Fairway Market, Sunday, Expand the Parking Lot
By Mel Fabrikant Sunday, March 29, 2009, 07:31 PM EDT
Fairway Market, Sunday
I thought I would check on Fairway Market Sunday morning. Had a few viands I wanted to purchase and felt it might be less crowded. I WAS WRONG! Throngs of people were inside the store and the parking lot was almost all filled.
As I passed the bagel rack, 50¢ each, the poppy seed bagels sent me an invitation. Reaching over the crowd selecting their choices, I managed to rescue two bagels and deposit them into a plastic bag. The bagel was humongous and covered with poppy seeds liberally on each side, not just the top. When I ate one later on at home, I discovered that it was not the airy type I had been getting at my local supermarket; this had substance!
I picked out some bananas, not too ripe, my preference, for 10¢ a pound less than my regular supermarket. On the way to the meat department, I passed Tony Maltese, head of the fish department. Stopping to chat, we had met on opening day; I then asked where I could purchase sausages. The department was right next door and Tony pointed out to me how I could avoid the shopping crowd.
I preferred to dawdle on the way and gauge reactions. The olive area was busy as was the coffee bean section. For that matter, every department was busy. The bakery almost looked like an auctioneer's place with all the people crowding around. The meat department was mayhem, a beehive of activity inside, but nobody taking care of the counter. I looked around for a packaged goods meat area, but couldn't locate one.
The wait was worthwhile because the sweet sausage I purchased ($2.99/lb) was large (about 7" x 1" per link) and once again, when I cooked it at home was very tasty, not fat filled.
Checking out was fast, but I couldn't see the small express lane signs until it was too late. I was on a full basket line; the wait was negligible. It gave me a chance to ask some of the shoppers about their experience and where they lived. Most lived within a 20 mile radius. The trip to the car wasn't bad; the parking lot vacancies hard to find.
