La Michoacan
"Wonderful Mexican market located in an assuming shopping strip at the corner of Bethel and Sawmill. As you enter, you won't miss the wide variety of colorful produce. Pretty much everything you need is available: herbs, peppers, chiles, cactus, etc. Continue down the aisles and you'll see an array of drinks and snacks imported from Mexican including what appears like every flavor of Jarritos you could've imagined, in addition to a huge selection of fruit juices. Toward the back there's many cuts of meat and varieties of tortilla + tostadas as well as a household favorite: chicharron pork skins. The refrigerator section carried a variety of goods, from fresh cheeses through tamale flour base. We didn't really explore the center aisles that much, but they appeared well stocked too. Definitely an excellent stop for all your Mexican grocery needs!"
North Market Poultry & Game
"Working in the North Market, I get asked a lot about what is good to eat. Well, damn near everything, of course- but I usually point them down to North Market Poultry & Game's Kitchen Little. "It's the best food in Columbus!" I say, feeling fairly secure in my pronouncement.See, I've never shopped at NMPG itself- the meat counter- but I have learned the not-very-well kept secret that is Kitchen Little. That unassuming little glass case holds a king's ransom of flavors. It's embarrassingly hard to pick what to eat from day to day.You can't go wrong here, but a few of my go-to staples are the meatloaf (usually chicken or turkey, always delicious, moist, and perfect), the chicken cutlet whose fried-chicken appearance hides untold wealth of flavor, or the chicken and waffles- the aforementioned chicken cutlet on a Taste of Belgium waffle, drowning in Frank's Red Hot Sauce (if you're smart about it).People like to throw around the phrase "home cooked" but if you cook food this good in your home, you need to marry me. This is food that exemplifies Columbus- unpredictable, amazing, local, and responsible. Throw in the friendly staff, the sampling, and the general atmosphere of the Market- which I love- and you have a winning combination. It's been said before by writers far more professional than I, and they were right: if Kitchen Little was its own stand-alone restaurant somewhere in town, it'd be a sensation.As it is, I kind of like the homey, back-kitchen feel. This is food that will forever change your overall opinion of prepared food counters, even if you already think highly of them.And, yeah, do yourself a favor and get some o' them good duck fat fries. You won't even need ketchup- it'd just ruin the flavor.The only complaint I can muster is that sometimes people get there before I do and buy up all the best stuff. That's definitely an acceptable loss for me- because it means Kitchen Little is getting the attention it so richly deserves!"
