Driving around town a couple of weeks ago I spotted a gourmet grocer on Kildaire Farm Rd in Cary. I stopped in and looked around. I was immediately impressed by the colours and ambience of the store. As I entered I was greeted by a color explosion in the floral corner – the selection was wonderful and everything appeared quite fresh. Walking through the produce section I was greeted by wonderful fresh smells – a note of interest were several small fresh-greens bins along with a number of salad fixins for people who just wanted to stop in for a fresh lunch salad. Making my way through the store I found great seafood and an awesome looking butcher-shop. I have been looking for a place to get decent hand-cut angus since I came to NC last year. Making my way around the perimeter I stopped by a little cheese counter – little in size, but great in variety and choice. Next up was a small bakery area – very few items are made from scratch here, but most items are store-baked. The next area of note, tucked away in a nice little corner of the store was a very decent wine shop. I found both unique and inexpensive varieties as well. Had I not really been looking, I would have missed what will probably be my favorite part of the store – individual packets of fresh spices! Back in Michigan, at Holiday Market in Royal Oak I could always get a scoop of whatever I needed for about $1 – its so important to have fresh ingredients, and spice can really get stale quickly when bought in the typical glass jars you find in a regular grocery store.
Finally, one area of improvement I found, and I must say I looked the place over quite critically, was the bulk coffee bins. As a coffee connoisseur I would like to see Roasted On dates on the bins – that is one thing I look for when buying premium coffee. The Fresh Market is definitely somewhere I would recommend you take the time to visit regularly.
Visit http://www.thefreshmarket.com to find a store closest to you – with 56 stores currently and more planned, I am betting there is going to be one nearby.
ChowBelly 