O.M.G. Can it really be?

liQcity is a M-F blog, but I’m busting out my computer on a Sunday, because the rumor of a Fairway coming to LIC is too good to wait until tomorrow.

liQcity received this juicy tip yesterday:

“I am a private chef in the city. I do my shopping everyday at Fairway on Broadway. There is a constant buzz in the store about the new Fairway that is going to open in LIC. I have been hearing this from the employees and managers of the store.”

A Fairway in LIC? My simple, humble human self is trying not to get too excited.

Oy. As if things weren’t bad enough. (They’re not actually.) The news broke yesterday (thanks Eater) -the Amish Market is delayed until at least May.

Where is our @&*%(#&%@# grocery store?? I understand that Hunters Point is making the jump straight to high-end, but we are also simple, humble humans who are willing to shop at a Gristedes or a Food Emporium. Or better yet, an unbranded mom & pop with a savvy buyer. That’s all we need. Some organic options. Decent produce. A butcher who’ll do the dirty work. A cookie aisle.

Is there anyone awake out there? Why are so many people missing this amazing business opportunity? There are industrial spaces available in Hunters Point that are perfect for a grocery store. I mean it’s not like I have to drink my coffee black every morning or anything…people have lived in this hood for decades without a grocery store. But it’s become a nice shtick to chronically lament about the lack of grocery store, so I’m sticking with it. Maybe if I got off my keister, I might open a grocery store myself. Aah, no. I’d lose my shtick and my keister would miss my office chair too much. I think I’ll go buy a condo in DoBro instead.

E & I Deli, Vernon Blvd @ 50th Ave, Hunters Point

If you’ve been reading this blog for five minutes, you know that there’s a grocery store issue… as in we don’t have one. And I’m tired of hearing that C-town counts as a grocery store. Fine, technically C-town is in Hunters Point, but if you live in Queenswest or Vernon/Jackson, two of the other sub-neighborhoods of HP (which is a sub-nabe in and of itself), that C-town is as far away, if not further than The Garden in Greenpoint. Or really, let’s just leave it at that it’s far away. And my question is: is it a good grocery store? It’s too far for me - I just go to The Garden, lug my groceries from the city, or I go to the E&I Deli, aka the Korean deli on Vernon.

Surprisingly, E&I has a really savvy buyer. The deli is definitely stocked with some ‘yuppie’ vittles. You know, overpriced and organic. It also has a great selection of Asian foods as well… which is very much in line with the theme of our burgeoning restaurant scene.

Thank you E&I deli. If it weren’t for you, we’d have to walk the 5000 miles to C-town (aka 15 minutes).

C-town grocery store on 21st St, Hunters Point, LIC

We at liQcity have enjoyed lamenting about the lack of grocery store in Hunters Point. As it turns out, we were wrong - as has been frequently pointed out by a regular commenter. (You know who you are.) We were in denial! Or we just actually never visited the C-town at the corner of 44th Drive and 21st St, in Courthouse Sq, which as we all know, is a part of Hunters Point.

All that’s changed now. We went there. It’s a bona-fide grocery store folks. It’s small, but they have all the basics. The produce section is decent. There are both yuppy and hipster vittles, though somewhat limited. Mostly mainstream, commercial products. But it was decently clean, and much more gently priced than the E & I Deli on Vernon Blvd.

It’s located right next to a subway entrance for the E,V,G trains, which is convenient, but it sort of serves a limited geography. It’s still not very accessible for Vernon-Jackson residents, and Queenswesters might as well go to Astoria or Greenpoint for fancier stores that are just as far. Courthouse Square residents who are off Jackson Ave also are probably more easily served by Greenpoint. Oh yeah, and the hours are relatively limited. Didn’t see any officially posted, but they don’t seem to be open past 8pm or so.

Overall, C-town in Hunters Point gets a B/B-. The hours could be longer, some of the buying could be improved, but the prices are reasonable, and it’s relatively clean and maintained. So, we’ll be busy modifying our battle-cry for a grocery store in Vernon-Jackson and Queenswest. Long Island City and it’s subneighborhoods! Sheesh.

For more of a peek inside C-town »

Faces on 5pointz Studios, Courthouse Sq, Long Island City

1) We all know that Starbucks killed the deal they had with Rockrose, but there was ANOTHER potential Starbucks in the works. Quietly slated to be at 10-50 Jackson, that deal is now dead too. Seems Starbucks is not ready for Long Island City, or vice versa. And no one’s crying.

2) Duane Reade and Amish Market in Rockrose #2 are confirmed for June 2008 opening. Excited and perhaps slightly wilted Queenswesters are standing by.

3) 2626 Jackson, aka Corner of Purves is back on track, after a few months of work stoppage. Scarano marches on in Courthouse Sq.

4) Gristedes (gasp! a grocery store!) is set to open in the Arris Lofts in April/May 2008.

5) The United Nations move of 2,600 workers to the UN Federal Credit Union building in Courthouse Square is on track for April/May. Get ready for the influx!

The Market at Long Island City, 5th St & 47th Rd, Queenswest, LIC

The Queenswest grocery store that’s been teasing us for over a year now is finally blossoming. Only it’s called The Market at Long Island City instead of the Amish Market - though operated by the same owners. I dunno, something about the Amish Market rolls off the tongue nicely… I feel like we’ll all still be calling it that anyway. Old habits die hard and you can’t teach old dogs new tricks. Right?

Also manifesting right next door is the Duane Reade. Need some proof?

Here you go »