Christmas Dinner 2012

Our Christmas dinner was from the Market, the Kerrytown shops, and the Peoples Food Cooperative; just as it has been for many past years.  The pinwheel appetizers in the above photo were made from sliced meat from Sparrow Meat Market, salmon from Monahan's Seafood Market, cream cheese and tortillas from the Peoples Co-op.  The dinner included:

Standing Rib Roast (Sparrow Market)
Yorkshire Pudding  (Our Family Farm eggs)
Honey Glazed Carrots, Parsnips and Brussels Sprouts (vendors and Sparrow Market)
Mincemeat Tarts (Mincemeat from Sparrow Market)

Here is a link to an earlier post on this blog with a picture of a Christmas standing rib roast.

I often hear people say they would like to see a supermarket in downtown.  This combination is a downtown supermarket, and it is a very good one.  The Market simply has the freshest seasonal produce in town.   In winter it has fresh cold tolerant hoop house greens, local grown green house vegetables, and local grown root vegetables that store well.  It also has local fruit, like apples, that store well.

I think Sparrow Market in Kerrytown is the best meat market in town.   The quality is very good and the selection is quite diverse.   Sparrow Market carries many other products, such as dried Michigan beans, dried chilies, even canned chilpotle peppers in adobo sauce that I could not find at a much larger food store.   They also carry citrus and other non-local fruit.  The emphasis is on the ingredients, not on prepared foods.   This is similar to the Market and complements it

The Peoples Food Cooperative is another very good store in the area of the Market.  Their selection of bulk grains, nuts, flours, spices, etc is outstanding.   They also have a reasonable selection of fruits and vegetables.   As a final note, you do not need to be a member to shop there.  If you shop there a lot becoming a member may reduce your shopping costs, but all are welcome.   Visit and try it if you have not.

There will never be a classic Kroger's; in downtown Ann Arbor; that is, a mammoth store with acres of free parking.   The real estate cost is just prohibitive.  But what we have now, specialty stores that complement each other is better.  I spend far more at the Market and these shops than I do at the Kroger's which is closer to my home.