The new La Merenda Market, which is located just around the corner from La Merenda at 809 S. Barclay St., opens today at 10 a.m.
And it might be a cozy little shop, but it’s filled to the brim with fresh delicious items from local farms and specialty purveyors.
Step inside and you’ll find a cold case stocked with locally sourced butter, eggs and cheeses, as well as a variety of proteins including chicken, pork, beef, goat and lamb.
But only a fraction of the bounty can be displayed in the case, so be sure to check out the menu board behind the counter, which features all of the meats available on a given day, as well as a listing of prepared food items, which might vary from delis filled with La Merenda’s butter chicken or make-your-own-risotto kits featuring locally grown mushrooms.
Right now the list of available meats include chicken (whole, leg quarters and boneless skin-on breast), beef (hangar, ribeye and sirloin steak), goat stew meat, lamb (shanks, ground lamb, stew meat) and pork (loin, belly, shoulder, trotters).
The meats – which are are cut and trimmed by onsite butcher, Dan Bolton – will vary from week to week and season to season. But the selection is likely to include cuts from area purveyors including Wisconsin Meadows and Glenrock, La Clare, Maple Creek and Three Brothers Farms.
There will also be a variety of fresh sausages. Currently, the selection includes andouille, Argentinian chorizo, bangers, breakfast sausage, chicken patties, mortadella, pastrami and veal knockwurst. There's also bacon, stocks (chicken, pork or beef), condiments like bread and butter pickles, roasted olives and chimichurri, and a selection of prepared heat-and-eat foods.
Owner Peter Sandroni says the product mix will change, based on both what's coming into the restaurants and customer demand. If business is good, the shop could also expand – both in square footage and product selection – to include shelf stable items and specialty offerings like truffle oil or wine.
Beginning Jan. 14, the La Merenda Market will be open Monday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m.
As a passionate champion of the local dining scene, Lori has reimagined the restaurant critic's role into that of a trusted dining concierge, guiding food lovers to delightful culinary discoveries and memorable experiences.
Lori is an avid cook whose accrual of condiments and spices is rivaled only by her cookbook collection. Her passion for the culinary industry was birthed while balancing A&W root beer mugs as a teenage carhop, fed by insatiable curiosity and fueled by the people whose stories entwine with every dish. Lori is the author of two books: the "Wisconsin Field to Fork" cookbook and "Milwaukee Food". Her work has garnered journalism awards from entities including the Milwaukee Press Club. In 2024, Lori was honored with a "Top 20 Women in Hospitality to Watch" award by the Wisconsin Restaurant Association.
When she’s not eating, photographing food, writing or planning for TV and radio spots, you’ll find Lori seeking out adventures with her husband Paul, traveling, cooking, reading, learning, snuggling with her cats and looking for ways to make a difference.
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