Archive for the 'Markets' Category

Sunday Market at L’Isle-sur-la-Sorgue

Published by Gastronomer on August 22, 2012 in Markets and Provence. 5 Comments

On our final day in Provence, we perused the Sunday market at L’Isle-sur-la-Sorgue. Located 23 kilometers from Avignon, this small Provençal town is famous for its Venice-like canals, working water wheels, and sprawling Sunday market. As we crisscrossed our way along the waterways, we found hundreds of vendors selling everything from local produce to soaps to espadrilles. I bought some of each.

First, cherries and cantaloupes were procured for a light breakfast. The vendor was nice enough to slice our melon into manageable pieces.

With our fingers sticky with fruit juice, we moseyed over to the sausage vendor, where we purchased three beautiful links for lunch. The Astronomer chose an herb-crusted sausage, while Mom chose a smoked variety. I settled on one made with figs. All three were seriously amazing. The vendor was nice enough to slice our sausages into manageable pieces.

Continue reading ‘Sunday Market at L’Isle-sur-la-Sorgue’

Discovering Downtown One Bite at a Time: Grand Central Market, Chinatown, and Olvera Street

Published by Gastronomer on March 8, 2012 in Banh Mi, Downtown, Los Angeles, Markets, Mexican, Restaurant Review, Salvadoran and Vietnamese. 9 Comments

The weather in Los Angeles was even more gorgeous than usual this past weekend, so The Astronomer and I spent much of it outside soaking in the sunshine. On Saturday afternoon, I curated an urban hike through downtown that included plenty to see and eat.

Our first stop was at Grand Central Market, a bustling place where people gather to eat, meet, and shop. The energy inside was palpable, and everything gleamed with deliciousness.

After perusing the aisles, hemming, hawing, and gawking, we finally chose to sit down for a bite at Sarita’s Pupuseria. Here, the Salvadoran specialty made of thick corn tortillas stuffed with cheeses and meats is made from scratch and griddled to order.

Our pork- and cheese-stuffed pupusa ($2.50) arrived after a ten minute wait. A watery tomato salsa and curtido, a lightly fermented cabbage slaw with red chilies and vinegar, were available at the counter for us to garnish as we pleased.

The warm pupusa was crisp and golden on the outside and oozed with cheese and shredded pork within. Even with the curtido and salsa curbing the pupusa’s richness, one was more than enough for the two of us. It was muy rico!

Continue reading ‘Discovering Downtown One Bite at a Time: Grand Central Market, Chinatown, and Olvera Street’

Eataly – New York City

Published by Gastronomer on August 2, 2011 in Italian, Markets and New York City. 10 Comments

Before departing New York City for the temperate pastures of Los Angeles, The Astronomer, Cousin Jackie, and I grabbed a quick lunch at Eataly. The Italian food hall, which is modeled after the original Eataly in Turin, boasts 36,500 square feet of gustatory and sensory pleasure.

The folks behind this temple of Italian food are none other than restaurateurs Joseph Bastianich and Mario Batali. Man, these guys sure have their fingers on the pulse when it comes to feeding the masses all things Italian.

The humongous space was crammed with people of all stripes during lunchtime, which made navigating the various restaurants and stands less pleasurable than I would have liked. While I don’t mind standing elbow to elbow with strangers on the subways and streets, I’d much rather not have to fight for my lunch.

Our initial plan was to dine at La Pizza & La Pasta, but the hour-long wait didn’t fit into our schedules. Instead, we dined picnic style on various meats, cheeses, and breads that we procured throughout the market. My favorite stop was at the cured meat stand. The man behind the counter was knowledgeable, opinionated, and offered up plenty of samples to guide our taste buds.

The cheese counter was equally robust, with over 400 varieties of regional Italian cheeses.

Continue reading ‘Eataly – New York City’

Mercado Central – Valencia

Published by Gastronomer on July 11, 2010 in Markets, Spanish and Valencia. 15 Comments

During much of our visit to Spain, the weather was unseasonably gray, cold, and rainy. Thus the moment I stepped off the train in Valencia and was greeted by golden rays, my heart filled with joy, like only a southern California gal’s could. Thankfully, the weather remained nice and mild for our entire stay, keeping me perfectly warm and sun soaked.

The Astronomer and I visited the Mercado Central (central market) on our first full day in Valencia. Built in the early twentieth century, the market was bathed in an abundance of natural light and decorated with colorful ceramics and mosaics at every turn. The domed ceiling, with its sky-high windows, was especially gorgeous.

Nearly all of the vendors were hawking some sort of raw ingredient, like meat, cheeses, spices, or produce. A small number sold traditional groceries and household items. Unlike the Boqueria in Barcelona, not a single stall sold prepared foods. The entire space was impeccably clean, meat and seafood stalls included.

Continue reading ‘Mercado Central – Valencia’

Mitsuwa Marketplace – Los Angeles (Torrance)

Published by Gastronomer on March 27, 2009 in Japanese, Los Angeles, Markets, Restaurant Review and Torrance. 10 Comments

Back in November, gas•tron•o•my reader Anh tipped me off to Mitsuwa Markeplace after I whined about the frozen deconstructed sushi I endured at Mako Bowl in Pasadena. “Go to Mitsuwa Marketplace, Cathy!” encouraged Anh. “They’ve probably got the most decent grocery store sushi I’ve ever seen.”

When the running gods cursed me recently with a shoddy pair of running shoes that needed returning in Torrance, the food gods smiled down and reminded me of Mitsuwa nearby. Hip, hip, hooray.

Mitsuwa Marktplace is part grocery store and part food court—The Astronomer and I explored both on our afternoon visit. After scanning the available eating options, we began our feast at Mifune.

The life-like plastic food displays along each of the vendors’ kiosks were very helpful in determining where and what to eat. For a measly $6.50 we received a bowl of pork katsu curry and a hot bowl of wakame udon.

Both the pork katsu curry and wakame udon were solid. In all honesty, at $6.50 a pop, it’d be silly to complain. The pork katsu had a nice, crisp exterior, while the smooth curry was spicy and mildly sweet. I’m always surprised by how creamy Japanese curry is each time I eat it.

The wakame udon tasted really healthy—clear broth with lots of seaweed floating about. The udon noodles had a pleasantly firm bite.

After our meal at Mifune, we were feeling pretty stuffed. To make room for more Japanese goodness, The Astronomer and I explored the grocery store section of the marketplace. I picked up some rice crackers (the ones wrapped in nori were bomb), while The Astronomer went for some Pocky.

Next, we grabbed some sushi at Daikichi, Mitsuwa’s only sushi vendor. As promised by Anh, the selection appeared to be fresh and vibrant.

After a bit of hemming and hawing, I finally settled on a spicy tuna roll ($4.99) and some inari ($4.50). The spicy tuna roll was the spiciest spicy tuna roll The Astronomer and I have ever consumed. Our eyes were seriously watering with each tasty bite. The plump little inaris were filled with sweet and vinegary rice. There’s something so simple and satisfying about inari that I can’t resist.

Mitsuwa Marketplace has great energy and excellent eats; this is the way food courts should be. Sha sha.

–

Mitsuwa Markeplace
21515 Western Avenue
Torrance, CA 90501
Phone: 310-782-0335