Citarella

Although I did not photograph this gourmet grocery, it is worth mentioning this small chain of upscale grocery stores. Locations are in The Village, West Side, East Side, Harlem, and the Hamptons.

Walking into their Upper West Side store on Broadway, immediately after my visit to Zabar's, I started finding some of the same selection of products. The bargain hunter in me started price comparing. I made a purchase of fruit vinegars I had been eying at Zabar's that Citarella had priced for $1 less.

First impressions are best and this was a great fish market, and butcher shop, stocking prime grade meats. Everything was displayed on ice and the store was immaculate. Though not particularly large or packed to the rafters, the imported condiment selection was made up of quality products, and the presentation of all their products was very appealing.

Check their website for addresses and opening hours:
http://www.citarella.com/

"Ladies and Gentlemen, Zabar's has....."

Zabar's! If you ever wondered why you like to shop for food, look no further. Just walking into that store reminds one how remarkable each and every morsel can be. The selection is gargantuan. How can an A list store start with the letter Z?

There were 2 aisles exclusively for cheese. Soft cheeses, hard cheeses, made from cow milk, sheep milk, and goat milk. If they had yak milk cheese I would not have been surprised. Besides prepackaged products, they also have a deli counter where you may select cheese cut to order and taste samples.

The butter diversity was no less spectacular and these photos are only the tip of the iceberg. The selection was international, from Europe (Kerrygold from Ireland) to South America and back to the USA with one of my favorite butters made by Vermont Butter & Cheese Company included. Every 5 minutes or so an employee got on the public address system to announce a new tasting somewhere in the store. "Ladies and gentlemen, it's truffle season at Zabar's. Walk to the back of the bread department for samples of truffle products from Umbria Itly." Yes, it was pronounced "it lee".

Well, how could one resist, I walked to the back and bought the Umbrian truffle oils after an in depth discussion with the vendor. I also purchased the first bottle of saba, concentrated grape must, I have found on this side of the Atlantic. Yes, my curiosity got the better of me and I also bought chocolates, one with bacon that tasted decidedly smokey and salty and utterly delicious, one with oil of bergamont, also a taste treat. Chocolates? They had different selections at the ends of each cash register aisle, again from all over the world. The photo shows only one of the brands with 7 flavors from which to choose. I would have taken more photos but didn't want to overdo it.

They were hawking a book on food sources and restaurants in NYC and offered a deeply discounted price, if customers arrived at the deli section before the author left. With 10 minutes left, the race was on. Sure enough, the book was autographed and paid for with a 45% discount.

How does one manage to miss photographing the largest deli case in the store? The truth is, there were so many people ordering food, it was almost impossible to see. Besides I was on the public address orchestrated merry-go-round, whirling my way across the store. "Ladies and gentlemen, Zabar's has a tasting of French imported olive tepanade made with green olives, capers....". The photograph above shows the Italian salami only, there were at least 2 more cases like this one outside of the main deli section. A bakery rounds out the selections on the ground floor, along with floor to ceiling shelves of condiments and preserves, some with the Zabar label.

There were also cases of oils and flavored vinegars from all over the world. I passed the tea and coffee sections briskly, while on the merry-go-round. Next I toured the upstairs to see every kind of kitchen equipment imaginable. Couldn't help but wonder how frustrated the regular customers must be to see all that and have no counter space!

http://www.zabars.com/

80th and Broadway on the Upper Weside NYC

M-F 8AM-7:30PM

Saturday 8AM-8PM Mezzanine closing at 7:30PM

Sunday 9AM-6PM

Di Palo's in Little Italy NYC

Located at 206 Grand Street in NYC's Little Italy you'll find a wonderful Italian delicatessen with a wide array of cheeses, cold cuts and condiments to please any palate. Getting into the store is a challenge as it is usually packed with customers. That's a good indicator as to the quality, but inconvenient for thoroughly scouring the shelves of offerings unless you are adept at people moving.

Do not pass go, do not collect $200 until you pick up a number at the end of the deli counter closest to the door.

Di Palo's is noted for making fresh ricotta and mozzarella for their store. As you can see by the front window, cheese reigns supreme at Di Palo's, but don't count out the imported Italian salumi, as that is also an important offering at this Little Italy institution. As small as Little Italy is becoming, it will still have presence as long as Di Palo remains in business.

The selection of imported goods is remarkable considering the small size of the store. I have found items at this store that are not frequently seen elsewhere. Among them are Star brand porcini bouillon , plain and flavored vincotto and a broad selection of vinegars. Most stores are getting hip to providing a selection of olive oils, but very few think beyond basic red wine vinegar and mass produced balsamic. I should mention that the vincotto prices are the best I've seen on both coasts and the bouillon was almost half the price I saw at another Italian specialty store in NYC.

The store also has a broad selection of canned tuna, olives, tepanades, sauces and other basics you would expect in this type store. No trip to NYC would be complete without visiting DiPalo's.

(212) 226-1033
200 Grand St at Mott St
New York, NY

Buon Italia in Chelsea Market NYC

Chelsea Market is hiding more than a few treasures and Buon Italia is one of them. This Italian deli looks more like a warehouse of imported goods. Crates and boxes of items, from olive oils and vinegars to pasta and grains, fill all possible floor space not covered by refrigerated cases and shelves. What a treasure trove of items for the Italophile in all of us.


What do you need? They have it: Anchovie flavored oil, Bottarga, Capers, Dolci, Extra virgin olive oils, Fettucine, Gorgonzola, H (sorry no h's j's or k's in Italian,but you get the idea here), Macaroni, Olives, Porcini mushrooms, Romano cheese, Salumi, Truffle oils and pastes, Umbrian olive oils, Vinegars... For those of us not fortunate enough to find fresh porcini mushrooms, they provide both dried and frozen forms at moderate prices for the American market. Their dried form of porcini is light colored, indicating freshness.

As you can see in the above photos, they do not lack selection in the deli case, nor with legumes and grains. Did you notice the quail eggs? In the back of the store there are more deli and fresh meats with butchers to help you get just the right cut. The front of the store has a deli counter where you may order sandwiches and other items to go.


Condiments are my personal benchmark for comparing a good grocer to a great grocer, when it comes to the imported inventory. Buon Italia does not fall short on quality condiments or pastas for that matter. I was thinking the pasta prices around $5.50 were not such a bargain until I noticed that the packages were 1 oz. short of 2 lbs. each. Setaro brand from Napoli is now going to be on my short list for excellent dry pasta. And I have Buon Italia to thank for bringing it to my attention.

http://www.buonitalia.com/

Chelsea Market
(212)633-9090

Take Me to the Casbah

If you can't make it to a bazzar in Istanbul, or Tangiers try walking into Kalustyan's in New York City. You get the same feeling of wandering along narrow thoroughfares (aisles in this case) and knowing you are not in Kansas anymore. One step inside and you have left the city for the Middle East, sans an airline ticket and passport. Aisle after aisle is packed floor to ceiling with spices, flours, grains, and condiments. Every color of dal imaginable, every dried legume you ever knew about and several others you hadn't heard of, chestnut, rye, garbanzo, amaranth flours, they're all there just waiting to inspire your culinary imagination.

Having little time and being overwhelmed by the selections, I only picked up 2 items, and vowed to come back to buy more; the longest journeys start with a few steps.

http://www.kalustyans.com/

Located at 123 Lexington Ave
New York NY 10016
(212) 683-8458