Auchan Hypermarché

[raisab]

Notice I said I keep it inside the cooler, then inside the refrigerated compartment on the airplane. Though I have had a few times where it has started to ripen so furiously, that we all have a fun time (the flight attendants) accusing each other of flatulance! But damn it taste good (theEpoisse)!

BTW the Auchan at the Defense is an awesome store. Wegmans does not even come close!

Hooligan, I am new to this board, I had never heard of Nectar, (not a true foodie I guess) but I looked up your website, it sounds wonderful. How is your winelist? Corkage Fee? AND do you serve EPOISSE?

Edited April 26, 2004 by raisab (log)

[Joe H]

Have you been in the Wegmans in Sterling? Is the Auchan at the Defense larger for the grocery portion? At Val d'Europe it was on two floors with the hyperstore on the upper level and the grocery below. Similar to Wegmans it was new and had the market kind of ambience in half of it. I am going to be in Paris in three weeks and will literally drive right by the Auchan you mention. It might make a nice stop for lunch! I probably would agree that Auchan was superior but primarily because of the proximity to raw food sources whereas Wegmans "suffers" from this side of the Atlantic. Still, for America, I believe Wegmans Dulles (now their number one store) is the best here.

Having said all this there are probably many in France, Italy, Spain, etc. that criticize Auchan preferring local markets. There's a market in Barcelona off of the Ramblas that is incredible; it makes Lexington, even Pike Place in Seattle look like grade school efforts. But this is a topic for another board.

[Joe H]

I average about 10 to 12 trips a year to Europe on business and have been doing this for over 20 years. Until recently when the American dollar weakened so dramatically to the Europe I ALWAYS brought back at least a dozen bottles of wine, half in a carry on and half packed in a suitcase. I've also had my luggage gone through twice by Customs at Dulles. They have a particularly full bellied beagle who has a thing for Tuscan salami. Once he nosed it from 30 yards. Another time he chose a German salami for his dinner. Both times my luggage was opened, both times the inspectors saw a lot of wine. Specifically on one trip I had 13 bottles and two magnums. I had declared wine on the form and a value of $300. I had not stated a quantity. They looked at me sympathetically, smiled and told me to go on. After retrieving the salamis for the beagles dinner.

[raisab]

The Auchan grocery portion is MUCH larger. Their cheese section has a glass vtitrine where they have their TRUE artisan cheeses. About 30 geet long, then they have about two aisles with prepackaged cheeses, and they also have a section nect to the vitrine where they package what they consider cheeses that must be eaten immediately usually at less than half their normal price. These are still better than most I have gotten here.

Yes I have been to the Wegmans Sterling. As soon as it stops raining I am going there a today. Auchan is whole lot better than Wegmans, but like you said, Weg is the best around here.

Auchan for lunch? If you are planning just to buy cheese and wine and maybe foie gras sure, but I don't remember their prepared foods section very well. La Defense shopping center pretty much only has French Chain resto's at it.

[raisab]

I am not even going to edit that for typos!!!!!!

[raisab]

I don't usually buy my wines from Auchan, I have a wine shop in the 17th which I go to. He usually buys his wines from small producers which you can't get in the states. I don't usually buy names you can buy here unless it is at the winery itself. Example, I went to Chateauneuf du Pape this summer and bought Mont Redon Red for about 17USD a bottle. Isaw it at Toatal for 4o something USD.

But at Auchan I still find great deals at times. I bought a couple of cases of 2000 Grand Cru Classe Bordeaux recently for about 18 a bottle. I do not remember the name, Roi de something, but I have had a few bottles and they are great now, and should be better in a few years. As for Bush, you could just sign my name to your post, feel the same.

[menton1]

The largest supermarket I have ever seen was a grand Carrefour outside of Nice; the place had about 40 aisles, and another 80 concession stores selling different goods. All the employees have roller blades for getting around! What a great place!

[naguere]

I am not even going to edit that for typos!!!!!!

Lovley, lovley .

[raisab]

I have been to the Carrefours near Roissy. They also wear rollerskates. I prefer carrefours to Auchan but it is harder to get to at times for me as the metro does not stop directly there. Even though we are now staying at the airport, I can never figure out which bus I can take to get to the Carrefours.

[DonRocks]

The largest supermarket I have ever seen was a grand Carrefour outside of Nice; the place had about 40 aisles, and another 80 concession stores selling different goods.  All the employees have roller blades for getting around!  What a great place!

Is this on the RN 202 that parallels the Var? If so, I've been there several times, and this is where I buy my provisions to smuggle back to the states (cheaper than Cap 3000!)

[bleudauvergne]

Raisab, we barely ever get to the hypermarches these days but I agree there is a whole lot packed into one place! You and I have something in common, since I have also been known to take coolers of food from one place to another. There's the tasso we found in the bayou on the way to California, and the live crabs I took in a cooler on my lap in China from Dalian to Beijing, to have for dinner that night.

Since you are going through CDG quite often and are able to do grocery shopping at La Defense there from time to time, in addition to the cheeses, some other handy things you might consider picking up to take home while at Auchun:

-Try the brique, in the same section where you pick up your pate brisee, it compares with phyllo but is not exactly the same thing.

-You mentioned rolled feuillitee and brise in another thread, you can also get the blocks of pate feuillitee pur buerre in cube form, to roll out and cut in any form you like. (I'm not sure if this is available there, it varies with the branch) This packs well for travel and freezes well.

-Creme fraiche epaisse (hey as long as you've got a cooler...) in the same section as the yougurt by the litre adds a nice touch to a whole lot of things.

-Rendered duck and goose fat in jars at reasonable prices.

-Lentils de puy - very expensive outside of France you can put these in your suitcase!

-Pick up some baking chocolate, which is the one with "dessert" in the name, right now I am in love with lindt dessert 70%. The great thing about this quality /price ratio.

-in the spice section - the French bay leaves "Laurier" are more subtle and are wonderful for your stocks and infusions.

-sometimes you can find good quality dried already tied bouquet garnis at the hypermarches. (don't get the cubes, eeew)

-Fleur de sel - good price

-peanut flavored cheetoes - I do not know if these are available in the US I discovered them here in France.

-You can often find canned cassoulet & confit de canard which is good to keep in the pantry for a rainy day.

Let us know what you get the next time you go through!

[menton1]

The largest supermarket I have ever seen was a grand Carrefour outside of Nice; the place had about 40 aisles, and another 80 concession stores selling different goods.  All the employees have roller blades for getting around!  What a great place!

Is this on the RN 202 that parallels the Var? If so, I've been there several times, and this is where I buy my provisions to smuggle back to the states (cheaper than Cap 3000!)

No, this was nowhere near the Var; it was outside of Nice, just off the A8 Autoroute, I think it was Sortie#6-- About 6 KM above Nice a little to the Northwest-- A huge store.

In Provence, there is an Hyper U on the outskirts of Pertuis that is very big, but not like this Carrefour. No rollerblades, either.

[DonRocks]

The largest supermarket I have ever seen was a grand Carrefour outside of Nice; the place had about 40 aisles, and another 80 concession stores selling different goods.  All the employees have roller blades for getting around!  What a great place!

Is this on the RN 202 that parallels the Var? If so, I've been there several times, and this is where I buy my provisions to smuggle back to the states (cheaper than Cap 3000!)

No, this was nowhere near the Var; it was outside of Nice, just off the A8 Autoroute, I think it was Sortie#6-- About 6 KM above Nice a little to the Northwest-- A huge store.

In Provence, there is an Hyper U on the outskirts of Pertuis that is very big, but not like this Carrefour. No rollerblades, either.

No, I meant the Var River, not the Var Department (trivia: the Var is the only department in France not containing the river that bears its name; the river runs just to the west/northwest of Nice). I'm fairly certain this is the same store.

Cheers,

Rocks.

[raisab]

Bleu,

You might laugh at this but from your list the only things I haven't bought there are the Brique, the pate fe feuillette in block form, and the canned cassoulet! I will look for all of these next week. Is the canned cassoulet good? I have had it in my hands a few times to purchase but I am leary of canned stuff even in France.

On a toatally different note, do you understand Parisians when they speak? I find they speak too quickly for me so that I lose half of what they are saying. Does your ear ever atune to this?

Thank you for all your advice, I am jealous of you living there.

Raisa

Edited April 27, 2004 by raisab (log)

[bleudauvergne]

raisab, I make cassoulet once a year, from Paula Wolfert's cookbook, The Cooking of Southwest France. It's better than the canned stuff, but then again it takes 3 days to make and has an ingredient list as long as my arm, for which I have to shop in a myriad of places, making the whole cassoulet making process last as long as a week. Every once in a while I buy it in a can because it can actually taste pretty darn good coming from a can, and a nice solution now and again if I'm unable to cook for one reason or another. Nothing I would serve to guests, mind you, but it's comfort food. We definitely do buy the confit in cans because the preserving process adds to the quality of the product in my opinion.

edit to say I've never had a problem understanding my parisian friends and in-laws, but then again they speak slowly for me, I think...

Edited April 28, 2004 by bleudauvergne (log)

[Joe H]

I could be wrong but I believe the largest Carrefours is near the intersection of the A4 and A 104 east of Paris. I stopped in this in January on the same day that I first went to the Auchan in Val d'Europa. I would guess that the grocery portion is, perhaps, 150 to 175,000 square feet. This is an older building that just rambles on forever with a number of smaller businesses associated with it. The entire complex must be the size of a larger shopping mall in the United States, probably 750,000 square feet or more. I have been in larger grocery stores in America (i.e. Woodmans in Rockford, IL and also Wisconsin) but they were rathe nondescript and, other than size, didn't compare. the largest Wegmans are a favorable comparison suffering only by products which are available only in Europe and not in the U. S.

[menton1]

No, I meant the Var River, not the Var Department (trivia:  the Var is the only department in France not containing the river that bears its name; the river runs just to the west/northwest of Nice).  I'm fairly certain this is the same store.

Cheers,

Rocks.

Ahhh, yes, the Var that runs down and forms the Western boundary of Nice and St Laurent-du Var just past the airport--

Yes, I think you are correct, Don, but I never noticed the river while I was there; I think the suburb is called St Isidore, and right next to Carrefour there was a much smaller Leclerc supermarket-- Isn't that Carrefour a wonder?

[raisab]

while we're at the subject of Carrefour, can anyone figure out what the name of the shopping center tht the Carrefour nearest the airport is? It is right before the Usines Center as you are heading towards Charles De Gaulle. I have been on their website Carrefour but still can't figure it out. The reson I am asking is I cannot remember whch bus to take there from the Hyatt CDG. I have been on their website and looked at my Michelin maps til I am crosseyed! All I want to do is get the correct bus and the concierges at the Hyatt are so clueless it is scary. Aargh......

Edited April 29, 2004 by raisab (log)

[Joe H]

That Hyatt is arguably the most difficult of any to find.