The piece de resistance of Figueroa Produce is the 99 cent organic produce selection -- take that, Whole Paycheck! It's not huge, but there's some good stuff.I wanted vegetables. But I didn't have time to hit the Pasadena farmer's market, and a family can only survive for so long on Trader Joe's plastic-wrapped produce. So I decided to check out Figueroa Produce, a store so quirky it could only exist in Highland Park. Highland Park, home of legions of taco tables, vast selections of soda pop and such cultural hybrids as Vietnamese comfort food, is one of the last refuges of the true bohemian spirit in L.A., and this medium-sized market perfectly reflects that cultural caldo. And they freely hand out 10% off coupons, which is nice too.
At the entryway, you'll find the bakery shelves, which are well-stocked with Middle Eastern items such as really cheap pita bread, pita chips, sesame cookies, as well as tortillas and six rolls that make perfect banh mi for $1.79. The meat counter has an absurdly low price for marinated carne asada meat -- something like $2.99 a pound, and it was pretty good stuff. There's also a smattering of items from just about every nationality, quite a few organic items, and lots of spices. Here's a tour of this rather interesting and extremely reasonable store, which is like the anti-Fresh 'n Easy.
