Trade Rite Market - The Commercial Heart of Little Portugal*

Little Portugal (an area roughly bordered by King, 28th Street and Alum Rock) sits just a few blocks from where I live and yet I had never eaten traditional Portuguese food until last week when someone brought food catered by Rosa of Trade Rite Market to a meeting. We talked about Trade Rite and he recommended their breakfast burrito claiming: "You have one of Rosa's breakfast burritos and you're good for the day."  Well this morning at 8:30 I had one.  The delicious, chewy, warm tortilla was filled with tender scrambled eggs, grilled onions, and red and green peppers. I topped it with tiny, pickled red pimentos enjoyed every bite. It is now 2 o'clock and I am still not hungry.

I was really tempted to sample the Porto Lagrima which sat on the counter with tiny cups and a Santa who seemed to be encouraging me to try it, but with an alcohol content of 20% and the time of day being early morning, I decided to take a pass.

The bakery and the connected grocery store have a big selection of sardines, imported wines, religious trinkets  and Portuguese pastries. 

I don't know what those pastries on the left side of the tray are, but I know that before vacation is over I am going back for one and a cup of Rosa's espresso.

*The spiritual heart of Little Portugal is Five Wounds Church.

Our Very Own Safeway

When I was in my twenties, I never thought having a house with sidewalks out front would be my greatest heart's desire. But then I had kids, with all their wheeled things, and suddenly it became an obsessive need. Likewise, when I was living in the suburbs and I had a Safeway, a Lunardi's, a Nob Hill and a Whole Foods within a few miles of my house, I never thought a Safeway in my neighborhood would be what would make my life complete. But then I moved downtown and the Lucky closed down (not that the downtown Lucky was a place in which you'd want to spend any length of time) and suddenly I had a hard time pasting together all the ingredients I'd need to make most recipes in my repertoire and I became obsessed with the desire to have a Safeway or even a Whole Foods here. As of yesterday, I got my Safeway and you can see from the picture how ridiculously happy I am. This is not your ordinary Safeway, it is called The Market. There is underground parking (how urban!) and pretty displays and a comfortable place to sit and have coffee and a real butcher and meat counter and all kinds of boutique touches. The place was bustling today and everyone seemed as happy as I was to be there, although maybe most people were just excited about the free pound of bacon.

Pondering over Grocery Stores

With the impending opening of a Safeway within bicycling distance of my house, I am regarding the numerous Mexican/Latin American markets in my neighborhood with more fondness. When they were the only place to shop I was sometimes disappointed but now I can appreciate all they offer. First, I love walking into my local Mexican market and getting greeted by a blast of color. They always look festive with the ceilings hung with banners and pinatas and streamers. I love having a store within walking distance that sells several kinds of delicious handmade salsa, fresh tortillas for about $1.89 per 5 dozen and creamy, fruity ice cream bars at two for $1.25 (the price went up recently). They carry the apple soda I love, that I hadn't seen anywhere except in Mexico, as well as everything I need to make my family's favorite green enchiladas. My favorite market is the tiny Mi Tierra near the corner of 24th and Santa Clara but my daughter prefers Suvianda at 7th and Santa Clara for its vast selection of fresh produce. Check them out.

Exotic Ingredients Right Here in Downtown

I have a favorite Vietnamese market (on S. 10th and Story) but now that I am riding a bike, that market is not so handy. While looking through Everyday Greens Cookbook I found a recipe for Red Curry with Summer Vegetables and Thai Spices that sounded fabulous. The list of ingredients was long and some ingredients were completely unknown to me. I vaguely remembered seeing a Vietnamese supermarket somewhere downtown and so I rode my bike around until I found it (420 S. 2nd St). When you walk inside you are transported into a world apart from the one outside. The market is noisy and busy and packed.  Don't even bother trying to negotiate a cart around the place. I had no problem locating galangal, one of the exotic ingredients I needed for my curry, or any of the other 8 or so other uncommon ingredients I needed. Dai Thanh Supermarket is bright and colorful and in addition to all the food, it carries a wide variety of "objets d'art." I've visited that little tableau with the bananas twice now and one of these days it's going home with me.

This One is for the Meat Eaters

The attraction of this place is so powerful that even though I don't eat meat, I still love to go here. I have been buying their garlic sausage for family barbeques for years, starting in 1969. Chiaramonte Delicatessen is 100 years old this year and the proprietor assures me they are still using the original family recipes for their sausage. The store is a little more chic than it was in the sixties but the important parts of the enterprise are unchanged. This is a one-stop shopping place for a delicious Italian dinner.