Wander the aisles of Monsieur Marcel's Gourmet Market and you can't help but notice that owner Stephane Strouk has stocked his shelves with the best of everything: vinaigrettes, chocolates, oils, pates, relishes, dried beans, you name it. Strouk's life purpose is to taste rare and wonderful foods the world over, then bring them to his shop in the Original Farmers Market. Most impressively mouthwatering, however, is his extensive mustard collection in flavors that defy imagination: purple violet, seaweed, cranberry, Calvados, Espelette pepper, horseradish root, blackcurrant, mushroom, sweet pickle, vermouth maple, walnut, harissa, burgundy, white truffle, cider vinegar, olive tapenade and cognac. He specializes in hard-to-find brands such as Trois Petits Cochons, Edmond Fallot, Brown Family Farm, Clovis, Pommery, Amora and K.L. Keller, as well as his private label, Monsieur Marcel. Buy a bottle, a loaf of French bread, foie gras and …. schmear. 6333 W. Third St., Fairfax District. (323) 939-7792, mrmarcel.com.

—Heidi Dvorak

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