Yasha From Russia

10240 N 32nd St
Phoenix, AZ 85028

Yasha from Russia is truly from Russia. Better still, virtually all the food that they carry is from Russia or the Baltic area as well.

We stopped by to look at the store, and ended up spending $75 on some excellent foods. Of note, ask for a sample of almost anything and they will happily comply.

We started at the meat case. I'm not sure when I have last seen such a huge assortment of sausages, bologna's, salami's, and items that I don't even know the name of. We purchased some excellent polish salami, along with a sampling of other meats. They even carry Lardo, which is almost impossible to find. I sampled it both normally seasoned and seasoned with Hungarian Paprika. The piece seasoned with the paprika was much too strong for me, but the normally seasoned Lardo just tasted of porcine bliss as it melted on my tongue. To be sure, one would not want to eat large quantities of this but a small square of it thin sliced and melting on a warm piece of toast was thought of in heaven.

Next we turned our attention to the pastry case. I was fairly sure companion was going to lose her mind looking at and tasting all the different cakes and pastries. We ended up purchasing 4 different items from the case. I was surprised at the relatively inexpensive prices of the cakes, which, by the way are made on the premises.

A stop by the freezer section loaded our cart with pierogi and pelmeni in assorted flavors which were also available at reasonable prices and in assorted quantities. If you did not want it pre-packaged, it was also available loose in a different freezer where you could pick your own.

In the liquor section I found a bottle of Wild Strawberry Wine. If you have never eaten a wild strawberry you have missed one of the wonders of gastronomic life. The flavor of them is far more pronounced than domestic strawberries. I can't wait to open  the bottle and have a taste.

Yet another section of the store had pickles and pickled sour green tomatoes. If you came from back east, you used to see these items in big barrels in deli stores. Here, because of food laws they have to keep them in plastic buckets under refrigeration, but you are free to serve yourself and pick the pickle you like!

They have a small quantity of wild mushroom both frozen and dried in stock. I asked about Black Russian Mushrooms (a fabulous delicacy), and they assured me that they will try to get them for me and will call me when they do.

In going through the store and interacting with the people I found that they would do almost anything to try to please a customer.

I definitely have found a new place to do shopping. 4 stars