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Those who fondly remember the panini fashioned with fine Italian meats and cheeses at Salumeria Taggiasca in the Sweet Auburn Curb Market will be happy to discover the similarly authentic sandwiches at Toscano & Sons Italian Market on Marietta Street.

The creation of an Italian-American, Kathy Boehmer, and an Englishman, John Reed, with a love for Italian food and wine, the place is both a culinary boutique and an inviting spot to grab a quick bite.

Becky Stein/SPECIAL (ENLARGE)
If you're looking for something a little lighter than a panini, try one of the bright $5 salads in the deli case at Toscano & Sons.
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TASTES OF ITALY: Toscano & Sons is located in the Brickworks, a retail, restaurant and live/work development on the booming west side (its next-door neighbor is soon to be the newest location of Five Seasons Brewing Co.). Inside the long, airy, loft-like space, shelves are stocked with Italian delights, from varieties of dry pasta, jars of red sauce and olive oils to canned goods, salad dressings and spices, and even jams, honey and chocolates.

PANINI POWER: For immediate gratification, go for the panini, which currently number six, each priced at $4.50 and done up on crispy/chewy ciabatta from the nearby Bread Garden bakery. Viola, pressed with mortadella, speck, salami, provolone and tapenade, is the most substantial. Giovanni, a buttery melt of taleggio and fontina kissed with truffle oil, is like an elegant Italian grilled cheese. Caprese, with mozzarella, tomato and pesto, is classic and aromatic. The eponymous Toscano is a mildly spicy layering of soppressata, fontina and arugula. Emilia is a bit more tangy, with prosciutto cotto, fontina and roasted red pepper. And Porchetta, served unpressed, is simply seasoned roast pork and fontina. If you dine in, there's a small wooden table with chairs and a slim bar with stools around the front windows.

DELI DELIGHTS: Reed says that the panini is a good way for customers to sample the quality of the imported meats and cheeses Toscano & Sons offers, including lots of different salamis. Other delights inside the deli case might include fresh pasta and sauces, salads and herbs. On a recent visit, there was a bright composed salad of baby greens, carrots, tomatoes, cucumbers, olives and shaved Parmesan cheese for $5.

VINO AND BREW: The burgeoning selection of Italian wines includes a mix of appellations and regions, from a $10 Pinot Grigio to a $64 Amarone. But right now, Reed says his hottest sellers are reds from Southern Italy in the $15 range, such as Rosa del Golfo Primitivo. And some of the most interesting offerings in the beverage case are several hard-to-find examples of the new wave of Italian microbrews. La Fleurette from Birrificio Italiano has a surprising complexity, flavored with roses and violets, honey, black pepper and elderberry. Other Belgian-style fruit ales are made with peaches or blueberries, and Palanfrina from Birrificio Troll is brewed with chestnuts.