Key Food on Washington - Has anyone noticed...

That whole place smells like a blend of rotting garbage and disinfectant. I bought spoiled milk there a few years ago. The frozen stuff sometimes looks like it's been thawed and re-frozen. I'd never buy dairy or meat there. I only go there for canned or things like cereal or bread.

Aren't there two Key Food's on Washington? Which one are you talking about?

You're right. I've been going to Keyfood for as long as I've lived here. They've made massive improvements over the years.

However, I've NEVER ordered anything from the deli section. I just- wouldn't. I don't trust it back there, and I had a roommate once that swore up and down he got food poisoning every time. I never believed him, but still.

Just yell at them- but in a nice way. Kinda, you know, smile, poke 'em and say, "Why did my steak taste like Windex?"

In in the end, though, I'd rather walk in and smell disinfectant than say, something rotten.

I have had the Lysol chicken from both the Key Food on Washington and the one on Flatbush (Jo Brian and Joseph's). While I'm typically more willing to experiment with meat at the Flatbush location, I have long since nixed anything perishable other than milk or cheese from my Washington shopping.

I wish I could say I protest the rude checkout situation, the dirtiness, and the general feeling of disarray (the screaming between employees, the freezer case that has been broken way too often for me to feel good about it, etc), but laziness makes me WAY more likely to shop there than walk to an acceptable alternative.

I don't get it. It seems to me that that there are plenty of passable supermarkets in the neighborhood. What about Key Foods on Nostrand between St. Marks and Prospect? There's also an Associated further south between Montgomery and Sullivan.

In all my years in Manhattan, I used to love that I had a Key Foods within walking distance so that I could take advantage of sale prices. I avoided Gristedes and the like as prices tended to be pretty inflated. And when Whole Foods moved in downtown, it felt like suburban Texas was stalking me...

Can I get anyone to agree that with the Asian produce markets, largish supermarkets, and even the 99-cent stores (you can get some pretty exotic stuff in some of them) in the neighborhood, we have it pretty good????

I like Key Food on Washington better than I did 5 years ago.
But I bought some beef there yesterday for the first time and it tastes like soap.

Not to mention that half of the products don't have prices.

From now on I'll just stick to their dry goods.

I don't know about the Key Food on Washington but there's always a horrible bleach smell in the meat section at the one on Nostrand as well. The store works well for everything else and is extremely close to my apartment but I refuse to buy meat there. If I'm getting meat or cold cuts I walk a little farther to Met which I think is better overall, its just not quite as convenient.

Speaking of groceries, has anyone been to the grocery store on Brooklyn and Fulton? I forgot the name, but is it worth checking out compared to the two on Nostrand (I'm lazy to ask instead of going myself, I know).

Its the Foodtown, and its like night and day with either the Key Food or the Met.

Great produce, a deli counter, bakery, a fish counter (although the selection is limited), a butcher with smoked meats and and a nice selection of staples. Its about three times the size of either the Key Food or the Met (11 or 12 aisles instead of 3 or 4). If you haven't made the trip you definitely should check it out.

Cool, thanks for the info. Yeah its really pathetic I haven't gone there yet. Its actually closer to me than Met and not much farther than Key Food. Don't they have a Duane Reade there too?

I'm done with the Key Food on Nostrand. I just got fed up with the fact that they never have baskets available and the staff was rude as hell when I complained about that. They just don't do their jobs.

On the other hand, the staff at Fine Foods on Kingston Ave. are polite, friendly and helpful.

There is a Duane Reade next door in the courtyard area (you have to go inside Restoration to get to it). You can't even see the Duane Reade from the street, which might explain why I always forget its there.

I finally made it over to FoodTown last night around 9 pm and I am never going back to Key Food again. First off, even having a grocery store open at 9 pm on a Sunday night was a change for me compared to Key Food and Met. Second, having tons of wide, open aisles to walk down. Third, its just gigantic and awesome. Like you said homeowner, night and day difference.

In a completely different direction, try Western Beef on Washington and Empire. Large store ...fresh fish and meat.

Prices are good. I live near the Key Food on Washington, but trek down Washington to Western Beef when I feel like getting meat or lots of food.
...me and my granny cart.