La Montanita Food Co-Op: "When it comes to grocery-shopping" Albuquerque Shopping Tip by Bunsch

Most of us know the drill: go to a new city, find the Whole Foods or the Trader Joe's, plunk down a load of cash, and take home the fresh produce and organic meats and amazing local cheeses and on and on. But nearly every city of any size also has a place the locavores patronize, and such places tend not to be chains so you might have to dig a bit (sorry for the extended metaphor) to find them.

I was lucky enough to stumble onto (or into) La Montanita about a decade ago, and it has grown since then and added a lot of interesting and useful items. It's still a wonderful place to get all the things you'd otherwise hit Whole Foods for -- and still a place where you should avoid buying some items which are available elsewhere at a significant discount. But for the quirky stuff, I don't think anyone does it better. On this last trip, I discovered that they were now carrying a wonderful line by Bass, of boar/nylon bristle brushes which felt so good on my head that I had to get one and a spare to last me. They also had the same wonderful Japanese wash clothes which I hadn't found since I left Tokyo. And their selection of chocolate, especially chocolate infused with chiles, is unparalleled.

So drop

What to pay: Most prices are somewhat higher than a major grocery chain store, but comparable to Whole Paycheck. My wonderful brushes were $14.95 each, and the wash cloth was $4.95.

Address: 3500 Central Avenue SE, Albuquerque, NM
Directions: Nob Hill
Phone: (505) 265-4631
Theme: Food and Drink
Website: http://www.lamonanita.coop