Union Market: Delish But No Bargain
Given Clinton Hill’s limited selection of gourmet food (L’Epicerie, that’s it), we decided to head over to Union Market (at Union and Sixth Avenue) in Park Slope on Saturday to shop for a dinner we were giving that night. We had a great experience–decent cheese selection, great meats, not too crowded–until we got to the…
Given Clinton Hill’s limited selection of gourmet food (L’Epicerie, that’s it), we decided to head over to Union Market (at Union and Sixth Avenue) in Park Slope on Saturday to shop for a dinner we were giving that night. We had a great experience–decent cheese selection, great meats, not too crowded–until we got to the cash register. Ouch! $1.79 for an Emmi yogurt? Manhattan prices to be sure. But the pork loin that we seasoned with just a little garlic, olive oil, salt and pepper and threw on the grill turned out great so we weren’t complaining. Guess you get what you pay for!
I’ve heard about the food co-op, but I’m not sure what that is and how it works. Does someone have a brief explanation? Thanks.
i think the coop is pretty misunderstood and underappreciated by those who haven’t been there. it’s not a place to shop, it’s a food coop. there’s a difference. common sense can’t prevail in a coop. i mean that as it sounds. nobody runs a coop but its actual members who all have a say in how things are run, so rules must be followed or else everybody would just be winging it and it wouldn’t work. i know this sounds nuts when you first think about it, but there’s not just some guy/gal in charge who can bend rules over there on the really big issues like membership and whether that entitles you to shop or not. i write this realizing that the family who had a very unfortunate experience trying to shop there and being turned away at the last minute is probably never going to give it a shot again. but i really encourage everybody else to check it out. you don’t have to worry about the quality of your food over there, and the prices can’t be beat. life’s little annoyances exist everywhere you go for groceries, but the coop is a manageable experience once you get use to it.
Nick – I live in 11232 (4th Ave and 20th St) and I have signed up at the FD site several times but I’m not holding my breath.
I loooove Costco! I can walk there with my little old lady shopping cart and get the basics, or to reallt go to town I’ll rent a Zipcar and try to get some other errands done at the same time.
please,please, give me more choices for a grocery store in clinton hill. you would think with all the changes in this area we’d have better grocers. not the case….yet….
no need to be a jerk about it.
Whatever, don’t shop there if you don’t like it. There are very few grocery stores with chirpy, happy patrons. More often than not it is some surly slow moving stiff who won’t respond to hello, so I don’t see any big difference here (though I’ve never found them to be snotty, nor do they have Americain accents, at least not the older lady, man or the young guy – all have a French accent actually). Anyway, some other stores, such as the Lafayette and Grand store, will open soon. Until then, you can just keep hoping for a massage from the L’Epicerie owners. Wah, wah, wahhhh.
the people at L’epicerie may be French, but they speak with American accents. Which implies to me that they are at least bi-cultural. My parents were immigrants from a country that is certainly not known for their warm and fuzziness, in fact, they are known for their brusque efficiency. But when they opened a shop in this country, they embraced the idea of establishing a rapport with their regular customers. They didn’t invite them to our birthday parties or anything, but they were nice.
I think it’s more than the Frenchness at work with the rudeness of the people at Table.
I don’t know whether they’re the same people as those at l’Epicerie, though–I heard there was a divorce involved, so maybe one person took each plane– I don’t know. Anyway, I found the staff at Table to be rude beyond what’s normal, in NYC or in Paris.
And I do think the racial dimension is worth considering. I’m white, but I’ve dined at Table w/ friends who aren’t, and it seems plausible to me that that made a difference.
I’ve never had a bad experience at l’Epicerie, though I don’t shop there much cause it is so damn expensive.
Exactly Anon 12:37 — it’s even considered out of place to be too friendly to customers. Many people I know would be offended by (and suspicious of) an overly-familiar merchant.