At the busy corner of Granville and 14th Avenue, amidst upscale boutiques and restaurants, we find a rather fancy supermarket.
Meinhardt Fine Foods boasts some of the best olive oils in the city, a large take-out deli, along with all kinds of
almost-unique items. Once a strong and thriving independent retailer, Meinhardt's is now a division of the
Buy Low chain of stores, which in turn is a part of
The Jim Pattison Group, which also brings us Sun Rype juices, Price Smart Foods, Ripley's Believe It Or Not, Save-On Foods, canned tuna and salmon by Gold Seal and Oceans, and much, much more.
Meinhardt's has a neighbourhood feel about it. People are friendly, especially the deli and coffee staff. It's not quite a Montreal deli, and the coffee shop seems an afterthought. Still, the coffee is good, though getting it served in a proper cup might be difficult. According to our barista,
all the dishes, save a couple, have been broken, by her apparently.
The espresso is rich, foamy, and certainly adequate,
and when it's served properly,in a cup, the cup has a German designation. What does that tell you?
There are better coffee shops, and possibly better delis, though I'm not sure where. But you're here now anyway looking for olive oil or balsamic something. So have a coffee already.
Photos by Jim Murray. Copyright 2013.
One year later and we are basking in the sun with temperatures reaching a balmy fifteen. It feels good to be here, and we are thankful.
