Strip-Mall Secrets

Some of the region’s best hidden markets, and what to buy when you get there

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Prepared Foods

2M Mediterranean Market & Deli, (Greek, Italian and Bosnian), 7103 Staples Mill Road, 262-9950, Hours: 9:30 a.m. to 8 p.m. daily

For 15 years and counting, 2M Mediterranean Market & Deli chef/owner Adis Majkovic has been churning out hummus, spinach pies and freshly baked Bosnian bread in a strip mall where the main attraction, other than his food, is a Jazzercise studio. Bargains include organic olive oil, imported feta — ask for the Bulgarian sheep’s milk at two pounds for $12 — and soft drinks from Dubai and Egypt. Or, skip the shelves and head to the deli case, where everything is $8 per pound. Load up on chicken salad, several flavors of hummus, baba ganoush — either the traditional smooth spread, or a chunkier version with roasted tomato and eggplant — tabbouleh, and Greek savory and sweet pastries. The space has a small dining area, but specializes in catering, providing trays of Italian lasagna, mezze samplers and pizza. Go hungry; Majkovic will spoon up tastes of his just-made dips and salads until you cry uncle.

Grill and Fajitas Fixings

Arco Iris Latino Market, (Mexican, Guatemalan, Bolivian and Salvadoran), 6111 Staples Mill Road, 261-7618 (Hours: 9 a.m. to 10:30 p.m. daily), 6517 Iron Bridge Place, 271-1068 (Hours: 9 a.m. to 10 p.m. daily, 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. Sunday), 6445 Midlothian Turnpike, 276-2510 (Hours: 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. daily)

Roughly a mile west of 2M is the original Arco Iris, a small but specifically stocked bodega. Unlike the other locations, the Staples Mill branch does not have an attached cafe, but it does have a fantastic butcher’s nook. I shop here biweekly for seasoned, marinated fajita meat at $7 per pound, and choice sausages including ropes of Mexican, Argentinian and Salvadoran chorizo, which, after pricking with a fork, grill up quickly. Tortillas to seek out are La Escondida, made from blue corn, and Chesterfield’s Tortilleria Los Comales, as well as the thicker, handmade Salvadoran tortillas found in the refrigerator section. Crumble Quesos Petacones, hard cheese larded with loroco (a bitter green), or one of the many types of Latin farmers cheese on top of your finds.

Produce and Seafood

New Grand Mart, (Chinese, Latin, Southeast Asian, Indian and American), 7415 Midlothian Turnpike, 675-1425, Hours: 8:30 a.m. to 10 p.m. daily

New Grand Mart carries the essentials, making it my primary grocer. Though centered on Latin and Asian ingredients, familiar names such as Green Giant, Barilla and Kellogg’s also fill its risers, making for one-stop shopping. The highlight of the trip? Roaming the produce and seafood departments is the closest Richmonders can get to New York’s Chinatown without traveling. A recent visit yielded Chinese celery, a thinner, more sprightly version of the vegetable with fronds that are amazing in salads, and plenty of quotidian fruits and vegetables — strawberries at $1 per pound, limes at five for $1, plus broccoli crowns and the freshest herb bundles. Seafood kiosks brim with shrimp, salmon, white bass, whole rockfish, Spanish mackerel, Peruvian smelt, oysters and soft-shell crabs, as well as other less-familiar water dwellers — think eel or conch. Fish cleaning and filleting available, gratis.

On the way out, grab an Oreo or pistachio Popsicle from local ice creamery La Michoacana, or lunch at the onsite Noodles & Friends restaurant.

Lamb, Chicken and Middle Eastern Pastry

Jerusalem Market & Deli, (Levantine and Middle Eastern), 7226 Hull Street Road, 864-2728, Hours: 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. daily, Sunday until 8 p.m.

It’s become my family’s rite of spring to order Jerusalem Market’s whole, grilled lamb stuffed with almonds, grains and rice. Other family meals include organic rotisserie chickens, $7 each, sans injected solutions commonly used to add moisture and weight. As for raw meat, unblemished chickens — both whole and in pieces — are halal and organic. Ground lamb is $6 per pound, and other cuts, carved on premise, are $7. Don’t forget to take home some pita bread, lemon and tahini.

You also must walk by its new dessert counter, helmed by Hisham, a baker of 30-plus years who honed his craft in his family’s Egyptian sweet shop. I adore his pistachio-and-walnut baklava, semolina cakes topped with cream and honey, and coffee cake with a demitasse of green, Turkish coffee. After dessert — it’s at the front door! —  dine-in on kabobs, falafel, gyro and other Middle Eastern fare.