Maria Mitrione's Italian Market

Have to drop a couple of stars...most of the people I liked are gone, and now service is slow and impersonal.

Garlic stuffed olives, wine, a nut case (literally, a case displaying nuts) and the hardware store interior (high ceilings, wood floors and beams) are just a few of the reasons I love the Italian market located in Richmond's historic depot district. It had been a few years since my last visit, so I was pleasantly surprised to see that during that time they had somehow pulled off morphing this business into both a hardware store and Italian Mercado rolled into one.

Cheek pinchingly cute factors:
-old fashioned bar with swiveling stools
-long glass case boasting everything from baklava and Irish cheese to caprese salad and Italian sausage.
-olive bar
-floors that creek like they have a century-old story to share

Moment  when I took my hands off the cheeks:
-deli food items were a bit on the greasy side: particularly the white bean and 5 grain salads
-expected a broader cheese selection - I would try pushing the envelope a bit more (but who knows, maybe there isn't enough of a demand in Richmond for fetas, brie and gruyere?)

Stopped in for lunch yesterday.  It was Mexican day on the hot bar, which is interesting.  I was kind of hoping I could get some Italian.  However, the taco salad was pretty good.  I managed to get a lot of food for not that much money.  They also had pizelles--three flavors of them, and they appeared to be homemade.  I am a huge pizzelles fan, so I'd go back just for them!