How to Shop Like a Foodie at Your Local Grocery Store (Shop Rite Grand Opening in Slingerlands)

I had the opportunity to tour the Shop Rite that’s opening in the Vista Technology Campus at Vista Boulevard (Lagrange Road) off Route 85 in Slingerlands this Sunday, September 30 at 7:00 am.

I wanted to see what Shop Rite had to offer to shoppers like me – a foodie, home cook and entertainer. Would my options be limited because I’m shopping at a grocery store as opposed to a “trendy” market? What kind of selection do they have? Are their local options? And, the big question, would I have to empty my savings account to accomplish my mission?

I’m happy to say that this store delivers. And I meant that in more ways than one. They actually do deliver – within a 15-mile radius. Orders over $100 are free. Orders less than that will incur a $6.95 charge.

But, I digress. Back to the selection. They carry over 300 varieties of cheese. They have a ‘wet’ cheese bar for fresh mozzarella, bocconcini and fresh feta. We sampled cheese with strawberry preserves from Armenia.

There’s a tapas bar too. They offer smoked salmon (from Brooklyn-based Acme Smoked Fish Corp.), sturgeon, herring – complete with ‘kosher-style’ meats.

I specifically asked about pricing for the salmon and was told that it would range from $24.99/lb. up. For high quality smoked salmon, that’s pretty competitive. I tried the Nova Scotia Salmon and it was like butter.

Nova Scotia Salmon on Pumpernickel Cocktail Bread – fancy schmancy and it was sooo velvety.

I really like to shop at local farmers’ markets and I was really happy to see a wide variety of products that are locally produced. Featured on our tour was:

• Paul and Caroline Barrett of Our Daily Eats – nuts, pesto and granola from Albany
• Alessandro Gerbini of Gatherer’s Granola – locally sourced granola from Schenectady
• Dominick’s Tomato Sauce – from Slingerlands (and they have an organic sauce too!)
• Grandpa Pete’s – all natural and gluten-free sauces (vodka sauce to die for) from Catskill
• Minissale’s – all natural, Sicilian-style sauce from Troy

When it comes to produce, Shop Rite’s goal is acquire as much as they can locally. Local is anything that can get there within a day – therefore resulting in a fresher product and less pollution. The produce pictured below came from a farm in Ithaca and they are also supporting two Capital District farms – one in Albany and another in Latham.

Locally sourced produce from a farm in Ithaca.

After touring the produce department we moved on to the bakery area. A wide array of artisan-style and specialty breads are available here. Loaves range from 8 oz. to 4 lbs. Pricing is $2.99 to $4.99 per loaf. Definitely not going to break the bank here. They have specialty cookies too for $6.99  a pound.

We ended our visit by checking out the meat and seafood departments. Fish is delivered from their Wakefern, NJ fishery 7 days a week where a USDC inspector certifies all their farm-raised seafood. They also collaborate with the Marine Stewardship Council to make sure they don’t sell seafood that’s being over fished. (I looked for their sustainability policy on their website but couldn’t find it.)

The meat section is pretty extensive too. I was particularly interested in their natural and organic food offerings. The pricing is competitive. The organic chicken I saw was $2.62 a pound. Anything less than $3 a pound for an organic chicken is fine with me.

Bottom line – I wish this store was closer to my home. It is the right mix of local meets gourmet for every day and those times when you want that little extra special touch without spending an arm and a leg.

Click on the thumbnails below to start the slide show of my trip to the Shop Rite in Slingerlands.

They had a great selection of local and exotic fruit and vegetables!

CHEESE!!!

Artisan bread

Local vendors, like Gatherer's Granola.

Organic meat too!