The Little Italy Mercato and Pozole Blanco From My Pozole

This past weekend was the Little Italy Art Walk....a great event to be sure, but I felt kinda sad.....you see for the last couple of months the Little Italy Mercato has become a routine for me. I would grab some coffee and park on Ivy Street.....you know, we aren't able to get back to Paris, where I'm able to shed pounds just doing the the Flâneur thing, so every little bit of walking helps.

And then I'll just walk up Kettner or India and do the opposite back to the car. It's been quite fun for me......after all there's a lot to see.

From places that I'm quite familiar with....

To that which I'd never seen before......

   In fact, the first time I saw the statue of Frankie Laine in front of Nonna, it brought a smile to my face. As I mentioned in an earlier post my late Mom enjoyed country music....and I grew up to the sounds of Rawhide and Mule Train playing on the record player....in Kaimuki of all places. More about Frankie Laine in San Diego can be found here.

Often times, I'd arrive a bit early and would just walk along the streets.

On one visit, I was taken with the houses on State Street that are from a different time in San Diego's history....it reminded me of our walk in Pacific Grove.

And of course, Little Italy would not be complete without a Catholic Church and Our Lady of the Rosary truly fits the bill. It just looks like it belongs here. I haven't been in the church yet.....but perhaps I'll be invited to a wedding soon! 

And it's interesting to see how Little Italy has pivoted to outdoor dining with parklets and such.

And of course, it's always interesting to see how long the line for Morning Glory will be......

I do hope they are checking out the market after their breakfast/brunch.....

And there's always something to keep you entertained.

But, of course I'm here to shop. And after almost three months I've got my favorites.

My favorite is this one - Indian Summer Farms.

It's a one man show, the proprietor, Andrew is so kind, friendly, and gracious. And he has some really great chard, kale, shishito, radishes, and whatever else comes out of his farm in Ramona. The Missus also loves the eggs he sells which he says comes from his neighbor.

I'm sure you want to know what I've been getting the last couple of months.....well, in a previous post I mentioned  that the Missus had started to enjoy gooseberries....

Dragon Tongue Beans are so delicious.....it is stringless, sweet, easy to sauté, and if I recall in season until mid-November.

Shishito of course.....

And oh man; purple okra....so sweet and tender, you can eat them raw. While the Missus loves them roasted, She'll eat them dipped in hummus.....

Of course there's all the prepared food and similar vendors....though for us, it's been a mixed bag. On one visit I went ahead and picked up pozole from this stand.

It was pretty good....pozole blanco. The pork was much better than the chicken version.

 It's mildly "porky", has a nice velvety texture.... while not quite as rich as "homemade", it's still really nice overall.

Until, of course, the Missus demanded that I make pozole blanco.......which you have to understand is to Her taste. You might want to try this out. It also feeds the "cabbage versus lettuce" thing which I'll go into at a later time.

As a bonus, whenever I see the sign, there's a certain beat that goes off in my head....to the tune of "My Sharona"......"Da da da da dum dum....my pozole!"

I know the Little Italy Mercato is also going strong on Wednesdays, but have only been to the Saturday Farmers Market, so will only list that time for now.

Little Italy Mercato
Saturday 8am - 2pm

I seem to notice something new on every visit. And sometimes, it seems like Little Italy is trying to communicate with me......

Comments

[kat]

was fun walking with you:)

[Kirk]

Thanks for coming along Kat!

[Sandy]

I've never been to the market; parking is usually a deterrent for Little Italy, but early morning is the way to go and check out the neighborhood. The dragon tongue beans are intriguing!

I was at Morning Glory a few weeks ago, and I wasn't that impressed with the food with the exception of the souffle pancakes. The restaurant does have a fun atmosphere.

[Soo]

Those are some cool houses you found!

[Kirk]

Yes, parking can be an issue Sandy. That's why I park on Ivy and take a nice stroll to the Mercato right when it opens. Hope you get a chance to try out the Dragon Tongue beans....the Missus loves them.

Those houses on State Street were very cool Soo!

[Junichi]

Mmmm. Pozole. Need to hit up Dona Maria next time I visit my folks down south. It's soup weather again.

[Kirk]

I always look forward to when things cool off Junichi! More soup for me!

[Joy]

Definitely an area that needs to be visited on a weekday for maximum enjoyment. I'm a walker and trying to get through the mazes of people otherwise is a deterrent. That said, I still haven't made it to the market on Wednesdays, which I imagine is a quieter scene than the droves of people on Saturday mornings.

[Kirk]

Hi Joy - It's not so bad right when the Mercato starts. Exploring the surrounding area is also quite enjoyable.