I got a chance to have a sneak preview of the new Fresh Market on Rudy Lane yesterday. It was very cool to be in the store when everything was absolutely pristine, no one had bought anything or messed up any displays. It was a marvelous show of foodstuff beauty.

I had been to a Fresh Market once in Indianapolis but I didn’t have much memory of it, so it was nice to have a chance to take a good look around this one. The marketing person there told me that this is the 93rd store in the chain. I’d seen the signs about Fresh Market being under construction because it’s very near my realtor’s office and I wondered what niche the store would fill. I mean we’ve already got several Rainbow Blossom locations as well as Whole Foods and Kroger.

Now, after having seen the store in person I have a little bit better idea of how it can be a useful addition to the food shopping scene.

The prepared foods sections (deli, bakery, antipasto carts) are really impressive. If you’re on your way home to East Egypt after work and want something quick and tasty to take home, a trip to their deli will have you well covered. If you’re throwing a dinner party but don’t have the time or inclination to make a spectacular dessert on your own and you want to pick one up while you’re shopping for other things, they’ve got you covered. If you, like me, just absolutely love olives and get giddy when you can pick and choose from a really good olive bar, they’ve got you covered.

They also have a really nice selection of, I guess upscale is the word here, frozen hors d’oeuvres (mushroom risotto pockets, goat cheese and fig pastry pockets, etc). They’re expensive but if I’m having a small party where I want to impress people but I don’t want to make every single thing from scratch for these seem like a really good option.

The prices seemed reasonable. Definitely no more expensive than Whole Foods and in-line with Kroger on some items. They have lots of Fresh Market branded items (milk, canned goods, coffee, etc) that had beautiful packaging. Obviously I didn’t get to do a head to head comparison on product quality so I can’t tell you if it’s better or worse than other brands but their milk comes in glass bottles and the cream and half and half in adorable little clear plastic bottles which makes me love them instantly.

Also, they had gigantor muffins for $1.09 each. Don’t know if this is just a grand opening price or what but that seems like a pretty good deal.

My favorite part about visiting Fresh Market? Overhearing a conversation between I guess the produce manager and two employees. The produce section was just beautiful, everything perfectly arranged, fresh delicious looking stuff all around and he said “This is the expectation.” That’s the direct quote. I’m going to paraphrase the rest. Essentially he said that when customers come to the store they expect and deserve that level of beauty, care and perfection all the time, every day. I do so appreciate someone who clearly takes pride in their work.

Fresh Market (both this location and the other that is where? Middletown?) is far enough off my normal routes that I don’t think it will be in my regular shopping rotation but I definitely think I’ll hit it when I’m shopping for parties or special dinners. And on those occasions when I have to be out that way for business I’ll definitely stop in. It’s pretty, has a really good selection* and makes grocery shopping pleasant. If you live in the East End and pass that way frequently and describe yourself as a foodie I absolutely expect Fresh Market will become a frequent stop for you.

*A note about “good selection”: What I should say is that it has a really good selection of the kind of things I like to buy. Fresh Market is much smaller than your average Kroger so clearly they don’t carry everything that Kroger does, I’m ok with that.