R&J's Best Choice Market Place — Local services in Lake Township

I'm visiting from out of town for a canoe race and needed some provisions. Best Choice Market was just down the road from my campsite and proved to be aptly named!

When I walked in the door, Sam's luxurious and meticulously cared for beard greeted me, while he smiled through impeccably trimmed moustache whiskers. My own beard was instantly intimidated, but his friendly and welcoming demeanor kept me from slinking out the door with beard inferiority.

And, believe me, I'm glad I stayed! I found a limited selection, but everything was truly "best choice." From the excellent feta dip (pair it with the Toufayan crispy breadsticks - I'm eating the combo as I type and it's perfect!) to the oatmeal cranberry cookies, the offerings are top notch. They even had a number of organic products, including romaine lettuce and just-add-water mac and cheese that makes my camping life easy.

During checkout, Sam's beard was, once again, friendly and welcoming. As I was trying to listen to what Sam was saying and not stare at his whiskers, the woman behind me in line spoke up and said, "My, you have an amazing beard! It's so ... perfect!" I was relieved that someone else broke the ice so I could freely ask him about his facial hair secrets.

Even without Sam's beard, I'll be back. While they didn't have everything I might have wanted (bug spray and shampoo, for instance), they did have all of the provisions I needed to fuel a weekend of canoe racing with gourmet, quality food at very reasonable and realistic prices.

And, yes. Sadly, this is an honest review from beginning to end. The market was great and I stared...

Everyone in an 80-mile radius knows about R&J's (addictive) feta dip, but there's so much more to this local favorite "hole in the wall."

The meat counter is terrific. Great cuts and great service. If you're looking for a sauce or marinade, they bottle a wide variety of their own flavors. (The Vidalia onion BBQ sauce is especially delicious.) In addition to the fresh cuts, their jerky and sausage selections are spot on.

Excellent selection of cheeses and fresh fruits and vegetables. All kinds of breads, rolls, bagels, and other baked goods. Wide varieties of sauces and condiments.

Last, but not least, they have a good selection of craft beer - and let you mix and match for a custom four-pack.

It's a great stop, whether you've reached your destination or just...

Highly recommend! Delicious, healthy options to create a picnic lunch while traveling. Fresh produce, deli counter with fresh made sandwiches (generous portions!) and dips, wine and beer, jerky and other goodies. Next door (same owners) has more produce, coffee bar, ice cream, clean restrooms and indoor and outdoor seating. (We have a dog in tow, so we took our food down to the small municipal park on the lake -- about 3 mi down on the left -- for a swim with our picnic, but eating here would have been great, too! Area between the businesses had enough room to pull our pop-up in-between, and turn around. All staff had on masks, but many were wearing them under their nose or chin, which was disappointing. But we will definitely make this a regular stop on our...