A Tale of Two Markets
In the next couple of years, my family is likely to move to a slightly bigger house in a slightly better school district. I look forward to having a proper yard with room for lots of tomato plants and roses. It will be nice to have full-height closets that don’t require yoga contortions simply to pluck a shirt off its hanger. A second bathroom on the main floor will spare our guests from the wrath of Watson, attack cat, who guards the WC with his life when we have parties.
If only I could take my neighborhood markets with me.
From my perch in Humboldt, Pastaworks on Mississippi lies six blocks to the south. Cherry Sprout Produce Market is a few blocks to the north. Save for some overlap in plum and onion inventory, they couldn’t be more opposite. This newest Pastaworks outpost is spare and modern, with a long deli case full of sheep’s milk cheese for grating, fresh tagliatelle, every olive under the sun and my favorite bacon in the world: Nueske’s—it’s so flavorful and satisfying you only need to buy 2 strips per person, which is good since it’s like $20 per pound. Cherry Sprout has a rough concrete floor, a discordant upright piano in the corner and the occasional live show owing to the fact that the owners are all in bands.
While Pastaworks carries pricey cheeses and meats, I’ve found that you can get everything you need for a fantastic meal for very little money. On nights I don’t want to cook much, I’ll get a small container of olives, a wedge of pecorino romano, some French goat cheese, one-quarter loaf of their house foccaccia, eight ounces of fresh pasta and ten slices each of mole salami and cappicola for under $15. Once home, I can make a simple sauce for the pasta, nibble on olives and charcuterie, sip a $10 rose and feel like I’m living the high life.
Cherry Sprout is my go-to for all manner of fruits and vegetables, the occasional quart of milk and those delicious Mexican ice cream fruit bars. Much of their selection is local, some organic, and the prices are killer: Tart Jonafree apples are $1.49 per pound; kiwis 4 for a dollar; big bunches of collard greens just $1.29. I haul away about ten pounds of fruit on a weekly basis—it goes fast in our household. The owners play peek-a-boo with Cash and let him plunk away on the piano. They notice when we’ve been absent and ask about our recent travels and assignments. The owners were employees of the previous tenant, Big City Produce, who banded together to buy the business two years ago. Since then they’ve cleaned up the place and made gradual improvements, carrying fresher, higher quality produce and a more cohesive selection of dry goods. They recently got a license to sell beer and wine and just replaced the street-facing windows with more energy-efficient ones, creating a more attractive, welcoming entrance. Still, the food prices remain incredibly reasonable.
A couple of weeks ago I wandered over to Pastaworks in search of lunch, which turned out to be a very tasty slice of goat cheese-red pepper tart with a fresh peach and ginger cookie from Pearl Bakery, total cost $7. I sat outside and read the newsletter and was amazed to realize the first Pastaworks opened 26 years ago! I knew it had been around a long time but to think it opened at a time when Portland was a culinary wasteland (Genoa and the Ringside would have been about the only decent tables in town) is really something.
If you haven’t stopped by Cherry Sprout or Pastatworks, check them out. Shop strategically and you’ll be amazed how high you can pile your cart, for so little.