Zupans is Fabulous
January 10, 2008
One of my favorite grocery stores in Portland is Zupan’s. I love it because the produce is shiny and clean and always pretty. Roma tomatoes, ripe and red. Avocados dark green and just ripe enough to take home. And you can find things like purple and orange cauliflower and Romanesco cauliflower that looks like a beautiful coral formation from under the sea. Other specialty items include Jerusalem artichokes, white asparagus, French breakfast radishes, baby beets and baby squashes. If you are looking for something specific that they don’t have, just ask. They will order it for you.
The cheese selection at Zupan’s cannot be outdone. Many different varieties of brie, mozzarella, as well as Greek and Spanish cheeses and so much more. Halloumi cheese, for example is a Greek grilling cheese that isn’t readily available at regular grocery stores but is at Zupan’s – they even carry a Halloumi that is lightly flavored with mint.
At the Zupan’s closest to my house, the cheese section is right by the bread section, which I’m sure is not coincidental. As soon as I pick up some rich, soft brie, I always want a crisp Grand Central baguette or a fresh loaf of ciabatta bread to go with my cheese.
Once I spent $60 just at the olive bar for a Thanksgiving brunch I was having. The olives – all kinds – are endless. The marinated mozzarella, cippoline onions, capers, roasted red peppers, roasted tomatoes – they could all make one great, rich flavorful meal. The uses for the foods at the olive bar are infinite and could turn any party into a culinary success. Just plate them, add a few gourmet crackers from Zupan’s fabulous cracker selection, and you are set.
Produce, cheese, bread and olives – those are my favorite sections of my favorite grocery store. Zupan’s also has a stellar meat department, deli department, a huge selection of wines and every spice you can imagine.
Zupan’s has four locations around Portland:
3301 SE Belmont
6am to 10pm
2340 W. Burnside
6am to 11pm
7221 SW Macadam
7am to 9pm
8235 SW Apple Way
6am to 10pm
Article by Elizabeth Fuss, Lizzy Dishes Portland
[image by frenziefraggle, flickr]
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I have to disagree completely with your assessment of Zupans. Yes, the produce is shiny; the produce at Zupans is so rarely organic that I often believed it to be an accident when I would stumble upon something not covered in pesticides and wax. I too lived next to a Zupans for the better part of a year and after several months had to boycott the store entirely. The prices at Zupans are at least in comparison (if not higher) to those at Whole Foods and New Seasons, both also with excellent displays, fresh produce and great cheese selections (especially Whole Foods). However, there is not justification for the high prices at Zupans that we see at the other 2 mentioned stores. While Whole Foods and New Seasons specialize in natural and organic food, Zupans strays away from this type of product. They do not encourage purchasing of local products either. It seems to me that the entire point of Zupans is to pay luxury prices for the sake of artificial, albeit pretty, products. If we have any hope for changing the way our food economy is drowning in waste and chemicals, we need to make a statement with the purchases we make. For me, refusing to buy at and support Zupans is one way I am able to make myself heard: I care about the earth, our resources and what I put into my body.
We have a similer grocery store, seriously