Where you shoppin', New York?

[whoisjulene]

I live in New York and as much as I'd like to shop at Whole Foods, my wee little bank account just can't handle it. So my question becomes: where is everyone on this island getting their groceries?

Personally I've found myself drawn to Essex St. Market for numerous non-organic produce items. Also, the Heritage Meat Market offers a pretty good array of organic meats for several dollars cheaper than what I would be paying at WF.

On the weekends I like to wander down to Chinatown for further purchases of non-organic produce from street vendors... lots of it is really quite cheap (2lbs of bananas for $1, 2lbs of tomatoes for $1.50, 2lbs of baby bok choy for $1.75, etc.) although most of it does not have a long shelf life.

What are your spots? Specifically for meat and (maybe) some organic produce, which can be outrageously pricey anywhere I've found lately.

[liz1513]

I like Trader Joe's for meat, eggs, some veggies (some are overpriced), and nuts. You can get some things grass-fed/pastured, and I like to stock up and make things in bulk (meatloaf, turkey sausage) to save $$. There's also the Fruit Exchange in Chelsea Market, pretty cheap for veggies. Probably around the same as Chinatown, but maybe a little fresher

[LauraLyn]

I also rely heavily on trader joes for organic, prepped veg, which makes getting them in at breakfast, where time is precious, a breeze. They have grass fed ground beef for a decent price, too. Otherwise I run around trying to get pastured eggs, turkey, fish and other cuts of beef from the farmers markets in Carroll gardens and grand army plaza. It can be a pain, so every once in a while I just go ahead and shell out the money at whole foods.

[Jason Chow]

Hi

I'm still new to this, but on Saturday mornings when I finish my long runs, I've been hitting the farmers market for fresh fruit and veg and occasionally some ground lamb. I sometimes order on FreshDirect which is a great resource, not cheap but definitely cheaper than Whole Foods. Also depending on where you live, if you have a Fairway nearby its a great super market.

I'll definitely shop at TJ's, which I happen to love. Chinatown if I'm downtown or near it.

I was in Brooklyn last week, so I stopped by Paisano's Meat, what a great great butcher shop. I went to Western Beef, to buy utility beef. Its really cheap, and you can buy it in bulk. Its definitely not grass fed, but if you need a large amount of it then go for it. Its cheap and decent enough quality.

I run all over the city for food lately. I used to chase restaurants and eat out all the time. Lately I could give a damn about what hot new restaurant is doing what.

[homerfrizzell]

whoisjulene,

For meat I usually go the route of my CSA that delivers to a pickup spot in Inwood. The CSA meat is less than Whole Foods but still a bit pricey unless you go for lesser cuts or offal. Also, there are Meetup meat groups for NYC - there's actually one September 8: Meatshare/Paleo Meetup at Meatopia - I think Dallas and Melissa will be there. It's on Randall's Island. I don't think I can make it but it looks like it'd be awesome.

Good luck.