Markets
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My favorite markets - Yasaman Persian Bakery - 10 Mar 2010
Depending on who's behind the counter, it can be a little daunting shopping at Yasaman. Most of the women who serve are distant and seldom smile. Get over it. You're there for the best walnut macaroons you've ever eaten. read more...
Shiraz Grocery - 2 Mar 2010
The owner of this modest market in Rockville City Center presents himself as Marlboro Man of the Middle East. He's behind the till in a stetson, with flourishing face hair. He's got the sullen attitude of Clint Eastwood in 'The Good, The Bad and The Ugly' days down pat. Barely engaging in dialogue, he wants to know if you appreciate that the can of Sahadi Coffee you want to buy is of the powdered kind to brew in a tiny brass pot, not to be dumped in a cafetiere. If you're feeling at one with the cosmos, you might opt to construe this as considerate, not obstructive. read more...
Plaza Market - 16 Feb 2010
This Latin American market has been in Wheaton for years. Its shelves are stuffed with ingredients that, if they're not familiar, the owners are happy to explain to you and how they should be used. Some of them, like the choclo from Peru (pictured), sold dried, might inspire some different cooking adventures. read more...
Bread Corner - 3 Feb 2010
Danny Song is the owner of this seductive Chinese bakery in the Rockville Shopping Center. Go in at your peril. Everything, as they boast on their receipts, is baked fresh daily.
'Everything' means Portuguese egg custard tarts, plump and flaky croissants, red bean mochi, apple crisps, apple and other fruit tarts, coconut custard buns, stuffed Chinese breads and buns, and more. read more...
Cork Market & Tasting Room - 27 Jan 2010
This is obviously not a picture of a DC market. But Cork Market & Tasting Room is selling one of the best Cheddars I've tasted in a long while - from Tobermory, the only town on a small island off the West Coast of Scotland. A bit of a stretch for sourcing stuff, you might think.
But this offshoot of the 14th St NW bar opened by Diane Gross and Khalid Pitts in 2008 is filled with unexpected goodies. read more...
Russian Gourmet - 14 Jan 2010
Four years ago, Russian Gourmet set up just off the Rockville Pike on Nicholson Lane, behind the Exxon station and in front of Barry's Magic. Perhaps Barry waved a wand in the little market's direction. Because now there are five of them. read more...
Daruma - one of my favorite markets - 30 Dec 2009
If recent feasting and bikini season round the corner makes you think you need to diet, don't let your spirits slump. Think Japanese. You'll eat heathily and deliciously. And here's one of my favorite markets, at any time of year to shop - and eat. read more...
New Year celebrations - something different & where to buy it - 21 Dec 2009
Want to spice up your New Year festivities? Try one of the traditions from another part of the world. read more...
York Castle, Rockville - 3 Dec 2009
Imagine my surprise driving down the Rockville Pike to discover another York Castle, the tropical ice cream parlor, almost opposite Maxim's. And sitting behind the counter was Calver Headley, the man from whom Caroline Tay bought her Silver Spring store. read more...
York Castle Tropical Ice Cream: one of my favorites - 23 Nov 2009
This is one of my favorite spots not just for its exotic ice cream flavors. Owner Caroline Tay is also one of my favorite market people. Like me, she thinks Washingtonians should venture beyond the diamond for their culinary adventures. After all, her ice cream parlor is just at the top of 16th Street where it meets Georgia Avenue - a straight shot from the 7th Street NW Convention Center.
If you don't manage to get there in time for Thanksgiving, look for her ice cream cake with a pumpkin-flavored turkey shape running through it for a fall treat any time. And the Eggnog flavor ice cream is perfect for any holiday party. read more...
Kubo - 18 Nov 2009
Kubo has been at the top of Knowles Avenue in Kensington for some four years. But a year ago, Brenda and her husband Froy took over this small but friendly Filipino market. read more...
Greek & Middle East markets - 12 Nov 2009
There are probably more specifically Greece-focused markets in Baltimore than in Washington. But Middle East groceries generally stock a wide range of Greek products. read more...
Filipino Home Baking & Grocery - 4 Nov 2009
Triangle Lane in Wheaton is an international food court in itself. One of the little markets tucked away is Filipino Home Baking & Grocery. It's a modest place with a very small selection of fresh produce. But it's filled with groceries essential to Filipino cooking. read more...
Bestway - 21 Oct 2009
Bestway is a real local success story. It began in the 1970s in Washington DC to supply the growing Hispanic community with fresh produce and dried goods to keep cooks in the kind of ingredients they needed to create the dishes of back home. These days, the company has become a large independent ethnic grocery chain with several stores in the capital, in Maryland and Virginia. And it doesn't just sell traditionally Hispanic groceries. Its range of standard general foods is broad. read more...
Hana Japanese Market - 14 Oct 2009
While DC is lifting with sushi places, it's hard to find a grocery inside the District stocking Japanese ingredients. Hana Japanese Market is a tiny spot on the corner of 17th and U Streets under a green and white striped awning that probably constitutes the most central location in the capital for ingredients for a Japanese feast. read more...
Manila Oriental - 7 Oct 2009
Close to Bailey's Crossroads is this popular Filipino market. While it's small, you'll probably find everything you need to cook up a Filipino feast, with quarts of ice cream made from purple yam, maize, baby bananas, coconut, jackfruit and more or some coconut desserts to follow.
But you can stay in for your feast. The secret treasure of the market is right at the back, a carry-out counter with a few tables read more...
Habesha Ethiopian Market - 23 Sep 2009
Habesha Ethiopian Market is one of those groceries where you can eat once you've shopped. In the heart of Little Ethiopia, it's bang opposite Etete, the popular Ethiopian restaurant. But you can eat here, in their cafe section. read more...
Apsara Gourmet Oriental Food Market - 9 Sep 2009
There's no shortage of Asia food markets round the greater Washington area. While some are distinguished by their extensive supplies, others, like Apsara, are worth tracking down if you're an Asian food novice and need advice on how to cook whatever that weird stuff over there is. read more...
Korean markets & bakeries - 2 Sep 2009
Korean markets provide some of the best and widest range of fresh fruit and vegetables in the greater Washington area. My favorite is the Super H-Mart in Fairfax. But there are plenty of others, large and small, where - because the Koreans who shop in them tend to have been raised to be proud and serious cooks - the quality of fruits is higher than, dare I say it, Whole Foods whose fruits are sometimes better suited to a sports goods store.
Korean bakeries offer some interesting adventures in soft loaves and unusual cakes and buns. read more...
Daily Spices - one of my favorite markets - 26 Aug 2009
What a lovely crew runs Daily Spices! It's a bright little store a little further out beyond Merrifield's H Mart, filled with sunlight and Indian groceries. Go there often enough and it's worth joining their loyalty scheme. read more...
In March 2007, Mike Isabella started at Zaytinya. Just a few months later, the hip downtown mezzethes restaurant won a RAMMY award.
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