Grand Central Market
Neighborhood: East 40s
Type of Place: Farmer's Markets
Description:
Grand Central Terminal is one of the loveliest buildings in NYC, beautiful and elegant enough to charm even resident commuters who pass through it every day. If you're lucky enough to swing by, daily or on special occasions, the Grand Central Market is also worth a visit. The multi-shop, open-layout market is split between foods you'll need to prepare (there are two fish markets, a butcher, and a produce vendor), items you can grab for lunch if you're in the area, and gift selections. Wild Edibles, one of the fish markets, also offers gourmet sauces and glazes, packaged salads (the tuna-pasta salad, at $4.99, looked like a great lunch grab), and what I'll call "caviar with a conscience": A sign indicated the carrier's understanding of overfishing and black-market-caviar issues and expressed a commitment to selling caviar without further harming fish stock or the environment. Greenwich Produce sells organic and non-organic fruits and vegetables, some packaged salads, and attractive gift items.
I brought some of their fruit salad ($1.20/lb.) to a holiday gathering in December, and it was delicious. During my latest visit, I noticed that their candy selection looks good (prices vary), that they sell something they call a "nut basket" ($10.14), which also contains dried fruits and would make a lovely gift, and that they've got cut beautiful cut flowers--they're not the cheapest, but they seemed of good quality, and they'll be waiting for you when your train leaves Grand Central in 15 minutes and you'd really like flowers for the people you're headed toward. At Corrado Pastry, the cakes (from $22) looked likely to please a gourmet; and there were some great-looking pastries (prices vary) and breads (the Health Bread was $2.50; an Organic Dark Rye was $3.75). The pretty Bella Cucina is definitely a good stop for gifts. Among the choices: Gourmet pestos, $8.50 each; and sets of 3 antipastis, beautifully wrapped, for $26. Several of the meats at Ceriellos were labeled as grass-fed and/or farm-raised, demonstrating a growing international interest in the issues and ethics surrounding meat consumption. They also offer a lovely looking fresh mozzerella (56 cents/lb.) and some quality olive oil (a good deal at $9.99 for 25 ounces). At Penzey's spices, you can get individual bottles of interesting herbs and spices (I picked up a few here as holiday gifts) or a gift package (the 8-jar herb collection, $21.95, is very appealing).
I've been a serious fan of Zaro's black and white cookies for many years. They're here, at the Zaro station, for $1.95 (every penny well spent!). The cakes, from $16.95, bring "festive" to a new level--the M & M cake, for example, at $17.95, looked like a party all on its own. Rounding things out are Dishes, known especially for its fantastic soups, and branches of downtown favorites Murrays Cheese and Li-Lac Chocolates. Viewed all together, the market's got you covered, whether you're rushing to catch a train (and don't want to arrive empty-handed), you're hungry on your lunch hour, or you're part of that unusual sub-species, "New Yorker and Serious At-Home Cook." Bon appetite.
Grand Central Market
42nd St and Park Avenue
New York, NY 10017
(212) 340-2210
Website
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