Mark’s Score 9.0
Onancock’s Market Street stretches for five or six blocks from the Ker Museum down to the wharf, then makes a U-turn at the inlet and heads back toward the town center. On my last visit I visited the Ker Museum and then walked down to Mallards on the wharf for lunch. On the way back I followed the Market Street loop back towards the museum. When I got to North Street, I turned south toward the museum. As soon as I turned the corner, I ran into the North Street Market.
The North Street Market is a combination providore and art gallery. It was opened in 2002 by Gordon and Christine Campbell. Their concept was to bring the finest foods, cheeses and wines to Onancock. Somewhere along the way they added an art gallery. In short, a quirky combination that would be sure to catch my interest. Besides, I am always in the market for good cheese and wine.
The moment I walked in I knew I was in for a special experience. The first thing that caught my eye was the mural on the back wall. Painted in the Regionalist Movement style popularized by T.P. Benton, John Curry, and Grant Wood. I had a history teacher in high school who was a relative of T.P. Benton. She instilled in me an appreciation for this art style.
The mural depicted two women in evening wear at the bottom of a staircase. I didn’t notice at first, but the mural extended onto the back window. But underneath the mural was a small collection of wine. Though small, there were a variety of interesting, hard to find wines. In the corner I found a bottle of Lillet Blanc. Lillet is an apéritif made from wine and fruit infusions from the village of Podensac, France. Lillet is easy to find in bistros across Europe, but it is much harder to find in the US. I acquired a taste for Lillet while living in Brussels, so I was delighted to find a local source.
As I was heading to the checkout counter, I noticed that they sold some premixed risottos. I generally like to make my risottos from scratch but I am always interested in a good risotto so I bought a package of their Risotto Milanese. I don’t have any saffron at home, so I was willing to give the mix a try. Now that I had the risotto, I had to have a cheese to add to it. They have a small selection of cheeses, but what they lack in quantity they make up for with quality. I picked up a block of pecorcino romano and my dinner was complete.
In the end, I think this store does meet its objective to bring the “finest food, cheeses, and wines” to Onancock. But if you aren’t in the market for wine and cheese, it is worth a visit just for the mural.
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