Menu: Wild Olive Market wildly popular

This isn't exactly today's news, but it IS good news, so it's worth repeating.  Wild Olive Market, located at 10 East 125th Street, has finally opened after teasing us with new awnings and seemingly never-fast-enough progress on the interior build-out.

So is it the most amazing grocery store I've ever been in?  No, but it is pretty great and I have stopped in 4 or 5 times since it opened last Friday.  And I couldn't help but smile each time I walked in.

And it's not just me - I've witnessed folks walking in for the first time and squealing with delight, pumping fists in the air and otherwise spontaneously celebrating the fact that this grocery had opened.  I overheard a young lady tonight telling people - anyone who would listen, it seemed - that she was fighting back tears, she was so happy about this store.  Not kidding.

Fresh fruits and vegetables, clean store, well stocked, friendly staff, wonderful meat and fish counter - all fill a great unmet need.  And the owner, Tasos Mastakours, is virtually always there and eager to speak to his customers about what they want to see stocked in the store.  Smart guy, in my estimation.  He and his brother have owned Mani Market Place on the UWS for almost 20 years, so they know what they're doing.

I may still endure the crowds and the lines at Pathmark once a month just to stock up on dry goods, because their prices are so cheap.  But Wild Olive Market is my new spot for everything else.  BTW, they're open every day from 7am (Sundays, 8am) to 9pm.