Sayonara, Stop & Shop!

I guess it’s because I grew up in the suburbs but I’ve always been pretty set in my ways about shopping at large chain grocery stores. I generally find my preferred shopping outlet in whatever town I’m living in at the time and I stick with it. Even after some time spent living abroad where I enjoyed shopping at local markets most days to pick up whatever it was I wanted to cook for dinner, I quickly fell back into my convenient rut upon my return to the States.

But now that I’m living in Boston, I find myself moving away from chain grocery stores and instead shopping at local specialty stores in the neighborhood. This might be because driving in this city gives me an anxiety attack — the road rage I’ve encountered on Boston’s streets has encouraged me to stay out of the car and stick to shopping at stores I can walk to. But I take this as a blessing in disguise, because I have come to appreciate the quality of products you can get and the relationships you can make when you shop small. Three of my favorite local shops follow.

DePasquale’s Homemade Pasta Shoppe

DePasquale’s Pasta is a new and welcome addition to the North End. The store sells a variety of freshly made pasta, like lobster tagliatelle, spinach linguine, and gnocchi, and a variety of stuffed pasta which you can watch being made in the shop daily. My favorites so far have been the artichoke and goat cheese ravioli, which I topped with a light marinara, and the sausage and apple ravioli, which combined the spicy sausage with just the right balance of sweet apple. The packages of ravioli have enough to serve two and only cost $5.95. The store also stocks everything you need to whip up a quick sauce at home, down to garlic and shallots. Besides the delicious food, the manager, Joe, is always helpful and friendly with his customers and that service lends a personal touch to grocery shopping.

The Vegetable Guy

Now I love a farmers’ market as much as the next urban-eco-friendly-wanna-be hipster, but the closest one to the North End is Haymarket, and you couldn’t pay me to eat the stinky fruit and vegetables from there that are practically rotten. A better alternative is to buy produce from The Vegetable Guy (this is how the store is known in the neighborhood). The storefront on Parmenter Street is nondescript to say the least — it doesn’t have a name out front and the window is a little dark — but you can recognize it by the green awning. Although it’s not much from the outside, or inside for that matter, they do have all the quality, fresh fruits and veggies you would find at the grocery store and the owner is always ready to offer you advice on how to pick your produce. There aren’t any prices on the products — your selection is weighed and then they tell you the cost — but I always feel that I’m being treated fairly and that the prices are reasonable. They don’t accept credit cards, so make sure you have cash when you stop in.

This is not "The" vegetable guy, but he's one of the friendly staff members

Salumeria Italiana

Once you’ve picked up your veggies, cross over Hanover Street to Richmond and stop into the Salumeria Italiana. This shop has an incredible selection of cheese and cured meat (the prosciutto is especially delicious), olive oils, and vinegars. They also have an antipasto deli counter with hot peppers, olives, artichokes, and roasted peppers that has saved more than one dinner party for me when I was short on time. A bonus is that the staff is knowledgeable and able to offer suggestions on the meals you’re making.

So with one shopping tote, 20 minutes, and a nice walk around the neighborhood, you can be well on the way to preparing a delicious meal that you can feel good about eating for more than one reason.