Courtney Kuhlen/Kansan
Tina Bell, an employee at Au Marche the European Market, 931 Massachusetts St., said Au Marche was a great store because of all the little treats customers could find there.
add the snow peas, pepper, mushrooms, scallions and bean sprouts. Stir-fry for one minute to flavor the oil, then add the ginger and garlic, and stir-fry two minutes. Add the cooked noodles and toss to combine. Add the soy sauce and toss the ingredients to coat noodles evenly with sauce. Transfer the lo mein to a serving platter and garnish with a drizzle of toasted sesame oil.
Mediterranean Market and Cafe
The Mediterranean Market and Café, 3300 W.15th St., brings another part of the world to Lawrence. Filled with an assortment of olives, cheeses, dips and Turkish coffees, the market and café provides customers with all of their Mediterranean culinary needs. Twenty varieties of olives, purchasable in bulk; six feta cheeses; and a variety of freshly made dips and spreads help customers sample the foods of the Mediterranean. Mohammad Al-Zaiti, owner of the 6-year-old store, says he prides himself on carrying many varieties of his products. Al-Zaiti says in regular supermarkets
there may be one or two kinds of pita bread, but the Mediterranean Market and Café carries 10 varieties. Although his ready-to-eat dips and spreads include hummus, baba gannouj, tabbouleh and yogurt cucumber dip are some of the bestsellers, a product called ajvar, pronounced "eye-vaar," is what most people are looking for.
Courtney Kuhlen/Kansan
Stuffed grape leaves are a popular item at The Mediterranean Market and Cafe, a store that prides itself on variety.
"It's like peanut butter in the U.S.A.," says Al-Zaiti about the jarred and freshly made ajvar.
Ajvar is a spread made from peppers, garlic and eggplant pureed into a saucelike consistency. Ajvar is a Mediterranean staple, added to pasta, sandwiches and used as a pizza sauce. Shopping at the Mediterranean Market and Café is a great way to explore the foods of the Mediterranean. If you're afraid of cooking, you can drop in and choose from a selection of prepared items.
Au Marche the European Market
You can now have all those wonderful mustards, cheeses, chocolates and pâtés you once had in Europe everyday if you please. Those of us who have had the pleasure of eating at an outdoor, European-style café, otherwise known as a brasserie, understand the small pleasures of European dining. Cheese, salami, pâté and the ever popular cornichon, a French-style, pickled gherkin, are readily available in Europe and now in
Lawrence. Au Marche the European Market, 931 Massachusetts St., carries a variety of European products. Lora Duguid, managing owner, says the market is organized by product type, as in a regular grocery store, but all the products come from parts of Europe.
Fauchon, a line of French products comes from Paris. Fauchon makes fruit preserves, mustards, honey, cookies and of course chocolates. So next time you want to impress your friends, tell them the mustard on their sandwiches came directly from Paris.
Brits, Purveyors of British Goods
Brits, Purveyors of British Goods, 929 Massachusetts St., is attached to Au Marche. Brits' grocery aisles contain cookies, tea, meat pies and many more British goods. Robert Irving, Brits employee, says many of the store's customers are Brits or come from countries with a strong British influence such as Australia or South Africa. Other customers include people who traveled to England and wanted to indulge in British food once they were home. A condiment called HP Sauce, a brown sauce similar to Heinz 57 sauce, is one of Brits' best sellers. English Clotted Cream, a slightly sweet, heavy cream put on scones, is another popular product.
Brits is a great shop for those of you who love Guinness as well. An assortment of Guinness products is sold and is very popular among students, go figure.
—Megan Erwin, Jayplay staff writer can be reached at merwin@kansan.com
thursday, October 9.2003
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