Favorite produce stand at the Market?

[kiliki]

Which is your favorite permanant produce vendor? All the years I have shopped there I still don't know who is the best. I love the temporary stalls set up right on Pike Place in the summer, and I don't have any complaints about the stuff I've bought in the past, but I don't usually take the time to see who consistantly has the best prices, quality and selection.

[Schielke]

I rarely shop at the market, but Frank's has always been great. Chef William from Mistral took a class of us there once to shop. He basically said that you don't need to go anywhere else for produce.

[kiliki]

Is Frank's the one you can walk into?

[lala]

FRANKS

Reliably fresh produce, great prices, knowledgable staff. They'll play it your way, either selecting for you, or handing you a bag and letting you select your own. No nasty surprises when you get home, unlike Sosio's, who regularly put old/overripe produce in my bag until I got wise and stopped going there.

In the summer, they'll sell their own fresh herbs and other family grown produce, and they really do try to place an emphasis on local produce in season (no California Asparagus, Washington only.)

Franks is next to to Three Girls Bakery.

[Really Nice!]

Yup, definitely Franks.

Although the one around the corner on Pike Place and Pike begins setup earlier -- around 6:30 A.M. If I needed to pick up something I would go there until last week when I saw the woman setting up with a cigarette hanging out of her mouth. Anyone notice if their brocolli was a little 'ashy'?

[creo420]

Sosio's is where I do the majority of my produce shopping in the Market. Great friendly folks and they usually have a great selection of fungus.

Steve

[Bruce Burger]

I've always been very happy with Sosio's -- especially the morels (NOW!) and the heirloom tomatoes in summer. Very friendly and helpful. But it sounds like I'll have to try Frank's.

[tsquare]

Frank's is great - and Frank is engaged to one of the cooks at Matt's! Sweet.

In the summer, on the street, I love the guy who brings those cute little "wild" plums in a rainbow of colors. Also other fruits and vegetables, but the gumball plums get me every time.

[Sleepy_Dragon]

Sosio's has always done right by me as well, though I like Frank's too because they've got more organic items.

Sosio's has been the only ones to carry maitake mushrooms. So savory and umami.

Pat

[Placebo]

I tend to buy my fruit at Stilnovich (on the corner of Pike St and Pike Place, kitty corner from the fish throwers) and my vegetables at Sosio's. I got some excellent morels there the other day that I stuffed with a little gorgonzola and baked. Mm... If only the fresh porcinis were priced a bit better (though their price has dropped quite a bit over the last week or so).

[Placebo]

Also, I'm trying to start learning more about which products at which stands come from their own farms or other specialized sources and which come from Charlie's Producs as I'd rather get from the former than the latter. I'm pretty certain that Frank's doesn't have a farm of their own though I think they do get some things in from other specialized sources while I believe that most of their goods are from Charlie's. I believe that Sosio's has a farm as, I think, does Stilnovich.

[lala]

Franks does have a small farm - if you ask, they'll gladly tell you which items in stock they have grown themselves.

[kiliki]

I was short on cash yesterday-$2 in my wallet-but saw english peas, one of my favorite foods, at Frank's for 1.99/lb. So I asked for exactly a pound, saying I only had two bucks. They gave me well over a pound but still only charged me $2. They were so sweet and delicious.

[lala]

They were so sweet and delicious.

Is that the gang at Franks, or the peas?

[richards1052]

Sosio's is where I do the majority of my produce shopping in the Market.  Great friendly folks and they usually have a great selection of fungus. 

Steve

When I first moved here in '98 & asked a work colleague (who was French-American & a foodie) where to shop at the Mkt. she replied "Sosio's." Their produce is uniformly excellent & they also stock some rare & unusual items like wild mushroom varieties.

In summer, I abandon Sosio's temporarily because Farmer's Mkt. produce is superior to anything at Pike Pl.

My only slight quibble with Sosio's is they are slaves of their produce distributor. If he can get something they might stock it. Otherwise, they're not willing to do much unusual to stock something you might want which they don't already carry.

I've asked them to carry Satsuma yams (after eating them at Flying Fish) and Oro blanco grapefruits (the sweetest grapefruits I've ever tasted). No dice.