Trader Joe's

[Napoleon54]

So there's a Trader Joe's opening up here soon. There seems to be quite a bit of buzz about it. Should I be excited?

I think I was at one in NYC once, a long time ago, but it was too crowded to explore it much and I don't remember hardly anything about it.

New store in Portsmouth NH: http://traderjoes.com/stores/index.asp?q=03801

[speedracer120]

It's a nice supermarket that isn't super-sized. Similar if not lower prices on a lot of things you would find at Whole Foods (if you've been there before). Shopping there can be a nice break from the large format chain stores.

[Napoleon54]

hehe, I think I was in a Whole Foods once too but I don't recall too much about that either! I guess neither Trader Joe's nor Whole Foods is very common here in northern new england (i.e. VT, NH, ME.. anywhere north of Boston).

[Markel]

We are really glad to have a Trader Joe's near us. They tend to have high quality (generally healthy) items at reasonable costs. They also carry some nice wines (I'm not talking about Two Buck Chuck).

One of my current favorites is their "Unexpected Cheddar" (if you like strong flavored cheddar).

[Napoleon54]

The place has been mobbed since it opened but it didn't look too bad today so I picked up a few things. I generally don't eat prepared foods but decided to give their frozen fried rice and pot stickers a try because I've been craving chinese lately. Pretty tasty stuff. They didn't have a few things I needed (baking soda and dryer sheets) so I had to go somewhere else also. Doesn't seem like the store is big enough for them to carry everything, so consequently I'm not sure if Trader Joe's would be able to replace my normal trips to a more traditional grocery store. But I like TJ's so far and will have to see how it plays out.

[Markel]

Trader Joe's won't completely replace your grocery store -- they are a bit more of a niche market. The things they carry tend to be very good quality. One thing worth picking up sometime is their (frozen) Mandarin Orange Chicken (as long as you like breaded chicken pieces). They are pretty tasty.

[Prngr44]

I was surprised they're owned by Aldi.

[Markel]

They are not directly owned by Aldi's . The same pair of reclusive German brothers that owns Aldi's also owns Trader Joe's. But whenever I think of it, I'm reminded of the scene in the movie Twins where the Danny DeVito (Aldi's) character says how the Arnold Schwarzenegger (Trader Joe's) character was supposed to get all the good genes and he got all the crap.

[LPMiller]

keep in mind, some (not all) trader joe branded food is just repackaged stuff from a regular store. I know for a fact their liquid egg product is the same product as Better than Eggs. Because my company makes it. I love love the chicken, though we make it without the sauce because I hate sauce. But it's really darn good chicken.

[renovation]

There great for 2 buck chuck
good $2.99 bottle wine.

[Napoleon54]

I took your suggestions to heart and got the mandarin chicken and a bottle of Shiraz on my way home today. I'm very susceptible to suggestion, so if someone says something's good, it's highly likely that I'll give it a shot. They're both really good! I like the chicken a lot, it's a really good balance of meat, batter, sauce. (Yes I used the sauce). I can tell the wine is cheap because it has that cheap wine mouthfeel, but it's good cheap wine. It was $3.49 here. Similar in price to bum wine swill like MD 20/20, etc, but a whole lot better, haha. No complaints.

[Napoleon54]

So the bum wine did its job. I finished the chicken and the wine, and now well into a second (non-TJ) bottle now. Maybe next time I will try the Cabernet or one of the whites. Incense, loud music, yoga stretches on the floor. Mumford & Son, Fleet Foxes, First Aid Kit, Agnes Obel, and Kaki King are in play to name a few. Feelin' pretty darn chill. Thanks Trader Joe (aka Trader Ming) and fellow G|Aers for good recommends.

[renovation]

was that for Robert Shaw -wine at $3.49 bottle there Robert Shaw wine at my Trader Joe's here is $2.99 a bottle and they even put up a sign calling it TWO Buck Chuck Wine . when i make it around Farmington ,michigan about 2-3 times a year. I always stop in at Traders Joe's and pick up a asst case or two.
but I also make sure to add in a couple of bottles of the better wines to.

[Napoleon54]

This one says it's Charles Shaw Blend. They had Shiraz, Cab Sav, Chardonnay, Sav Blanc, and Pinot Gris, all were $3.49. Maybe something with the liquor laws here in NH that bumped it up by 50 cents?

[Markel]

Charles Shaw wine is the "Two Buck Chuck". On the west coast it sells for 1.99, further west it is 2.99, and it sounds like it is 3.49 out east.

[brainsmile]

Two Words: COOKIE BUTTER

Try it..

[cruelpupet]

[Markel]

Two Words: COOKIE BUTTER

Try it..

Oh yeah, we've got it. Love it on ice cream!

[renovation]

Charles Shaw wine is the "Two Buck Chuck". On the west coast it sells for 1.99, further west it is 2.99, and it sounds like it is 3.49 out east.

i think the tax rate is why there some major price differences also shipping costs !
i know here in michigan on booze its a set min selling price a store can sell a bottle for. the stores are allowed to go over the state set min but not a penny under. what i love is store's that post we sell at state min but will mark up some items and get away with it.

[Napoleon54]

The mandarin chicken was good before, so this time I got the BBQ chicken teriyaki. They were right next to each other in the case, so by association I thought this might be good too. I appreciate that it microwaved in 5min (versus 40min in the oven for the mandarin chicken). Also pretty good, though I wish I had made some rice to accompany it. Roughly equivalent to what a chinese place in a mall would call Bourbon Chicken. Maybe I prefer the mandarin by a small margin.

[Markel]

If you ever see the Trader Ming's Szechuan Style Spicy Beef & Broccoli (it's frozen) it is really good! Be sure to cook some rice with it, because you'll want it to soak up all the juice.