Finding a market in boston

[Jack Sprat]

Hi,

Moving to Boston in a couple months from Philadelphia, where I split my food shopping between whole foods and our indoor food bazaar Reading terminal market. Reading terminal has everything from butcher shops and cheese stores to seafood stores, local organic produce and boulangeries. Super convenient and super good.

I know there are plenty of whole foods in boston/cambridge, and I've seen the website for formaggio kitchen, but I'm wondering if there are any catch-all indoor or indoor/outdoor markets like Reading terminal.

If not, where are all the good specialty shops? Locally-grown organic produce, butchers, seafood, etc.?

[opinionatedchef]

there is no one market. whole foods is the closest you are going to come to that

one stop shopping at this point. the flagship WF is in Fresh Pond, Camb. I think it gets the most traffic of all their boston stores and therefore has more varieties of seafood etc.

local produce is found at the nomadic farmer's markets (web schedules available in season)and some farm stands. verrill farms is a noted stand- in west concord, 45 min NW of center boston. many restaurants join together and subscribe to a particular organic farmer for the season; places like EVOO, Tremont 647,, Oleana.

and many more.

many noted seafood vendors and butchers in the jewish enclaves of brookline

and newton. expensive boutiquey versions of same in the South End.

quincy market is the historic outdoors market held every wkend: produce vendor carts outside; cheese, meat and seafood vendors in their shops- all located in the area called quincy market- between the solid Italian North End- and the back of City Hall, in downtown boston. Long ago, I shopped there as a student .

keep in mind that chowhound.com is a MUCH livelier, more active board for all things food in the new england area.

there is a movement/organization working to create a yearround market here, but that has not happened yet.

best to you.

[opinionatedchef]

BTW, i don't know if it's available online but today's Sunday Boston Globe magazine features 'the best of the new ' with a lot of info on new food stores, vendors, restaurants etc. it's very well done.

[Dr. Teeth]

Russo's in Watertown is the best place for produce IMHO.

[gini]

Russo's in Watertown for all produce, plants, some deli, ok bread and some dry goods.

Formaggio in Cambridge for cheese.

New Deal Fish Market in East Cambridge for fish.

Salumeria in the North End for excellent Italian imports including a great deli case.

Butcherie in Brookline for Kosher products.

James Hook on the Waterfront for lobsters & some shell fish. Yankee Lobster also does well in that department.

Marketbasket is a cheap alternative to the Stop & Shop/Shaw's/Star Market/Roche Bros generic grocer. They have lots of great Central & South American merchandise and good looking produce. The one in Somerville is always packed.

I tend to hit Russo's, Formaggio, and Whole Foods on River St in Cambridge on my weekend grocery trips.

[gini]

Also wanted to add that Super 88 in Packard's Corner, Allston is my goto Asian grocer. Kam Nam in Quincy is also great.

[rmillman]

Fomaggio has a branch in the South end as well.

Already mentioned are the farmers market: I use the one in Copley Square Tuesday and Fridays (spring-fall).

Sea-to-you for sushi quality fish as well as some of the other sellers at the Boston Fish Market (limited hours for retail).

[ejw50]

You may hear of Haymarket, which is supermarket surplus. I know a guy who has worked there many years. But it's great if you're a po' student, great value.

seafood - I like the Asian supermarkets for fresh seafood, as in fresh killed from a live tank. Cmart in south end has a sparkling tank.

chickens - to get a freshly killed chicken, go to "mayflower Poultry" in Cambridge, aka the "live poultry fresh killed" store (seriously, that's the sign).

other meat - Savenor's in Cambridge and Boston. This was Julia Childs's butcher when she was alive. You can find the best beef here, but also ostrich, elk, rattlesnake, whatever you name it. Expensive.

Marty's Liquors in Newton for 11 lbs bars of chocolate for $39, an awesome deal.

Edited April 7, 2009 by ejw50 (log)

[ejw50]

(double)

Edited April 7, 2009 by ejw50 (log)

[LindaK]

(double)

what ??

I missed your original post but I feel your pain. When I moved to Boston 10 years ago, I sorely missed the year-round market in St. Louis, MO, the Soulard Farmers Market, that I left behind. The network of neighborhood farmers markets we have in Boston is great. but when they shut down in November, there is a void.

The good news is that there are plans afoot for the kind of year-round farmers market that we need. There's long been grass-roots support, but the real news is that the city has identified a site for the market that's adjacent to the Rose Kennedy Greenway (atop the old "big dig" for those who know Boston). It's a great location, central, and on public transit. If you're reading this and live in Boston, please let your state and local elected officials know that you support it. Read more:

Boston Globe article

Public Market web site

This organization has a great annual fundraising dinner hosted by local chefs that support the project.