The Trader Joe's Product Discussion Thread (S/D)

hate that place so much

Oh man. What a load of bullshit. Never have I hated hippies more than after my meal at Cafe Gratitude. I walked by tons of great taco shacks to eat there. NEVER AGAIN!

just made a margarita with tj's 100% agave reposado tequila
not bad at all

Guys wtf is Cafe Gratitude and why so hated?

Did they print their menu in Papyrus or something?

bay area vegan restaurant

here's what the menu is like:

COOKED SPECIALTIES

Available in select locations

I AM TRUSTING TAMAL PLATE $12 A handmade corn tamal made with stone-ground heirloom masa and filled w/seasonal vegetables served with beans, salsa verde & Mexican cilantro coleslaw Add avocado $2 or “cheese” $2.25

I AM TRANSFORMED TACO PLATE $12 Two handmade corn tortillas with brown rice, beans, salsa verde, guacamole & cashew nacho cheese. Served with a side salad with fig balsamic dressing Add avocado $2, sautéed mushrooms $2 or sautéed onions $1

I AM WISE QUESADILLA PLATE $12 Two handmade corn tortillas w/bean puree and macadamia cheddar cheese served with guacamole, salsa roja & cilantro spiced Mexican coleslaw

I AM VIBRANT SAUTEED GREENS $7 Seasonal greens sautéed with garlic and pumpkin seeds

I AM FORTIFIED STEAMED VEGETABLE BOWL $12 Organic quinoa or brown rice topped with steamed seasonal vegetables and choice of sauce: garlic tahini, Indian curry or Thai coconut Add avocado $2, “cheese”$2.25, black beans $2 or extra sauce $1.50

so to order the disgusting $12 tacos you actually say "I'd like one 'I am transformed' please"

Cafe Gratitude is our expression of a world of plenty. Our food and people are a celebration of our aliveness. We select the finest organic ingredients to honor the earth and ourselves, as we are one and the same. We support local farmers, sustainable agriculture, and environmentally-friendly products. Our food is prepared with love. We invite you to step inside and enjoy being someone who chooses: loving your life, adoring yourself, accepting the world, being generous and grateful every day, and experiencing being provided for. Have fun and enjoy being nourished.

and apparently you're not ~allowed~ to ask with shortcuts, e.g. "i'll have the steamed vege bowl" - you HAVE to say "I AM FORTIFIED".

it goes without saying that people are mortified to work there or no?

I AM WISE QUESADILLA

I AM SATISFIED SMALL CAFÉ SALAD $9
Mixed greens, carrots, beets, tomatoes, sprouts, Brazil nut Parmesan & teriyaki almonds
[I AM NOT QUITE SATISFIED, SO PLEASE] Add avocado $2 or hummus $3.50

Who puts hummus on mixed greens?! That does sound like a good salad, though.

I hate that restaurant so much.

Me fucking too. That must be what I look like to really socially conservative types.

I remember stopping by the Berkeley branch of Cafe Gratitude and reading the menu, and feeling, as I never have before while reading a menu, that there was something EERIE about it. Now I know why.

But look, let's stick to the real issue -- why have we not mentioned that Trader Joe's is now making tater tots? So excited.

A Trader Joe's is under construction 3 or 4 blocks from my house. It looks like it might be absolutely enormous, as they are doing new construction at the same time as they are gutting a former Barnes and Noble right next door, indicating to me that it could all be one giant Trader Joes. Which would be great.

I am super excited about this development, as this TJ's will be .6 miles from my apartment!!!

chicken gyozas are too garlicky and kind of salty. i'll stick to the chinese store's

but organic bolivian blend coffee is very good

in general i find trader joe's products to seem great in theory, and pretty ok upon first purchase...but three or so buys in and it all tastes gross to me, i dunno why, but i have had that experience with almost everything they sell. hummus, salsa, whatever. i burn out on their stuff really quickly

also they are notorious for suddenly discontinuing favored items. they used to sell really fucking good vegan raviolis. oh man.

if you live in a part of the world where you can purchase alcohol there then tj's is a godsend, though.

in general i find trader joe's products to seem great in theory, and pretty ok upon first purchase...but three or so buys in and it all tastes gross to me, i dunno why, but i have had that experience with almost everything they sell. hummus, salsa, whatever. i burn out on their stuff really quickly

chalk it up to the soylent green factor, i guess...

i was looking for frozen ravioli a couple weeks ago and they only had the 2-serving size in the cheese section. i don't care about most of their premade foods though. i mostly just get bread, coffee, yogurts, and canned stuff.

the canned cuban-style black beans are a staple of my household.

but i have had that experience with almost everything they sell. hummus, salsa, whatever. i burn out on their stuff really quickly

i'm this way with the frozen food, where it seems the more exotic the 'dish' the more salty and unsubtle they make it and it gets old, but the commodity type stuff (hummus, peanut butter etc) holds up pretty well for me. we have an indian garbanzo bean dish in the freezer almost makes me queasy to look at now.

i usually get a bunch of their indian dishes and mix them up in a pan with tofu and/or rice. it's a good, hearty weeknight dinner.

i mostly just get bread, coffee, yogurts, and canned stuff.

that sounds like a good strategy. i haven't bought their yogurt in years but i remember it being pretty great. i imagine their coffee would be good, too. and i had their canned refried black beans recently as part of some nachos concoction and i was surprised by how good it was

i usually get a bunch of their indian dishes and mix them up in a pan with tofu and/or rice.

are you talking about their frozen stuff or the tasty bites-style stuff that comes in the pouches? if the latter, i am always pleasantly taken with how good that stuff is

harbl otm re: bolivian coffee. it is pricier than crap coffee but not as pricey as *fancy* coffee and it tastes really good and is not too acidic <3

are you talking about their frozen stuff or the tasty bites-style stuff that comes in the pouches? if the latter, i am always pleasantly taken with how good that stuff is

i buy both.

i tried the bolivian coffee and it's really really good
thanks for the rec!

got the 100% cran :D :D :D

did that expose article confirm that the tasty bites stuff was actually repackaged tasty bites?
it's got me curious now what all the other items are.
i think they used to carry kashi cereals; maybe they still do, but under disguise?

Yup, it's Tasty Bite. I think the black bean and veg enchiladas are Amy's.

The pre-packaged tuna curry meals are back! Bought one tonight but haven't eaten it yet. Packaging looks essentially the same, but they've been gone for over a year.

the greek yogurt is delicious, but my god, 60% rdv of saturated fat? in one serving?

i always get the 0%. still delicious.

got genuinely excited yesterday when i saw that puff pastry is back
it's the only puff pastry i can find that is packaged flat

now i can make little goat chz and onion galettes for a weeknight dinner (no tedious dough-making) and gazillions of other delicious warm flaky things

The location of the TJ on Lincoln in Chicago has always been something of a mystery to me. I'm never in the area and every time I am, I feel like it's like spotting a ghost ship. I'm looking forward to a new one opening on my walk home.

that's the one I go to like 3x a week. It's three blocks from my house.

ITS LOCATION IS A MYSTERY

to jesse

I drove there without looking at a map first so it can't be hard to find.

It's like the Island on LOST to me.

FOUND IT!

http://www.flickr.com/photos/41894171796@N01/4991054943/

I was riding down Lincoln tonight and there it was.

Wound up going to the one on Clybourn b/c it was closer to where I was going. The Masala Lentil Dip is great! Despite having lost all sense of smell, and therefore most sense of taste, this dip tastes great and it has a weird effect on my tongue. Probably the hot spices, but it feels different from just plain hot.

grrr stupid new Flickr

http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4084/4991054943_7838668723.jpg
photo.JPG by Jesse1, on Flickr

the chili mango slices and peanut butter cups are their tastiest treats yet! and they have the best overpriced almond butter in town

They were out of chili mango slices (they had pineapple) so I bought the "juicy" dried mango slices and put cayenne on them and it was wonderful.

xp

ya the stuff with flaxseeds is amazing. and i assume you mean overpriced in general and not overpriced in comparison to other almond butter prices, cus 5 dollars for a 16 oz jar is probably as cheap as ive ever seen it

I like the for real mozzarella cheese sticks. A+

loved this place when i lived in california... we only have some indie-ish places and whole foods here in denver. whole foods blows beyond belief.