Brigido's Market (North Smithfield)

For another Market review, I head to scenic North Smithfield to visit Brigido's Supermarket located in the North Smithfield Plaza. The parkinglot was filled with smart-looking pinegreen shopping carts, looking different from the generic chrome or the sometimes ugly plastic carts. Inside I was welcomed to a wonderful collection of fruits and vegetables. Despite being a smaller than average marketplace, they had a wonderful collection of citrus and berries, and a plentiful selection of herbs.

This market also had several stations of free samples, a great plus in anyone's book. The first was in the fruits and vegetable section, featuring a platter of chips and salsa. A tad generic, but it was free and good so I won't complain. The next set up was near the prepared dinners and fish section was a nice salmon pate with wheat thins. A little better, though the crackers did not match the spread. Finally, the small deli counter (which featured delicious Boar's Head meats) had a nice platter of cubed turkey breast.

Brigido's was otherwise normal, featuring specials and generic IGA products common in local markets. The shopping lanes were quaint though the conveyors were short. They did feature a nice selection of organic and green products, though their coffee section was rather deficient.

Brigido's Market is located in North Smithfield, Rhode Island off Victory Highway (route 102). They have a website and other locations. Not neccessarily worth driving to if you're far away, but you'll be pleased with it if you're there.

http://www.brigidos.com/

Rating: B

Dave's Marketplace (Cumberland)

Rhode Island offers a plethora of Supermarkets and Discount Warehouse clubs. When I heard of a locally-owned retailer offering top quality food, me and the wife agreed that we needed to explore this potential hidden gem. We headed off to the market to explore.

Unfortunately, Dave could not live up to our the great expectations. A Marketplace implies a great selection, something I did not see. Other markets offer rare fruits and vegetables, and Dave's only offered common selections. What was worse, the price for the common fruits and vegetables exceeded what I originally considered pricey. I did find some interesting Jams made by Massachusetts Trappist monks, but there was not a wide selection of local ingredients and locally produced goods.

Dave's offered free coffee, something I did enjoy. It was perfectly brewed and had a wonderful flavor. Free coffee, though, does not excuse grossly overpriced products.

Now my experience is only limited to the Cumberland location, so please don't hold the entire franchise to my review. I do not know if all locations suffer from what I consider faults, but I doubt that the store in North Kingston or Warwick differ that much. I might venture to Dave's again, but there was nothing there to make me want to go. There were no rare products not available anywhere else nor were the prices worth the extra drive. Aside from these nitpicks, the place was clean and all of the food looked wonderful.

http://www.davesmarketplace.com/

Rating: C