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Ethnic Groceries: Where do you go?


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QUOTE (Pan @ Jun 12 2003, 07:58 PM)

B. In Manhattan's Chinatown, Hong Kong Supermarket is king, but it's not as good as that place in Flushing.

Coordinates, please?

Pike St. between East Broadway and Madison St.

There's a good source for Thai ingredients, by the way, on Moscow Street off Mott

It's Mosco St., not Moscow, and I mentioned it but suggested trying the Thai-Indonesian store on Bayard between Mott and Mulberry first, as I've found it cheaper.

Michael aka "Pan"

 

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I live in Canton, MI, which is not a very exciting place by itself, but has the advantage of being in the midst of Detroit (Eastern Market), Dearborn (all manner of Arabic grocers), Ann Arbor (lots of interesting places), and in Canton itself a newly burgeoning Indian population.

Just weeks ago I first visited Anand Bazaar in Canton and found a big (5 lb) bag of red lentils for the same price as I'd been paying for one pound at Meijer's. Never mind that I use the lentils to make mid-Eastern style spicy lentil soup rather than for Indian cooking.

Being married into a Chinese family also has its benefits - my inlaws regularly travel to Windsor and Toronto and bring back interesting Chinese edibles.

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well, for what it's worth in northwestern n.j. i use

pre-unic in dover for latin foods

captain fresh in roxbury for asian (my pocky dealer)

c & s in netcong for italian

bombay market in kenvil for indian

Nothing is better than frying in lard.

Nothing.  Do not quote me on this.

 

Linda Ellerbee

Take Big Bites

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Found a pot o' gold yesterday . . .

Went to my favorite Asian market (KB's) for fresh long beans. Couldn't find them. Asked one of the owners & she told me that, "Not enough call for them, so we're not carrying them anyone." I asked if she knew where I might find some (figuring that she'd laugh & say that I wouldn't find any locally.) She told me to check "Hong Kong Market" down the street. I figured what the hell & drove down the street.

Whoa!

There's a small indoor strip mall on the NE corner of 44th & S. Division that contains a pho shop, a ba shop, a dim sum place, & a *HUGE* Asian grocery called "Hong Kong Supermarket"!!! (There's also a locally owned Asian bank, a jewelry store, & "Saigon Video.")

Now, the Supermarket, to the best that I could tell, is really a Vietnamese market which is fine by me. They have just about anything one could want as far as Asian food--tons of dry goods, tons of fresh stuff, tons of frozen stuff, a full meat counter, etc. I'm going to have to find a couple of hours just to wander the aisles.

And three new eating places to try--pho, ba, & dim sum!

You'll know where to find me over the next few weeks.

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  • 1 month later...

I live in the NE Arizona desert now and the closest place I have to go is Trader Joe's or Cost Plus in Las Vegas. There are no real ethnic produce markets around that I know of except for a big outdoor flea market on Las Vegas Blvd. in North Vegas where you can get fresh fruit, vegetables and lots of mexican ethnic foods. When I lived in Akron Onio I spent many a happy Saturday at West Point Market on Rt. 18. They specialize in gourmet and imported foods with a fabulous bakery, produce section, deli, wine dept, candy (even a Godiva candy counter!) and the cheeses there are from all over the world-they can all be sampled. I discovered the English farmhouse cheddars there-Montgomery is my favorite! They cater to the British and have a fabulous selection of hard to find beverages, canned foods and grocery items. Also there is West Side market in Cleveland where you can get fresh produce, kosher foods, nuts, baked goods, candy, meats, flowers, and imported groceries, etc. The freshest I've ever seen with meats and produce!:biggrin:

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There are a couple of places on Kings Highway near E.4th (and close to the subway) in Brooklyn that are really good resources for Middle Eastern supplies. All sorts of of grains, legumes, and spices.

In NJ, I like the International Food Warehouse right of Rt. 17 in Lodi. I bought large bags of bulgur for less than $2 each. In the past I spent close to $4 for a smaller quantity. They also carry basmati rice in 12 pound sizes . Plus, really good fruit juices from Israel for $1.50.

"Some people see a sheet of seaweed and want to be wrapped in it. I want to see it around a piece of fish."-- William Grimes

"People are bastard-coated bastards, with bastard filling." - Dr. Cox on Scrubs

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It's surprising the number of excellent ethnic places that are deep in the wilds of the Alberta prairies. In Edmonton, places I would recommend wholeheartedly are:

T&T Supermarket, located in West Edmonton Mall (!!). Excellent Asian market with everything you'd ever want, including pretty good take out (dim sum too!), bbq, live seafood (excellent), fantastic butcher shop (including hard to find cuts, thank god), great produce, dried goods, etc. etc. etc. Definitely a destination spot.

Italian Centre Shop, located near downtown. Great (if small) fresh produce section. Absolutely fantastic deli counter, with more sausage, cheese and other goodies to keep pretty much anyone satisfied.

Elsefadis, which I love going to with my grandmother, who's an old family friend of the owners. It's located deep on the northside, but well worth the drive. Great great great selection of Lebanese/Middle-eastern groceries, with a smattering of Italian/Mediterranian stuff. Good produce, but excellent Lebanese savory baked goods, including drool-inducing meat and vegetable fataya and Syrian bread.

Also located right around the corner from El's is the halal butcher--some of the best quality beef, lamb and chicken that I've ever seen. Also an old family friend, so yay discounts. Highly recommended is the pre-mixed kefta, or the kidbe mix. Right beside them is the Middle-Eastern bakery, with all the honey-coated desserts a person could want.

Finally, although it's not quote unquote ethnic, I would like to give a shout out to the best sausage place in Edmonton--Old Country Meats and Deli. Some of the best (BEST!) fresh sausage ever--from their Cumberland sausage to their Lunenburg sausage to their haggis (!!!), I haven't had a bad one yet. Of special mention is a South African sausage who's name escapes me, containing beef, pork, coriander and malt vinegar--exceptionally delicious.

Edited for clarity.

Edited by redarmy (log)
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  • 3 months later...
I thought it might be useful if Egulleters could reveal where they go for cheap produce, Indian, Korean, Japanese, Chinese, Mexican, etc groceries (the list is endless)...

I'll start. I live in Chicago, so I am pretty lucky.

Indian groceries: I go to Patel Brothers on Devon and Campbell (?)..the big supermarket one. They Last night, I purchased chick pea flour, curry leaves, Basmati, and 3 types of pickle.

For cheap organic produce and good deli meets, I go to Hyde Park Produce, on E. 53rd St.

Chicago area:

I used to buy dry goods from Patel's and others on Devon St but after two outbreaks of bugs, I now use Penzys' exclusivley for spices and other sources for Basmati Rice and the various flours and legumes. No problems since.

Argyle St for Vietnamese items but you have to watch the freshness of the canned goods and fresh vegetables and fish. Hint, anything with dust on it, don't purchase.

In Glenview there is the Hyundi Supermarket which is a good source for Korean staples and fresh veggies. The fish has all been frozen and just doesn't look good. Have had success with the thin cut beef ribs.

Of course Mitsua for Japanese but not cheap.

The Fish guy is the retail outlet of a wholesale company and I am covinced that they sell at retail what they cannot market to the restaurants.

With the demise of the Chicago Fish Company, I don't have a good source in the area.

-Dick

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for ethnic goodies I go to the following

Kabani for middle eastern, I love the Vimto. It is on Admiral and Harvard at I-244

Nam Hai on Garnett at 21st for all things Asian, great produce not available at Albertsons or Walmart Neighborhood Markets. Interesting greens and roots. and they keep me stocked in hot wasabi peas

India International Mart 11408 S Fulton Ave for wonderful things from the sub-continent

A mexican mercado (do not remember the name at the moment in Plaza Santa Cecilia at Garnett and 21st.

And in season, the Cherry Street Farmer's Market

It is good to be a BBQ Judge.  And now it is even gooder to be a Steak Cookoff Association Judge.  Life just got even better.  Woo Hoo!!!

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In Boise, the Orient Market on Emerald and Orchard (by the bowling alley) is my favorite store. If you want fresh produce (choy sum, thai basil, tia to and things like that), you need to go in on Saturday - same for fish. The owner is really friendly and will patiently answer your questions, no matter how stupid they seem...and the tofu is cheap!

Just around the corner (south on Orchard, just past the old Red Eye Hut), is the Indian Market. It's right next to a faux Irish pub and a tattoo parlor, which has got to make for an interesting crowd. Again, the owner is very helpful. Not a lot of fresh produce, but they do have fresh turmeric and the cheapest okra in town.

There's a Thai Market (I forget the name, but it says THAI MARKET on the front) on Overland. You might want to lock your doors at this place...I love this place. I got a 25lb bag of jasmine rice for 10 bucks, and it's good stuff! She also has a big tub of live snails "for soup" which freaked my daughter out! Lot's of good stuff here, and she almost always has fresh basil (not just Saturdays), for rock bottom prices (3.95 a pound!)

There's another asian market (I think it's called Asian Market) on Fairview and Five Mile by Harbour Freight. It's pretty good, too, but they don't seem to have the selection that Orient Market does. However, I got my Thai mortar and pestle for 15 or 20 dollars, which was half as much as I found them for anywhere else.

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don't have the patience to read through all the posts so forgive me if all this information has been posted before:

in boulder, colorado, where i live now, there is only one place to go for indian groceries. i forget its name but it is in the de facto ethnic grocery store central on 28th street just shy of valmont. boulder must have a lot of south indians since this place has more brands of idli fixings than it does of basmati rice. apart from all the greatest hits of the indian spice world it also carries pretty good vegetables (good okra/bhindi, pumpkin) and also guavas! the nice thing about this place is that, in keeping with indian vegetable-cart seller tradition, they give you freebies with your groceries. in delhi it is usually cilantro and/or green chillies; here it is curry leaves. (another bonus: they're right next to a hispanic grocery that sells halal goat meat.)

in the los angeles area the best/largest grocery is in artesia--on the corner of pioneer blvd. and some street or the other (a few doors down from the udupi palace and raaga). if you're not up for the trek to artesia there's a multitude of india's sweets and spices all over los angeles (no idea if there's central ownership). my favorite destination used to be on pico between crescent heights and fairfax (opposite the savon)--but only because i could go to the india sweet house next door, order my alu-parathas and sag panir and then go over and shop till it got cooked. the new india sweets and spices just around the corner from this place (on fairfax just north of pico) has groceries and alu-parathas under the same roof but the food at the india sweet house is superior. the alu parathas in particular are as good as any i've ever had in north india.

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Redarmy, doesn't Edmonton also have a surprising abundance of Chinese and Vietnamese markets, especially given its size?

The Mundare sausage place on 50th Street sells very good garlic and other sausage and a bunch of othermeat products, which is made at their place in Mundare, north of Vegreville. Impressive operation.

Plus, if you can obtain fresh poultry, etc. from Hutterite farmers, it's quite special. Think they may sell at the Edmonton farmer's market on Saturday.

Arthur Johnson, aka "fresco"
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