Saturday, March 11, 2006

Market Recap: 2006: Weeks 07

Winter seems to be arriving late this year. Last night a winter storm blew into the bay area, and before the rain and lightning really got going I witnessed the slow erratic descent of snow flakes in our backyard. When we hopped in the car this morning, the temperature read out was showing forty-four degrees.

The market was hopping though; took us twice around the parking lot to find a spot. A new stand with fish and shellfish appeared today. I was unable to establish the sashimi-grade ahi price index, but yellow tail filet was showing at 12.99 a pound.

On the prepared food side of the market, I verified the presence of a Phoenix Pastaficio stand. A friend had tipped me off to their arrival last week, over dinner at B. The Pastaficio draw for me is their Rustic Olive Bread. The olives they use are dense and meaty, with a pronounced fruit taste that borders on blue berry. The crust is treacherously sharp, and almost always bordering on burnt. My fondness for all things idiosyncratic is definitely a factor in my appreciation for this loaf.

I did not catch the name of a recently-arrived prepared meat stand, but did note that they had various sausages, black truffle pate, and duck rillette.

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