Specialty food retailers have not made a big push into Portland since Whole Foods entered town followed several years later by Trader Joe’s.  The latter remains my least favorite place to shop, though it certainly has its fans who swarm the frozen aisle cases for esoteric Asian entrees and small bites or coffees, teas, wine and the like.  I do admit to going there for several TJ brand items:  Dijon mustard,  packaged nuts , bags of hardwood briquettes and occasionally bottles of Gerolsteiner sparkling  mineral water because it’s 20 cents cheaper than at  Whole Foods and much less than at other retailers who carry it, such as The Portland Food Co-op who charges $1.69 per bottle.

From left to right clockwise: Whole Foods, Lois', Rosemont, The Farm Stand

From left to right clockwise: Whole Foods, Lois’, Rosemont, The Farm Stand

Whole Foods, though,  is my default store. But they’re no Eataly, Zabar’s or Dean and DeLuca whose international displays of foods are phenomenal.

But what the city lacks, therefore, is a true gourmet marketplace–an urban food court on a par with something like the Chelsea Marketplace in Manhattan.  We had our opportunity perhaps with the Portland Public Market, which bit the dust.

The Chelsea Market, NYC. photo courtesy of Chelsea Market

The Chelsea Market, NYC. photo courtesy of Chelsea Market

Still you can get dribs and drabs of artisanal items if you go here and there. And for the current crop of food retailers, here’s my short list of newcomers and established stores where specialty food items are found.

Lois’ Natural Foods.  I can’t figure out what this store is about.  I’ve been to their main outpost in Scarborough and it’s basically a glorified health-food store in the old sense from the days when  those places reeked of incense and patchouli.

Lois' Natural Foods on India Street

Lois’ Natural Foods on India Street

They seem to excel in vitamins, roots and potions.  Their display of vegetables, however, is truly piss poor,  but their take out station for sandwiches and breakfast goodies is popular.  I gave them my standard health-food store test to find two products: soy flour and soy protein powder.  The only store that carries it is Royal River Natural Foods in Freeport.  For low-carb diets, these are essential products.

 

Portland Food Co-op has come into its own since the early days.  Their fresh produce selection is very good, and most everything there if not organic is local from area farms. One curious pricing profile is their supply of Matt’s Wood Roasted Organic Coffee.  They sell it for far less than other retailers, at $10.99 per pound compared to nearly $14 everywhere else.

Very fresh local and organic produce at Portland Food Co-op

Very fresh local and organic produce at Portland Food Co-op

They have a good selection of local eggs and such dairy as sour cream, milk, cream and yogurt, which Whole Foods does not have locally sourced. For anything more esoteric you’re out of luck.

Micucci.  They have no equal in Portland for Italian food, with a great selection of imported canned goods, wines, pastas, olive oil and so forth.  They continue to serve their purloined version of Slab pizza by Stephen Lanzalotta.   What gets me is that they’ve never gone into the prepared food business for such dishes as lusty lasagnas and veal parmigianas for takeout.  And why don’t they make their own fresh pasta?

Rosemont.  Now 5 stores large, they’ve come a long way since its founding days as the Portland Greengrocer, which morphed into the first Rosemont on Brighton Avenue after the partnership split up.

Specialty foods, ,meats and breads at Rosemont's new West End market

Specialty foods, ,meats and breads at Rosemont’s new West End market

Each of their stores, with the West End Market being the newest, are virtually carbon copies and are quintessential neighborhood markets.  Meats, fish and breads couldn’t be better or fresher—all locally sourced and made on site (mostly at the large Brighton Avenue store and distribution and baking centers).  In season their vegetables are from area farms, and it’s a reliable retailer for a lot of farm-to-table provender.  The Brighton Avenue store has the best choice of wine over their other shops, where I think each individual manager decides on the selection.

Serious prepared foods at Aurora Provisions

Serious prepared foods at Aurora Provisions

Aurora Provisions, just down the street, is Portland only true gourmet shop selling prepared foods and a small selection of artisanal coffees, pastas, canned goods, wine, olive oils and vinegar.  Newcomers like Home Catering fill a tiny niche for takeout but no one approaches Aurora for the quality of its prepared foods: from terrific baked goods to fabulous savory dishes.  It’s the only place I’d consider for takeout food if I’m not cooking or going out to eat.  Since Rosemont opened nearby they’re now open on Sundays—all the better to go there for lunch 7 days a week.

The Farm Stand in South Portland is fast catching up to the scope of Rosemont, but there’s no competition in that second-sister city since The Farm Stand is it.  The vegetables come from Jordan’s Farm (part owner) in Cape Elizabeth and Ben Slayton’s selection of local meats is far-reaching from sources in upstate Maine.  It’s worth a trip if you’re Portland based and a godsend for South Portlanders.

The many splendors of local fare at The Farm Stand in South Portland

The many splendors of local fare at The Farm Stand in South Portland

Others worth mentioning in the niche category are newcomers Figgy’s for fried chicken and Ten-Ten Pie, both of which I haven’t really explored yet but are high on my to-do list.