Fairway in Paramus opens today!
Title says it all:) Can't wait to go check it out.
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I went on Saturday 3/28. I got there at 7:45 a.m., and there were a few people mulling about. By opening time at 8 a.m., there must've been 50 or 60 people waiting to get in. By the time I left, the first half of the lot was pretty much full.
Initial thoughts of the place? I like it. A lot. Their non-sale prices aren't going to put Maywood Market or Corrados out of business anytime soon, but they have some terrific stuff, and the sale prices were amazing. Everything I've tried so far has been absolutely terrific (with one exception) and prices on most items, given the quality, were fair. Some highlights:
Their smoked salmon is amazing. It's a lot less salty than most other places, but the quality was stellar. They actually had a guy with a knife slicing razor thin pieces off the fish.
Got the fruit cheesecake on sale for $7.99. Probably sells for double that regularly. Outstanding. Lots of fruit, and great creamy flavor.
The deli counter is huge. They had some incredible, novel prepared foods. I got some mediterranean chicken salad, with nice pieces of chicken and goat cheese. I got another Indian style chicken dish, chicken breasts made with yogurt and spices. And perhaps the best noodle kugel I've ever had. Nice and creamy, not as tangy as the typical noodle kugel, with lots of raisins and I think red currants. Wonderful. Most of the meat-based prepared foods were around $6.99 per pound. A hair high, but not too bad, especially considering the quality. I think the kugel was $4.99 per pound.
Captain Tony was at the fish counter, slicing fish with his crew. I got some beautiful salmon for $5.99 a pound. It was cool to meet him in person.
Of course I had to get the filet of beef for $4.99 a pound. The line to get the meat and get it cut was insane. But it was worth the wait. Very good quality, U.S. beef.
I had to get some of that fresh mozzarella for $3.99 per lb. Very good. Very smooth and creamy. Perhaps just a pinch too salty (and I like my mozzarella salty) but still very good. I didn't get a chance to check out the cheese counter in detail, but it looked great in passing. I did get some of that parmigiano reggiano for $8.99 per lb. though.
They have some fresh pasta as well, including all kinds of filled raviolis. The fancy stuff is very expensive ($7.99 or $8.99 per package), but the plain pastas at $3.29 for 12 oz. isn't too bad. It was very good too!
The coffee section is awesome. I was kind of looking forward to jumping into a barrel of that freshly-roasted coffee, but alas, they have coffee mongers to scoop the coffee for you. I got some of the sale $3.99 per lb. hazelnut. The coffee is very good, but I wouldn't say it's leaps and bounds above what I get at Maywood Market. Maybe a pinch better. It is cool seeing the coffee roaster in action though!
Dairy prices are incredible. Gallons of Farmland milk (including whole milk) for $1.75. Quarts of Farmland heavy cream were an astonishing $2.49. (I usually get quarts of heavy cream at Food Basics, for $3.68 for the A&P brand. It's about $4.99 or $5.49 at the regular A&P.) $2.49 is an astonishing price. I don't know if this is a sale price, so get it while you can! They also had Breakstone's pints of sour cream for $.75.
In the produce department, I got some beautiful vine-ripened tomatoes for $1.49 per pound. These were the nicest tomatoes I've seen in a supermarket in a long time. They also had garlic 3 for $1.00, and it was nice and fresh. They also had a big vat where you could pick your own mesculen salad for $5.99 per pound. This was cheaper than buying the prepackaged salads, so I got some from the bin. The lettuce looked nice and fresh.
The only dud I bought was a bunch of basil. It was a nice sized bunch, but at $2.89, a bit expensive, and after one day, it's wilted already! I can usually get a comparable bunch at Maywood Market for around $1.49 and it usually lasts about a week before it wilts significantly.
I also got some Kosher for Passover Coke in the grocery aisle. 3 2L bottles for $4.00. And they had plenty.
The store was insanely busy, but surprisingly, there were no lines at the checkouts. The layout of the store is unusual with the produce in one compartment of the store, the groceries, frozen foods, and checkouts in another part, and a long narrow pathway with the deli, seafood, meat, cheese, and coffee departments. If you forget something in produce and you're in the grocery section, you have to track all the way back through the store. No shortcuts!
Danny and Howie were all over the store. Howie doesn't talk much. Danny is the PR man who talked with all the customers and tried to help everyone out. He saw me looking around puzzled and asked me if I needed help. I said no, I was just taking it all in, and complimented him and Howie on the great store. I was kind of star struck, after seeing Howie, Danny, and Captain Tony in person!
Overall, I enjoyed my trip. I'm $200 poorer now, but boy have I been enjoying the food! This is a great addition to the area. Be prepared to go first thing in the morning for at least the next six months, or be prepared for big crowds. Welcome to Paramus, Fairway!
›7 Replies-
re: zhelder
MisterBill2
Mar 30, 2009 12:08 AM
We were there on Sunday. Now I know what everyone in Pamaus will do on Sunday. We got there around 3:30 and the lot was full. Produce was very crowded, as was the area around deli. But the fish counter was empty and once you got to the grocery or dairy aisles, the register area was clear (actually when I first got there it was clear then there were short lines after we went down a few of the grocery aisles). I agree, they had some great sales. If Passover weren't coming up I would have bought more stuff (but I bought some stuff for Passover).
Some prices are odd. $7.78 or so a pound for portabello mushrooms? That's like double what they should be. And the fresh Empire Half Turkey Breast was also $7+ a pound, like double what I've bought it for elsewhere. Not sure if these were mispriced or what.
They have kosher cold cuts at the deli counter, which is nice. I am told they have them in Plainview as well but I never thought to look for them there.
Even though I live in Westchester, I will probably go to this store occasionally. I wish I could find a good way to avoid the 50c toll right before the exit on the GSP. My GPS offered me a route but it was going to be like 10 minutes out of my way, so I paid the toll.
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re: zhelder
sixelagogo
Mar 30, 2009 04:01 AM
The store's "flow" is probably its number 1 flaw...the bread area backup and dead-ends just don't make a lot a of sense...will it stop me from going? no- i just wish they would have put a little more thought into crowd movement and the flow of shopping people.
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re: sixelagogo
goodhealthgourmet
Mar 30, 2009 12:05 PM
someone told me yesterday that a write-up in the Bergen Record said the layout of the store was terrible, and enough of an issue to discourage several shoppers they interviewed from wanting to ever go back. i'll have to check it out myself this week!
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re: goodhealthgourmet
MisterBill2
Mar 30, 2009 05:45 PM
I think the flow won't be as big of a deal after the crowds subside and you don't have to push your way through that aisle with the bakery. Even the produce section was mobbed yesterday, and you know that won't last, either. My biggest surprise was that there was such a short wait to check out. That wold have upset me, if I had to wait a long time there.
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goodhealthgourmet
Mar 25, 2009 08:43 AM
you're a brave soul to venture there during opening-day chaos. i'd wait a week or so.
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re: shopgirl
sixelagogo
Mar 26, 2009 03:51 AM
went there as well...INSANELY crowded (goes to show you how desperate we are for a great supermarket in bergen county), though I too had no wait in the meat department..can't wait to go back after the crowds die down a bit.
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re: coll
I agree on the Plainview store, I was there last night at 8pm, nice and quiet. I got my shopping done with ease. I would never go on a weekend though. Snapped back to reality in the parking lot, where aggressive idiots where cutting each other off to get out of the lot. I was thinking with Fairway, Shoprite, Trader Joes H&Y Korean and Patel brothers all within 10min of each other, this area has some pretty good shopping options.
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re: coll
well, I don't know where you all went shopping, but the Fairway in Paramus advertised "whole, fully trimmed" filet mignon -- and it was. All the butcher did for me was take off that tiny bit of silver skin (what I call it) and slice into 1 1/2 inch filets. No waste. We just enjoyed it this evening. I made a bernaise and a salad, and it was very soft and tender and delicious. Of course, we're not talking Peter Luger or Ruth's Chris, but I've purchased filet mignon in ShopRite for a lot more! So, did I get what I paid for? Yes, and then some...
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