by Steve LaRosa
photography by Dave Brooks


Italian Importing Mercato

This grocery store and deli offers up food like Nonna used to make.

It's located on Folsom Boulevard in the heart of Sacramento's Italian neighborhood, on the former site of (the Italian) Quality Market, within hearing distance of the bells of St. Mary's, just a pizza toss from the bocce ball courts of East Portal Park. And the history of the neighborhood parallels that of owner Luigi Velo and his “Roamin' Empire.”

Velo arrived here from the Veneto region of Italy in 1962 and went to work for his Uncle Giacomo, who two decades earlier had established the Italian Importing Company deli at Sixth and J streets. At that time, Luigi's brother Mario ran things. In 1982, Luigi took over the operation, which had moved to 19th and J. The Folsom Boulevard location opened in 1990. That same year, Luigi expanded his “conquests” to Old Sac with a small operation on Front Street.

The Italian Importing Mercato—a grocery store and deli—specializes in everything Italian that you can't find anywhere this side of “The Boot.” A walk through the aisles makes the point. You'll find handmade pasta from different regions of Italy among many varieties of sauces, olive oils and balsamic vinegars. There's also a great selection of Italian coffee, candies and cheeses.

In fact, right there in the wine and liquor department is the headquarters of Experience Italy, local experts who will plan your trip to Italia. On your return, if you forgot to get that perfect present for Aunt Gina, Luigi has a selection of ceramics, espresso machines and other imported gift items.

Moving to the deli, I need to say this: I was raised on Mom's cooking. As a result, I have a hard time finding Italian food I like—even in Italy.

I like the food at Luigi's. So does my friend Sue (Parino) Straine. We had a takeout test one night, and Sue declared, “I felt like I was sitting in my Nonna's kitchen, eating.”

The hot dishes we sampled that night included sautéed mushrooms and grilled polenta; braised chicken; lasagne; chicken fettuccine Alfredo; and spaghetti marinara with meatballs. The red sauces are recipes from Luigi's mom. All the hot dishes included salad and garlic bread, were priced under eight bucks—and were delicious.

The deli offers some impressive sandwiches, some of which feature imported prosciutto, mortadella (a balognalike sausage) and sopressata (wine-cured coarse salami). Some come on rolls, some on focaccia. And they do a great take-home pizza for ten bucks. You can create your own!

Also worth a try is the tiramisu, a creation of store manager Terry Impastato, who makes a mean biscotti as well.

Asked about the Mercato philosophy, Luigi jokes, “Customer taste comes first . . . only if they're Italian.”

5030 Folsom Blvd., Sacramento; (916) 452-6974; Open 9 a.m.–7:30 p.m. Monday–Friday, 9 a.m.–6 p.m. Saturday, 10 a.m.–4 p.m. Sunday.

Look for Steve LaRosa's restaurant reviews the first Friday of every month at 11 a.m. on “News10 Midday. “

This article appears in the June 2004 issue of Sacramento Magazine.