Associated

Yes, and although I found it a convenient spot for hard-​to-​find smoked turkey tails (essential to my collared greens), it is now GONE, shuttered, closed.

Imagine every bad thing you’ve heard about supermarkets in the ‘hood, and this is your Associated Supermarket right here. The produce is wilting and overpriced, the meats look universally brown, and the store-​brand frozen foods are stuffed to the brim with trans fats. Throw in the torpid checkout clerks, an ugly storefront, and utterly inconvenient hours, and you’ve got a real winner right here.
It’s only saving grace is that you’ll find some produce and cuts of meat that cater to a crowd that’s not so white-​bread: plantains, oxtail, big-​assed jars of garlic. Even some budget cuts of beef and pork are pretty good. But come on, guys. People in Harlem are starting to care about what goes in their bodies, and between the Citarella and the Pathmark and the Fairway, they’ve got better choices every day. Heck, even the Met is going organic. You can do better.