Cafe: The Kitchen Market Cafe, D’licious Dishes and Luci’s Healthy Marketplace

Despite the stereotype, we journalists live off of more than stale coffee and cigarettes; a lot more. We cook very well here at New Times. We’re willing to bet that even the bespectacled food God Alton Brown would dub our eats “good.” 

Yet there are times when we just don’t have it in us to put pan to stove and utilize heat to chemically alter delicious substances. That’s when we call upon our good friend convenience to come up with solutions to the rumblings in our tummies. Luckily Phoenix has many convenient eateries preparing  foods to go. This week’s Cafe column identifies three: Luci’s Healthy Marketplace, The Kitchen Market Café, and D’licious Dishes.

Food Critic Michele Laudig on The Kitchen Market Café:

Grabbing something to eat at The Kitchen is cheaper than going to a restaurant, but there are some pricey treats here as well, so shop strategically. For example, a $6.99 turkey, bacon, and avocado sandwich from the sandwich bar won’t break the bank, but two salmon cakes — stuffed with more filling than fish — will run you $17. It’s prices like that that surely did Dish in.

As far as gourmet groceries go, The Kitchen has covered all the bases. You can pick up artisan breads, cakes, and desserts just inside the front entrance, prepackaged soups, sandwiches and entrees from the fridge in the back, and everything from crackers to canned tomatoes from freestanding shelves. The deli island in the middle features Boar’s Head meats, 10 kinds of olives (try the mix with herbs and preserved lemon), ready-to-cook meat and seafood (à la AJ’s), an eclectic assortment of cheeses, and sides like tangy tabbouleh and grilled asparagus…full story