Mazzaro's Italian Market

Photos.

Scenes of Italy on the outside walls

We've been hearing about Mazzaro's for several years, but we didn't actually get the name and location right until yesterday. I thought it was some kind of tourist attraction (which it is), but I was happy to discover it is also a real Italian market. The smells remind me of Montreal's famous Jean-Talon Market and the little Italian storefront markets I used to visit in the north end when I lived in Montreal.

Mazzaro's is well stocked

We were directed to the market next door. What a place! It 's stocked with meat, cheese, seafood, dried and prepared pasta, Italian biscuits, crackers and desserts, and wines from all over. We settled on a pasta dish, cooked jumbo shrimp, sea scallops, and garlic bread. We sautéed the scallops, reheated the pasta in the microwave (not too satisfactory - I used the "dinner plate" function and the pasta was overdone), and oven warmed the bread. Tonight we have no shrimp left, but there is enough of everything else for another good meal.
We parked in the lot closest to the gift shop, packed full of somewhat gaudy Italian imports, kitchen ware, and various items one finds all over the country in similar shops. The place smelled of too many candle scents, reminiscent for me of Cracker Barrel Country Store and a long ago battle with a 10-year-old who refused to eat in the restaurant.


Now I know why Mazzaro's is a required stop in St. Petersburg.