Our last stop on Staten Island before going back up to Manhattan (for the last time!) is this approximately 6300 square foot supermarket. Operating until early 2020 as a
Top Tomato Superstore, this and
one other location on Forest Avenue were converted to Associated Fresh. I'm assuming ownership changed as well, but that's hard to confirm. Like the
Market Fresh we saw, Forest Avenue was previously a Walgreens.
This store, more than the other Top Tomato, has the feeling of a small specialty market. You enter to produce and meat on the right side of the store, with two grocery aisles in a small expansion out the front wall (visible in the exterior photograph). To the left is the deli/bakery on the back wall, with a few small aisles in front and dairy/frozen on the far left side.
This store tends to lean into the specialty Italian territory, as Top Tomato did. But you can also buy basic grocery items.
Oh yeah. That's a little bit of pasta, wouldn't you say?
Second aisle in the expansion.
Deli counter on the back wall, with meat on the other side (past the exit sign). Notice the homemade sauces in the case to the left. They look fantastic! And I'm assuming, because of the very quick turnaround time, the store looks pretty much like it did when it was Top Tomato. As far as I can tell, it looks like the Associated owners or management just installed a new floor, which looks really nice.
Dairy and frozen on the left side wall of the store, with an office that doubles as customer service in that corner (you can see the mirrored window). I think there are three checkouts on the front wall -- and lots and lots of grated cheese.
It's a nice place (p.s. the soft pretzels are worth the trip). And that wraps up our Staten Island coverage... until I visit Staten Island again sometime! Which probably won't be too soon. Anyway, up next we're heading back to Manhattan.
Associated Fresh Market
3579 Victory Blvd, Bulls Head, Staten Island, NY
Photographed March 2020
Take me to that pasta aisle 😍
ReplyDeleteNot bad, huh? Staten Island is definitely one of the best places for Italian foods. I've eaten great meals at multiple Italian restaurants in the borough, but we also have fantastic Italian restaurants in New Jersey.
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