Over the weekend, Jay and I ventured over to a new hot spot that opened in our neck of the woods: The Fresh Market!
The only grocery stores that have really ever been available to us around here are Price Chopper and Hannaford, so I was beyond excited when I heard a newbie was coming to town. :-D
Immediately upon entering The Fresh Market, the atmosphere definitely had the feel of an old world European market. Although it was pretty tight quarters (not to mention the place was PACKED), I was definitely impressed with a lot of what we saw.
Tons of fresh produce
A very impressive meat counter. Jay and I will definitely be going back for some of their meats. They looked so extremely fresh, lean, and incredibly delicious.
And they even like to have a little fun with their meats. Jay and I got a kick out of this guy staring back at us. :)
Make your own nut butters!
Some amazing looking fruit & nut mixes.
Coffeeeeeee. :-P
This flavor looked pretty enticing…
But there was really no question once I saw THIS:
Puuuuumpkin Spice! Rather than buy the whole pre-bagged 1lb., I ground some of my own out of the bulk bins and ended up with about 1/2 a lb. I can.not.wait to give this stuff a try!
This was quite possibly one of the most tempting areas in the Market…
My sweet tooth was out of control in front of this case! YUMM!! We really couldn’t leave without something from this corner of the store, so Jay and I each picked out a cookie. Chocolate Chunk for him, Heath Bar Crunch for me…
I’m not going to lie. This cookie is definitely in my Top 5 cookies of all-time. It was just incredible: moist, chewy, and sweet, and loaded with big crispy chunks of Heath Bar. I could have eaten another one a dozen of them with NO PROBLEM. ;)
Finally, I think this area may have “taken the cake” – Create Your Custom 6 Pack!
Jay and I each picked out 3 beers, two of which I tried Saturday afternoon while we were up in Saratoga at Jay’s grandma’s camp for a Labor Day party.
I had high hopes for this Shipyard Pumpkinhead Ale, but unfortunately it wasn’t my favorite. The first few sips were tasty, but after that, the “spice” flavor of the beer was just too strong. It was almost like I was sipping on pumpkin pie spice. :-/
THIS beer, however, was fantastic! I guess I’m apparently a blueberry beer kinda gal. ;)
Overall, our experience with Fresh Market was split. For Jay, it was a little too small/crowded for his liking, but that didn’t matter much to me. We both agreed that the prices were a bit higher than our normal grocery stores (for example, Chobani is usually $1.00 at Price Chopper, but was $1.59 here) and it probably won’t be suitable for a full grocery trip. However, we were definitely impressed with the meat department, the produce, their bread, and the bulk coffee. I’m sure we’ll be stopping in occasionally for a couple things here and there.
Question for the Afternoon:
Have you ever been to The Fresh Market? What is your favorite place to grocery shop?
Shanna, like Banana says
So THAT’s where you got the coffee ;)
Yum…I don’t think we have one of those markets ;-/
ellaroo88 says
YEAH we have fresh market also! I love it and I have that coffee which is AMAZING! I’ve been sprinkling extra pumpkin spice on mine and frothing my milk. AMAZING Pumpkin LOVE
Lauren @ Healthy Delicious says
I went last weekend and really wasn’t that impressed, which was a bummer since I had high hopes for it. The salmon fillet I bought was full of scales (ew) and my raspberries were all moldy. :(
Courtney says
Awww bummer! :(
Amanda says
I went last weekend with my mom to check it out. The Capital District is screaming out for a Whole Foods or a Trader Joes’s.
I agree, the meat case did look neat and fresh, but I was wondering where all the grass-fed beef was. And the free-range chicken? But I did like the little meat pig :)
I liked that the signs told you where the produce was from. Very helpful.
It’s definitely a nice alternative to PC or Hannaford and I think Latham is a great place to start. I guess it’s the only one in NYS! We have one out here in MA in Hingham, I guess, but I never get that way, so I’d never heard of it.
cookinfanatic says
we have a Fresh Market down the street that I like to go to every once in a while to look around or for certain specialty products they carry that we like – their prices are a bit high though I think (i.e. cheese!) so I tend to stick with Whole Foods and other stores otherwise. glad you at least got some variety in your area though, it’ll be fun exploring :)
Jenna says
I love Fresh Market. It is more expensive but everything really does look and taste so fresh. Plus I love walking through the doors and seeing all the fresh flowers.
Gabriela @ Une Vie Saine says
We have a Fresh Market near my house at home, and their seafood is seriously to DIE for. It’s definitely pricey for everyday items, but meats, cheeses and produce there are amazing!
It All Changes says
I might stop in there the next time I go down to Latham and visit a friend but I don’t think I’d make a special trip.
nicole says
yay you finally went! is it not wonderful???!!! produce is great , not much more $$ then our other stores. Unlike you I was bad.,,,, I got BOTH pumpkin spice and caramel macchiato coffee! Awesome! and create your own custom 6 pack is my fav! I have reviewed 2 so far in my blog! I think FM might need to be a local blogger meet up sometime :-)
Amy says
My mom works at the Fresh Market here in Fl I love it and luckily I get her discount there.
Katie says
Ooo I love the Fresh Market! I think my favorite place to grocery shop is Whole Foods and Harris Teeter though. That heath bar cookie looks awfully delicious. Heath and toffee both go REALLY well in cookies :)
Sana says
Hahahahaha I love the meat staring back. Totally cute :)
Carrie says
Whoa, way cool. My grocery has grind-your-own peanut and almond butter, but no cashew. Would love that.
And the make-your-own 6 pack deal? Love! I mean, I guess my grocery store lets you pull singles out of 6 packs…but it’s just not the same. I always feel like I’m doing something wrong.
suki @ [Super Duper Fantastic] says
I don’t think we have those around here. Are they related to Whole Foods? That’s a very similar font and color of signage that I associate with WF. :)
Holly at Greek Yogurt and Apple Slices says
I LOVE Fresh Market!!!
Guess what I found @ the Fresh Market by me? Carba Nada noodles!!! Don’t know if you looked in the pasta aisle, but if you didn’t & you happen to go back- you totally should :)
Courtney says
Oooooooo I will DEFINITELY be going back to look for those. Thanks for letting me know!!! :-D
Jean@RoastedRootsandPumpkinSpice says
Make you own nut butter?! That is genius..
diaryofahealthnut says
I LOVE The Fresh Market…but I agree with you, it just would not be frugal to buy a full load of groceries from there. They are QUITE pricey! Still, I enjoy going for the atmosphere and exotic food options. I once found a dragon fruit in the produce section and had to buy it for no other reason than it looked AWESOME. They also have wonderful spinach-artichoke hummus for just $2.99, which isn’t so bad. And their coffee IS pretty wonderful.
michele says
We’ve been doing 1 trip a week to Fresh Market for some of the more unique stuff they carry and we really like their seafood counter.
My husband is also loving the Create Your Own 6 Pack! :)
If you weren’t crazy about the Shipyard Pumpkin Beer, (we aren’t either!) try the Post Road Pumpkin Beer. It’s really good and they’ve got it at the Latham store!
I’m dying to try that Blueberry Beer you had – I’ve got a feeling I’d like that one too!! :)
Courtney says
They didn’t have any other flavors of Pumpkin beer when we were there. :( Hopefully they’ll be restocked next time I go!
Chicago Cuisine Critique says
I love The Fresh Market. I wish I had one near me. I always hit it up when i’m visiting my parents in Florida. There is one about 5 minutes away. Glad you get to enjoy it from time to time. :)
Brenda says
Try the cinnamon apple chips, sooooo addicting!
Danielle says
If you want more make your own 6-packs just go to Brew Crew! There’s one up past Crossgates mall and one on Colvin Ave. Albany near the Hannaford. Tons of beer from all over the world :)
Courtney says
AWESOME!! Thanks for the heads up! :-D
diana @ i can eat, cant i? says
pumpkin spice! that’s a great idea instead of spending a little 4 bucks at starbucks everytime! starbucks is getting richer by me too haha.
i’ve been lurking here and have to say i love all your sweets posts! thought i’d drop a line to say i love ittttt !!
Courtney says
Thank you! I always love when the “lurkers” come out of the woodwork. ;)
Sarah Lynn says
EBC Blueberry beer is AWESOME and absolutely famous in my town. The Ellicottville Brewing Co. is one of my favorite bars here! They’ll serve it in a pint glass with a real blueberry … yum :)
Glad you tried it!