Any market is a good market in the Fan. Especially after having a fluorescent blazing gas-and-gulp station wedged into the historic neighborhood.
The new European Market on Main Street isn’t strapped with neon, or loaded with fried potato wedges and 32 ounce drinks. It’s loaded with imported cheese and fine olive oil. Think prosciuto and fresh mozzarella, German beer and Italian wine. The new market should be a new Mecca for Fan residents trying to spice up a dinner party or serve something nobody’s ever heard of before.
Did you know there is a thing called smoked paprika? They have it in little tins at the European Market, in both sweet and spicy versions. Maybe it’s great for paella. It’s an ingredient in these grand paella kits on one of the shelves, anyway.
This is probably not the kind of place where you want to go every week to buy groceries, though you could, since they have a full deli, a small produce section, canned goods, breads and cheese.
No cigarettes, though. Even so — “People in the Fan are really excited we’re here,” says owner Key-Key Vonlange, a newcomer from Baltimore who opened the store two weeks ago with her husband, Richard. She’s decided to keep things low-key with a soft opening through the summer. That means there will be some empty shelves and merchandise changes while Vonlange tries to figure out what Fan residents like to eat.
Besides bulk items, the deli also serves lunch and dinner, with a full sandwich menu and daily hot lunch and dinner specials.
