A Walk Around Snider Plaza

You know, Snider Plaza really is a food destination, much more so than I realized.  I had been meaning to visit Flavors From Afar for quite some time now.  When I mentioned it to my friend, Lori L, she thought it sounded like a good idea, too.  So, off we went.  I had not been to Snider Plaza in years and then it was just to go to Kuby’s.  I didn’t know that so many food oriented businesses were right there in the same little area.  We not only visited Flavors From Afar, we went to Doughmonkey and Kuby’s, too.  If it had not been so hot we probably would have checked out a few other places.  But, there is only so much fun I can have with sweat dripping into my eyes. 

I fell in love with Flavors From Afar.  Not only do they carry a wide variety of Italian foods, oils, condiments, etc. but they are just the nicest people.  Often times, in small boutiques, I’m intimidated by the attitude of the place.  This is especially true in University/Highland Park.  Not here.  Everyone was so engaging.  The Krabills are so enthusiastic about their products that I found myself wanting to buy everything I touched and tasted.  There’s a lot of tasting going on at Flavors From Afar, too.  Today they were celebrating the fig.  All fig products were 50% off.  I think we actually did buy every fig thing we tasted!

I got those cute bamboo spoons.  Four pint sized beverage glasses.  A can of Bellini mix.  Balsamic Glaze with Figs.  This stuff called Dinamite Calabrian Viagru.  It’s like a chili pepper pesto.  And look how cute the packaging is.  It’s over to the right.  Looks like a wick is coming out of the top, resembling dynamite.  I almost don’t wan to open it.  I bought some Sulla Honey with Hazelnuts.  A Calabreze hot salami.  And a jar of Carmelized Red Onion & Fig dip-topping-spread.  All of this with an additional 20% off the non-sale items.  I recently subscribed to their newsletter and this coupon was at the bottom of the page.  Oh!  And a bag of free figs for each of us!  I felt like it was Christmas or something.  Free figs?  Are you kidding me?  I can’t wait to go back. 

A couple of doors down we freaked out on Doughmonkey.  Those chocolates are absolutely beautiful!  They let us sample a couple.  Then we bought a little box of them for home.  Those ended up at Lori’s house or I’d have a picture to show you.  I also picked up a bag of Cayenne Peanut Brittle.  I love peanut brittle.  There were so many things there to try.  Unfortunately, we had lunch planned after shopping.  So, I was not so sure how a bag of pastries would do out in the car during lunch.  Lori was right.  We should have brought a cooler.   

Then over to the sign-less Kuby’s.  It almost looked shut down.  But, all you had to do was open the door to smell the German goodness that has been Kuby’s for so many years.  I first visited Kuby’s when I was in high school.  I had to have a little wurst salad.  Lori bought some pig ears for the dog. 

We would have gone farther.  It was just too damned hot to walk around outside.  We left Highland Park with a car full of goodies and headed back to the other side of Central for a visit to Sushi Axiom for lunch.  There we talked of life and death.  Sampled each other’s sushi and tossed back a couple of cold Kirin beers.   

Rough morning, huh?