If you don't know about Wagshal's meat department and Pam Ginsberg, its wonderful butcher who can get you anything, then you're missing an important source. But Wagshal's deli a few doors down is a worth a visit not just for its supplies but because it's a step back into the 1950s.

Inside looks like the kind of store you expect to find not in the capital but in some country village, wood counters and amber lighting. It sells the best ficelles and baguettes in town at the bakery counter (from Bonaparte), and wonderful build-it-yourself sandwiches at the deli counter, on excellent bread. Here's where I discovered there's a canned drink called Celery Soda (yes, it's worth a try). But it's the freezer cabinets that are a handy fallback if you're looking for a meal you can pretend is home-made, cooked in the store's catering section. You'll find easily-reheated dishes, from veal paprikash to lasagna and moussaka that are a useful standby staple for your freezer, plus the kind of heat-up nibbles you need for a cocktail or deck party. The selection of cheeses isn't very tempting. But they do sell a good salami sausage, have chickens roasting on a spit and a wide choice of wines. And ligonberry preserves if you've a mind for a Scandinavian touch...

Wagshal's Delicatessen, 4855 Massachusetts Ave NW, 202 363 5698.

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1 Comment

1. StephenC

   I shouldn't have to tell you how expensive it is to shop at Wagshal's. I recently got a special order of thick-cut calves liver there for just $13.99 per lb. What a fricking joke.