I wish I could tell you this is a photo of a grocery in Washington. It isn't. It's a typical food store in Italy. And Marchone's, which this isn't a picture of, isn't by any stretch one of the best Italian groceries in town. But reliable and unpretentious, it's a place to come for a few elusive ingredients. Good quality salted anchovies, for instance - Acciughe Salate - at $19.99 in a huge circular can. Once you've opened it, you can decant them into glass jars and cover them with olive oil to keep them in the fridge for a long time. It also sells Tipo 00 flour which makes a pretty much foolproof dough for pizza and breadsticks, along with a good country loaf. There are also the Perugina brand bars of chocolate.

Their subs are what draws a lunchtime crowd and in the freezer you'll find home-made Italian dishes to defrost for a good taste of Italy at dinner. The deli meats run from Soppressatas both mild and hot, hams, salamis, coppa and pancetta and there's a small selection of Italian cheeses. It's a friendly, family-run business that's been there since 1955, so it has its faithful shoppers for the canned and bottled vegetables and sauces on the shelves, the good selection of dried pastas, and the loaves of Italian bread.