Pairings Food & Wine Market

In other cities, there are markets such as Dean & Deluca that sell gourmet ingredients, finely prepared foods, and wine all under one smartly designed roof. Here, where grocery markets are of premium quality but our Puritanical liquor laws dictate that food and booze shall not be sold together, we get efforts such as Pairings, which hopes to deliver the best of all worlds. The market portion of the space offers a few shelves of high-end ingredients; a cut-to-order cheese and meat counter; prepared meals from the deli case; and a menu of made-to-order pizzas, pastas, sandwiches, and salads. The food is meant to be familiar and fresh. The nearby Opus complex jams the place during lunch. Like many fast-casual spots, where you walk up to order and the food is brought to your table, it can be confusing where to go and with whom to speak. Nonetheless, the staff is exceedingly friendly and helpful. The adjoining wine market is modest in size but offers a nice selection of both wine and beer. Pairings has found an early-evening following by offering no corkage fee on bottles bought on its wine side. Grab a nice retail-priced wine, or create your own six-pack from the wide selection of single-bottle craft beers, place an order for the daily changing meat and cheese platter, and snag one of the couches on the killer patio for a thoroughly un-Puritanical happy hour. 

6001 Shady Oak Rd., Mtka., 952-426-0522