Central Market

Central Market is far more than a place to pick up ingredients for a weeks worth of casseroles and school lunches for the kids. This 75,000-square-foot temple devoted to the finest (and hard-to-find) gourmet foods also offers a cooking school, wine classes and self-guided tours of the place so you know where to get your hands on what you want (or didn’t even know you wanted) in this vast establishment. This is a foodie’s paradise and if you eavesdrop, you’ll overhear a refined level of gastronomic discourse between shoppers who sound as if they are graduates of Le Cordon Bleu. Hungry? Eat your way across the store, as free samples abound everywhere.

Want to know what else Central Market is serving up? Check out the store's blog "More Please!" for sales, new items and guest appearances.