Just a note, if you haven't tried any of this season's strawberries or artichokes yet, you're missing out! Both are the best they've been in years. Even the artichokes I bought last weekend at Trader Joe's which were as big as my head cooked up beautifully and were tender and flavorful. When I first moved to LA, one of the high points was living near a Trader Joe's. If you've never been to one, it's like a gourmet grocery with very low prices on many items. They have a lot of organic foods and environmentally friendly products, and a great wine department featuring inexpensive to mid-priced wines. My son is hooked on their canned chicken chili with beans, and I'm hooked on the "Just a Handful" almonds, both raw and roasted that are packaged in single-serving portions. Another winner is the frozen Frenched rack of lamb, which is a thaw, cook and serve dinner, along with a salad of their house brand baby greens. If you're looking for fresh flowers and herbs they have some of the best around and again at the best prices. During the grocery strike a couple years ago, I shopped almost exclusively at TJ's, and we never ate better. Convenience is now the only reason I shop anywhere else; my nearest supermarket also has a branch of my bank and a pharmacy where we have most of our prescriptions, but I make a point to get to TJ's every week or two to stock up on our favorites.
6 comments:
I have never warmed up to the artichoke. As far as I can tell, they're just melted-butter-delivery devices, and for that function I much prefer lobster. Or shrimp scampi. Or moules...
At the market in the Rue Mouffetard in Paris, you can buy steamed, ready-to-eat artichoke, and as we walk back to our hotel room, we sometimes pick one up to share (sans beurre) back in our room. Or even, if we can find an out-of-the-way bench in the nearby park, and if we have something with us to scrape the thistles off, we've been known to share it en plein air. Simple delights!
I sooooooooo miss Trader Joe's. The TJ in Chicago is very different than the TJ in L.A.--but it was still a TJ's. They have not opened a store here and I miss all the goodies that can only be found at Joes's.
And, I love fresh artichoke hearts. I have been known to not finish my artichoke and tear into it until I get to that delicious and hidden heart. Yummy!
J'ai habité sur la 'Mouff' il ya déjà plusieurs années 1950-51 my studant years, it was merveilleux to be in the Quartier Latin in that time.The food was always very good, spécialement au marché.
Poor English :(
Orane G.
Just this week I brought home three jars of their Salsa Verde! I'm enjoying some right now actually...
Well, there are a lot of us who don't get a Trader Joes or even a Whole Foods. We have a Wegmans and those guys are pretty darned good. Wherever the local store is, they buy whatever they can from local farmers and work with their vendors to help them produce better produce organically. Their brand name stuff is first rate.
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