Flavorista

Flavorista Field Trip: Devon Avenue, Chicago, Ill.

May 5th, 2010

Devon Ave near Evanston, Ill is a great way to travel to far away lands. Flavorista Tracey escapes there whenever she needs travel without really going anywhere as it’s 10 minutes from her house.

Once the "Jewish" neighborhood, it is now home to Indians, Croatians, Syrians, Pakistanis, to name a few.  There is certainly no shortage of new food and flavors to explore and discover here.

Check out this wall of chutneys!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I found ingredients here I had never heard of including this jar of hibiscus chutney.

 

 

Then of course there is the fresh chutney/pickle bar to choose from.

 

 

 

 

Tracey took me to one store that had amazing Indian treats from the Guajarat region of India where this lovely treat called khandvi made from besan (or chick pea flour) originates from.  Tracey’s favorite snack, dhokla, a fermented bread also made of besan, looks a lot like cornbread.

Click on the video below to see how it is made.

And then there are the breads at the Syrian bakery.

They had the best baklava here I’ve ever had. Not soaked in sugar syrup but light and flaky with the wonderful scent of cardomom instead of cinnamon. I’m trying to recreate  a version for a future post.

We didn’t have time to visit the hookah joint or eat at one of the many restaurants, guess I’ll have to go back soon.  Twist my arm.

Entry Filed under: Travel,Travel Food