Washington DC Area Grocery Stores

[hillvalley]

Love the cheap crappy wine section at Todito.  I've found some decent things there.  And now I want an egg salad sandwich with bacon from So's Your Mom.  Or the BLAT (bacon, lettuce, avocado & tomato).  Or the curried chicken salad....

BTW- this question might be out there, but anyone know where in the neighborhood I can find a steady supply of Gold Rush Honest Tea?  I've been hooked for years, but it seems the only places that carry Honest Tea near me carry the only flavors I don't like.

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Now I'm craving an Italian sub from Mom's

Honest Tea is a local company located in Bethesda. It's wroth giving them a call to find out where Godl Rush is. I am addicted to Honest Tea as well. So much better than that other bottled crap. Once every few months Giant has it on sale and I load up.

[rosebud]

I think I may have written about this on another thread; but once I decided to make risotto for dinner and had everything necessary chopped up and ready to go. I had bought some "Uncle Ben's" arborio rice (in a convenient, resealable bag) from the Ghetto Safeway on Columbia Road and measured out the appropriate amount into a glass measuring cup. I turned my back to the sink to do something or other and when I turned back, I found ants or something similar POURING out of the cup of rice. While squealing, I threw it all down the sink and then tried to figure out what to do to save dinner. I threw on my shoes and ran up the street to So's Your Mom, because I KNEW they sold genuine Italian Arborio rice. I decided right then that I never wanted to live anywhere that didn't have Arborio rice within a five minute walk from home.

When it was still "Americana" you could walk in and smell the rotten meat from that section. Not true now. Thanks to a neighbor from Venzuela I have discovered the various sausages they make and sell there. And, thanks to the "carnitas" thread elsewhere on this site, I have been eyeing the pork shoulder labeled "masitas de puerco." In for a penny, in for a pound.

[littlechinagirl]

Honest Tea is a local company located in Bethesda.  It's wroth giving them a call to find out where Godl Rush is.  I am addicted to Honest Tea as well.  So much better than that other bottled crap.  Once every few months Giant has it on sale and I load up.

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Yeah- I've often thought they should hire me. With my passion for (obsession over?) their product, I could sell the hell out of it. Dinerboy buys me a case of it when he sees it at Whole Foods.

I've actually just requested the Gold Rush at Yes on Columbia, and it looks like they've come through! :)

Faith in neighborhood markets restored.

[LittleWing]

I've actually just requested the Gold Rush at Yes on Columbia, and it looks like they've come through!  :)

Faith in neighborhood markets restored.

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yeah, Magruder's carried Vitamin Water, but not Endurance (my preferred flavor) and I requested it. They said they didn't know if they had clearance for that flavor (wha?) but a week or two later, tada! Now there is much Endurance at Magruder's on Connecticut. Having grown up in the age of megastores, I didn't even know such a thing could happen...

[littlechinagirl]

yeah, Magruder's carried Vitamin Water, but not Endurance (my preferred flavor) and I requested it. They said they didn't know if they had clearance for that flavor (wha?) but a week or two later, tada! Now there is much Endurance at Magruder's on Connecticut.  Having grown up in the age of megastores, I didn't even know such a thing could happen...

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Oooh, I just discovered Vitamin Water (the lemonade flavor- not sure what it's called). I like it- not too sweet, very refreshing. That and Honest Tea are the only drinks I buy anymore.

[lperry]

Bump....

Has anyone tried the ready-to-eat noodle dishes at the Super H (Han Ah Rheum) in Fairfax? This is now my favorite store (big artichokes at 3/$1.00 right now ), but it can be more than a little overwhelming for the Korean food initiate.

Any suggestions?

Thanks-

Linda

[banco]

I accidentally responded to an ancient post. Maybe cooking with aluminium really is a bad thing...

Edited March 7, 2005 by banco (log)

[lperry]

I bumped the thread - please still respond if you have advice!

Thanks -

Linda

[hjshorter]

I bumped the thread - please still respond if you have advice!

Thanks -

Linda

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I have liked all of the prepared things purchased from the Wheaton Han Ah Reum.

While the thread is bumped I would like to vent about the Giant Food on Hungerford Road in Rockville. The shittiest Giant ever - and it's a brand new store! The produce is the main offender - wilted lettuce, slimy fresh herbs, limp broccoli....not even the bagged lettuce is safe. They don't sell any pork that isn't Smithfield Farms "enhanced" which is apparently industry speak for "pumped full of water". I have purchased several half gallons of sour milk that had not passed the experation date. Bah.

[rosebud]

I have two words to whisper into Mr. Safeway's ear: Harris Teeter. We are getting a new one in the old Citadel building on Kalorama Road. I'm just hoping the competition will spur the Ghetto Safeway to clean up its act.

Sorry, can't help on the noodles.

[JPW]

I have liked all of the prepared things purchased from the Wheaton Han Ah Reum.

While the thread is bumped I would like to vent about the Giant Food on Hungerford Road in Rockville.  The shittiest Giant ever - and it's a brand new store!  The produce is the main offender - wilted lettuce, slimy fresh herbs, limp broccoli....not even the bagged lettuce is safe.    They don't sell any pork that isn't Smithfield Farms "enhanced" which is apparently industry speak for "pumped full of water".  I have purchased several half gallons of sour milk that had not passed the experation date.  Bah.

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Heather,

Not exactly sure how far it is for you, but I'm actually a big fan of the new Safeway on Shady Grove (?) just south of Rt 28. It's in the strip mall with the Chipotle, Krispy Kream, Chevy Chase bank etc. By far the nicest Safeway I've ever seen. It's a 5 minute drive from my office and I end up there 3-4 times a week to buy lunch.

PS - Coincidentally, there is also a MoCo liquor store next door.

[Basilgirl]

I heard recently that Stop & Shop is not happy with the Giant stores here and plans to renovate all of them. I wonder if they will redo my Giant in Burke, VA, which just underwent a renovation???????

I've started shopping at Safeway a lot, because they have much better produce than Giant and they always have fresh fennel. Also, the bakery rocks and the employees practically put you in a lip lock when you walk in the door. At my Giant they seem to be peeved that there are customers in their store.

[littlechinagirl]

I have two words to whisper into Mr. Safeway's ear:  Harris Teeter.  We are getting a new one in the old Citadel building on Kalorama Road.  I'm just hoping the competition will spur the Ghetto Safeway to clean up its act.

Sorry, can't help on the noodles.

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Hallelujah. I hate our Ghetto Safeway (always guaranteed to be out of whatever I went for (no mushrooms? At all?), and I've learned long ago not to buy meat there), and whenever I visit Reston's Harris Teeter it feels like the sky opens up and the angels sing down on it. (haven't yet visited a Wegmans. I don't think I should do that to myself)

At least I have YES. And on a nice walking day with a small grocery list- the Whole Foods on P.

[Marzapane]

Grand Mart (locations in Lincolnia on Little River Turnpike and Falls Church at 7 corners) is hands down the best place to get fruit and veggies. I have yet to find any store that can beat their prices and variety in the produce section. It is a full-size international market and so its produce section caters to a wide variety of ethnic groups. For example, you can get huge bunches of various herbs for something like 99 cents-- about 10 times the amount they give you in those dingy little boxes of wilted herbs at Giant. One word of caution is that their produce is generally pretty ripe (might have something to do with the good prices) so I wouldn't buy a huge supply of it.

My other favorite for pure cheapness is Aldi. I feel a little ashamed plugging this store on a foodie forum. However, I defy you to find cheaper groceries anywhere else. I find that it is best for stocking up on staples such as canned goods, milk, baking ingredients, etc. I have almost never spend more than 30-40 bucks with a FULL cart at Aldi.

[captainjaroslav]

Hey, look at me, I just upgraded my account and this is my first post! Yay!

I'm not sure if this has already been mentioned, but I have a theory about the particularly poor quality of grocery stores in the Md. suburbs. Is it possible that beer and wine make up a substantial amount of the profit for some of the more high-end grocery stores? Certainly it must make some difference, so, if you are a supermarket chain and have to choose between establishing a new store in a state where you have to give up all the profit from wine and beer and one where you don't, which would you choose?

I moved out here from Seattle, which is somewhat of a grocery shopper's paradise, about a year and a half ago and I have been slowly learning how to find the things I need to do what I want to do in the kitchen, but it has been tough. OTOH, even in Seattle I would drive all over town to get the right groceries for a particular meal. What I haven't found yet around here is a) a good source for low-priced Mediteranean groceries (but there have been some suggestions on this thread already that I haven't gotten around to checking out yet) and b) a real BUTCHER that is in my area (I'm now in Hyattsville). There are butchers and there are meatcutters and they are not the same thing. While I enjoy getting my meat from a butcher in general what I've really been trying to find lately are casing for making my own sausages. (I may repost this as a separate topic actually, because I have a few other questions about sausage making.) I've never been able to find casings for sale at a supermarket meat dept.

Well, that's it. That's my first post. I hope it's up to the high eGullet standards. I'll have to get a picture and a signature up for myself soon.

-John

[monavano]

Great first post John. Very insightful. I enjoy reading about food culture in other parts of our world.

[hwilson41]

While I enjoy getting my meat from a butcher in general what I've really been trying to find lately are casing for making my own sausages.  (I may repost this as a separate topic actually, because I have a few other questions about sausage making.)  I've never been able to find casings for sale at a supermarket meat dept.

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Welcome, John. For pork casings, you can usually find them at one of the larger "Gourmet" stores. For beef casings, try to find a Halal grocery. I bought beef casings from the Halal store in Falls Church just yesterday.

Or if you're looking to purchase in some volume, try these folks. BOL.

[Busboy]

I get my pork casings at Union Meats in Eastern Market.

[morela]

I have two words to whisper into Mr. Safeway's ear:  Harris Teeter.  We are getting a new one in the old Citadel building on Kalorama Road.  I'm just hoping the competition will spur the Ghetto Safeway to clean up its act.

Sorry, can't help on the noodles.

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It's actually known as the Satanic or Switchblade Safeway. Ghetto is on Georgia Ave. close to District line.

[cjsadler]

I have two words to whisper into Mr. Safeway's ear:  Harris Teeter.  We are getting a new one in the old Citadel building on Kalorama Road.  I'm just hoping the competition will spur the Ghetto Safeway to clean up its act.

Sorry, can't help on the noodles.

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Is Harris Teeter really happening? They were still going through the endless ANC and zoning meetings last I heard.

The latest from the ANC 1-C Website:

1) Harris Teeter Community Forum - Tues., March 15th -- In addition to our regular monthly business meetings (on the first Wednesday of each month), the Adams Morgan Advisory Neighborhood Commission will also conduct a quarterly public forum on the following Tuesdays in 2005: March 15th, June 21st, September 20th, and December 13th. Our March 15th forum will be devoted exclusively to the proposed Harris Teeter supermarket project (and associated office and retail elements) in the old roller rink popularly known as the Citadel building at 17th Street and Kalorama Road. No ANC vote on the project will be taken that evening; that vote will most likely occur at our Wednesday, April 6th meeting. But given the other business that will also be on the April 6th agenda, there will not be time that night to hear from every attendee. Thus, the March 15th forum will be the best opportunity for the community at-large to be heard on this proposal before the full ANC is required to make a recommendation to the Zoning Commission. We're giving everyone plenty of notice -- more than 30 days -- in hopes that you'll mark your calendar now and plan to turn out that Tuesday evening. The forum will begin at 7 pm, and will be held in the Community Room of the Third District Police Station, 1624 V St., NW.

[hjshorter]

Heather,

Not exactly sure how far it is for you, but I'm actually a big fan of the new Safeway on Shady Grove (?) just south of Rt 28. It's in the strip mall with the Chipotle, Krispy Kream, Chevy Chase bank etc. By far the nicest Safeway I've ever seen. It's a 5 minute drive from my office and I  end up there 3-4 times a week to buy lunch.

PS - Coincidentally, there is also a MoCo liquor store next door.

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Thanks Joe, I checked it out today and it is the nicest Safeway near me. Remind not to go at lunchtime though - parking lot was packed with workers in combative moods.

[JPW]

Thanks Joe, I checked it out today and it is the nicest Safeway near me.  Remind not to go at lunchtime though - parking lot was packed with workers in combative moods. 

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Surprised I didn't see you as I stopped in for a sandwich about 11:20.

I'm always amazed at how packed the lot gets at lunch, almost entirely due to the Chipotle. Luckily since I get to work so early, I generally grab a bite at around 11:30, before it gets too bad.

If you have a hankering for a sandwich there, stop in at "Tribes Grill" next to Chipotle. Very seldom crowded Eastern Mediterranean place with decent to very good schwarma and gyros.

[hjshorter]

Surprised I didn't see you as I stopped in for a sandwich about 11:20.

I was there with Ian in tow around 12:20, so we missed you by an hour. Got a coffee for me and some madeleines for him at the Starbucks outlet inside. Another advantage Safeway has over Giant - coffee. The woman at the deli was very taken with Ian and he scored a few slices of salami. They have a large organic and natural foods section too, bigger than the other stores in the area. It's all in one place too which is handy. The produce looked good.

Thanks for tip about Tribes Grill. My kids love Middle Eastern food and it would be nice to have an alternative to Lebanese Taverna just for variety.

[mnebergall]

The grocery competition in Alexandria is about to heat up. I understand that there is a Harris Teeter and a Whole Foods going in on Duke Street. The Whole Foods, as I understand it, is going in near the King Street Metro where the Trak Auto used to be. Harris Teeter is going in up by Jordan street towards Landmark where the X-rated movie theater is and Magruder's used to be.

[monavano]

I've been watching the construction of the Whole Foods on Duke St. for quite some time now. Hurry up!!!