NEW SUPERMARKET IN NST AREA 48 North Shore Towers Courier n December 2015 THANK YOU! North Shore Towers beloved Pouran recently hosted one of her signature “Thank you!” dinners at The Persian Grill (l. to r.) Pouran (standing) Arlene Hodas, Susan Garfinkle, Sandy Richard, Sheri Shonek, Phyllis Barell and Vicki Schneps As most of us in the NST community know, we lost two local supermarkets when the nearby Pathmark and Waldbaum’s recently closed; they joined Cross Island Foods (in the shopping strip on Lakeville Rd.), which shut its doors more than a year ago. Well, a new Foodtown supermarket opened up in the latter spot, and I decided to stop in. The store had only been open one day, so there are still kinks to be ironed out but, overall, I was impressed. The produce looked really fresh and high quality with lots of it coming from local or organic farms. They have a modest, but nice-looking, salad bar, a small, mouth-watering selection of bread and rolls and lots of gluten-free products for those looking for healthier choices. Since I don’t cook much, I was most interested in the cooked items offered, and the culinary team from that department is affiliated with Kitchen Kabaret in Roslyn, so the quality is super-high. A sampling of food I bought: ½ lb. of grilled salmon ($4.00); ½ lb. Broccoli Rabe with Roasted Garlic ($4.67; not chewy and not bitter; garlic soft and well done); ½ lb. Roasted Baby Artichoke Hearts ($4.50; packed in nicely-seasoned olive oil, which I drained and am saving to use in a salad); interesting-looking Roasted Fall Vegetable Medley (¼ lb. $1.67; three kinds of squash, carrots, parsnips roasted in olive oil and rosemary); ¼ lb. Nova Lox ($5.00; nice color and texture; light salt taste; comes with capers, onion circles and lemon slices on the side). John King, who manages the culinary staff, gave me cooking tips, too, like adding a little olive oil if you heat food via microwave. It keeps the food moist and heats it more quickly so it doesn’t get dry or overdone. Foodtown offers daily tastings from 12:00 pm–6:00 pm. A sushi chef, also affiliated with Kitchen Kabaret, is always on the premises, ensuring fresh sushi and rolls containing no preservatives, sugar or fillers (ever look at Whole Foods’ sushi labels!). I only eat cooked fish, so I bought the eel roll/ California roll combo (12 pieces for $11.99) and asked for a side of spicy mayo (essential). The staff was friendly, helpful and knew their stock well. I got advice on different types of olive oil (excellent assortment) and ended up buying a bottle from northern Italy and one from Sicily, so I could see which I liked better. Also, I bought a brand of coffee I’d never heard of (try finding a decent selection of gourmet, light roast decaf in bean form). Plus, they have a free coffee bar by the checkout counter so you can sip while you shop! Bottom Line: The store is the closest one in the area to the Towers, with plenty of parking in the rear lot. While it’s smaller than the others in our neighborhood, there are many high-end, gourmet items, perfect for “foodies” like me. I kind of splurged this trip, but many items are more reasonable than nearby Iavarone Brothers or North Shore Farms. We still need a low-cost supermarket to buy soap, laundry detergent and household items –I love our own arcade shops for those things—but for a good variety of items and quality cooked food, Foodtown is a great addition to our community. Susan Bartelstone is a Domestic Violence Advocacy Consultant and Crime Prevention Specialist; but, in another of her incarnations, she’s also a lifestyle and restaurant reviewer for Travel & Lifestyle Advertorials, which appear periodically in the New York Daily News. FROM A PERSONAL POINT OF VIEW BY SUSAN BARTELSTONE Foodtown of Lakeville Road, 2046 Lakeville Rd, New Hyde Park, NY. 516-519-8995; email: store556@foodtownstores. com; https://www.foodtown.com. Open every day from 7:30AM -9:00PM. Online ordering and home delivery available. Photo by Susan Bartelstone
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