When Battery Place Market opened a month or two ago, I figured that since it was so deep in Battery Park City (at Battery Pl. and Third Pl.), I’d visit it when I got around to it. Then, before Christmas, a PR rep for the store emailed a list of the kind of stuff Battery Place Market is carrying. Well, hello there! I hustled down today, slush be damned, and I was impressed. It’s a fabulously stocked gourmet store, not at all dumbed down the way Gourmet Garage is (which is just another deli now). While much of the merch is probably available at Whole Foods—good luck finding it—I’d be very thankful for BPM if I lived in the southern half of Battery Park City. “You’d be surprised—people as close as Rector have never heard of us,” said the nice cheese guy, who also apologized for his selection, saying he’d been away for a few days. The store isn’t big, and its strongest suit appears to be packaged goods, but there is also produce (with lots from Satur Farms), a deli counter (with prepared foods and premade sandwiches), and a small seating area. I ordered a tuna-salad sandwich, and although it wasn’t the best I’ve ever had—I prefer tuna salad on wheat bread—I’d happily eat it once a week. Even the tomato was decent! I just wish I lived nearby that the store was closer to where I live. Here’s a gallery of the kind of items you’ll find there.

P.S. Given the quality of the mixers, I fully expect to be invited to a cocktail party in the vicinity soon.