Gift Giving Options Close to Home
What if you heard you could pick up last-minute stocking stuffers or hostess gifts right on Campbell Avenue? Indeed, the Downtown Village District has more for the holiday retail shopping season than meets the eye!
Istanbul Market 605 Campbell Ave West Haven, CT
http://istanbulturkishmarket.com/
Hours: 7 days a week, 10am-10pm
If there are any Narnia fans in your household (a reference to the C.S.Lewis chapter book series, The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe), please make sure they have tasted real Turkish Delight. You can get it at our own Istanbul Market in various sized boxes, in mixed or single flavors, with or without nuts. The gorgeous colors and delicate flavors of this classic confection will be appreciated, not to mention the satisfying gel texture with just the right chew.
Spices abound here and make great gifts, including the well-known like paprika and white pepper, along with the rarer sumac and coriander, located in the aisle farthest to the right as you enter. You’ll be surprised at the affordable prices. There is usually saffron by the register, in lovely hexagonal jars.
Trend alert: what is ajvar? Pronounced Eye-Var (that second syllable rhymes with far and jar)…only the most delicious spread for pita or crisp crackers you’ll want to know about. It is a beautiful, cheerful red, and is made from either mild or hot peppers or peppers and eggplants, pureed until almost, but not quite, smooth. If someone you know is wild about hummus or avocado toast, this vegetable spread just might be their next, new thing. There are a lot of kinds to choose from, but you can’t go wrong with the brand called Brian’s. Besides great taste (you may want to just eat it with a spoon!), the packaging is adorable.
In the same aisle as the ajvar (2nd to the right, as you enter the store),are luxurious shelves of preserved cherries, apricots, figs and other fruit, rose jelly, honey with chunks of real honeycomb visible through the glass, ground hazelnuts or pistachios, salt cured olives, stuffed grape leaves, whole pickled artichokes, eggplants, and the like.
Along the front wall is an assortment of coffees and teas, and along the back wall are soaps, shampoos, and kitchen supplies like party trays and small teapots. Along the way, you’ll pass by sweets and savory snacks, a case full of meats and cheeses, noodles and dried tiny dumplings called manti, bulk and bagged legumes, specialty flours, oil, pudding and soup mixes. And the bread? Well, keep in mind that ancient Mesopotamia (overlapping with modern-day Turkey) is the culture that invented the concept of bread. Suffice it to say, delicious is an understatement.
The folks who run the store are friendly and will be happy to assist in locating items or sections. And remember, when you support a local business, you’re helping your neighbors!
Sabi Meat Market 391 Campbell Ave, West Haven CT
Hours: Tues – Sat 9am-730pm; Sun 8am-4pm
Any grilling aficionados in your life will appreciate the cool-looking, precision Brazilian BBQ tools and accessories you’ll find in this market. There’s even a small, stand-alone rotisserie oven on sale. The word “Sabi” means “know-how” in Portuguese, and these guys know how to prepare mea! The owner, Sergio, used to DJ at IDBrazil on the weekends. Since launching this business, he is tied to the shop. “If things keep going well, I’ll be ready to hire a butcher in the Spring,” he says with an entrepreneurial twinkle in his eyes peeking over the mask. Meanwhile, Sergio prepares tubs of his own garlic salt recipe for rubbing into steaks, and there are bags of chicken croquettes in the freezer for sale. Specialty cuts of meat like picanha, or beef rump cap, draw customers from around the region.
This list is by no means exhaustive. Curious Goods, just a few doors down from Sabi, has jewelry, crystals, and New Age books and accessories. Nearby are other ethnic markets, including Somos Peru across from Walgreens and CVS.
What are YOUR favorite hidden gems? Email Christine Gallo, Chair of the Economic Development Commission, at sgtyork56@gmail.com with tips of where we should visit next.