Downtown's Paris Grocery beckons Francophiles and just plain foodies

Seattleites and tourists alike have come to know Pike Place's fourteen-year-old Spanish Table for quality food, wine, books and pottery from Spain and beyond. Owners Steve Winston and Sharon Baden introduced a trove of difficult-to-find and unique items, much to the delight of the city's foodies.

In the last week of September, the pair launched Paris Grocery, a small, French-focused market just a few storefronts down Western Avenue from the Spanish Table in a space formerly filled by a convenience store.

"This space had been empty for two years or so, and we thought another food store would add to the neighborhood," explains Winston. "So we decided to go for it."

The store is a goldmine for the culinarily curious and a precious resource for the seasoned gourmand. Racks of olives, mustards, salts, oils, jams and sauces flank affordably priced "French picnic" wines, as Baden calls them -- budget scene-stealers for under $30.

While its main focus is France, the Paris Grocery is stocked with epicurean delights and oddities from all over Europe, including tarragon soda and black sunflower seeds from Russia, candy from Germany and mineral water from the former Soviet republic of Georgia.

Refrigerated cases hold a mouthwatering array of cheeses, pâtés, duck confit and other charcuterie-plate favorites. Frozen sausages from merguez and duck to rabbit and venison share shelf space with mini-croissants, puff pastry and rendered duck fat.

If you're on the lookout for hard-to-find European ingredients, I spied bottles of verjuice (the acidic juice of unripe grapes), dried chickpeas, many different brands of harissa and other Moroccan specialties.

Chocolate-covered bananas, nut-studded French nougat and heavenly salted caramel sauce fill a rack near the door, and a nice spread of chocolate bars at the register begs for an impulse buy.

Two large racks of books and calendars round out the inventory, making Paris Grocery a great place to shop for the Francophile foodie on your holiday gift list.

Paris Grocery is located at 1418 Western Ave., Seattle, WA 98101. 206-682-0679. Hours are 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday.

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