Sure, you'll find your staples here, but it's Central Market's terrific selection of produce, meats and international foods that deserves top billing.

Buy them, send them, make them, eat them. The moniker sums it up: cookies and all things about them.

DeLaurenti specializes in foods and wines of Italy, and its selection of imported prosciutti, cheeses, cannoli, sorbets and ravioli is special indeed.

The folks at Metropolitan Market have obviously studied up on what their urbane customers care about. The wine selection is extensive. There's a United Nations of butter. Cheese? Please.

You won't find fresher fish in town unless you strap a spear gun to your hip and dive into the sea.

This Bellevue shop, part of an international chain, has gourmet foods and a handpicked selection of culinary products from around the world. The highlight of the store is its oil and vinegar, which is showcased on the "amphora wall."

The outfit that brings beloved kalamatas and high-end marmalade to shops and restaurants all over Seattle has its own retail outlet where you can let your gourmet dreams run wild.

This co-op has many locations in the Puget Sound area, but the focus remains the same: natural foods with an emphasis on organics.

It's a mecca of gorgeous local produce, cheap fresh flowers, fabulous flying fish, endless ethnic eateries and groceries, boisterous street musicians, funky antique shops, crafts stands and hip boutiques.

The Woodinville-based company SaltWorks is a purveyor of fine salts from around the world -- and the Northwest. If your salt vocabulary is limited to "kosher" and "iodized," you may be surprised by some of SaltWorks' unusual varieties.

With its 20,000 square feet of new and used kitchen equipment, this is a playground for the pros. Visit and you'll begin fantasizing about opening your very own bistro in no time.

Got game? Seattle's Finest Exotic Meats does. You'll find alligator, rattlesnake, llama, snapping turtle and much more here.

With its selection of Spanish foods, cookware, flags, wine, music and deli snacks, this is how you'll get to Barcelona without having to pass through customs.

Serious cooks who don't want to mess around with cheapo utensils and tools make a beeline for the store.

Run by the same family for 60 years, University is old-fashioned in the best sense of the word: The store offers additive-free fish and poultry that will appease even the most finicky gourmand.

Shop for natural and organic foods without getting that musky health-food store feeling. Whole Foods has well-lit aisles and an epicurean selection of wines, cheeses, produce and meats.