The New, Improved Gristedes Opens

By on November 21, 2008 10:36 am in Food, News

Updated with News 12 Brooklyn Video after the jump
The new and improved Gristedes on Henry and Clark is open and if the pistachio muffins are indication, it’s the beginning of a beautiful friendship.

The improvements are noticeable upon entry as you are hit with the welcoming sight of fresh baked bread and the smell of fresh brewed coffee. The new layout flows freely in a way that makes more sense than the old store. We just made a quick lap but the inventory certainly does seem bigger and more comprehensive. Finally kudos to the friendly service we received today. Let’s hope it stays that way.

In attendance for today’s Grand Re-opening – Gristedes top dog John Catsimatidis, City Councilman David Yassky and State Senator-elect Daniel Squadron.

Update: News 12 Brooklyn was on the scene:

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  • nabeguy

    Did you happen to notice if Lydia is back?

  • New2Nabe

    Can’t wait to stop in on the way home tonight and buy a quart of milk..hopefully it will not be expired yet.

  • Nancy

    Yes, Lydia was at the door when I came in!

  • AEB

    Do they have a sign for my street, too, huh, huh, huh?

    It’s Middaugh.

    Well, it’s also Hicks.

    Gosh….

    PS, who’s Lydia? Not the Tattooed Lady of Groucho M. fame, right?

  • anon

    um. It’s Middagh.

  • AEB

    Thanks, anon.

    Sometimes one’s fingers race ahead of one’s mind.

    Or sometimes one is just mindless.

  • nabeguy

    Lydia was the best check-out person in the old place, and one of the few reasons that I kept gong there. My daughter loved her, as she was always slipping her gifts when I wasn’t looking.

  • paul

    is gristedes as overpriced as it was before? we switched to fairway last year and we’ve been really happy

  • AEB

    OK, I’ve been there. And–surprise!–it’s (still) a Gristedes.

    Pros:

    Better layout
    Better lighting
    Larger selection, though marginally
    No smell–so far
    Better service: I asked to be directed to the ice-cream case and I was. I scoped out items there and moved on. A minute later, the guy who had directed me tracked me down and, thinking I’d never found the ice-cream, offered to steer me there personally. Amazing!

    Cons

    Good god–the prices! Why would anyone want to pay top dollar for their groceries?

    Examples: Fancy Feast cat food: at Gristedes, 89 cents a can; at the new pet store a block away on Clark, 65 cents per. Haagen Dazs quarts: Gristedes, $5.19; Peas and Pickles, $4.89; Food Town, $4.49; Joy dish washing liquid, non-concentrate, at Gristedes, $2.19, elsewhere, as little as 89 cents.

    For me, the bloated prices makes Gristedes an in-an-emergency-only shopping place. I don’t mind spending more for more, but spending more for the same just makes me feel exploited.

    Used.

    Dirty.

  • http://selfabsorbedboomer.blogspot.com Claude Scales

    Just went for a quick tour, and was quite impressed. I didn’t do price checking except on a few items, which seemed to be about the same as Key Food. They have lots more space, and consequently a wider selection, than Key Food. They even have a British food section, as does Fairway (though Gristede’s isn’t quite as large), which, along with the expected Marmite and Heinz baked beans, included tins of spotted dick.

  • AEB

    Correction: in my post above, “Food Town” should be “Key Food.”

    Apologies.

  • AEB

    …and that should be “pints” above, not “quarts.”

    Yikes! Most be the cold. I hope.

  • http://www.brooklynbackstretch.blogspot.com Brooklyn Backstretch

    Prices high, yes. Better service, yes. Much better layout, yes. Convenience….YES!

    Relentless Christmas music? Noooooooooooooooo.

  • Pierrepont

    Did they manage to get rid of that odor of moldy cat urine that used to dominate the store? If so, I might check it out.

  • paul

    prices definitely still ridiculous, can of bustelo is 5.99 vs 3.29 at fairway. god I’m such a nit.

  • LD

    Another “celeb” sighting this morning at Gristede’s — Marty Markowitz — telling patrons how much he wished he lived in this neighborhood. News 12 Brooklyn was also there with a camera crew (musta been a slooooww news day!) I was pleased to see that they’ve closed off the door to the employee bathroom (which used to lead right into the cookie aisle…yum)

  • mrs. fink

    i agree on the prices and it blows but as a BHer without a car (thus making Fairway not a regular option) it still seems like the best option. i liked trader joes but its a hike and the fact that i couldnt get a whole carrot or head of cabbage (but plenty of shredded packaged options) also makes it somewhere that i wouldnt be my first go to.

  • brookie

    At about 7pm last night the service sucked just as it did in the bad old days. The prices were crazy-but the newly expanded ice cream section was a pleasant surprise.

  • Jen

    The prices are ridiculous. $2.19 for a 20 oz bottle of Coke? Seriously? $4.39 for a half-gallon of organic milk is not bad, but it has an expiration date of 12/3, which makes me nervous.

    I also think the selection at the “new” Gristedes is totally crappy and it’s more disorganized than ever. I won’t be going back, no matter how convenient it is.

    Oh, and they overcharged me by $1.00 on ground flaxseed — it was marked $5.99 and rang up at $6.99. GROSSTEDES!

  • alex

    It looks nice, and it’s huge, but $10.59 for apple juice? $2.49 for a 2-liter bottle of soda? Suuuuuure, that’s reasonable…

  • Teddy

    Don’t you hate those price-gouging Brooklyn Heights prices. If only Fairway opened a store on Atlantic Ave (maybe in one of the new buildings under construction on Boerum). Well, at least TJ is keeping the Key Food on Atlantic Ave. a little on their toes now with their lower prices.

  • Publius

    Gristedes ridiculous prices fully subsidize my car annually.

    Fairway is 30-50% cheaper on most items. Let’s take 40% as the average (shocking, but true).

    My S.O. and I spend approximately $5,200 annually on groceries at Fairway. If we did the same shopping at Gristedes we’d spend approximately $8,500.

    Car insurance is $650 annually. Gas is about $600 annually. Routine maintence about $500. Parking and the random ticket approximately $500. All in, approximately $2,250 annually.

    Still way cheaper than the money I would fork over to Mr. Snuffelupikus or whatever the name is who’s the owner of Gristedes.

    Thank you Gristedes for making the decision to keep a car in the City an easy one for me!

    BTW, a reminder that Zip Cars are cheap and close by, and also in the warmer months, Fairway will subsidize your r/t water taxi trip if you spend $100 or more AND deliver your groceries for you.

    Oh, and Fairway simply blows away Gristedes as a shopping experience in terms of selection, quality, ambiance, and price.

  • hoppy

    Gougestedes can go f*** themselves with their $14.99 six-packs of Stone IPA!! (for comparison, they are $9.99 and $10.99 at KF Atl. and KF Montg., respectively).

    All in all, is it more convenient for me, a North Heightsian, to shop there?… yes. Will the extra money spent there leave me bankrupt?… no. However, I hate the feeling I get when I think I’m being “taken.” I’ll continue to shop at the more sanely priced, albeit more distant and inconvenient places like TJs, Sahadi and even the two Key Foods. And the healthy extra walking will help burn off all the maltose :)

  • http://BrooklynHeightsBlog Karl

    Somebody told me they have $7.99 coconut custard pies on sale. Is this true?

  • joe

    yeah, was in this griss tonight…you could probably take a cab to any whole foods in manhattan, shop, and then take a cab back, and still save money. oh, and then you’d actually be able to/want to eat the food when you get home. yum.

  • gen

    lol at the comments. anything is going to be more expensive than fairway (which I love by the way). sticky prices are here to stay. I am glad they reopened because I am not setting foot back in that nasty food town aka c town aka key food.

  • In the Heights

    Anyone else around using fresh direct? they are cheaper than all the nabe stores. no car, no schlepping! its the best ever! I went to gristedes on friday. i loved that they were giving away loaves of cheap white bread. they were shocked when i said no thanks! i’ll never forget going in there in 1999 when may first kid was born and i was new to the nabe. diapers were $18! same pack at rite aid was $14. they are insane!!!!

  • my2cents

    Publius, what insurance company gives you car insurance for 650 bucks a year?? do tell!

  • Jen

    I do use Fresh Direct, especially for heavy stuff and staples, but I go to Garden of Eden for cold cuts (FD doesn’t slice thin enough) and sometimes meat/fish and the greenmarket for produce. And whenever I have the use of a car I go to Fairway.

  • Publius

    My $.02:

    Tri-state Consumer Insurance. Switched from Geico years ago because TSC’s far cheaper and triple-A rated.

    I only have basic liability–no collision or theft.

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