Peoria Markets

Yesterday Ashley and I visited a couple of specialty groceries we hadn't been to, Center 1 Market and Allen's Gourmet Grocery, both of which happen to be on Peoria. I found Center 1 a bit spare. Also, their prices seem to range from somewhat reasonable ($5/lb chicken breasts) to somewhat outrageous ($42/lb Italian deli meats). I thought everything looked to be of good quality (especially the produce) so maybe some of the prices aren't too far out of line, though Ashley reported seeing some moldy cheese and not the kind where mold is good. In the end we didn't buy anything this time around.

Allen's is fairly new and a bit like LaDonna's, so I'm not sure how long it will stay in business. They really don't have too much out of the ordinary, though the "salt bar" is a nice touch. We ended up getting a turkey brining bag (we are getting a local Turkey from Natural Farms), a couple bars of chocolate (one with bits of bacon), and a small container of smoked salt.

With Center 1, Allen's, Whole Foods, Petty's, LaDonna's, and even Super Target (I'm probably leaving out others), Tulsa has a pretty good selection of upscale/specialty food stores. One thing though I'm somewhat disappointed in is the bread selection in Tulsa. Farrell Family Organic Bread makes some great bread, but I've yet to find a good locally made pumpernickel (though the Farrell website says they make it). Any suggestions?

Also on our day out we stopped by the Natural Farms at 91st and Sheridan (I'd only been to the one on Utica) and Smalley Restaurant Equipment. Smalley is a great place. We haven't bought all that much from them over our many visits, but it's a fun place to browse.