The Fresh Market

My favorite grocery store now has a home in Richmond. The Fresh Market is for folks who truly enjoy cooking. They focus on a wide variety of produce; they have an honest-to-god meat counter. For all of you who hate buying all of your meat in bulk, this is the place for you. I enjoy purchasing one steak and then getting two strips of bacon to wrap around the steak. They will also sell you 1/4 lb. of ground pork and a 1/4 lb. of ground beef to make pasta sauce. This is the only place I know of that allows very tiny purchases. The produce section has lots of varieties of apples. I like the fact that they always carry Yukon Gold potatoes (the best for mashed potatoes) and shallots. The Fresh Market almost always carries decent looking fresh green beans. And since they have opened (about a week and a half) I've been able to find tomatillos, fennel bulbs, radicchio, and fingerling potatoes. Don't forget to check out the cheese section and to sample their coffee of the day. Currently, they are selling a dozen roses for $5.99. I know this price will not last, but it's nice to have roses for now. And if any of you are trying to score brownie points with your significant other....

Alas, there are a couple of disappointments. The wine section is not as big as the store in Williamsburg. And there is no bulk staples, especially for rice and other specialy grains.