Trader Joe's

[93Devil]

http://www.traderjoes.com/

I cannot tell how much of a crush I am getting on this store.

Wife, Lil 93 and I made our fifth trip there today, and each time we are more and more impressed. My favorites are the coffee and the beer, but the food is just damn good and at very good prices.

I have not had a bad item from there yet.


Anyone else frequent this little place?

 

[Moderator1]

Yeah, I'm all about the coffee. I hit that store up for coffee, cereal, some bread, some wine - and then head to Whole Foods for some fruit and cheese. Once in a while, I'll get some meat at Whole Foods.
I used to hit up a Trader Joe's in the D.C. area on my way back from Nats games. Glad to see one open up near the ranch.

 

[RossLT]

YES!! We have one walking distance from my place. I go there all the time. I loved the trial mixes and dried fruits.

 

[93Devil]

Whole Foods is a lot more expensive, right?

Costco is our place for meat.

 

[RossLT]

Supposedly TJ's is a great place to meet women, if you are looking.

 

[Moderator1]

Yes, it is - but you can find great fruit on sale. Cheese, too. Once in a while, they have some ridiculous reduction on meat. Often, though, I leave there with only some fruit and cheese.

I'll spend 60 or so at Trader Joe's and 20-30 at Whole Foods.

And this response is to Devil. I have no idea about the women thing.

 

[The Big Ragu]

I've quickly become a believer. It's a little less than a mile walk from where I live and I have made the mistake of loading myself with a gazillion pounds packed into those paper bags a few times. But they are really good for a few things. ... and the produce isn't the freshest you can find, but it is surprisingly good and at great prices. I like the "Bay Blend" coffee, in particular. You can get a huge tin of it for a great price. And they have these Annie Chung soups (I get the miso and the udon noodle) for $1.99 each bowl that make really good lunches or snacks and are low fat. There is one store around here that sells them for $6.99 each. It cracks me up.

 

[slappy4428]

Supposedly TJ's is a great place to meet women, if you are looking.

Hey babe, would you like to try my Two Buck Chuck?

 

[93Devil]

I could see the woman comment.

The coffee rocks. Actually, everything seems to rock.

Some things they will not have, though. They did not have hard taco shells, and there was something else I forget that I was looking for and they just didn't have it.

We will do the WF run next time. We hit TJ on Sunday mornings after church about every other Sunday. The other Sundays we hit Costco for meets, diapers, wipes and their crack-like chicken salad.

 

[RossLT]

Why does Costco drop items so frequently? You go there four or five times and get something you like and then the next time they don't have it anymore.

 

[The Big Ragu]

Yeah. They won't have that one little thing you are looking for. ... a few weeks ago for me, it was jalapeno peppers. But they have weird things that you will buy on a whim. Around Halloween it was pumpkin butter. They also will have something you really like and the next time you go back it will be nowhere to be found.

 

[mustangj17]

I've never seen one of these.

 

[The Big Ragu]

FYI, Moddy. Saw you responded to the farmer's market @ Union Square on that other thread yesterday. We ended up getting this wild leak I have never seen before called ramps. I am surprised, because I thought I knew every vegetable there is and these seemed pretty common--like everyone knew what they were. There was one guy selling them at $2.50 a bunch and people were lined up to buy them, so we stopped to ask what they were. They smelled really fragrant, but we had no idea what to do with them. We ended up sauteing them in a little olive oil with garlic and tossing it with some pasta. It was REALLY good.

 

[93Devil]

I've never seen one of these.

Every post you make I read in the voice of the guy in your avatar, and it cracks me up.

They are about 1/5th the size of a Food Lion or a Kroger, and they only sell certain vendors of food. If you want coffee, you buy what they are selling understanding that it will be good. There is no Maxwell House or Folgers, just about 12 types of what they sell.

It really is a refreshing change from Super Wal Mart (where I NEVER shop for food).

 

[RossLT]

Yeah. They won't have that one little thing you are looking for. ... a few weeks ago for me, it was jalapeno peppers. But they have weird things that you will buy on a whim. Around Halloween it was pumpkin butter. They also will have something you really like and the next time you go back it will be nowhere to be found.

They had a cinammon coffee cake that was awesome. Now if you want the coffee cake you have to get lemon flavored :(

 

[TheSportsPredictor]

Has been in my kitchen. A lot.

Saw an awesome TJ's in Brooklyn. A classic old bank building with the columns and everything converted into a grocery store. Tremendous.

 

[Fenian_Bastard]

Trader Joe's has beer?
Where?

 

[93Devil]

Trader Joe's has beer?
Where?

Ummmm.... next to the wine?

Maybe they have some rules in your state about booze in grocery stores?

The first sixer I bought was called "Frugal Joe." Good solid beer. The next time I bought "Simpler Times" which checks in at an ass kicking 5.2 booze content. I have a pale ale in my fridge right now.

 

[buckweaver]

Quite a variety of beer at my local TJ's, Fenian. Some good stuff from Rogue, Fat Tire, etc.

 

[Moderator1]

I stopped in one in Maryland once - no wine, no beer. State laws and all that.
Plenty of wine and beer here.

I like TJ's Smooth and Mellow coffee, the organic Fair Trade blend and the Peaberry.