HOLY GUACAMOLE, BATMAN!
With Comic-Con 2008 in full swing, don't be surprised if you find yourself sharing the Little Italy Mercato with costumed Caped Crusaders or Alien Hominids. Hey, superheroes gotta eat too, and where better to shop for ripe farm fresh avocados and heirloom tomatoes, green onions and juicy limes ready to be smushed into a perfect guacamole than at the Mercato? Pick up a few rotisseried chickens from Grill Masters, Chi Cuisine dips or Baba Foods hummus and pita chips, Burning Sensations salsa and you've got a meal perfect for eating in your hotel room or on a bench at the Embarcadero. Or in the comfort of your own home, of course.

AND FOR DESSERT
We're partial to sweet, ripe nectarines, strawberries and watermelon from our farm stands. Pair a perfect piece of fruit with a chewy oatmeal cookie or delicate lemon bar from Montana's, or a brownie from Bread & Cie for a luscious ending to a Mercato meal.

HOW DO YOU GET TO THE MERCATO?
Plenty of our shoppers walk from their homes in Little Italy, the Marina, or Banker's Hill. Biking along the harbor to the Mercato is popular. Others grab the Blue Line trolley from Old Town or Middletown, and folks in the Gaslamp can take that line or pick up the Orange Line at the Convention Center, then switch to Blue or walk from American Station. From the County Center/Little Italy stop, walk just a block East to India and a block North to Date and you're in the heart of the Mercato.

THE MERC-ART-O MOVES UP
Looking for the perfect gift or indulging yourself, you'll find that special something at the top of the market. From State Street to Union, find cutting boards and wine stoppers, jewelry from local designers, handmade cards, soaps and yarn, and the perfect tote from recycled billboards to carry it all home.

Shop the Little Italy Mercato every Saturday from 9 am to 1:30 pm, year-round. Shop Date Street from Kettner to Union

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MERCATO MUSIC
Where can you shop for groceries, grab a bite, pick up a gift, enjoy a view of the bay and enjoy the jazz sounds of Joe Martillo and Quince Mabry? The Little Italy Mercato offers a rotating slate of live music, from the Latin sounds of Manny Cepeda and new flamenco of Luis Max to Lisa Campbell's vocals. What's more Italian than food and music, after all? So add a CD to that shopping list! Musicians interested in playing at the Mercato can contact mercato@littleitalysd.com for more info.

REACH MERCATO SHOPPERS
Mercato shoppers eat all week long! Advertise your restaurant or lifestyle items in the Mercato Monitor, the newspaper that covers the pulse of the Little Italy Mercato. Email mercato@littleitalysd.com or call 619.233.3769 now!