Trader Joe's Products (2017–)

[rotuts]

I had some of the Dorothy's Cheese , just now.

 

its been loosely wrapped in kitchen cabinet

 

it was outstanding , creamy in the middle

 

and some outstanding funky flavors.

 

a bit runny .

 

I the timing at room temp would determine 

 

its funkiness , so that's up to you.

 

I eat the rind .   has to be good for me.

Edited June 11, 2020 by rotuts (log)

[blue_dolphin]

2 hours ago, rotuts said:

@blue_dolphin 

 

I found that same cheese at TJ's a few days ago

will try it today.   dont have any decent bread  but well

these are challenging times.

 

 

The cheesemaker's website recommended a pinot noir or Champagne with that Dorothy's cheese.  I had a nice Rusack pinot and it was a good choice.  I bought another cheese and will try something sparkly with it this time.  I also need more bread. 

I ate the rind, too!

 

2 hours ago, rotuts said:

 

 

these are inexpensive Table Reds , not ChitChat wines

 

the Roustabout and Phigment are very very similar , very hard to tell a significant difference when tasted side-by-side

 

the VF is noticeably harsher , to my discerning palate.

 

prices :   VF  $ 4.99 ,   Roustabout $ 7.99 ,  Phigment $ 5.99

 

Im going w several cases of the Phigment , as I couldn't taste any reasonable difference between it and Routabout

 

 

I like the Phigment also and thought it was a good buy at that price.  I have a bottle of the Roustabout but haven't tried it yet.  I've been drinking some of the Bogle Phantom red blend from 2013.  Used to be around $9 or 10 at TJ's but the price seems to have crept up over the years.   I haven't bought any in a few years. 

 

On one of my recent visits, they had this Hess Select Pinot Gris for $5.99.  Seems to sell for around $12 elsewhere. Winery released the 2019 in March so maybe they gave TJ's a deal on the rest of this?   It has a lot of tropical fruit and drinks almost more like a light viognier than a pinot gris. I think it's a nice summer sipper and something a little different.  Probably not something that will stick around in their stores forever. 

 

[rotuts]

 

Ive been stocking up @ Tj's with this wine from Fr :  $ 4.99    they had 3,000 cases last I heard

 

these stacks are 4 cases high.   I mix this white w a Tj's Costal Chard.  , also $ 4.99

 

I pretty sure when they run out of the Muscadet , that will be that and there will be no more.

 

they assured me I was not hoarding .   I asked politely.

[rotuts]

on my Express Dashes @ TJ's   I sometimes see something new and grab it.

 

i dont wait around and study it , in the store.

 

Tj's is like Paradise Almost Lost  for me , as they have a very effective and minimally used

 

( on Tuesdays  here ) Senior Hour.    Ive been stocking up on on table wine

 

and got a lot of treats this last strip .  stuff Ive had before

 

but this is new and I like it :

 

 

they also had   their brand of Pigs that Fly sourdough this time , from NH :  makes excellent toast :

 

cant find the pic.  sorry.  new one tomorrow morning.

 

 

[heidih]

On 6/18/2020 at 6:41 AM, rotuts said:

on my Express Dashes @ TJ's   I sometimes see something new and grab it.

 

i dont wait around and study it , in the store.

 

Tj's is like Paradise Almost Lost  for me , as they have a very effective and minimally used

 

( on Tuesdays  here ) Senior Hour.    Ive been stocking up on on table wine

 

and got a lot of treats this last strip .  stuff Ive had before

 

but this is new and I like it :

 

 

they also had   their brand of Pigs that Fly sourdough this time , from NH :  makes excellent toast :

 

cant find the pic.  sorry.  new one tomorrow morning.

 

 

 

What immediately comes to mind is an appetizer @Kim Shook and I had separately but discussed here somewhere. Poultry (mine duck, her chicken) with a hot pepper sauce from Cochon. I just ordered livers and peppers to make jelly. I do not see it on the menu now but the entire menu = comfort!  https://cochonrestaurant.com/ A respite in difficult times.

[rotuts]

' Head:ines' on the google news feed , or anywhere on the Net tend to

 

be alarmist and misleading :

 

 https://www.bloomberg.com/opinion/articles/2020-08-21/the-post-pandemic-future-of-trader-joe-s-looks-bumpy

 

if TJ's folds , Id never get over it.     the article doesnt not really suggest that in my final analysis.

[heidih]

Oh it is not going anywhere.  I have mentioned before that we shopped at the original store in Pasadena starting in the late 70s. My local wine merchant pointed me there as they had my favorite champagne at a reasonable cost and we were starting to enjoy Chilean wine which they were pioneering dirt cheap. During a grocery worker strike people in my area became TJ fans. If you like interesting food it is your Disneyland. Always an adventure. I interviewed at corporate in Monrovia once and it was truly everyone in the shirts and all the staff friendly. The 90 and 98 year olds are headed there today Only their cinnamon raisin bread will do for my father's daily breakfast.

Edited August 22, 2020 by heidih (log)

[heidih]

Oh and yes the store lay-out is too "cozy" for pandemic guidelines. The 3 near me seem to somehow funnel into one way traffic so the awkward meeting in center of aisle is rare. My 2 main ones have always had an entrance and an exit side so it naturally promotes sane behavior.

Edited August 22, 2020 by heidih (log)

[blue_dolphin]

1 hour ago, rotuts said:

' Head:ines' on the google news feed , or anywhere on the Net tend to

 

be alarmist and misleading :

 

 https://www.bloomberg.com/opinion/articles/2020-08-21/the-post-pandemic-future-of-trader-joe-s-looks-bumpy

 

if TJ's folds , Id never get over it.     the article doesnt not really suggest that in my final analysis.

 

I agree the article does not back up the headline.  TJ's may want to go to online shopping or not, but I hardly think it's an area where they need to follow other stores.  

TJ's mix of products is rather the opposite of many grocery stores that are packed full of commodity items well suited to online shopping with a smattering of gourmet/speciality items that draw people for in person shopping.  TJ's mix is quite the reverse - almost all speciality items with a few commodity products.  Certainly, their ability to engage shoppers in the stores with tastings, endcap displays that had to be removed for traffic flow and witty shelf signs that no one reads while trying to get in and out have been impacted by the pandemic but I don't believe they need to be nearly as concerned about their futures as the mega stores. 

 

[rotuts]

WSJ  ( possibly NYTimes business section )  had an article about

 

Tj's   about a month or so into the C-19  re; shopping online and scheduled pick up

 

Tj's  had no interest in this , and the article backed it up by pointing out how

 

TJ's had invested in its employees  rather than in-line etc.

 

its very much a Personable store.  I miss going there a lot as I know most of the people

 

and they are hired in part for their friendliness .    

[heidih]

At least around here many people are part timers to supplement their income - still friendly though probably tired as heck. Not kids. One of our gardeners at the botanic garden worked full time in the sun all day and them did a gig at TJ. My top 3 favorites: Dijon mustard, raw almonds which I toast, and Seville orange marmalade which I don't buy anymore cuz I have so many on the trees it would be silly not to make my own. 

[ElsieD]

10 minutes ago, heidih said:

At least around here many people are part timers to supplement their income - still friendly though probably tired as heck. Not kids. One of our gardeners at the botanic garden worked full time in the sun all day and them did a gig at TJ. My top 3 favorites: Dijon mustard, raw almonds which I toast, and Seville orange marmalade which I don't buy anymore cuz I have so many on the trees it would be silly not to make my own. 

 

We love their Dijon mustard.   It was @rotuts who suggested it.  

[rotuts]

@heidih 

 

buy TJ's OM.   get a lime tree

 

make Lime marmalade , and add a few thinly sliced Jalepenos or Seranos 

 

that's worth your effort   eat the oranges , but dont peel them.  slice off the skin

 

and leave as much pith as you can stand .   then candy the skin , w the rest of the pith on it.

 

Pith is amazedly good for you.   you have to do the lot-up and see

 

studies done , in of all places , Italy.  excellent for those fats and cholesterol swimming in our

 

blood stream.   

 

shy no studies here ? the Orange Juice industry would not stand for ii

 

nor BigPhama :   no money in it for either of them , and they count on those two income streams.

 

I studied this on myself.   a remarkable change in 3 months , using oranges from two mature trees
 

where I grew up , after my father moved on.   he picked they way way to early.

 

sorry for a bit of O.T. .  

[rotuts]

their Dijon was an award winner @ TestKitchen

 

and is the real deal , just in a much plainer jar.

 

and it is indeed from FR.

[heidih]

33 minutes ago, rotuts said:

@heidih 

 

buy TJ's OM.   get a lime tree

 

make Lime marmalade , and add a few thinly sliced Jalepenos or Seranos 

 

that's worth your effort   eat the oranges , but dont peel them.  slice off the skin

 

and leave as much pith as you can stand .   then candy the skin , w the rest of the pith on it.

 

Pith is amazedly good for you.   you have to do the lot-up and see

 

studies done , in of all places , Italy.  excellent for those fats and cholesterol swimming in our

 

blood stream.   

 

shy no studies here ? the Orange Juice industry would not stand for ii

 

nor BigPhama :   no money in it for either of them , and they count on those two income streams.

 

I studied this on myself.   a remarkable change in 3 months , using oranges from two mature trees
 

where I grew up , after my father moved on.   he picked they way way to early.

 

sorry for a bit of O.T. .  

 

I can not plant another - too many trees already and water is an issue. I do leave all the pith with the peel so my marmalade is pretty dang bitter which is fine with me. I had  beauty of a lime years ago ata nther house but I am one of those who burns - I kinda freaked https://www.healthline.com/health-news/beware-the-margarita-burn-this-summer#1

[dtremit]

We finally braved Trader Joes last weekend, for the first time since February. Mostly stocking up on favorites and staples for the pantry, but picked up a few new items.

Was very sad to see before we went that they've discontinued the Amba Sauce -- we only managed to get that once while they had it.

(I had really wanted to use summer eggplant to recreate something like the sabich sandwich we had at a hole-in-the-wall Iraqi bakery in Detroit the last time we were there — it was doused in amba.)

 

The Everything But the Elote seasoning is, unsurprisingly, good on corn.

 

The "pub cheese" is good but not amazing. I was secretly hoping it was a rebrand of Win Schuler's Bar Scheeze, another Michigan favorite I can't get out here; this is not that. But we'll certainly finish it off happily on crackers.

 

The pomegranate seeds went bad two days before their date, which was really annoying. 

 

[blue_dolphin]

Last week, I made the mistake of going to TJ's when I was hungry.   Across the front of the store, where you wait in line, they had posted photos and descriptions of all the pumpkin stuff.  Once I got into the store, these pumpkin rolls jumped into my cart. 

I had one for breakfast today. 

They come in a refrigerated tube.  Five rolls and a packet of icing.  Baked up nicely in the CSO, no gummy middle.  

330 calories/roll with the icing, 270 without.  690 mg sodium, which is excessive. Both the rolls and the icing contain pumpkin and the expected spices.  They taste a little bland without at least a little icing but might be good with butter. 

I enjoyed it but my curiosity and limited sweet tooth have been sated.  

 

[BeeZee]

I baked the pumpkin bread mix as muffins, and used unsweetened applesauce instead of the specified veg oil. They were also very sweet, I am going to try with a bit of cream cheese next time I have one.

[blue_dolphin]

More pumpkin mania. I paid Joe another visit and came home with a box of these frozen mini spicy pumpkin samosas

 

I had a few for breakfast with TJ's jarred mango & ginger chutney and some freshly prepared cilantro chutney 

Not bad but the filling didn't have as much texture as the photo on the box shows, it was more of a uniform purée rather than chunks.  I'd find that off-putting in a larger samosa but these are one- or two-bite sized so it was OK.  After baking in the CSO, the  exterior was nice and crunchy. 

$3.99 for a box of 12.  If I needed an extra appetizer to put out for a gathering, these would be fine.  No gathering going on here so I'll enjoy the rest but not purchase more.

 

[rotuts]

My TJ's dinner is here :

 

https://forums.egullet.org/topic/160121-dinner-2020/page/281/?tab=comments#comment-2274951

 

[BeeZee]

Trader Joe's run this afternoon, the line to get in (one in/one out) moved quickly. I found everything on my list, including some Holiday indulgences like Gingerbread Cream Liquor (it's probably going to be horribly sweet, but for the price, I'll put it in coffee or something). Vegan gingerbread (nice loaf, going to slice/wrap and freeze), single serving size marzipan stollen (99 cents) - tasty, Fuyu persimmons (bought 2, have never had them), and of note: the gift box with the maple syrups is back...they have not advertised this and it was pretty hidden when I did find it, for $9.99 it's a steal, grab one if you can find it.

[blue_dolphin]

I went to TJ's today as well.  No waiting.  Save for very early in the pandemic and last week with all the pre-Thanksgiving stuff, I haven’t experienced waits of more than 5-10 minutes if I go fairly early on Monday thru Wed or Sundays.  Often, like today, there was no line.  I still try to limit my trips as much as possible.  
One day, I had to wait about 10 min.  As I entered the store, the staff member manning the door asked the guy behind me how long he’d been waiting and the guy said, “35 or 40 min.”  Sheesh!  I know there are longer waits at times but some people have no concept of time!

i appreciate the heads up on the maple syrup as I missed out last year.  It's now on my list.  

The TJ's Reserve Brut Rosé North Coast Sparkling wine that makes its appearance around the holidays every year has been back for a few weeks now, along with its non-rosé sibling for the usual $9.99/bottle. They also had the “Platinum Reserve” brut sparkler for $14.99.  Nice, but not head and shoulders above the $9.99 “Reserve,” at least to me.  Both usually disappear after the holidays, sometimes before New Year’s, so if you are optimistic about having things to celebrate next year, now's the time to stock up!

 

They also had the calvados that shows up seasonally.  $19.99 and not a bad bottle at all.  Quite satisfactory for a batch of Réveillon cocktails. 

 

I've been looking to try these thin dark chocolate bars with salted caramel and finally spotted them today.  Very nice little nibble.  

[BeeZee]

I had a piece of the gingerbread this morning, it is moist, a bit sweeter than I'd like for breakfast (Whole Foods gingerbread is good), but perfectly snackable. Sliced, wrapped, froze the rest.

[blue_dolphin]

@rotuts, as a lover of soft, ripened cheeses, this one is for you.  I saw this Fromage Pavé mentioned in the Fearless Flyer so I bought one yesterday.  $5.99 for 7 oz.  Mine has a "best by" date of 12/24.  

It's nicely soft and buttery now. Still a bit of firmer cheese in the very center.  Might benefit from a little more aging in your specialized cheese cellar.   I'll pick up another one or two if they are still available on my next visit.

I enjoyed some for breakfast today on crusty bread with the cranberry caponata I made from the Pasta Grammar recipe.  

[rotuts]

@blue_dolphin  

 

i had that last year orso

 

Sooooo delicious  @ room temp for some time

 

to get it runny and mature

 

im pleased you have some

 

enjoy