Snacking at COSTCO

[kellycolorado]

Who thought a thread on the tiny Costco menu could run three pages? When I read the title I expected it to be all about the samples too.

All the Costcos by us in the San Jose, CA had ttheir snack bars outside- yay for fresh air. I can't remember if our store here in CO (Litttleton/Lone Tree) has polish sausages and churros or not- I always get the Hebrew National and a Coke deal. I'm going to have to check next time we're up there...

[Gigi4808]

I hope you are all happy I am dying for a hot dog and a berry sundae now...

Gigi- contemplating the drive to Kennesaw in the rain.

[SJ Shappee]

The lobster rolls they sell in New England and the Maritimes are good. They have much bigger, more identifiable chunks of lobster. That one from Winnipeg looks terrible.

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Maybe they're using the infamous Manitoba Hog Barn Lobsters here. Yummy.

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LOBSTER ROLLS! Gawd - I'm moving!! We have the Hebrew Nationals here in the Monterey, CA store, the polish dogs and the churros, too. The dogs are in the soggy bun (we call them 'soft' because that sounds sooo much better....) but we rarely get any of these items because we are total slaves to the Costo Roasted Chicken which, I'm convinced, is brined with some hugely addictive additive. Thank goodness they are packed in a little case, and just to messy to open in the car, or we'd never, ever get home with a whole bird. Juciest thing I've ever tasted and the sole inspiration to every item I've ever brined....

My companion (I'm in a home-share program and live with a 92-year old) gets in the motorized cart and enjoys a lot of the samples...it's better than a cafeteria for him...he loves them all and we never buy a single item...I've thought about going to work for the sample folks - they pay $15 per hour for you if you own your own electric fry pay...to think "I spent 40k at cooking school to be a sample chef at Costo..."

[prasantrin]

Well... wouldn't that make a trip to Costco more enjoyable!  Never mind the States, we don't have these in Manitoba.

And we'll probably never have them in Manitoba, either! Damn LC...

We do have wine and beer samplings at Costco in Japan, though. Just last weekend there was a beer sampling, complete with model-type (more car-show-model than Fashion-Week-in-Italy-model) women wearing skimpy little hot pants and low-cut satin shirts. I'm still trying to figure out why low-cut satin shirts are supposed to be sexy on a woman with a maybe 30AA bra size.

In Japan the Costco hot dogs are Pork, and very salty. I wish they'd do up some Johnsonville Brats, instead. Those would be oh so much more tasty!

[TarteTatin]

Only went once a few weeks ago in New Jersey, Costco near Philly.

But, as farm to city/CSA people, we found all the samples tasted like chemicals, with a definite aftertaste.

[Joann]

Here in Augusta, GA area we have only Sams Club---with samples. The nearest Costco in in the Atlanta area. Same type layout and Wed. or Thurs. are "sample days". That's when the gypsies descend on the store in their white Cads and "snack n' snatch" the place clean.

[jayt90]

This thread kills me, but here's me 2 cents.

Here in Quebec we have poutine at Costco and it come in true Costco size, but my poutine connoisseur-of-a-husband doesn't give it thumbs up. Something about the bad taste the sauce leaves in your mouth.

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I inquired about the poutine (in Ontario), and found out they use coated frozen fries, mozzarella shreds, and Trio gravy (the same as the Nestle Trio in the aisles. They said that most chip buyers (Fish 'n chips, diners, chip trucks, etc.) buy the same Nestle Trio powder.

Emboldened, I asked why the take out roast chicken changed recently (for the worse, and 50 cents more!). They changed suppliers, (Flamingo instead of Lilydale aka Maple Leaf) and changed the basting to a dilute sugar salt solution. If it goes on too soon before roasting, the birds come out emaciated and shrivelled.

I also learned to ask for 'fresh' smoked meat at the food court counter. If it has been in the steam holder too long it becomes tough and brownish-grey. It should be pink and fresh, and they'll get it for you if requested.

[misstenacity]

Finally tried the "very berry sundae" today, while picking up my 2 critical foodstuffs (organic mixed salad and Kirkland brand eggbeaters).

At my Costco it is $1.55, where the un-topped frozen yogurt is $1.25.

The sundae was very fluffy and twirled with berry syrup all the way down to the bottom of the cup, but the vanilla soft serve was quite a bit sweeter than the berry sauce, which was mostly blackberries in a light syrup. The soft-serve was high quality, almost gummy/chewy like a cheaper cousin of a gelato.

Very tasty, and since I was hungry I had no problem finishing off the whole thing in record time - with an ice cream headache, of course.

Andrea

http://tenacity.net

[Giagie]

I just went to the Costco nearby in Norwalk, CT and was eyeing the Churros however, I didn't try them today. Maybe next time around. I did notice the other items on the menu and nothing else was interesting but they did have the same as the other Costcos in the Northeast; chicken bake, pizza, hot dogs, etc.

The samples were pretty good today too chicken, some beef (can't remember the name of it), pita with provolone, and an energy drink. And that was my lunch along with an asian pear from there.

[bluesman13]

earlier in the thread, someone mentioned having the hot dogs put through the pizza cooker. Saturday, when I was there, I asked, and sadly, I was turned down. I like the Hebrew National hot dogs better than the other ones they were using a while ago (I think Sinai?). For anyone who is local, that was at the St. Louis Patk store.

[lancastermike]

While standing in line to check out my 73,000 roll pack of toilet paper and other packages of titanic size I checked out the menu board and was surprised to see offered a pastrami sandwich. This is a new item to me. I mentioned it to my wife and said maybe I should try one so I could report it here. She gave me the look so I knew it would have to wait.

Has anyone tried this item at their local branch?

BTW, we did take home a rotisserie chicken which was very tasty

[Malawry]

They offer it at some stores around DC, but I have not tried it. Supposedly it's made with the Carnegie branded pastrami they sell in the prepared meats cases. I did buy this pastrami once and found it excessively gristly. Not worth its price. Which is why I have not sampled the sandwich.

[Pam R]

Our local stores don't have pastrami but 'hot Montreal smoked meat' sandwiches. After trying it once, I'd take a pass now.

[jayt90]

Mike, if you get rotisserie chicken you are indeed lucky. Most large stores (and other chains) use a convection steam oven, more efficient but not as good as rotisserie.

In Ontario, the warehouses sell Montreal smoked meat sandwiches on a 7 grain triangular roll for $5 or $6. A good price for what you get.

I buy a box of the same meat (Dunn's Montreal Smoked meat) and it is quite good at home, steamed, on fresh rye. (I have a wonderful baker from Hong Kong, 4 blocks away ).The pouches contain a good piece of meat, thinly sliced, with the right amount of fat.

Edited September 10, 2007 by jayt90 (log)

[monavano]

They offer it at some stores around DC, but I have not tried it. Supposedly it's made with the Carnegie branded pastrami they sell in the prepared meats cases. I did buy this pastrami once and found it excessively gristly. Not worth its price. Which is why I have not sampled the sandwich.

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What Malawry said . I bought it in the refrigerated section, all psyched to get it home and put it on some rye with sauerkraut, swiss and Russian dressing. Thick, chewy, fatty. Yuck. Oh, and too salty too.

It does look awfully good on the billboard though. I find the hotdogs, on the other hand, are as advertised!

[Nargi]

When the Lancaster Costco moved from its original building at the north end of town, to its new, much larger and with a gas station, place at the south end of town, they had, for about 5 minutes, or so it seemed, real bratwurst, offered grilled and on toasted French rolls.  I had one and it was delicious.

On my next visit, two weeks later, it was off the menu and when questioned, the window person simply shrugged and said she didn't know anything about it. 

I would have thought I dreamed it, had I not mentioned it to another customer who was also looking for a repeat of the experience. 

A barbecue pork sandwich also made a brief appearance on the menu as well as a lemonade icee or slurpee, both very good and sorely missed. 

I can only surmise that not enough were sold to warrant them staying on the menu.  They do have a burrito that is enough to feed two people generously but I know it was not available at the Costco in Yorba Linda, Orange county in December 05.

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that's because Lancaster sucks and that's why I live in San Diego now. I used to live on Beech. aka Crack Town. I feel like I'm going to get hepatitis anytime I go back to visit for holidays. In Lancaster, Olive Garden and Red Lobster at the mall are considered "fine dining" I don't even remember where the old location was. By Movies 12 or something?

[Toliver]

I popped into my local Costco last night to get items for an upcoming Superbowl party and saw a menu change in their hot dog/pizza stand.

They're now selling a BBQ Beef Brisket sandwich with a layer of cole slaw for $4.99. The sandwich is large. It has a paper "collar" around it to aid the employee in making the sandwich. They put the bottom of the bun as a base inside the collar and put the shredded BBQ beef brisket on top of it. Then they add a layer of cole slaw and finish it with the top of the bun.

The sandwich was good. The BBQ sauce wasn't too sweet and not at all spicy. It was odd, though, that they weren't using shredded pork in the sandwich which is what you usually find with BBQ sandwiches that are served with cole slaw on them. If I had to quibble about anything (besides their use of shredded beef when it should have been shredded pork), would be that the layer of cole slaw was a little too thin, but that could just be a variable that depends upon the person making the sandwich.