"So whaddaya feel like for dinner tonight?"
"Some feta cheese would be nice."
"Okay, feta and….."
"Feta"
"Feta and Feta?"
"Maybe some bread would be nice…."
This called for a visit to North Park Produce:
Located on the corner of El Cajon Boulevard and Wilson Street, North Park Produce is quite unique, even when ethnic markets are the subject. North Park Produce is sort of a combination Middle Eastern – Mexican Market, and covers alot of ground in between.
Along with the reasonably priced and great variety of produce:
There is a small but good meat department.
All the meat at North Park Produce is prepared using the standards of the House of Halal. North Park Produce is also on of the few Markets that constantly provides fresh ground lamb, as well as other "fresh" lamb cuts.
A look at the variety of "breads" available at NPP also clearly illustrates the diversity of products.
The tortillas are located on the shelf right above the lavosh.
You can imagine the great variety of snacks and confections.
The great wall of olive oil.
After wandering around the market a bit, I headed to the Deli counter to see what the Missus was up to.
The Missus was still waiting for Her feta, so I got to check out the nice variety of olives, as well as the 11 different varieties of feta cheese.
In a few minutes I was handed 6 small bags of feta cheese. The Missus had ordered a variety of feta cheeses! When I asked Her which 6 She chose, she told me, "The six on the right. Next time I’m getting the five on the left!" You gotta love it!
So the Missus had a feta tasting dinner this evening. From left to right; Romanian, Akhcvi(not quite sure of the spelling), and Bulgarian.
From right to left; Deli Feta, Sandek, and Classic Feta.
All of this along with some Lavosh, snacks, and produce? $12, not bad! In what was a very interesting occurrence, both the Missus and I enjoyed the Romanian feta the most (nice slightly creamy taste and texture, good salt, with a slightly tangy finish), with the Bulgarian coming in second.
For dessert the Missus had some prickly pears:
So next time you’re in the area, you might consider dropping by North Park Produce. Who knows, you may end up getting some good feta(or six).
North Park Produce
3551 El Cajon Blvd
San Diego, CA 92104
Store Hours: Mon-Sat 9am-7pm
Sun 9am-5pm
12342 Poway Rd.
Poway, CA 92064
Store Hours: Mon-Sat 9am-8pm
Sun 9am-6pm