At sometime in the dead of night this past weekend, whoever does this sort of thing went around and did it. I am talking about the festooning of the streets. When I went about my workaday business on Friday and Saturday morning, I don’t remember seeing golden stars arcing over my head on every thoroughfare. But when we walked around Brooklyn yesterday, there they were. And this morning when I went looking for a new toothbrush, I found that my neighborhood had not been spared.
In August, I was indignant when merchants busted out the Halloween decorations before the pools and beaches were closed, but when I look at the calendar, sadly, I have to admit that this time “they” may be within their rights, declaring “open shopping season.” Already Mark is rising at the crack of dawn to cover “the biggest one-day sale ever.” (“You mean the biggest one-day sale since last week?” I sneer. “No, it’s the biggest sale of the year!” he rejoins, quite earnestly.)
There are, after all, only 39 shopping days left before Christmas! As is my wont, as the Giving Season kicks into gear I feel myself becoming more and more stingy. Especially this year. It’s probably time for an intervention from those Ghosts who helped Scrooge so much.
But, I still like food. Even if I can’t face those one-day sales, I still like shopping for comestibles.
Sahadi’s, 187 Atlantic Avenue, Brooklyn, NY, http://sahadis.com/. I thought I’d stay in Brooklyn, since I was just talking about yesterday’s visit there. Our friends Nick and Joseph live just off Smith Street, which, I have already told you, is rife with restaurants, but there’s not much point in going to a restaurant when you have friends who prepare fabulous French food, which they serve beautifully and accompany with great drinks and conversation. It was on our post-prandial stroll on Court Street that I noticed the municipal Christmas decorations. If you keep on going down Court Street you’ll hit Atlantic Avenue (Trader Joe’s is right on the corner of Atlantic and Court) and if you walk down Atlantic toward the water, you will pass one of my all-time favorite stores, Sahadi’s. But never go on a Sunday, because it isn’t open. Whoever heard of that, in an age when Mark’s store is open 24/7 at Christmas, for those who might like to shop at 3 am? But there it is; Sahadi’s is closed on Sundays, so don’t try to go.
But if you go on any other day, between 9 am and 7 pm, you are in for a treat. Sahadi’s, which has been in the New York area for over 100 years (although not always in the same storefront), has a great collection of imported Middle Eastern delicacies. They carry a wide variety of oils, spreads, vinegars, crackers. They have a pretty good cheese counter, always a few bargains. Their store-prepared food is really tasty. I happen to be very fond of their store-made hummus. It’s very smooth, almost unctuous, but it has a nice kick of tahini and spice. I also love the lebany with garlic, which they don’t always have. It’s a thick yogurt, thoroughly infused with garlic. Great by itself, with a cut-up raw vegetable salad, on top of a baked potato, or as an unusual sandwich spread.
But all of these items are only a teaser. The real strengths of this store are in the bulk department. Here you can get every variety of dried fruit and nut, in as large or small a quantity as you wish, without spending an arm and a leg. You can also get bulk olives and pickles of various kinds, and they are consistently superior to most other purveyors (perhaps Zabar’s is the exception, but it is more expensive). And the surrounding shelves are piled high with a wide variety of coffees, grains, and common and exotic herbs and spices, which you can purchase either in bulk or pre-packed.
It’s really a great place to shop, but be warned: you are definitely NOT going to make it out of there without impulse buys. Oh, look, lavash, we haven’t had that in a while. . . I wonder what pomegranate molasses tastes like? . . . look at the deal on phyllo!
Know what I’m saying?
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