Try as I might, there are still times when we have to do the unthinkable - eat at home. So I endeavor to have interesting things to munch on, or (GASP) to cook, on hand. With that in mind, I wanted to tell you about some of our favorite places to get the goodies.
I can happily make a meal of bread and butter. The Balkan Bakery makes that meal an adventure. Made fresh daily, they carry both spinach and cheese pitas, burek (which are meat stuffed pitas) and a variety of breads. Sometimes you can catch the pretzels as they come hot from the oven. I have to say the desserts are downright weird. The ones we’ve tried weren’t to our taste, but we’ll have to sample a few more.
When Ken is craving cold cuts and cheese, we head to Yasha From Russia. Not your usual Boar’s Head selection, many have names I can’t begin to pronounce, and all are delicious. Smoked fish or blinis? Here they are. Along with homemade salads and spreads. The garlicky eggplant spread is to-die-for. But we use bread from the Balkan Bakery for our sandwiches because the bread here tends to be dense and on the dry side. Some of the desserts in the bakery section are pretty good. Reach into the freezer and grab a few packs of homemade blintzes - they put Golden’s brand to shame. There’s lots of dried and canned imported things. This is where I come when I want to buy brined cabbage leaves with which to make stuffed cabbage, it saves several hours of work.
We go to Chocolate Star Bakery when we’re craving cookies. That’s all this storefront bakery turns out, so they’d better be good. And they are. Rich and dense, they’re not cookies for the faint-of-heart. The Chocolate Java Splendor is more like a brownie, but in a smaller package - dark and chocolaty with a healthy dose of coffee flavor. Other favorites are Chocolate Star Paradise (chocolate chips, oatmeal, coconut, cinnamon and pecans) and probably the best coconut macaroons ever. I think there are twelve varieties in all. They do a huge mail order business because the cookies keep so well. I seldom drink milk, but these cookies are made to go with it, so we try to make it home to pour a glass before finishing off our stash.
If you need some authentic Italian pasta and you’re in the vicinity of Thomas and 40th Street, stop by Pasta and Sugo. Ravioli, gnocchi, tagliatelle, and several other pasta shapes are made daily and are either fresh frozen or dried. Doria, the charming co-owner and chef, also makes her own sauce. It’s light and sweet, but she uses no sugar, instead pureeing carrots into the mix. Take a few minutes to chat with her - she’s also a painter (her studio is next door) and a writer. While there are several tables in the store, and lunch is served, there are no side dishes to go with the pasta, so it’s a rather one-dimensional meal.
But my favorite place of all is Lee Lee Oriental Supermart. There’s one in Peoria and another in Chandler. Both are huge, carrying products from China, Japan, Korea, Vietnam, India, Thailand, Indonesia, the Philippines, Holland, Brazil, Argentina and Africa, all organized into their own aisles. The fresh produce section is full of everyday things you’ll recognize, but also items like durian and jackfruit. Over in the fish section, you can choose one that’s still swimming, and it will be cleaned and even fried for you, if you desire. If you’re squeamish the refrigerator case is loaded with already cleaned, ready to cook fish and seafood, and there’s an extensive frozen fish collection. The same holds true of the meat department. One of my favorite things to buy are boned chicken leg quarters, great for stuffing. There are many exotic things here, but some of the more expected items are missing, such as chicken thighs and various cuts of steak. What is totally unbelievable are the prices - I don’t know how they do it. We usually come away with around six different packages of various proteins, at least that many kinds of produce, and another load of sauces and frozen items. All for about $65!!!
Make sure to pick up a discount card at the service desk, or just ask the checkout girl, and you’ll get 10% off your purchase each time you shop. Amazing.
Balkan Bakery
1618 E. Bell Rd. Phoenix 602-996-4598
Yasha From Russia
10240 N. 32nd St. Phoenix 602-347-6055
Pasta and Sugo
2916 N. 40th St. Phoenix 602-977-2782
Lee Lee Oriental Supermart
7575 W. Cactus Peoria
2025 N. Dobson Rd. Chandler
No comments:
Post a Comment