Monday, July 23, 2007

Around the world in two stores

This weekend Tara and I decided to hit a couple of the ethnic markets in the area. We needed some sesame seeds for a recipe and the local supermarket had 1 oz for $8. I knew if we tried an Asian market, we could find some cheaper. We went to the 99 Ranch Market in the Chinese Cultural Center at 44th Street and the 202. While not as huge as Lee Lee's Market in Chandler, they are much closer and usually have what we are looking for. We found 8 oz of sesame seeds for $1.29. Unfortunately, while browsing, Tara discovered that they also sell pork uterus in their meat department. After she got over her queasiness, we continued shopping.

Our next stop was Phoenix Ranch Market. No relation to the 99 Ranch Market, PRM is a huge Mexican supermarket at Roosevelt and 16th Street. It has the atmosphere of a carnival when it's busy, but it wasn't too bad when we went. The whole western wall inside the store is a food court with just about any Mexican specialty you could want. There is a tortilla factory just beyond the food court churning out fresh tortillas. Very good ones, by the way. They also have large fresh seafood selection, a huge fresh meat market, and tons of fresh vegetables. Their prices are also below most of the other supermarkets, so many things are a bargain. We got some ground beef, chicken breasts, and beef fajita meat. I've wanted to try the shrimp ceviche so we got some of that as well. I also decided to finally try some of their horchata, a white, milky type drink with vanilla and cinnamon. I really enjoyed it, but it wasn't Tara's thing.

The only downside of PRM is the parking lot. It's a nightmare. All rules of driving appear to be thrown out by the people there. It terrified us on our first visit around Christmas. Luckily it wasn't as bad on this visit, but still scary.

1 comment:

The Food Hunter said...

The PRM is such a great place. I just recently found it and I'm so glad I did.