Ethnic markets please multicultural palates

For Dean Pomerantz, our local supermarkets frequently just don't cut it.

Which is not to cast aspersions on our local markets. Pomerantz, who has an adventurous spirit -- and palate -- and has spent time in South America, has a grocery list that tends to vary greatly from that of the average American. It's "stuff you can't get at Smith's," he says, "like beef meat and beef tendon. I grew up with basically meat and potatoes, (but) my stomach's multicultural."

When Pomerantz finds himself in need of a food item that may seem obscure to most Las Vegas residents, he heads to one of the many ethnic markets in the valley.

His favorite? Probably the Mediterranean Market at 6020 Spring Mountain Road. A high inventory turnover, he says, means the products there tend to be fresh, and the store is particularly clean. He goes there in search of olives, lamb and Persian spices.

But he also likes 99 Ranch Market in the Chinatown Plaza at 4155 Spring Mountain Road, which carries Asian foods and related merchandise.

"It really depends on the specialty you're looking for," Pomerantz says.

Searches such as his have become increasingly easier in the past 10 years, with an explosion in both the number and variety of ethnic markets in Las Vegas. The many Asian and Hispanic markets reflect increases in those segments of the local population, but there also are numerous Mediterranean/Middle Eastern markets and those catering to smaller segments of the population, such as Polish, Hungarian, Argentine and Filipino residents.

The market adjacent to Cafe Heidelberg, 610 E. Sahara Ave., shares a late-'60s birth date with the restaurant, says Tanya Brandl, who has owned them since 1997. And in the past decade, she says, her clientele hasn't changed much.

"It's the same customer base, and if it's not the same customers, it's passed on from generation to generation," she says. Forty years on, grandchildren of the original customers are coming in, she says -- "people who remember this business when they were children."

Her customers, Brandl says, are predominantly German, plus Austrian, Swiss, Polish and Hungarian.

The most popular items in the market, she says, are "our cold cuts and deli meats. They're flown in fresh from an Austrian family in California." The market also is known for its imported chocolates, wide variety of pickles and grocery items such as dumpling mixes that enable people to prepare German meals at home, she adds.

And beer. The market carries more than 40 kinds of German beer, as well as a selection of German wines. As for nonfood items, Brandl says the Black Forest cuckoo clocks and beer mugs are popular.

Pomerantz says he often goes to one of the three King Ranch Markets in town; to La Bonita, which also has three stores in the valley, or to Mariana's -- three again -- for the foods he learned to like while he lived in Peru, such as Peruvian chilies, dried potatoes, fresh cherimoyas and Inca cola.

Other items he often buys include durian fruit, jackfruit, Chinese sausages, fish sauce, coconut milk and pre-shredded papaya, which he calls a "godsend" for making papaya salad.

Such items are creeping into conventional supermarkets in response to broader customer demand, but he says he often finds lower prices at ethnic markets.

"I just bought Key limes at La Bonita," he says of a shopping trip last month. "They were 2 pounds for 99 cents."

Pomerantz says he has never encountered communication problems and is welcomed "99.9 percent of the time." And there's a good chance that exploring an ethnic market will be interesting.

"It's always an experience," Pomerantz says.

Following is a list of some ethnic markets in the valley. It is not meant to be a complete list, but just a sampling. To find more ethnic markets, check the "Grocers-Retail" section of the telephone book's business listings, or just keep an eye out while traveling around town.

• British Grocers, 3375 S. Decatur Blvd.: Various types of British foods including beverages, canned goods, meats, cereals and desserts, and related items.

• Budapest Market, 6380 S. Eastern Ave.: Hungarian and Eastern European specialties including poppy seed and lekvar fillings, sausages and smoked and sweet paprika.

• Cafe Heidelberg Market, 610 E. Sahara Ave.: German meats, beers, wines, groceries and merchandise such as cuckoo clocks and beer mugs.

• Fofana Imports, 3913 W. Charleston Blvd.: African, Caribbean and Asian foods and related goods.

• Habib's Persian Cuisine & Mediterranean Market, 4750 W. Sahara Ave.: Mediterranean and Middle Eastern produce, groceries and breads.

• International Marketplace, 5000 S. Decatur Blvd.: Asian foods (including live fish) and household items (cooking equipment, statuary, etc.) from various Asian cultures, plus food items from many European cultures.

• India Market, 5006 S. Maryland Parkway: Indian food items such as produce, rice, chutneys, ice creams, curries and prepared foods.

• King Ranch Market: 840 N. Decatur Blvd., 1570 N. Eastern Ave., 3736 E. Desert Inn Road: Hispanic foods including produce, meats, bakery items and groceries.

• L.A. Price Market, 4972 S. Maryland Parkway: Offbeat types of sugars, meats, cheeses, spices.

• La Bonita Grocery: 2021 Civic Center Drive in North Las Vegas, 2405 E. Ogden Ave. and 6380 S. Eastern Ave.: Hispanic foods.

• Lily's Market, 2101 S. Decatur Blvd.: Mediterranean specialties such as olives, meats and cheeses.

• Mariana's Supermarkets: 2551 E. Bonanza Road, 3631 W. Sahara Ave. and 4151 S. Eastern Ave.: Hispanic foods including meats, produce, prepared foods, fresh tortillas, bakery and a juice bar.

• Mediterranean Market: 6020 Spring Mountain Road: Mediterranean and Middle Eastern foods and related items.

• 99 Ranch Market, 4155 Spring Mountain Road: Foods and related items from various Asian cultures, including live fish.

• Polish Deli, 5900 W. Charleston Blvd.: Polish foods such as sausages and frozen pierogi.

• Rincon de Buenos Aires, 5300 Spring Mountain Road: Foods and related items from Argentina and Spain, such as chimichurri sauce, meats and cheeses.

• Seafood Supermarket, 3890 S. Maryland Parkway: Filipino grocery items and snacks; fresh fish, plus other Filipino outlets.

Contact reporter Heidi Knapp Rinella at hrinella@reviewjournal.com or (702) 383-0474.