grocery

A specialty health food store featuring, not surprisingly, Bob's Red Mill whole-grain and organic products in their huge depth and breadth. The store features

• flours and meals
• oats
• cereals
• mixes
• grains, beans & seeds
• gluten-free products
• baking aids
• kitchen gear
• herbs & spices
• books

This former Red Apple grocery is a full-sized, full-service grocery, where you might not hear any english at all. I did but only because I came upon a Somali woman with her children who had a Vietnamese friend asking the butcher questions.

They have a deli with cheap, premade banh mi, salad rolls, and who knows what all else, a huge case of fresh noodles, including vegetarian egg noodles, a small produce section with all of the usual (and unusual) vietnamese veggies, fruits and herbs, and the full butcher case, with all the tags in Vietnamese. As you might expect, they have a huge selection of tea and rice, but they also have aloe vera juice and sugar cane. Durian is in a freezer at the front of the store.

The market itself is sad and showing its age, with buckled and broken linoleum tiles on the floor, and an air of dingyness. It just seems a bit down on its heels.

And if while you're shopping, you remember that you need cosmetics, Pacific Cosmetics is tucked into the west corner of the store. It's as plush as any cosmetics counter at Nordstroms.