Sunday Best

Let’s face it…Sundays are reserved for church, recovering from a hangover, or football.  But with pigskin season wrapping up it was time for us to get out of our football funk and over to Hyde Park Village for their Fresh Market. It takes a lot for us to get up and get moving on Sundays- especially after a rough Saturday night- but on Super Bowl Sunday we took the long walk across the street to take in all the market had to offer. The four of us walked past Timpano’s and into another world. The first Sunday of every month Hyde Park Village (unfortunately abbreviated HPV) is transformed into a land of tents. There is everything from photography, to sauces, to drinks, jewelry and much more. So let’s dive right in shall we?

After grabbing some breakfast at Piquant (post to follow) we ventured back onto the street to see what we could get into. (Side note: if you are going to the Market, there is no need to eat breakfast first. This place had samples for days) Luckily the weather was gorgeous for some street walking (not that kind) and we decided to grab some fresh squeezed lemonade to keep us hydrated for the day. We stopped by Simply Squeezed, and Nicholas, Ryan and I opted for the classic ‘ade while Rob grabbed a strawberry lemonade. . The lemonade, squeezed right in front of your eyes was just what we needed. It was so refreshing, after we were finished we debated going back to grab another one. Word to the Wise: if you’re going to the Fresh Market, stop by Simply Squeezed first. It will put a smile on your face the rest of the day.

 

After cruising by some very impressive and equally attractive homemade jewelry tables we came to Sylvia’s Waffles “The Authentic Belgian Waffle”, and Sylvia isn’t kidding- she’s straight from Belgium. Ryan fresh off his Piquant breakfast was clearly not full as he decided to divulge into one of Sylvia’s waffles. While Ryan made the difficult decision as to which waffle and topping he would choose we learned from Sylvia that most of the ingredients were imported from Belgium, including the topping Speculoos. Since this was something new to us she gave us all a sample. I myself am a huge Nutella fan, but after eating Speculoos I’m torn. It is like a candy bar in a jar. Delicious! Ryan finally decided on a strawberry and chocolate chip waffle for just $3. He shared a bit with all of us for “research purposes” and we were on to the next.

After hanging with Sylvia we headed over to the Bavaro’s tent to hang out with Gary. Now I will say I am a little biased when it comes to the Bavaro’s tent since I work there and all, but I wouldn’t hype it up if I wasn’t obsessed with their food. The only bad thing about the Bavaro’s tent is they only have their sauces, and while they are mouth watering- so is the rest of their menu. (So make sure you stop in! 514 N. Franklin St. Downtown ;)… )  They offer three different sauces for tasting and there is one for everybody. After hanging out and pushing some jars of sauce we said bye to Gary and headed on over to check out the giant man dressed as an eggplant. (I”m being totally serious)

Here we met up with the team from Growums. These gardens in a box come with everything you need to grow your very own garden. You have your choice of a taco garden, pizza garden, ratatouille and much more. Nicholas, being a teacher, was immediately intrigued and felt it was a great option for the kid’s in his class. We learned more about how interactive the company is, even providing games and more information on their website. The guys told us they would even be willing to come out and help the student’s set up the garden’s if it was something they wanted to get into the schools. What a great idea!

Feeling inspired and in the mood for fresh fruit and veggies we made our way through the market and sampled some fresh squeezed orange juice. The boys grabbed some strawberries, pineapple and green beans and we headed towards the exit. The Hyde Park Village is definitely one thing I love about living in Tampa. It is a great place for people of all ages and you never know what treasures or goodies you’ll find inside. The next Fresh Market will be March 3rd and it runs from 10am-3pm. For more information check here!

 

See ya there! — Allison