Things to Do in Akron, OH: West Point Market

I originally read about West Point Market in The Experience Economy: Work Is Theater & Every Business a Stage. It is now one of my favorite places to visit whenever I’m in Akron. West Point is like Whole Foods taken up a notch. The food is fancy, the wine is abundant, and the atmosphere is ever-so-pleasant. They also have Mrs. Ticklemore's Tearoom.

Akron seems an odd spot for such a high-end grocery store, but it’s apparently been around since 1936. It moved to the current location in 1941, and has been through 6 expansions and 29 remodels.



During my latest visit, I purchased the following to create the cheese platter above:

• Explorateur Triple Cream: A creamy package of slightly salty yum, Explorateur was created by the French in honor of the first U.S. satellite, Explorer One.
• Cypress Grove Purple Haze Goat Cheese: A goat's milk cheese flavored with lavender buds and fennel pollen. With a name like Purple Haze, how could I resist?
  
• Cypress Grove Humboldt Fog: A creamy American goat's milk cheese named for the thick fog that rolls in from Northern California. It's bisected by a thin vein of vegetable ash that makes for a beautiful display.
  
• Ubianco Pignolo: Druken Italian cheese made from cow's milk, soaked in Pignolo, and aged in crushed grape skins.
  
• Dolci Pensieri di Calabria Fig Ball: Dried figs glazed in molasses and honey and wrapped in fig leaves. Beautiful.
• 34° Apricot Fruit Paste: Fruity goodness that is spectacular with the triple-creams.
  

I also bought this bottle of Cellar Can Blau 2005. It's a mix of Carinena, Syrah and Garnacha, and it's very good (I love the label, too). I picked up a second bottle at Whole Foods earlier this evening.