Feel Like a Nut?

by Nancy Armstrong

Puns can be clever, make no mistake. It’s just that they rarely are when used in the names of shops and restaurants, or on menus. A few examples I remember -- Pastabilities, con-crock-tions, appeteasers -- are all quite sickening, if you ask me. As ridiculous as it may sound, this wordplay issue is my justification for avoiding Nuts to You until very recently. I recognize the error of my ways now, but it wasn’t easy to warm up to the idea of patronizing a place with such a name.

It started a few weeks ago, when the popcorn started showing up in the office, brought by a co-worker. Huge bags full of freshly popped corn, delicately salted with a light buttery flavor, air-popped and delicious -- the perfect snack during a long afternoon. And only $1.25 for the whole bag! A bag that, incidentally, ought to last a week, but rarely lasts two days here. After a few weeks of enjoying way too much of the stuff, it became abundantly clear that I had to check out the shop for myself. I got past the name and took the plunge, one day after feasting on burritos at El Fuego. (It's right next door! How convenient!)

Perhaps not surprisingly, Nuts to You has a pleasant, nutty aroma that wafts over you as soon as you step through the door. They have nearly 20 kinds of nuts, each in every variety you can think of, from blanched to smoked, whole to butts, tamari- to wasabi-coated. But that's not all! Nuts to You has expanded over their 27 years in the nut biz -- not only to three different locations, but into a dazzlingly wide array of bulk foods. It seems pretty standard till you look a little closer: In addition to the requisite co-op-type yogurt-covered fare, carob chips, dried fruits and snack mixes, Nuts to You boasts a substantial selection of homemade chocolate-covered goodies and nut butters as well as a bunch of sugar-free candies. Plus, you get a 10-percent discount if you buy five pounds of stuff (the discount doubles if it's five pounds of a single item). They'll also fix a gift basket or party tray, customized to your specifications. Only want nuts? Fine. Kosher? They'll do that too.

It's all fresh and it's all delectable. Thank goodness I've finally come around to it; I must have been nuts to think I could resist.

Nuts to You

10837 Bustleton Ave. 24 S. 20th St. and 721 Walnut St. 215-677-8520 www.nuts-to-you.com.