When you live in a small town, you appreciate the resources you have - a gas station, the hardware store, a couple of restaurants with tasty food. Procuring what you need becomes part of the fun of living "off the grid". Cost, although on my mind, isn't as big a consideration as availability and convenience. People in Borrego Springs appreciate the businesses that choose to serve its small population and they appreciate visitors that help support Borrego's businesses too!
What would we do without the local Center Market grocery store? The nearest "real" grocery store to Borrego Springs is at least an hour away. But you can get everything you need for gourmet home cooked meals at the Center Market. Timing your shopping can be important.
- The rotisserie chicken from the Center Market is finished at 10:30 a.m. If you want rotisserie chicken, get there at 10:30 a.m.
- Bread and chips are delivered on Monday or Wednesday (I can't remember because I'm watching carbs). They will probably run out before the next delivery.
- They do not carry sun-dried tomatoes. Neither does the market in San Ysidro, but after asking there, the clerk stuffed a baggie of them for me from the meat department's private stock and sent me on my way - no charge.
- The farmer's market is every Friday a.m. during "the season" (not during the summer). A great place to buy your produce and some specialty items. The Greek pesto/feta/sun-dried tomato "dip" is great tossed with pasta.
A shout out to the waitress (daughter of the owner) at Kendall's Cafe. The first night we stayed in Borrego Springs, we rented a house on http://www.vrbo.com/. We arrived after dark and didn't realize there wouldn't be a grocery store open to buy coffee for the next morning. After finishing a somewhat surreal dinner at Kendel's (think a two-top eating meatloaf and a BLT at 8:00 p.m. in a 1970's otherwise empty diner in the middle of the desert), we mentioned to the waitress that we didn't realize the grocery "stores" would be closed. When we left, she presented us with a coffee filter and a generous portion of ground coffee "on the house". Good 'ol Borrego.