super deli - hamilton

All the Polish-type deli/grocery stores that I grew up with in Hamilton are long gone. Over the the years there have been attempts to resurrect various reincarnations, but none were greatly successful. Then I heard about one that was huge and in the far East End of Hamilton. Apparently, this is where many Polaks migrated to after the near-complete collapse of the steel industry in The Hammer. 

This was four years ago, but I could not get to it for a long time. The timing of our visits precluded such a journey. It is actually not too hard to get to from the West End, just time consuming. Years after I left Hamilton, the various levels of government finally got their collective heads out of their collective asses and started building expressways. Too late for me, I generally avoided them as I did not know them. In last couple of years I have been using them more and more, but I have trouble getting used to them. I am not comfortable on them. They have a low speed limit and many people drive well below that limit. And generally drive like asses.

Anyway, last December, I finally went to this super-deli in the East End. It was awesome. All kinds of Central and East European foods. Drinks, non-perishable foods, snacks, treats, mustards, cold cuts, sausages, oh mama! I purchased a great many, and greatly varied, products. I could hardly contain myself. Most everybody working there looked like they could be my cousin. The boy was particularly pleased with the selection of Fanta soft drinks I obtained for him; Fanta drinks are amongst his most favoured.

one of the many fanta flavours you will not find in your regular grocery store

I, myself, found something I particularly like, as well as the boy. A Swiss herb candy, not unlike Ricola, but way cheaper. They are Kräuter bonbons. We call them Boogie Lozenges as there is the word "boogie" on the packaging. I know not why. Interestingly, I found another lozenge product at my local pharmacy by the same company with "woogie" on the packaging. I think I need to get them just because of the boogie-woogie silliness of it all.

the boogie lozenges

the many languages listing the ingredients

no garbage ingredients, no artificial sweeteners

I went again to this store in February when we celebrated the mother-in-law's oaken birthday. Then I went for the hat trick today. It was hard to go easy on the purchases. I bought a bunch of Boogie Lozenges, some real mini-pepperonis, some of which never made it out of the parking lot, some various hibiscus teas, for my friend I am visiting I picked up some of his favourite tea and European, extra creamy Kit Kats. However, the most decadent thing I purchased for myself and which will probably take a year off my life for each one I eat, something deceptively and happily called "bacon chips". When I was growing up we call then skwarki, what you English lamely call pork rind, but it is not the same thing. Sooo delicious, sooo bad for you, but sooo delicious.

I was very pleased with my visit today. I was restrained, but I got a treat for myself. They will be great for my hikes this week. If they do not anchor me down, they will give a lot of energy. I am hoping that I will earn one tomorrow hiking in the King's Forest to Buttermilk Falls. As long as the snow that is sloughing down on us right now does not shut the city down, it is pretty wicked right now.

Back to the super-deli. It is much more than that, it is also a grocery store. Their produce is quite nice and fairly priced, they have a full butcher section, they do hot food as well. Before this place opened up the only thing close was Denninger's. I used to love it, and they opened a super store on the escarpment and the family would journey to it most every time we were in town. But over the last few years, not so much. Denninger's dropped a lot of the products we liked from Europe and my hometown deli, Baltyk, in Ottawa can do a better job on the salted and smoked meats, and there is no contest when it comes to sausage. Plus I have Bakker's Dutch Grocery as well.

But I have not mentioned the name of this great super-deli in Hamilton yet. Well, it is Starsky Fine Foods. They actually have two other locations, both in Mississauga. I have not been to those locations, but I bet they are just as terrific as the one on Queenston Road in Hamilton. If you live in Hamilton and have not been, then you should. If you ever find yourself in Hamilton, you should go. I wish I had visited it sooner, but better late than never. For me, it brought back so many childhood memories.

the hamilton location of starsky fine foods