Neighborhood Grocery Store
Fresh Approach is a locally owned neighborhood grocery store in the West End of Portland Maine. They sell meats, produce, groceries and baked goods. I fell in love with Fresh Approach instantly because it reminded me of the corner grocery stores we had when I was growing up in Philadelphia Pennsylvania. The atmosphere has a comfortable vibe and the employees are friendly and helpful.
The Meat Market
The core of the shop is its Meat Market. They make their own sausage, sell freshly ground chuck and wholesale their meats to many local restaurants in Portland. There is a Deli that offers made to order sandwiches and there are weekly specials on their meats, produce and cheeses. And, they offer prepared foods for your lunch or dinner that are simply delicious.
The produce is delivered everyday directly from the Boston Market and during the growing season they offer local produce which makes everything exceptionally fresh. And for your sweet tooth, they sell baked goods that taste homemade (I believe they are!)
Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner
In the morning you can get breakfast sandwiches with ham, bacon or sausage with egg and cheese and a cup of coffee. At lunch you can have burgers, hot sandwiches and cold sandwiches. For dinner, they offer prepared foods that are out of this world. Everything tastes homemade and fresh.
My Neighborhood Grocery Store Favorite Items
As I become more familiar with the store, my morning routine is strolling to Fresh Approach and picking up the morning paper ( New York Times, Boston Globe and Portland Press Herald) and a breakfast sandwich with coffee. My favorite items are:
- Chicken Salad (the best chicken salad I have ever had!)
- Breakfast Sandwiches (are scrumptious)
- Egg Salad (is wonderful)
- Spaghetti and Meatballs (prepared dinner tastes just like Mom used to make)
- Meatloaf (prepared dinner that is the epitamy of comfort food)
- Apple Pie (from the crust to the apples, homemade pie at its best)
Going to the store has become my first Portland tradition and I will be a customer for life. I recommend this neighborhood grocery store to everyone I meet! We all need to support local businesses like Fresh Approach because they are few and far between these days.