The Phinney Market

It's a killer combo: the feel and product lines of an old- fashioned Mom-and-Pop grocery store, combined with a hearty selection of the organic and artisan products—Essential Bakery bread, heirloom tomatoes, Horizon organic milk—more associated with Puget Consumers Coop than 7-Eleven. Pictures of local dogs and their owners grace the front door, and some aisles are filled with candy, chips, and cake mix. Then there's the deli. Everything on offer is good: the soups (savory orzo pesto, $1.99 cup, $3.49 bowl), the grilled panini (luscious fresh mozarella cheese and pesto, $5.99), the entrées (a delicious veggie frittata, $1.99, a sweet and substantive cornbread soufflé, $1.99, a heartily stuffed calzone, $3.79). And don't forget dessert: ricotta-filled cannoli ($2.75) or zippy bowls of tiramisu ($2.49). You can take it out or eat at the counter or the tables and benches—the latter invite lounging with piles of colorful pillows—or even have it delivered ($20 minimum order). If you're in the neighborhood, you're sure to become a regular; if you're just passing through, it's worth stopping by to enjoy the local color. 5918 Phinney Ave. N., 206-789-3663. PHINNEY RIDGE/GREENWOOD