Gourmet Groceries in Hudson River Valley/Berkshires
 

Can anyone recommend some good, reliable grocery/bakery/cheese/butcher shops in this vacinity? I imagine that with the CIA in Hyde Park there's got to be some really high-grade food shops around. We'll be in Canaan, NY for a week. Any tips would be greatly appreciated.

OMG, I dream about the store on Rt 7 in Great Barrington ( I think) called Guidos. Everything you could ever want is in this store. Wonderful cheeses, fresh everything, bread just baked..waaa~

Guido's it is, no doubt about it. Either Scarlett's location in Great Barrington, or the north side of Rte 7 at the Pittsfield/Lenox line. Fabulous. I <i>hate</i> grocery shopping, but I <i>love</i> that store, as does my DH.

OO, the Yankee is talking about leaving Florida in the summer months, we have thought of going back up to the Berkshires :)
I can mail you Guido groceries :D

Yum Scarlett...I have a better idea....you get a place up there for the summer then count on a couple of friendly compatriot FL house guests who will buy YOU your Guido's groceries! :D

The Lenox Guido's was my mother's grocery store as we lived only a couple miles from it...it wasn't there when I was growing up but it only took one trip while I was back home to make me a lifelong convert!

Darn I kick myself for selling that house!! It would have been our perfect retreat from these summers. What was I thinking.....? :(

I read the title to this thread and though, oh Guido's would fit this bill... then I click and see all the 'locals' on this board - such a small world!

I no longer live in the Berkshires, but my family does and when I visit and my queen-shopper stepmother heads for Guido's I know I'm in for an excellent dinner!

One more that hasn't been mentioned is Nejaimes in Lenox. There are a few of them in the area, but the one in the center of Lenox does gourmet foods, particularly in the summer during Tanglewood. (It is primarily a local liquor store chain, best wine selection in the Berkshires)

-Kristy

I've been trying to remember the name of the farm that was making it's own cheese. In doing a search (still haven't found it) I came across an article on Bazilions in Great Barrington. Only a year old.

http://www.iberkshires.com/story.php?story_id=12998

Found Guido's website with loads of info. And I uncovered an article about Bizalion's in the Times.

Thanks to all for your input...I will now officially win the who-has-better-inside-info competition with my brother.

mclaurie, could that be the Coach Farm?
We went to a country fair at one of the farms up there and I can't remember the name of that one either :)

I think that's it Scarlett. They've evidently become so successful they only sell to restaurants and markets etc. I thought I had remembered going there years ago and buying directly from them.

Yes, they are huge now.
We looked at a house to rent for a summer a couple of years ago and there was a small goat farm across the street. We decided that Pup and I could not manage to live that close to all the sweet little smelly goats LOL

All this talk about the Berkshires is making me SO homesick :D

We have been to Guido's several times to put together a picnic dinner before heading to Tanglewood. This year we got tickets ($95 each) for the Wine and Food Festival to be held on the grounds before the Yo Yo Ma concert (which was fabulous). The Food and Wine Festival was a huge disappointment, so we ran to Guido's and had a great dinner on the lawn. Sorry to make you homesick, OO and Scarlett!

That's OK, Buzzy, I am a glutton for punishement...make me homesick :D

That's OK, Buzzy, I am a glutton for punishment...make me homesick :D