ottawa foodies

interesting article: ottawa.openfile.ca

i've known that some of my staples - milk, eggs and butter - vary widely in price between glebe metro, pretoria loblaws, richmond superstore and merivale loblaws. even the same store - loblaws - charges different prices on some foods.

Thanks for posting this, glad that writer took the time to document what most downtown dwellers know. I avoid Hartman's- priciest basket acc to the article. It's nice to have a typical full service grocery store in Centretown, but for their prices, I'd rather send my 14.5% downtown grocery premium to smaller businesses. Grace Ottawa has cheap staples and spices, I get fruit & veg delivered from Ottawa Organics, bulk and anything else at Herb & Spice on Bank or the Metro Glebe. Who knows though, Hartman's may be forced to compete on price in 2012 once the new Sobey's opens up: www.ottawacitizen.com

How did I miss the news that Sobey's was coming to Centretown? And holy crap it'll be right on the 6 bus route. That means that I won't have any reason to whine about it being farther away than Hartman's ;)

hipfunkyfun Thanks for posting this article. Many of us who live downtown already know how expensive Hartmans is - most of my neighbours won't shop there because of the high prices. I didn't realize prices varied from one location of a store to another. Like eatme I have been benefitting from the less expensive places like Grace or Chinatown. When Goldstein's closed a couple of years ago I was really hoping we would get a discount grocery store like Food Basics or Price Chopper. There will be a Dollarama opening there instead which will be handy but still not a grocery store. One of my colleagues sent me that link about Sobey's just before the Christmas holidays and I was doing cartwheels when I heard the news-;) I work on Sparks just off Metcalfe and I actually live at the other end of Metcalfe passing right by Sobeys on the way home. How convenient is that! It will be nice having a little competition in the grocery store market in centretown.

shopping in the burbs - I can tell you that you won't see much price difference between IGA or Sobeys. Perhaps increased competition will lower some of the prices, but over all I find Sobeys to be at least the same or more expensive than blawblaws/IGA. You need to convince Farmboy to open up downtown and maybe a food basics for canned goods.

Does anyone else notice that the fresh foods (produce, meat etc) at the downtown grocery stores (Rideau street Metro and Loblaws) doesn't seem as fresh or nice as the stuff in their other stores?

Or is it just me that thinks so?

Hartman's is so overpriced on some items-lately the 4pk of colored peppers in cellophane is around $7, or was that a few weeks ago!

Also I find with Hartman's people always seem to be putting their hands in the bread bins and makes me not want to buy stuff there.
Hartman's is also kind of unsanitary- they have these bins of water with cut up vegetables and no lids- you can just walk by and cough on them and maybe also pick your vegetables by hand to add tot he yuck factor..wouldn't be surprized if that happened lots.

I think for paying more downtown, if you do not look at the grocery flyers you will pay more,but if you read the flyers there is a different sale at each store every week.
I never shop at the same store every week.

I know rents are more expensive downtown, but when I find the same kumato pre-packaged black tomatoes at a greengrocer on the market for $7 and I can buy them at loblaws merivale for $2.99, that's a problem. I find that even the harder to find meats/cheeses/produce are all available on Merivale road now at Costco, Farm Boy, Nicastro, Loblaws,YIG, Metro and the other ethnic stores that are located there (Caribbean, Latin, Dutch, German, even Bosnian!). It used to be that when I needed specialty foods I had to head to the market. I guess that consumer demand has shifted greatly in the suburbs in the last 10 years.

The only time I've gone to the market to buy food in the last 10 years was to find special mustard, so no. You don't have to do that. Of course, I don't live down there either and I have a car. I'm actually quite close to the Loblaw's on Baseline at Merivale but I drive to the one at College Square to do most of my shopping.

To be totally honest, I don't so much care what things cost as how difficult it is to shop. When I lived in Hintonburg I stopped going to the Loblaw's on Wellington because it was just too packed with people. I started having the same problem (and others) at Merivale. Now I'm at College Square. I don't mind driving up Merivale to find other specific things I need, but the car helps a lot when I'm out and about doing my shopping.

Mousseline I usually shop at the Loblaws on Isabella because it is closer to my home. However I periodically pop into the Rideau Street Loblaws during my Sunday afternoon shopping trips to the Byward Market. I actually find the Rideau Street location actually has fresher looking veggies than the Isabella location. Those are the only two Loblaws I shop at so I don't really know how the veggies compare to other Loblaws locations. As for Metro I alternate between the Rideau Street location and Bank Street in the Glebe and I don't notice any discernable difference in the freshness of the veggies.

On a side note I still have issues with the stocking of items at the Loblaws on Isabella. I went there last night to pick up a few things and I saw lots of empty shelves. I really wish they would fix that. I don't shop at the grocery stores too often so I really like the size of that store - I don't have to walk several miles just to find milk - but it's a wasted trip if they don't have what I'm looking for in stock. #endrant

blubarry Glad to see someone else is benefitting from those ethnic stores on Merivale. I head out there sometimes to go to Costco and I like squeezing in visits to the European Delicatessen and Nicastros while I am there. There are lots of great items to be found.

Rizak Loblaws on Wellington? Are you referring to the Superstore on Richmond? Yeah that place is a zoo and I try to avoid it at all costs-;) Have you tried the Piggy Market? They are located nearby and they have lots of delicious meats, take-home meals, etc. and sometimes veggies from Bryson farms. Oh and the Pascale's ice cream is to die for. Apparently there is now a Natural Food Pantry in the area as well. I haven't been to Westboro since before Christmas and I now realize I am long overdue for a visit...

Yes, I tried the Piggy Market. I looked at the prices and laughed my fool head off. I know that Wellington is supposed to be the new Glebe and some of these businesses sure have that mentality. Oh, I'm sure that it's all organic and hand made by perfectly tanned chefs in their wonderful show kitchens to be presented to me in a gold-foil lined bag that I should keep on display to show off to all of my chic friends who pop by ... but come on. $10 for a small pot of ice cream? $20 for 2 pork chops? $5 for a loaf of bread? This is one of the reasons that I don't live in Hintonburg anymore. I saw the yuppies coming.

Still, that's just one man's opinion. Okay, the Dragonlady agrees so that makes it one man and one woman.

I have nothing against paying $10 for ice cream if it is very good and is eaten very slowly.
But luckily near me I get a discount at a ice cream shop I go to often :)
So, I usually go to the same store where they have much less exotic ice cream flavors- like dark chocolate, pistachio ect.
And that is ok, I do not really like vinegars or goat milk in my ice cream that much.

The Byward Market outdoors is actually pretty cheap for vegetables.
Many times in the summer I went in the afternoon and you could get 2 liter baskets of vegetables for around $2 as the vendors were leaving or had too much extra stuff.
Now that it is winter I have to go to actual stores again.

For organic meats and bacon,ham,chicken ect there is much cheaper vendors in Hull, Quebec.
The Piggy Market is good if you are not on a very tight budget.

for me paying $12 for bacon from Piggy Market vs $6 from a Quebec Organic vendor/farmer is a big difference at the moment. (for the same size product).

Thanks for the article. It was something I'd definitely noticed... while I go to Hartman's on a weekly basis, I try to buy my staples at Costco and try to stop in at stores outside the core when I happen to be near one. The differences in higher end items like Fibre granola bars and Kashi cereal can be anywhere from 25 cents to a buck.

While I watch the flyers and there are good deals to be had, usually half the items are totally out of stock at Hartman's. I went in on Wednesday afternoon and was only able to get an item or two from the flyer.

As for the freshness of the veggies, well, the Metro on Rideau is disgusting. I will pick up a couple things if I'm at the LCBO, but otherwise I avoid that Metro if I can.

Just a side note I don't shop at the Piggy Market for day-to-day items for a few reasons. Mostly because I don't live in the neighbourhood but also because it is in fact expensive. But I don't eat out often so picking up an overpriced mac 'n cheese is a treat for me - that's what I get instead of restaurant meals. There seem to be alot of high-end shops opening in Westboro/Hintonburg these days. Alot of the millenials at my office seem to be moving there and frequenting these places - must be nice to have the money. I didn't get my first permanent job until I was 31... When I first started working I bought alot of groceries at the discount places, the reduced rack etc. Alot of the younger ones seem to be getting jobs straight out of school and with the assistance of relatives and they don't seem to have any idea how much things cost. Different generation different lifestyle.

I can justify $10 ice cream because we buy it once every couple of months and it's totally divine, even if it's only four servings' worth ;)

The Piggy Market is a somewhat different situation from downtown groceries. Hartmans is mass-produced factory farmed food that is overpriced compared to the identical product elsewere. The products at the Piggy Markey by contrast are different locally produced ones. While only yuppies have the extra capital to afford the luxury, some of those decisions are made for ethical reasons with full knowledge of how much things really cost.

Jagash I understand what you're saying. But I also shop at the Lansdowne Farmers Market during the summer I'm sure the meats aren't as expensive as the Piggy Market. They definitely cost more than the grocery store because they are raised on a small scale, fed differently, etc. but I'm sure the Piggy Market prices are higher. I guess I have some research to do this summer-;)

I shop at Lansdowne and use local producers when I can as well. Jagash, maybe this would help with your research? I heard about a talk on sustainable food next friday which I am planning on attending. Don't know anything about the speaker, but here is the email I got last week:
"Mark your calendars for Friday, January 21. There will be an illustrated talk on Sustainable Food at 7:00 pm in the Friendship Room at Trinity United Church, 1099 Maitland Road, Ottawa. Kathryn Guidon will speak to this important issue. Come and learn how we can meet today's food needs without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their needs. Bring your friends. Tell your neighbours about it, as this will be a perfect opportunity to extend the invitation to the wider community. A $5.00 donation is requested to cover costs."

I just went to a talk a few weeks ago at Zen Kitchen.
It was put on by Just Food Ottawa and was about improving access to wholesome and local foods for people in Ottawa and how they want to have laws so people can keep chicken koops in their place of residence!

Was quite interesting.
The food was good too (was not free but was $20 for meal and the policy meeting/discussion).

To be fair to the Piggy Market, their prices are no more outrageous than many of the farmers charging at Landsdowne. When it comes to dealing with farmers you really do need to shop around as prices vary WILDLY. The Piggy Market gets their Tamworth pigs from the Pickle Patch in Vankleek Hill and based on an order I purchased from this farm a couple of years ago, I found their prices to be half again higher than other farmers, and the quality was quite mediocre.

As a point of comparison, for the past few years I've been buying a side of the same Tamworth pork (one of the breeds resold by the Piggy Market folks) from a farmer in Lanark and paying $4-$4.50/lb which includes cutting, wrapping in paper as well as smoking of the bacon, hocks and jowels. Can't remember off the top of my head what they charge at the Piggy Market but I do remember them trying to sell me a smoked hock for about $30 which seemed ridiculous. I mean it was large, but come on, not that large.

Calling around some more this past fall, I found out that Mariposa Farms was selling pastured cross-bred pork for $5/lb, cutting and wrapping included.

So as much as I laud efforts to buy local and shop for meats that have been pasture farmed, having a small freezer and calling on farmers directly makes a big difference to your food budget. A side of pork (ie. half a pig) lasts 2 of us a good 8 months depending on what else I've stocked up on — we usually order salmon from a couple in Alaska and beef from the Helferty family and then I buy lamb on a monthly basis from Josef at Canreg Station. I like the farmers market for specific items when they are in season but most of my produce is bought at Produce Depot on Carling Avenue (where many restaurants buy) and eggs and dairy from Herb & Spice on Wellington St.

Has anyone tried shopping groceries online? In that case where you live doesn't matter because they deliver anyway. It's not so easy to find a good one because first of all you cannot select the fruits, etc so you really have to take a chance. But this is a new website www.ecoproduce.ca that offers a variety of foods similar to Rainbow Foods, Herb n' Spice and the fruits and veggies look fresh. Personally I would do anything to avoid going around to the grocery stores.

Regarding the Loblaws on Isabella (or the Soviet Loblaws as I like to think of it, due to the empty shelves), I had heard rumours that Loblaws wanted to put a new, larger store there with underground or store top parking (or possibly a condo tower on top). But I have never seen anything confirming this... Has anybody heard anything about this?

A friend who works in the industry told me that the grocery stores in urban areas are very profitable per square foot, and many shoppers come in on foot, so they don't have a choice where to shop. In the suburbs there is more competition so they have to stock more and/or better products in slicker surroundings, and at better prices in order to draw shoppers in. I used to complain about the crappy Metro near Tunney's, and he told me they wouldn't spend a dime on it unless there was competition, and it did finally at least get a facelift once the loblaw's opened.

The Loblaws on Isabella, along with six others in the city, is being converted to a Loblaw Great Food in October of this year. I don't think a condo tower is part of the plan but, no doubt, a developer is tapping his/her fingers now...considering.

According to a Chowhound review of one such conversion in Toronto, it just means you will have to dress-up to go there. :)
A good read:
chowhound.chow.com

Psst: Farm Boy. Downtown. Please.

AMR - I occasionally shop at the Loblaws on Isabella, and I wouldn't mind if it changed focus, even if it went upscale. There is Hartman's nearby and Metro in the Glebe (yet nothing in Little Italy! end rant). I find the Isabella Loblaws super expensive, so they may as well embrace it, upscale it and market it as such. I'd probably go there for speciality items and not for things like milk and sandwich bread (their milk is $1 more than at other grocery stores).

I was there yesterday and the store was overrun with staff. There was at least 2 cleaning staff in each isle, wiping all the shelves down, window washers, managers, stock persons. It was almost too difficult to shop with all the staff in the store.

AMR thanks for the link. The "Great Food" concept sounds mostly cosmetic. I think Ottawa could handle something like Longo's or Wegman's instead of a repackaged same old same old. I guess Farm Boy is as close as we'll get for now.

I've heard this conversion is more about the collective agreement for the staff than the food.....