter. Lastly, they also had selections such as duck breast and rack of lamb that can be difficult to locate in this area.
4. Take out. In addition to offering the standard rotisserie chickens (which looked REALLY good, but the way), they have take-away sushi, salmon, and a host of other items. I could totally see myself shopping there in the morning and picking up something for us to have for lunch back at home.
3. The bakery. You will weep, WEEP, I tell you! Freshly baked breads, and not just the standard varieties. They had sourdough, raisin-pecan, a medley of ryes, some multi-grain choices, plus rolls and cakes. Then, they had a dessert counter to DIE for: amazing-looking eclairs, cupcakes topped with fresh fruit, fruit tarts, cakes, pies, HUGE cream puffs. All of us counting our calories are in big trouble, is all I'm saying.
2. Coffee. They have quite a few whole-bean varieties of flavored coffee, offering much more selection than my normal grocery store. At $10 per pound, it's not any more expensive than the standard whole-bean hazlenut that I already buy, and I can try flavors like amaretto mocha and chocolate orange. You can grind the beans there, of course, or if you have a grinder at home (like me), you can just grind small batches at a time, resulting in VERY fresh coffee. Yummmmm . . .
And the number one reason you should go to Fresh Market?
1. Tomato paste in a tube. Yes, I know it sounds mundane, but how many of us have bought those little cans of tomato paste, used one tablespoon or so, and then let the remainder crust over in the can at the back of the fridge? Then, when you need tomato paste at a later date, the can looks gross, so you throw it out and buy yet ANOTHER can. NO ONE in the metro has been selling the tomato paste in a tube, which Ina Garten and other Food Network chefs whip out for their recipes.
So get on over there and get to cookin'! If you find yourself in need of hardware, Williams Sonoma is in the same shopping center. Make a day of it!
The whole place is like porn for foodies, quite frankly. While I was there today, it was PACKED, and they must have been making money hand over fist. I saw several couples during the course of my visit in which one person was saying things to the other like, "They have make your own six-pack!! This is GREAT!" and "Oooooh, they have all the earth-friendly cleaning products!" and "Did you see the CHEESE?!"
The least remarkable section for me was produce. While they did have some good-looking stuff on offer, it didn't look too much better than what I see in my regular supermarket on a weekly basis. They did, however, have a few unique items for sale - lemongrass, purple asparagus, an assortment of organic potatoes - that caught my eye.
And, boy, do they know their customer. At the checkout, instead of a bunch of People and Us Weekly magazines, they have shelves of Gourmet, Food and Wine, Bon Appetit, Saveur, and other food-centric mags. Clearly, they know who they are selling to.
Here's why you should go:
5. The meat counter. OMG. Though expensive, the meat and fish there was some of the freshest I've seen in the metro area. PLUS, they had alot of cool make-at-home selections: prepared kebabs, chicken cordon bleu, fresh pot pies, little beef wellingtons, etc. Now these are not frozen, mind you. They have been freshly prepared, and you can buy them at the meat counter. Lastly, they also had selections such as duck breast and rack of lamb that can be difficult to locate in this area.
4. Take out. In addition to offering the standard rotisserie chickens (which looked REALLY good, but the way), they have take-away sushi, salmon, and a host of other items. I could totally see myself shopping there in the morning and picking up something for us to have for lunch back at home.
3. The bakery. You will weep, WEEP, I tell you! Freshly baked breads, and not just the standard varieties. They had sourdough, raisin-pecan, a medley of ryes, some multi-grain choices, plus rolls and cakes. Then, they had a dessert counter to DIE for: amazing-looking eclairs, cupcakes topped with fresh fruit, fruit tarts, cakes, pies, HUGE cream puffs. All of us counting our calories are in big trouble, is all I'm saying.
2. Coffee. They have quite a few whole-bean varieties of flavored coffee, offering much more selection than my normal grocery store. At $10 per pound, it's not any more expensive than the standard whole-bean hazlenut that I already buy, and I can try flavors like amaretto mocha and chocolate orange. You can grind the beans there, of course, or if you have a grinder at home (like me), you can just grind small batches at a time, resulting in VERY fresh coffee. Yummmmm . . .
And the number one reason you should go to Fresh Market?
1. Tomato paste in a tube. Yes, I know it sounds mundane, but how many of us have bought those little cans of tomato paste, used one tablespoon or so, and then let the remainder crust over in the can at the back of the fridge? Then, when you need tomato paste at a later date, the can looks gross, so you throw it out and buy yet ANOTHER can. NO ONE in the metro has been selling the tomato paste in a tube, which Ina Garten and other Food Network chefs whip out for their recipes.
So get on over there and get to cookin'! If you find yourself in need of hardware, Williams Sonoma is in the same shopping center. Make a day of it!
Comments
I didn't see the tomato paste tubes, it was so crowded the day we went that I finally gave up and bailed after seeing about half the store!