A Foodie's Oasis in Suburghia- Delallo's Italian Store

6390 Route 30, Jeannette

My first visit to Delallo Italian Marketplace after arriving in my new home of Greensburg, Pennsylvania was my first realization that I could survive (and probably even thrive!) after my big move from one of the larger locavore capitals of the Midwest to what seemed to me a sleepy suburb of the Steel City.  I walked through the doors and my eyes fell upon the colorful and abundant produce area of the marketplace like the eyes of a child to the bountiful gifts below the tree Christmas morning.  This is all for me??  ;)  And I hadn't even got to the cheese counter or the deli, or to the bakery.  And oh, that bakery...

So, let's get to it.

From top left, clockwise (in order of occurrence in store):

• After perusing all the fresh veggies and fruits in the Dellalo's produce section, you are immediately face to face with the enormous olive and antipasti bar that lines most of the entire right wall as you walk into the main part of the store.  Need hot peppered green olives? They got it!  Need marinated artichoke hearts?  Yep, they got that too.  Need prosciutto wrapped and cheese stuffed peppers?  Yep, check!
• The cheese counter at Dellalo's is heaven...  They sell every cheese from most any country imaginable.  The cheese mongers are more than happy to slice you off a little taste of any wedge that appeals to you.  They also sell fresh, homemade mozzarella and ricotta.
• Before you have even turned the corner past the cheese counter and the deli, the aroma of fresh baked bread floats all around you.  Delallo's bakes fresh breads, pepperoni rolls (these are amazing!), and their famous egg rolls daily.  The egg rolls have become regulars to at least one home cooked meal in my kitchen every week (and that is easy to do when they are only 2 for $1!).
• I will admit it.  Sometimes I come to Delallo's and forgo the deeply purple eggplants and gorgeous avocados and I go straight to the bakery.  And nowhere else.  For those of us who have the pleasure of suffering from an insatiable sweet tooth, Delallo's baked yumminess may just be the cure. ;)  My favorites in no particular order: their whole grain biscotti's, their carrot cake, their coconut cream pie, their made when ordered cannoli's, the salted caramels (my mother's favorite), and the almost as big as your head cinnamon rolls. (Just a tip- they do not always have the cinnamon rolls. So if you go and see them on a plate on top of the bakery counter, have them wrap up as many as you can take home! ;) )

What you need to know before you go:

• If this will be your first visit to Delallo Italian Marketplace, make sure you set aside ample time to explore the store & it's many culinary offerings.  You do not want to rush your first Delallo's experience. 
• The cheese counter, deli, and bakery get pretty darn busy on the weekends.  I suggest going during a weekday if you want to take your time to sample cheeses or ogle the bakery counter. ;)
• Above is just a small sampling of what Delallo Italian Marketplace offers it's customers. You can also find pastas there, dried beans and nuts in bulk, ready made Italian meals to go, Italian cigars... the list goes on and on.

For store hours, directions, recipe ideas, and the Delallo's blog, visit below:

http://www.delallo.com/jeannette