(ThatKidInTheCorner :: Saying Goodbye to the Artist Formerly Known As Feast Market)

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January 17, 2007

Saying Goodbye to the Artist Formerly Known As Feast Market

Fame's Market never really had the right feel; also, a theory on why the deli was such a failure.

I found out Sunday night that my old deli in New York was closing. Natural Fame's Market on Amsterdam between 80th and 81st, which until 2004ish was known as Feast Market, apparently closed for good on Monday. I shall remember it fondly!

(For the record, I never really fell into line with the whole Natural Fame's Market moniker. I think the only time I would call it "Fame's Market" was to express contempt for said name change, and usually my facial expressions and body language communicated that I was attaching invisible mid-air quotes to this so-called "new deli." I just didn't see it. Therefore, I'm calling it Feast Market here.)

I was actually a little bummed out that Feast Market closed. After all, it was one of two delis to which I could walk from my old apartment on West 80th Street without crossing a street. Of the two, it had a much broader selection of groceries, drinks and beer, though it couldn't match the morning/ breakfast power of Andy's at 80th and Columbus. Mornings at Andy's are an impressive operation: there are at least 28 percent too many people behind the counter (with twin registers at either end of the counter), a frightenly aggressive coffee-slinging operation (the coffee isn't high quality but it's in your hand before you can dig out your small change), and a full-on grill (the bacon cooked thereon is what's responsible for the thick scent of fat that blows out the exhaust pipe on West 80th, and the fat that trickles down the side of the building like candle wax). Other than that, though, it's no contest. Feast Market just has a lot more to offer.

In all fairness, Feast Market was always more of a grocery than a deli, and I think it was probably the move into the deli-ish markets -- the installation of the deli counter and the decision to bring the coffee behind the counter -- that doomed the place. That thing looked expensive. But more on that later.

Right now I just want to list some of the things I'll remember about Feast Market:

1. They had an entire rack of Herr's products, including the hallowed Herr's Red Bag (my all-time favorite potato chip). One time I told the older guy at the register (who I assume was the guy who owned/ ran the place) how much I liked the "red bag" of Herr's, expecting that he understood I meant the Herr's Rippled that I was buying while I made said recommendation. I didn't see the Herr's Rippled for months. Instead, they were completely overstocked on Ketchup-flavored Herr's. It was lose-lose. That's what he gets for listening to his fickle and capricious customers! (Also, please let me know if you've tried this flavor; I had no idea such a thing existed. Also, I can't believe they boast that a Philly-Cheesesteak-flavored kettle chip has vitamin C.)

2. While not as robust in Gatorade as the deli at 83rd and Amsterdam, Feast Market had a fairly strong soft drink selection. Good depth in Snapple, some nice exotic soda flavors, and a nice rotation of those trendy micro-drink thingies that were always cycling in and out of existence.

3. In terms of the beer selection, it was much stronger than Andy's, as well as the crappy/ toilet-y place across the street and Amsterdam Deli between 79th and 80th. The defining feature of beer at Feast Market was the emphasis that Feast Market's beer buyer placed on major domestic mass market beers in tallboy sizes. If you were looking for Bud or Bud Light Feast Market, you were likely picking up 16 oz. cans. So you know.

4. The fruit and vegetable selection out front wasn't outstanding (or particularly high-quality), but it was a convenient place to buy fruit and some basic condiment vegetables.

5. The deli counter thing never really made sense for me. The sandwiches at both Amsterdam Deli and the place at 83rd were pretty strong. I don't know that I needed Feast Market to make me a sandwich. It was convenient, sure, but there's a pretty high bar for even low-end sandiwches in the immediate neighborhood there. Also, I never once touched a single thing on their steam tray/ salad bar. I didn't even like to inhale too close to it. So I didn't have a great vibe about the prospects for fresh food from Feast Market. That's my short theory for why the deli failed.

Feel free to share your favorite Feast Market memories in the space below.

Posted by thatkid at January 17, 2007 11:21 PM under ThatKid

January 17, 2007

Saying Goodbye to the Artist Formerly Known As Feast Market

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