Shaoxing Tourist Traps

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At either end of the pedestrian street (and also elsewhere, goodness knows which one is the real one) are the Xianheng Restaurants selling the snacks that're oft-mentioned in his works.
In these restaurants as well as other small roadside stalls along the pedestrian street, you can taste these snacks such as aniseed-flavoured beans (hui2 xiang1 dou4), along with stinky tofu (a local specialty) and Shaoxing yellow wine. A word of warning though, the Shaoxing yellow wine sold here is cheap but not really tasty (it's more of an acquired taste, plus the stuff sold here won't really be of good quality) -- pay more and get a better experience elsewhere! If you really must, get a small portion and share between a few people. Same goes for those snacks which're more expensive here. Also, at some of the places we noticed flies everywhere, which wasn't hygienic.

Unique Suggestions: If you like quaint "local flavour" then at least you could take photos of the local vendors cooking and serving their fare.

Fun Alternatives: I found the Shaoxing yellow wine that we ordered along with dinner at the Shaoxing Hotel restaurant to taste much better. If there's ONE splurge in Shaoxing, I would strongly recommend the dinner and yellow wine there!
Otherwise, buy your own yellow wine at the China Yellow Wine Museum, or from shops on Cangqiao old street, or even from the local supermarket! :P