Best Middle-Eastern Market
Caravan Mideastern Foods
2817 N. Country Club Road
STAFF PICK: The Endangered Species Act ought to protect
that increasingly rare specimen, the independent neighborhood
market. Virtually all of the mondo-megamarts have discerned the
value of "ethnic foods," offering bland, anglicized,
soylent green-type ciphers in their stead. So, where do you go
to get the real thang? One place on your radar should be Caravan
Mideastern Foods. Yes, a little cluttered, a little chaotic--exactly
what you might hope from a popular Middle-Eastern market. True
to form, this means open bins of almonds, pistachios and three
kinds of delicious olives; refrigerators full of yogurt, cheeses,
filo dough; and containers of honey, sesame and olive oil. And
let's not forget bulk spices and sheet pans of gooey baklava and
other like-minded pastries.
Caravan is a place where you can see, taste and smell the food
you're buying, a contrast to the sterile, medicinal supermarket
atmosphere. The pleasant service, the wide cultural spectrum of
its patrons, and the sheer variety make Caravan an excellent example
of what a market can and ought to be.
