The original Fairway Market

After dinner at Tasteatery last night, I drove less than a block to Cafasso's Fairway Market at Anderson Avenue and Route 5 in Fort Lee for a look at one of the best small markets in North Jersey (see previous post, "A healthy meal you can sink your teeth into").

I haven't shopped here for two years or more and I miss it. The produce is beautiful. There is a fishmonger and a butcher, and drug-free Bell & Evans chicken. And few stores can match the prepared food, Italian or otherwise. Last night, I noticed baked Jersey beefsteak tomatoes and fillet of sole francese among platters of pasta, vegetables, chicken and meat.

The store has a healthy selection of wine and has had a delivery service to Fort Lee and nearby communities for years. Best of all, it has been doing all of this since 1927. So there should be no confusion with upstart Fairway Market or the Manhattan store's new branch in Paramus.

I bought a wedge of seedless watermelon (49 cents a pound) and noticed the plastic grocery bags have been redesigned. I was baffled when I noticed Cafasso's old slogan is no longer on the bag: "Where U See the Finest Foods." And, yet, the store is better than ever.