Gotta go

to the Capitol City Market. Omigawd, it sounds amazing:

Within a short walk, shoppers can pick up fresh rice noodles and moo shu pancakes at Far East Noodle, buy Indian and Pakistani seasoning mixes as well as halal goat meat at Caribbean Crescent and choose between Argentine- and Mexican-style sausages at Don Pepe's Cash & Carry.

At Mexican Fruit, stacked, open boxes of produce form aisles along the sidewalk and into the street. On a recent morning, and of particular interest, there were three types of ripe mangoes scenting the air, as well as walnut-size Central American and Key limes and stacks of three-foot-tall, spike-tipped blue agave leaves that can be used to flavor a meat stew or to make tequila.

For traditional as well as Asian greens and fruits, there is Sam Wang, where regular patrons head right for the cold storage room. Nothing is priced. "You don't find out until the checkout counter," says a man who was picking okra one by one. "But it's really cheap here."

The best place to grab a bite to eat at Capital City is Young's Deli & Carryout. The sidewalk out front has a knee-high buckle and the doorway is dingy, but the food is surprisingly good. Yun Hoon and his wife Chun Young Yun, the owners, serve both Korean and American fare.

And there's more... Yum. Yum. Yum. I love markets, especially authentic ones (not the overpriced yuppy ones)! My biggest problem tends to be spending too much and then having too much to carry afterwards.

But yum!