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Maxwells Farm on M has great produce at great prices. Kernan Farms from NJ on W has also has great produce, check out the whole basil plants. Fabulous Farms on W, F and S has great plants, including great little cacti and succulents.

Your post points out the reason that I believe a lot of Americans are overweight - portion control (or lack thereof).
It is hard for many reasons not to 'finish the whole thing'. Perhaps the hardest is that our brains are wired to pack on the pounds when the food is available so that we can survive the lean times, but many fortunate Americans will never know lean times.

Brian :

I think that NJ will never have the quantity of a place like Union Square for simple marketplace economics. In our state you can find great produce it just takes more effort. Your post above is proof of this.

I have found the farmers markets have increasingly gotten better.A lot of towns small and large now have their own. Highland Park has a nice one and Metuchen and Edison both are nice in season. I read about West Windsor and plan on checking it out this year and Rutgers Gardens started their own last year.

Pick your own is not everyones cup of tea but in my opinion a little effort leads to a great reward. I go to Von Thuns in Monmouth Junction for strawberries, Eastmont Orchards in Colts Neck for peaches, Terhune in Princeton for apples, Mountain Top for sweet and sour cherries and will be trying The Berry Farm next to Delicious Orchards for raspberries this year.

This may be the Garden State after all!

The answer to the title of the post is - of course not. Just like in all of life there are no absolutes.

You were simply a victim of shrewd marketing. The greenmarket setting sold you. Seeing a "dude" with his authentic beard and jeans sold you. The insanely expensive price(How could it not be great for this price?) sold you. And- I'm disappointed at this one, the sign "World's Best Bacon" sold you.

Yes, the greenmarkets are great. But that doesn't make them somehow immune to the desire to make a buck (or 12).

No surprise here. A chef and owner who doesn't like a review that is a veiled shot at her. I think it is interesting that the attention she pays to the review gives it a credibility that she seems to argue it shouldn't have.

Who's making you feel guilty? This seems to me to be more about personality than saving two bucks. If you are the type of person who tells a panhandler that they don't have any change when they do instead of just telling them no, then you will probably feel guilty about not checking you coat. Apparently, checking your coat in these restaurants was not required, so don't worry about it. Free yourself from self-guilt (or don't go out to eat until the weather warms up).

QQ indeed. Thanks for proving my point, dude.

'And yes, you picked the wrong site to admonish people for eating burgers at less than well done temperatuer.'

So this is a site where you should only comment if your sure that it will be agreed on by everyone? That will surely make for a good dialogue.

Upon seeing the hours that the restaurant is open I was no longer surprised that the restaurant is sparcely populated. It is a classic Catch-22, hard to build a following without staying open longer and hard to pay your bills without the money a following brings. Your comment about people going into NY is telling. Most people from New Jersey have the feeling that NY is better in all things. As those of us who are interested in this section of SE know - not true!

D'Auito on 8th Ave btwn 30 and 31 is a great everyday bakery. Good pastries, donuts and really good hard rolls. Never bought a chessecake but that is what they are known for. And in the summer, really great ices at the window in front.

Is it so bad that they meet the "demands" of the Dept of Health? You would like it both ways. Let the vendors cook anyway they want but blame the city if you get sick. Most of the vendors are saddled with a good amount of debt? Welcome to the food industry.