berkeley bowl is an overrated pain the ass. it'll be good when they open the new one, but seriously, it is just groceries, and not even cheap groceries.
― akm, Thursday, 12 March 2009 21:22 (fifteen years ago) link
^^ agreed.
― what happened? I'm confused. (sarahel), Thursday, 12 March 2009 21:30 (fifteen years ago) link
go shop at grocery outlet for some real entertainment though
― akm, Thursday, 12 March 2009 21:37 (fifteen years ago) link
I saw a lesbian furry couple at Whole Foods a couple weeks back. Okay, only one of them was wearing a tail, the other had a fake fur animal print jacket. I saw them again the other day, not in furry garb.
― what happened? I'm confused. (sarahel), Thursday, 12 March 2009 21:40 (fifteen years ago) link
i realized after a trip to fairway the other day that their products are like 10x plus awesome than trader joe's.
― yur twit (tehresa), Saturday, 14 March 2009 17:04 (fifteen years ago) link
I don't even know what fairway is, but I know that's a lie
― iatee, Saturday, 14 March 2009 18:44 (fifteen years ago) link
In NYC I think it's a limit on the number of liquor sale licenses in a geographical area. The Brooklyn one has beer but not wine or liquor
Wine and liquor can't be sold at grocery stores in New York State (and food can't be sold at liquor stores, I think), although there has been talk to allow wine to be sold.
― tokyo rosemary, Saturday, 14 March 2009 19:52 (fifteen years ago) link
Fairway is pretty great. I wish it weren't all the way down in Red Hook.
― lindseykai, Saturday, 14 March 2009 20:12 (fifteen years ago) link
i went to the 72nd street one!
― yur twit (tehresa), Saturday, 14 March 2009 21:46 (fifteen years ago) link
Since this is such an East Bay flavored thread I'll give a shoutout to the TJ's on Concord Ave in Concord. It doesn't get too crowded and there's never stuff out of stock. You need a car though.
― Maltodextrin, Saturday, 14 March 2009 22:05 (fifteen years ago) link
I've noticed that cereal can be really cheap at Trader Joes. My favorite cereal, Nature's Path Organic Heritage, costs about half as much there as it does at the nearby Lucky.
― Maltodextrin, Saturday, 14 March 2009 22:07 (fifteen years ago) link
boo outer east bay
― iatee, Saturday, 14 March 2009 22:08 (fifteen years ago) link
2 Andronicos, 1 Berkeley Bowl, 2 Safeways, 1 Whole Foods, and 1 Trader Joes
+ another berkeley bowl soon
― iatee, Saturday, 14 March 2009 22:09 (fifteen years ago) link
the chilis are real yum
― Surmounter, Monday, 23 March 2009 14:59 (fifteen years ago) link
beef, chicken, veggie, WHATEVEr
fairway is incredible. i miss it (both locations).
― battlestar elastica (get bent), Monday, 23 March 2009 17:30 (fifteen years ago) link
the red hook location is cool because you can go out back and have a lovely waterfront view while you enjoy a coffee and bagel.
― battlestar elastica (get bent), Monday, 23 March 2009 17:31 (fifteen years ago) link
Fairway is better, but they're slightly different concepts. TJ's is really no-frills and cheap -- emphasis is basically on lowest prices possible without completely giving up a few little yuppie pleasures. Fairway is more of a bargain gourmet store (although their staples are very reasonable) -- cheese counter, fresh fish, fantastic store-brand olive oil, etc.
― Comprehensive Nuclear Suggest-Ban Treaty (Hurting 2), Monday, 23 March 2009 18:05 (fifteen years ago) link
my mom is a total stan for the lox at fairway
― battlestar elastica (get bent), Monday, 23 March 2009 18:11 (fifteen years ago) link
i got these mini spinach pizzas from TJ's last week - they didn't taste too bad but MY GOD THE SMELL. i just couldn't bring myself to eat them.
― where we turn sweet dreams into remarkable realities (just1n3), Monday, 23 March 2009 18:51 (fifteen years ago) link
then how do you know they didn't taste too bad?
― congratulations (n/a), Monday, 23 March 2009 18:53 (fifteen years ago) link
i managed a few bites, smarty-pants
― where we turn sweet dreams into remarkable realities (just1n3), Monday, 23 March 2009 18:56 (fifteen years ago) link
these trader joe's avocados i bought are the worst avocados i've ever had :(
― corps of discovery (schlump), Monday, 20 April 2009 23:45 (fifteen years ago) link
their wheat thins equivalent is godlike
― zurück zum Traphaus (donna rouge), Monday, 20 April 2009 23:55 (fifteen years ago) link
trader joes produce = sketchy, at best
― Dr. Johnson (askance johnson), Tuesday, 21 April 2009 00:11 (fifteen years ago) link
uh huh. the way they treat their apples is criminal. it is not really the emphasis, i guess, and the cherry tomatoes are o k enough and cheap enough to be useful. i am feverishly ploughing through their bread range, still; all the variations of the panes that have like, pumpkin seeds or honey or poppy seeds etc are terrific.
― corps of discovery (schlump), Tuesday, 21 April 2009 00:33 (fifteen years ago) link
i've gotten some decent tj's avocados, but avocados here generally suck anyway so maybe they weren't really that great?
― tehresa, Tuesday, 21 April 2009 02:11 (fifteen years ago) link
their mexican blackberries are awesome. never had a problem with their avocados, either. or at least no problem i haven't had with avocados from anywhere.
― GÖTT DAT SCHING (GOTT PUNCH II HAWKWINDZ), Wednesday, 22 April 2009 04:18 (fifteen years ago) link
Struck out for the first time with Trader Joe's indian food. The palak paneer is horrid. When people say, "I hate indian food," this is what they're talking about. Super stinky, extra runny, much too dark, really a nightmare. I'm having a cup of miso just to get the taste out of my mouth. I'm drinking to forget.
― tits akimbo (kenan), Wednesday, 22 April 2009 17:54 (fifteen years ago) link
Chocolate covered pretzels: Like CRACK, I tell you!
― Alex in NYC, Wednesday, 22 April 2009 18:08 (fifteen years ago) link
ny avocado bashing = ??you just have to spend time choosing them. there's a place near my house that regularly has SPECIAL OFFER $1 AVOCADO offers because they've forgotten about a box and you can almost run them through your fingers like sand they're so soft. but i think they're easy enough to find. i saw an avocado tree for $75 in california recently though and ... that's probably the way to do it.
― corps of discovery (schlump), Wednesday, 22 April 2009 18:10 (fifteen years ago) link
Tempting Trail Mix: aptly named
― tits akimbo (kenan), Wednesday, 22 April 2009 18:11 (fifteen years ago) link
The TJ's Punjab Cholley is one of the better Indian foods I've tried from there.
And I'll go on record as loving the frozen cheese and potato Pierogi (they spell it Perogi). One of these days when I do the pan frying step, I'm going to use the fat left over from frying the cubed Pancetta that they sell (or maybe some ordinary bacon fat) rather than the olive oil I usually use.
― nickn, Wednesday, 22 April 2009 23:06 (fifteen years ago) link
i saw an avocado tree for $75 in california recently though and ... that's probably the way to do it.
my grandparents have had an avocado tree for over twenty years. total avocado yield, approximately 15, half of which were gnawed by roof rats. commercial avocados are all grafted, though, and if your tree isn't you may get practically inedible fruit.
― GÖTT DAT SCHING (GOTT PUNCH II HAWKWINDZ), Thursday, 23 April 2009 02:00 (fifteen years ago) link
you could feed me bad avocados non stop and it still wouldn't displace the story i heard about someone with an avocado tree, pulling them free and spreading them like butter.
― corps of discovery (schlump), Thursday, 23 April 2009 03:16 (fifteen years ago) link
im not gonna lie i mostly eat frozen TJs food for everything
good: mini chicken tacosfour-cheese pizzapesto flatbreadjo-jos of any sortgorgonzola gnocchignocchi florentina (what i just ate LOLOLOMG)chicken vindaloolil pistachio cookies
medium: kung pao chickenpunjab spinach sauce
bad: taquitos horrible eww
― 69, Thursday, 23 April 2009 03:23 (fifteen years ago) link
the chicken/udon noodle stirfry is damn good
― where we turn sweet dreams into remarkable realities (just1n3), Thursday, 23 April 2009 03:59 (fifteen years ago) link
http://farm1.static.flickr.com/192/502236593_f944cd9cc1.jpg
― Dr. Phil, Thursday, 23 April 2009 04:07 (fifteen years ago) link
^^^ are these actually good? I am suspicious of TJ cereal.
― iatee, Thursday, 23 April 2009 06:04 (fifteen years ago) link
I like them, but I like most cereals I've tried there. They're not made by TJ; I've seen Barbara's cereals elsewhere. How wrong can you go for @2.99?
― nickn, Thursday, 23 April 2009 06:12 (fifteen years ago) link
I bought the strawberry yogurt o's or something and it was kinda gross so I'm just hesitant to try again. I like sugary junk food cereals.
― iatee, Thursday, 23 April 2009 06:38 (fifteen years ago) link
puffins are harder than driveway gravel, man.
i really like the (new?) TJ's frozen indian thing that has paneer but isn't palak paneer. paneer masala or tikka, i think.
― GÖTT DAT SCHING (GOTT PUNCH II HAWKWINDZ), Thursday, 23 April 2009 07:25 (fifteen years ago) link
puffins are amazing
― tehresa, Friday, 24 April 2009 03:10 (fifteen years ago) link
hell yes they're good
^ far from it. u maddddd
― Dr. Phil, Friday, 24 April 2009 03:21 (fifteen years ago) link
maybe i got a bad box or somethin
― GÖTT DAT SCHING (GOTT PUNCH II HAWKWINDZ), Friday, 24 April 2009 03:23 (fifteen years ago) link
hehe
― Dr. Phil, Friday, 24 April 2009 03:31 (fifteen years ago) link
Yeah, Joe's O's taste like sawdust, so I haven't bothered with a whole lot of TJ's-brand cereal. Nature's Path does me good, though.
― Bianca Jagger (jaymc), Saturday, 25 April 2009 05:18 (fifteen years ago) link
Best TJ cereal is the granola in the bag, with Brazil nuts. It's the "Tropical" variety of some type they carry that has a couple other types (which are good too, but Brazil nuts!)
― nickn, Saturday, 25 April 2009 05:26 (fifteen years ago) link
I still miss the pumpkin granola TJ has in the fall. Why the hell are pumpkins seasonal? Some folks want it year round!
― Carroll Shelby Downard (Elvis Telecom), Saturday, 25 April 2009 06:09 (fifteen years ago) link
trader joe's is like the centre of american pumpkin festivity. it goes CRAZY come pumpkin harvest.
also puffins suck but maybe i think that because i bought the peanut butter kind (asking for trouble).
― corps of discovery (schlump), Saturday, 25 April 2009 15:21 (fifteen years ago) link