that's the good/bad thing about NYC
lots of places to shop but rarely is there one spot for everything as far as meeting price and quality standards.

i love the coop but it aint for everyone. especially if you have multiple adults because they make you ALL work (but you can always just lie and act single).

but you have the farmer's markets
court street has some great butchers
sahadi's got a good, reasonably priced selection for spices and cheese and other gourmet items

and i am all about chinatown for seafood and some produce. i make a little trip out of it. i try to go late morning/early afternoon on a saturday and i get dumplings or a banh mi and then hit up the big market on hester and elizabeth (if i need special asian sauces-they have good produce too).

then i head down grand. there are a lot of produce spots and fish places. the one on the south west corner of grand and chrystie is my favorite. they don't have fish on the ground swimming around like the other ones lol. i get a ton of salmon and shrimp there and freeze it after i portion them out.

if you bypass the eating along the way, you can do it in an hour