Dreams do come true: Monterey Market

One of the best things about living in the Berkeley Area are the little "hidden gems" as Ryan likes to call them. We had been here a few weeks when a friend asked if we'd been to Monterey Market. We shared that we weren't familiar with the store but really liked another highly recommended place for food, the Berkeley Bowl.

Well, the Berkeley Bowl is very popular, but it is out of my way to drive to, and the parking lot is atrocious. I have sat in line waiting to get into the parking lot for 10 minutes even. They have a HUGE produce selection and every item you can imagine, but the parking lot makes me understand "road rage" in a way that nobody wants to.

So, when this friend mentioned the Monterey Market I listened closely. It was 1) close to our place 2) more affordable than Berkeley Bowl (which is hard to imagine) and 3)sells primarily local produce, so it is nearly the same as being part of a CSA.

The first time I went to Monterey Market I was a little dismayed by the parking lot, for it is nearly as painful as Berkeley Bowl. But, what I found inside was worth any wait I may have.

First, this place SMELLS like FRESH PRODUCE precisely because it is full of it.

Secondly, they have nearly an entire aisle of bizarre mushrooms. I like mushrooms but haven't ventured much beyond shitake, portabella, and your standard button. The Monterey Market has mushrooms I've never even imagined before. I haven't bought them yet, but I still like to look.

And finally, they are incredibly affordable. Just look at this bounty I got for $24.18:
It might be hard to see all the specifics here, so I will just tell you:

Carrots
Green Beans
Garlic
Half -n-half
5 fuji apples
Celery (organic)
Sweet Potatoes
Red potatoes (organic)
Risotto
Dried Chickpeas (experimenting with these)Cilantro
3 Yellow Bell Peppers
Red Kael
Baby Bok Choy
4 Oranges
Casbah boxed Cous Cous (w/my favorite flavorings)
Fennel

Would you believe that three of the items (risotto, cous cous, half-n-half) actually resulted in $9 of this $24.18?

When I think about it another way, I have even a bigger smile upon my face. I purchased 16 items for $24.18. If we just divide that straight up, it turns out I only paid $1.50 for each item. (For the sake of convenience I grouped certain things into a single item ie: 3 peppers = 1 item)

And the fun part is that if I want to splurge and by, oh, QUAIL EGGS, I can. That is right. They even sell fancy things I don't anticipate cooking such as quail eggs.

Dreams do come true. They do. They do.
(More hidden gems to come)