Trader Joe's Products (2002–2011)

[Suzanne F]

Suzanne, if you live in Manhattan you're not missing anything. I don't think I've ever seen a product in a suburban or national chain-type store that we can't get a better version of here, with the possible exception of photo-cakes (has anybody found these in Manhattan yet).

That's what I figured. Actually, for photo cakes I think you can go to the disgusting rugelach place in Chelsea Market. Everything there is awful, though. Eleni's is so much better.

And probably there cannot be wine bargains at TJ's in NYS because of way the Legislature "protects" the wine industry. On the other hand, because of that you can buy NYS wines on Sundays at Vintage NY (on Broome street across from Bway Panhandler -- where El Pollo was, briefly.) So it's "bonnet blanc, blanc bonnet."

[Fat Guy]

You're right -- I checked the Chelsea Market Web site and Ruthy's does offer photo cakes. Forty bucks for a half-sheet cake, versus about twenty for the same size cake at Stew Leonard's in Yonkers. You'll find that kind of price differential on a lot of items, especially paper products and anything else with bulk like flour and sugar, when you start shopping in the 'burbs (I won't tell you what a 50-pound sack of all-purpose flour costs at Costco but suffice it to say it's about what you'd pay for two 5-pound bags in many Manhattan places). I can't speak to the quality of the Ruthy's cake, but the Stew Leonard's cake is surprisingly edible.

And as far as I know the Trader Joe's stores in New York State don't sell wine. I'll double check that, though.

[chilidog]

Aioli Garlic Mustard Sauce. Can't live without it.

[rslux]

I really miss Stew Leonard's. I've been going to the original one in Norwalk since I was a kid. Ain't nothing like it out here.

[maggiethecat]

Whole Foods? Blech. Overpriced---way. Condescending hippyshit "Mission"

I go there because they carry full line Burt's Bees and the greeting cards ain't bad. Everything else can be bought better cheaper around Chicago. Caputo's in Hanover Park has the best , widest variety, international produce section I have ever seen. It is vast.

Prices? Key limes, 10 for a buck. Fingerlings, 29 cents a pound. I often feel as if I'm stealing.

[Ed Hamilton]

I was introduced to Trader Joe's in Las Vegas and was impressed with their mustard and wine. Back in Chicago, a friend brings me their gingerbeer which is a great mixer with rum. It's not too sweet and the bottle is easy to hang on to, ergonometric, I think that's the word. Like any of the discounters you have to know what to pay but it is certainly worth checking out, unless you live in the hub of the universe.

[Stone]

Oh yeah. I bought a bottle of "Bagel Beer." I forgot it's in the fridge. That should be interesting.

[Malawry]

Fat Guy, I went to a birthday party recently for a child and her father. There were two photocakes on hand from Baskin-Robbins to celebrate the occasion. They weren't dreadful (which is about the best I can say for it) plus they looked pretty cool. Surely there's still one or two Baskin-Robbins outlets in Manhattan?

obTJs: I love Trader Joe's. Most of the frozen meals and canned goods in our house come from there. I also really like their tortilla chips. And of course I buy all my Plugra butter there for $3/lb. Can't beat that price.

[maggiethecat]

Trader Joe's kinda has an Elmore Leonard philosophy. He "leaves out the parts that people don't read." TJ's doesn't devote a lot of space to stuff people are bored to buy...detergent, paper towel, etc. Yeah, you can get it there, but the space is overwhelmingly devoted to the fun stuff.

[Cheffie3]

I'm not crazy about Trader Joe's at all. I've gone twice and wasn't even tempted to buy anything (which is SO not my character in a food store), three times the charm though, so I'll try again with the recommendations from this site. I think Whole Foods has the best seafood/meat selection than any store I've been to, but it is pricey.

Maggiethecat...thanks for the info on Caputos, I don't live far from Hanover Park and will definitely go there this weekend.

[gknl]

Fat Guy, I went to a birthday party recently for a child and her father. There were two photocakes on hand from Baskin-Robbins to celebrate the occasion. They weren't dreadful (which is about the best I can say for it) plus they looked pretty cool. Surely there's still one or two Baskin-Robbins outlets in Manhattan? .

Yeah, they don't suck, but if you bring in a photo of a celebrity, make sure you tell them you took it.

[Fat Guy]

Right-o. It turns out Baskin Robbins does have photo cakes available at some of its New York City locations. Conveniently, if you use the store finder on the Web site it tells you which have it and which don't with the handy "freeze frame" icon. But these are of course ice cream cakes, made from mediocre ice cream. But I suppose they're kind of cool (no pun intended).

[aaustin]

Trader Joes---annoying because if you need lemons, they won't have them on the day you go or you'll have to buy 4 when you need 1...AND--at least at my local store--you've really gotta watch the expiration dates on salad packages, breads, juices, etc. They're often expiring within 2 days of purchase so you've got to dig to the back for the fresher stuff.

But I'm a sucker for some of their stuff: Tofutti Cuties--so yummie. There's an EVOO packaged in a gold wrapper and I use it for salads constantly--it's so mild and quite nice. It's not dipping-bread worthy, but good. Great green fruit juice--not sure what it's called, but it's by the orange juice. I've been buying soy wheat bread (trying to get my fiber) for toast lately. The salmon steaks are pretty good as well, nice to keep in the freezer for a fish craving--my dad makes trips 4 times a year to Alaska so I get plenty of the good, wild stuff, but when it runs out the craving doesn't.

Also--this may be tacky (I've been known to enjoy the trashy foods now and again), but their TJ brand vodka marinara is the perfect thing when I'm craving a big, hot saucy bowl of spaghetti. Top it with some parm or even some fresh moz (get the melting going) and you're in heaven.

[tsquare]

Grocery list:

Bottled water (this thread or the other?) at $0.34 vs $1.19. French lemonade. Actually, house frozen lemonade - pulpy, tart and cheap. Chocolate for baking - $2.99/lb (?). Peanut butter. Flour. Cheese - not all of it, but some are good. Frozen Thai green curry or Indian chicken...Yes, watch the expiration dates, and avoid high expectations of health food. Look for specials - Batali sauce, cheap and decent pasta - especially dried. Dish soap. Toothpaste.

[mhadam]

We love there garlic cheese bread -- two slabs for 1.99.

Umm..what else....the lobster ravioli , the brie (great price beats the grocery stores and whole foods), the jars of stuffed olives (1.99 for a pound).

Venison burgers (4 for 2.99), the chocolate, the orange flavored pelligrino (which I can't find anywhere without going into the city), the sales on the wine, and the terriyaki sauce. It's wonderful.

[tsquare]

Recent acquistion - "handmade pasta from Italy - dry product by Toscania. $1.69-$1.99 for 500 g. This stuff seems really good to me, but what do I know? The packaging is nifty too.

[cheffreytp503]

I live in lower Manhattan, and I do not own a car.  (This is important.)

When I used to read about Whole Foods, I got really jealous.  We didn't have any here, and it sounded like Mecca.  Then we got one.  It's not Mecca.

Now I read about Trader Joe's.  I feel jealous again.  It sounds like Mecca.

.  .  .

You get my point?  It's not that I believe I have every wonder of the food world available to me; I'm just trying to rationalize away my jealousy. 

if you live in ny and find whole foods to be no big deal, trust me you wont find tj to be all that special. They do carry some fun specialty items ie cashew-macadamia nut butter ( outstanding). I dont think Dean and Deluca has it but I could be wrong.

[heyjude]

It's about the bargains. Here in Seattle, the various nut butters(Mr. Heyjude's daily breakfast)are $4.99 as compared to as much as $16.99 at Whole Foods. Next time you are at D&L's, check their price. Other prices are comparably low at TJ's, often as much as 50% less than supermarkets and specialty stores.

[tsquare]

Just bringing this forward for NJ!

[sashae]

I'll also tout the pre-made indian marinades (they have a masala sauce, that with the edition of a bit more spice and some creme fraiche also available at TJ's is pretty darn good), maple nut/vanilla nut crunch cereals, and most importantly...

Scotch.

They have UNREAL bargains on single malt scotch. Currently they have Balvenie Doublewood 12 yo for $30 ($45 at my local liquor store), Glenmorangie 12yo wood finishes (port, sherry, madeira) for $30 ($48), Lagavulin 16yo for $40 ($68), Laphroaig 10yo for $30 ($47), Macallan 12yo for $30 ($45), Glenlivet 12yo for $20 ($36).

Remarkable. The bargains on the vodkas are quite good as well, with Moskovskaya, Monopolowa, Svedka, and Black Sea all around $10 or less for a fifth. The Monopolowa is particularly good.

Beer prices are also fabulous, with such bargains as Bitburger for $4.99, Murphy's Stout in pub cans for $3.99, etc.

-s

[Priscilla]

Yes, the hard liquor at TJ can hardly be underestimated. When I become impatient with the unappetizing overweening encroachment of prepared foods scarcifying shelf space for ingredients, I try to remind myself of this.

Currently, (and like all TJ stock, it comes and goes) there is a not-bad Calvados for $10.99, an astounding bargain considering that $40-$50 Calvadoses can be utter, utter rotgut.

Seconding the Moskovskaya, a cool $7.99, I believe, for the liter, my favorite vodka at nearly any price, and the Balvenie, which I imagines comes along as the rich older brother of those cheap and cheerful triangular $9.99 liters of Grant's whiskey they also carry.

[plax]

I love Trader Joe's and keep hoping they'll come south (I live between Miami and Ft. Lauderdale.) In the meantime, I have a friend in Connecticut who sends me care packages for birthdays & Hanukkah (which is coming next week... yay!) Love the shortbread thumbprint cookies with chocolate filling, the cats & dogs cookies, the blueberries, the sundried tomato pesto... I could go on & on!

Neil

[kitwilliams]

New favorite item at Trader Joe's: Candied Tomatoes. Has anyone else tried these? A product of Thailand, they are small, whole, dried tomatoes which have gone through the same sugaring process as candied ginger. Chewy, sweet and slightly acidic. I end up eating most of them out of the bag but managed to chop up an entire bag and put it in my mincemeat this year.

[awbrig]

there is a new trader joes that has opened in Chicago that we are going to check out this weekend...Can you buy brand name stuff there such as soda (coke,diet coke) or is it all TJ brand? Also, how is the quality of their seafood, meats and produce?

[nightscotsman]

You will not find many major name brands at all - certainly no Coke products. Trader Joe's isn't really trying to compete with common grocery stores, so there is a very limited selection of many product categories. They've just recently started carrying some fresh meat and more fresh produce. Again, limited selection, but looks like good quality including Niman Ranch meats. All of the seafood is flash-frozen, but also very good quality. Large selection of extremely low-priced wines. Lots of organic options in dry goods. Excellent nuts, dried fruits and juices. Some good cheese, great price on Plugra butter, and be sure to pick up some Total greek yogurt.

Edited February 19, 2003 by nightscotsman (log)