Meat Market Thursday March 16, 2006 Home Return to       In the News Delicatessen Lucy Rest Thursday March 16th, 2006 Shopping and eating in the Market Who doesn't love specialty food shops? The best ones allow me to combine my two favourites over one lunch hour - eating food and shopping for food. This week's spots are in the Market, with other neighbourhoods and shops coming soon. Lunch, Italian-style Aside from the usual Italian indispensables, La Bottega Nicastro (64 George Street) sells wonderful Spanish Serrano ham, an expensive little habit I've picked up lately. (Try it on an open-faced sandwich with a fried egg on lightly toasted baguette in the morning.) It's one of those beautiful faux early-spring days, and I'm out for a lunchtime walk down Sussex. I buy a new novel at Nicholas Hoare and keep walking south, considering a Bottega takeout sandwich ($4 for a huge one with your choice of cold cuts, cheese, four types of fresh Italian breads), but I'm feeling like a spendthrift, and why head back to work so soon? I plop myself down at the lunch-bar in the back overlooking the busy store. Looks good, but I shun the pasta specials for a Napoli pizza. It's simple and more than enough for one: nice thin crust, no tomato sauce, just slender rounds of crisp, salty pancetta underneath a generous glob of Fontina cheese, a light sprinkle of basil and rosemary on top. Perfect with a glass of cheap and rustic white house wine. A big, fresh, lightly dressed salad comes with. This is definitely a great place to eat alone - my book (Italian author Elena Ferrante's The Days of Abandonment) is distractingly good, but so is the people-watching. A cappuccino to prolong the pleasure and finally I make my way to the front to pay, picking up a bottle of Ravagni Il Mosto olive oil (I had to, it was on sale!) on the way for dipping and drizzling, and a bar of chocolate-covered nougat to eat later. Under $20 before tax and tip for San Pellegrino, vino, pizza and cappuccino for one. Not bad at all.