A brand new Italian market has opened in Morgantown, and, wow is all I can really say.



San Marzano Italian Market, from the same folks who brought us Apple Annie's, is located on Fort Pierpont Drive. 



In fact, it's actually located right next door to Annie's Coffee & Creamery, and there's even a little passageway connecting the two businesses, which quite frankly is genius. If you're waiting on your order at the coffee shop, you can peruse the market.



This market truly has a little bit of everything. 



Fresh bread? You got it.



Biscotti from the Strip District in Pittsburgh? Yep.



Olives, marinara sauce, and pasta? Oh yes.



But, wait, there's more.



At the back of the market, there's a deli counter where you can get all kinds of goodies.



They have fresh sandwiches, prepared salads and slabs of meat and cheese that you can order by the pound. 



They also have a wide selection of Delallo products, which is a local favorite. 



I had to try a few different things.



First, I ordered up some caprese salad - the sliced mozzarella and tomato salad is one of my favorites. This, paired with fresh basil - is perfection. I topped mine with some balsamic drizzle when I got home, and it was perfect.



While here, I also snagged an Italian sandwich. Actually, I would typically call a cold sandwich already made a hoagie. And then a sub it's being made in front of me or is warm. I don't have a real rationale behind that, but that's where we are.



I digress.



You can of course get a variety of other cold cuts and cheeses here, too.



Take a look at what I went home with. 



What have you purchased here?

The 19th Street Meat Market in Parkersburg is quite the find. 



Let's hear a little bit about their story: 



"One thing we all know in this day and age is that fresh cut meat markets are very rare and hard to come by. The 19th Street Meat Market previously known as Paynes or A-1 Meat Market is locally owned and operated by Deborah Parton since 2002, who also resides in Parkersburg, WV. The meat market was established in the late 1930's. It is a family run business ran by Debbie's daughter's Mia McDaniel and Amy Nichols with her husband Gary, daughter Cidney and son Alec.



We have two fully trained meat cutters, Gary Nichols and Eddie Mason, both from Parkersburg .. They will be happy to cut any type of steaks or meat we carry to your satisfaction. If you don't see something you are looking for just ask us and we'll try our best to accommodate you! If we don't have it, we can usually get it.



I'm sure we all remember John Payne and his late wife, Jenny who were previous owners of the meat market for over 17 years and hold a lot of history to our community. John still likes to stop in from time to time to check in and make sure we are keeping up on the famous recipes that have made the store what it is today! We have not changed any of the traditional recipes that have become quite popular over the years, such as the "Chunky" or smooth chicken, ham, and cheese salads made daily.



On that note... To all of our dedicated customers whom we have come to call family over the years, we sincerely thank you and appreciate your loyalty and hope you continue to enjoy the unbeatable flavor of fresh cut meats and good ol' home cooked foods. For those of you that have never stopped in please feel welcome and enjoy our large variety of fresh meats and ready to cook meals."



This market swears by unbeatable flavor of fresh cut meats and good ol' homecooked foods. 



I really love delis. I love ham salads and pimento cheese and prepared mac & cheese - and, of course, fresh meat. Since I was just passing through, I didn't go for any of the fresh meat this time.



But, I did opt for a pepperoni roll and some pimento cheese dip.



I was tempted by the soups, enchiladas, shepherd's pie... everything really!



But my selections were good. The pepperoni wasn't as moist as I would like, but the pimento cheese... made for a perfect complement. Is there anybody making pepperoni rolls WITH pimento cheese? Because if not, they should.



Grade: A

General Steak & Seafood, located on Quarrier Street, is like an expanded version of Joe's Fish Market.



The once-fish market now has a meat counter, as well, and the famous Yugoslavian Fish Stew is still a staple.



So, walking in, you have a fresh seafood counter to the right. A meat counter - all sourced from Buzz - to the left. And a few cooler items straight ahead. 

Folks here are super attentive and willing to help. I had no idea what I wanted to get, really, so I looked up and down the coolers a bit. I have to give a shoutout to Becca for being the absolute best. She immediately welcomed me as soon as I walked in (so I wasn't standing there awkwardly trying to figure things out), she let me have some time to browse, she was right there when I had questions and helped me pick out the best filets. Plus, I think there's something to be said for seeing another woman there - it's comforting when I was the only other woman there.



I ultimately went with the filet mignon (how can you say no when seeing these beauties??), plus some crab cakes, then crab dip and tartar sauce. Becca gave me a tip for the crab dip - while you CAN enjoy it cold, try it warmed up with some hot bubbly cheese on top. Yum. Everything was delish.



Grade: A

Markets are my happy place. My dream is going from stall to stall, getting a bite at each place to create a full meal. That's why, when Dawn and I heard about Center Street Market juuuust opening, we headed that way STAT.



Center Street Market, located in Hilliard, Ohio, is home to a handful of restaurants, as well as Crooked Can Brewery. 



Ready? Let's go check it out. 

The Cheesecake Girl 











The Cheesecake Girl has a bunch of different kinds of cheesecake, including little mini bites like cookie dough, buckeye and brie & fig. I loveee the mini option so I can try a few flavors - and they were all fantastic. The cookie dough had a brownie crust, the buckeye is Ohio's best dessert, and the brie & fig is a perfect flavor combo. Also while here, they had a little stand of Uncle Giant's Tokels, which apparently are Filipino in origin. They're like buttery shortbread cookies that are crumbly. 

Bakes By Lo







Bakes By Lo had these giant homemade cookies staring at me. There were really only a handful of flavors, but they all sounded so good. The dried cranberry and macadamia nut was speaking to me. Just slightly tart paired with sugary cookie and buttery nutty. So good. 

Dumplings of Fury







Dumplings! Dumplings of Fury has a location in Seattle and Hilliard... odd mashup? BUT, one of the stops I was most excited for. I ordered the "Shrimp and Chive" dumplings, which were perfectly pan-fried and plump and tasty. And, I also went for the pork belly bao, because there are so few places to get bao buns in West Virginia, and this included the pork belly, cucumber salad, peanuts and green onion. Mmmm. 

Rime Time







Are artisan popsicles the new trendy thing? If you're Rime Time, that answer is yes. They have a really cool list of flavors like blueberry lemonade, avocado, and my choice: peanut butter and jelly. I was shocked at how good this really was. I'm not a peanut butter superfan, but this creamy popsicle with pops of sweet fruity jelly was perfect. 

Coffee Connections







Apparently I'm really into lemonade lately, because even at Coffee Connections, I went with a blueberry pomegranate lemonade. So refreshing for a warm day. 

Al's Delicious Popcorn









OK I said earlier that popsicles might be trendy, but gourmet popcorn may be even more so. Al's Delicious Popcorn has over 65 flavors. I chose the s'mores, because of course. It was pretty sweet - I would've liked some more salt, but very tasty nonetheless. 

Meatball Mafia







W?HO? doesn't love a good meatball?! I could've taken the easy way out at Meatball Mafia and had just a single taste of a meatball. But, let's be real, I had to go with a full Uncle Junior, which is a meatball sub with provolone/mozzarella. This just hits the spot.



There are a couple places that I'll need to check out on the next visit, like the Crooked Can Brewery, Pita bilities and Two Step Tacos.