Gourmet Take Out Stores in NYC
 

Ok, I know that y'all just hate when I mention Whole Foods but here goes.
I am staying at the St Regis in NYC for 5 days and there is a Whole Foods nearby at Columbus Circle.
I am on a special diet and generally prefer to grab the special food I prefer at Whole Foods but other Gourmet Take Out stores would work, too... not that I consider Whole Foods a "gourmet" store.
So are they any other places within 10 blocks of the St Regis?
I am looking for good fresh fruit (Mission Figs, sliced Mango and Cherries are favs) and excellent quality salads and soups... possibly some good cheese.
I need nutritional info, specifically ingredient lists.
And just to keep someone from bashing me for staying at the St Regis... it's work. I am working with St Regis on this trip so I stay there...
Another bit of info... I travel SO much I am TOTALLY over eating out. Saving money is just a bonus.
I can generally get an awesome meal for 20.00 total!

Can anyone point me to a place that locals go to get fresh, good quality premade foods for dinner?

Oh, and those buffet by the pound deli places are NOT an option for me...

The best gourmet food store is Zabar's. It not near your hotel, but it is close to a subway stop.

TX - Although I think the TW center is a joke - I gotta say, the Whole Foods in there is impressive - the quality of the fresh produce is quite good (perhaps because the turnover is very high) and some of the prepared food is quite tasty - better then the food at the downtown branch. That said, there is another adequate "gourmet supermarket" on 6th Avenue between 54th and 55th St, on the east side of the avenue - Ernest Klein and Co. - a bit closer to the St. Regis.

But if you're willing to travel, the best (and most reasonably priced) cheeses, breads, roasted chickens, and good quality soups and prepped foods are probably at the Fairway, Broadway and 74th St.

Being smack dab in midtown can be a drag - - very few residential services.

Honestly, in my very humble opinion, the Whole Foods in Columbus Circle was very impressive and the place I would highly recommend. Zabar's, Balducci's, Fairway and even Dean and DeLuca are all really great with each having their own specialty but as a well traveled foodie I would say WF is your best bet. You mentioned good fresh fruit, excellent quality salads and soups, etc. and those are the very things that WF has to offer, with variety, nutritional value and freshness. Dean and Deluca might be a good comparison but they're not anywhere near your location(SoHo, on Broadway).

We were just there 3 weeks ago (family of 4, 2 small kids) and we found the CC WF to be just excellent for all of us.

Sometimes it's okay to stick with what you know is good, even if you're in NYC-right?

Awesome information! Thanks so much for the help.
I will be there quite a few days so I will make it a point to visit Fairway, Ernest Klein and Zabar's.
I am a foodie, I must admit.
If you are ever in DFW, San Antonio or Austin, head to Central Market (HEB) and see what I compare every gourmet store to... It is a HUGE gourmet place that has everything you could ever want!
The produce department alone makes it worth the trip. I love figs and when they are in season, CM has 4 varieties... Apples? Maybe 25 at any given time... Sweet Potatoes? Yesterday they had 5 different types.
In Dallas Whole Foods is pretty good. I don't confuse health food with gourmet but sometimes WF in Plano gets it pretty close.
Thanks again for all the suggestions!

There are a number of other choices, but Whole Foods is certainly the closest. I like Citarella's (locations on the UES and W Village). There is also Agata & Valentina (79 and 1st Ave), Grace's Marketplace (around 71 and 3rd), Eli's (81 and 3rd), etc. It's just that none of these are close to you and, with prepared food, you aren't likely to get a complete list of ingredients. WF is probably better on that score since it caters to people who care whether their food is organic and what the exact ingredients are.

Balducci's on 66th just East of B'way has good take away dinners (Bistro meals) in the 12-16 dollar range. Their produce and fruit section is not large, but their produce manager has a great eye for quality.
Whole foods quality is (IMHO) is not as good as Balducci's.
Balducci's cheese dept is rather uninspired, I like Zabar's better in this neighborhood.
BTW what is wrong with staying at the St Regis?

Thanks again for the additional information.
Nothing wrong with the St Regis... it's just when I mention where I am staying it seems someone always has something to say about whether it is the best place to stay or why am I trying to save money when I spend $$ for a hotel.
I always end of explaining that I work with hotels and I generally stay at a property within the brand I am working with...
You know, there are some angry people on this board at times!
Most are great but there are those few...

I think the Amish Market (which originally opened on 9th ave) has opened on 55th betw 5th & 6th which would be a block and a half away from your hotel. It's worth walking down that block anyway. There are lots of take away places there. Hale & Hearty Soup has a shop on 56th betw 5th-6th.

There was (and may still be) a good sandwich/salad bar in the basement of the Trump Tower next to your hotel.

one day check out the chelsea market at
75 9th Avenue
New York, NY 10011
phone: 212-633-9090
fax: 212-633-9717
they also have a website

Ok, today I went to the WF at Columbus Circle. This is a GREAT Whole Foods.
Great variety and the largest Whole Body dept I have ever seen.
For lunch I bought some washed and cored strawberries from the produce dept and then went to the salad bar and got fresh baby spinach, almonds, blue cheese and raspberry dressing. They have these huge bowls you can use if you are eating there... and it totalled about 6.00. It was a huge salad! I chopped all the strawberries into the bowl and no kidding, I had 4 people ask me where I got "that" salad. It was really good.
I bought Vietnamese Veggie Rolls for dinner and they were awesome. I used the sesame dressing from the salad bar mixed with the peanut sauce included with the rolls. Another great meal!
So for those of you who want good quality food for 1/2 the price of a restaurant head for the WF location at Columbus Circle. There is plenty of seating, a Jamba Juice and a coffee bar.
They also have themed Hot Food bars - Spanish, Indian and Chinese.
This evening I went to Ernest Klein, which is much closer to the St Regis than WF. I found the prepared sandwiches look very good and there is a huge variety of prepared deli salads and it also has stuff carried in ordinary grocery stores.
I may try a wrap from EK for dinner tomorrow.
So far, so good.
WF had -8- types of hot soup today, so I think I will go for that tomorrow, too.

You might want to check out Citarella To Go, 1250 6th Ave ( @ 50th).