Gourmet Fresh, Union Market, Key Food or Park Natural...Where Do You Do Your Food Shopping In Carroll Gardens?

Key Food at 486 Henry Street in Carroll Gardens

Union Market at 288 Court Street

Gourmet Fresh at 437 Court Street

Park Natural at 350 Court Street

Once upon a time, Carroll Gardens had three big supermarkets, a Key Food at 390 Court Street, a Met Food at 197 Smith Street, and another Met Food at 486 Henry Street, which became a Key Food in 2015. Only the one on Henry Street is still operating.

In the meantime, smaller gourmet food stores have opened up to take their place, such as Union Market  at 288 Court Street and Gourmet Fresh at 437 Court Street.
A bit farther away, there is a Fairway in Red Hook, a Trader Joe's on Court Street and a Whole Foods in Gowanus, but they involve a longer walk or a drive.

Many in Carroll Gardens still miss having another supermarket closer by and especially miss the former Met Food on Smith Street.  There is no doubt that food prices in the neighborhood have increased.  Not everyone can afford gourmet and organic foods, sometimes one only needs some staples from a regular supermarket close to home.

Which brings us to this question: Where do you do your food shopping?  Who do you think has the best products, friendliest service, and best prices? Which is the cleanest? Do you go out of your way to shop at a particular store, or is convenience foremost on your mind?
Do you  prefer to order food online or is a brick and mortar store important to you?  Is the extra walk or drive worth it to you to go to Whole Foods, Fairway or Trader Joe's in Cobble Hill?
Most importantly, what do you think  of food prices in general in Carroll Gardens compared to other Brooklyn neighborhoods?

We would love to hear what you have to say in regards to this issue.


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After Mislabeled Product Purchased At Local Food Market Causes Allergic Reaction In Son, Mother Reminds Others To be Careful

I was contacted a few days ago by local mom Debra, who purchased Pesto at Union Market on Court Street recently. The product caused a reaction in her son, who is allergic to nuts.

Debra explains that pine nuts, which are not nuts at all, should have been fine for her son to consume, but the pesto contained unlabeled, unknown nuts such as cashews or walnuts.

Luckily, Debra's son is fine after the incident, but she reached out to Union Market. She writes:
"A representative did respond to my concern, but was uninformed or knowledgable. She didn't understand cashews were part of the nut family. In future, to protect themselves legally, food will be labeled- so they say. No owner, or higher level person would contact me.
Legally, the maker is responsible, not the retailer as I understand. Nevertheless, disclosure of multiple sources of food and checking for responsible labeling should be part of any retailer."

Debra wants others with allergies to be aware, to check labels carefully and to speak up if a product is incorrectly labeled. And please tell the store management, be it at Union Market, Whole Foods, Trader Joe's or other local food market.

****UPDATE****

Marko Lalic and Martin Nunez, the co-owners of Union Market just reached out to Pardon Me For Asking in response to the post above.
This is their email to me.

Dear Katia
Having read your blog post about Union Market last week we wanted to be sure that you and your readers have the benefit of all of the relevant information as well as our own input, as the owners of Union Market, regarding the issues raised in your story about food allergies and labeling.

Nothing is more important to us than the quality and integrity of our products, and we take our customers’ safety and allergy concerns very seriously. In the case of our Union Market brand pesto, the list of ingredients on the label is accurate; pine nuts are the only nuts contained in the pesto. Cashews and walnuts are processed at the same facility where our pesto is made, and we are adding a warning to the label to make that clear.

We are going above and beyond regulatory requirements to make our labeling more transparent and informative for customers with allergy concerns. We're currently in the process of redesigning the label for every Union Market brand item to call out potential cross-contaminants that would not be included in the list of ingredients. Our new labels will clearly identify major allergens that are processed in the same facility as our products.

We ask that you update your post with this additional information, which we believe is relevant to your readers. In addition, should anyone ever have questions about the ingredients in our products or any other concerns, they should email us at info@unionmarket.com, and we will get back to them promptly with the answers they need.

Thanks very much.
Best regards,
Marko Lalic and Martin Nunez
Co-Owners, Union Market

I would like to thank both Marko and Martin for personally responding to Debra's concern and I have forwarded their email to her.

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A Moment Back In Time: Before There Was Union Market On Court Street...

photos courtesy of the New York Municipal Archives Collection

Here is a wonderful blast from Carroll Gardens' past.  Friend and reader Mary P. recently sent me a link to the New York Municipal Archives Collection and to the great old photos of the one story building at 288 Court Street.
The photos were taken by the NYC Department of Finance for taxation purposes in the mid- 1980's, when the building housed a store that sold Italian decorative items such as lamps, shades, ornate chandeliers and Capodimonte Porcelain, which has been continuously manufactured in Naples, Italy since 1743.

I remember the place well, but by 1984, when I first came to the neighborhood, it seemed as though it wasn't doing cut business any more.  I must admit that I never set foot in it, something I regret now.
I don't even remember the name.
Sometime in the early 1990's the  closed and a sporting goods store took it over.  ATLAS SPORTS only lasted a few years at the location, however, and soon, it became a BLOCKBUSTER Video store.
It sat empty for quite some time after the video store closed, and in 2009, work started on the Union MARKET store that occupies the space today.

According to my good friend Joe Alameda, before the building housed the Italian Decor shop, it was a   school for casino croupiers. But even before that,  Joe told me: "In the 1950's and 60's it was AARON'S Department Store in the 1950's and 60's. They sold juvenile furniture and the really big baby carriages which where called 'Cadillacs'.  Aaron's also sold toys, bicycles and models."

Does anyone remember the Capodimonte store and its actual name?  How about Aaron's or the croupier school?  Do you happen to have some photos?   I would love to find out.

*A big thank you to Mary for sending these photos my way.




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Recipe For Easy Entertaining In Carroll Gardens

Carroll Gardeners Max Kelly, a photographer, and Erin Merhar, a food stylist and recipe developer, have collaborated numerous times on photo shoots in the last few months. The resulting images are always stunning.

Max and Erin have kindly allowed me to post these images from their latest shoot. And below, you will find Erin's recipe for those divine home-made rosemary crackers with sea salt pictured in the photographs.

All ingredients are available locally.

From Erin Merhar:

Since becoming a chef, I’ve also taken on the role of dining consultant for my friends and family. “What should I make for dinner, Erin? I have celery, rice and balsamic vinegar.” This is not an uncommon request.

The question I prefer to get is: “I have to bring an hors d’ouevres to a party. What can I bring that’s EASY and that everyone will love.” I could rattle off any number of dips or miniaturized appetizers, but my best answer is: if you aim to please, do a simple cheese plate.

From my experience with entertaining, an interesting cheese paired with special condiments will grab as many rave reviews as the Vietnamese spring rolls you slaved over for hours. A wedge of gooey, soft-ripened cheese, orange blossom honey—or maybe the pear mostarda that you picked up on your last trip to Italy— with a soft baguette will always do the trick.

For those of you who are still looking to provide your handcrafted touch, here is a simple cracker recipe that might actually be quicker to make than running to a bakery for that baguette.

Homemade Crackers with Rosemary and Sea Salt

1/4 pound (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened

1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1 teaspoon of chopped, fresh rosemary

1 Tablespoon heavy cream

1 tsp Maldon, or any other flaky sea salt

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with paddle attachment, beat the butter on medium speed until creamy, about 1 minute. Add the flour, kosher salt, black pepper and chopped rosemary and mix until combined. At this point, the dough will be crumbly and a bit dry. Set the mixer on low, then drizzle in just enough heavy cream to make long rectangle, about 1 ½” high, by 2” wide. Rest the formed dough in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.

Pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees. With a sharp knife, slice the dough into crackers, 1/8-1/4” thick. Place on a cookie sheet, and prick each cracker twice with a fork. Sprinkle with sea salt. Bake 20-25 minutes, until lightly golden.

Chef’s Note: The cheese pictured is La Tur, crowd-pleasing a blend of cow, sheep and goat’s milk cheese from the Langhe valley region of Piedmont, Italy. La Tur can be purchased at Union Market at 288 Court St.

Erin Merhar is a food stylist, recipe developer and personal chef living in CarrollGardens, Brooklyn. She loves wine, cheese and all things Italian. She can be contacted at mintfare@gmail.com or via her website at

www.mintfare.com.

Max Kelly is self-taught photographer whose style is at once modern and classic. Through this blend of old and new, he composes a unique perspective of the world around him. He can be reached at maxkelly@maxkellyphotography.com or through his website at www.maxkellyphotography.com

Related Post:

A Recipe For A Winter Evening In Carroll Gardens

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Was Everyone In The Neighborhood At Union M*rket This Afternoon?

With most stores in the neighborhood closed for this first day of the New Year, it would seem that Union Market on Court Street became everyone's favorite food market by default.

From the cheese display, to the meat counter, all the way to the checkout, there were long lines. One would have thought they were giving food away....

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Comment Of The Day: Sourcing Guide, Anyone?

Anonymous has left the following comment on the post "After Months Of Anticipation, Doors Finally Open At Court Street's Union Market":

You'd think for the price there would be a sourcing guide.

All I really want to know is where its from and when it was picked.

NYC has some of the worst produce in the world. Its old devoid of taste and nutrients.

This place gets its produce from the same place every other NYC shop does, just has a higher mark up.

The concept of local food is still very very distant to any of the food hawks. Fairway perhaps the worst.

For Home Page, click Pardon Me For Asking

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After Months Of Anticipation, Doors Finally Open At Union Market On Court Street

After months of anticipation, the doors of the new Union Market store at 288 Court Street finally opened and frankly, it was worth the wait. Not only is the space beautiful, but everything, from the produce, meat, fish, cheese and bread looks amazingly fresh and delicious.
But it is no doubt the prepared food section which will appeal and bring people in the neighborhood back to the store multiple times. Neighborhood residents will be glad to stop here to get a freshly roasted chicken, grab a prepared side-dish and a fresh loaf of bread as an alternative to restaurant take-out.

It certainly doesn't offer a wide-enough selection to be able to compete with Fairway, but hey, not everyone has a car, nor do people want to spend their week-end going to Red Hook to shop.

I, for one, think this is a great addition to the neighborhood. Much better than the ratty Blockbuster that was there before.

Let me know what you think, dear Neighbors!




For Home Page, click Pardon Me For Asking

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