Hooray!!! At last Pittsburgh has a Trader Joe's.

I'm especially excited about it because I lived in
So. Calif. for 13 years and shopped at TJ's a lot.
I really missed it when I moved back to Pittsburgh.

So, I went after work on Friday. As it was opening
day it was a madhouse with checkout lines backed up
down the aisles, making it difficult to browse all
items on all the shelves.

I picked up a few goodies that struck my fancy.
I got a small container of couscous salad with pinenuts,
red pepper, raisins, and peas. I also picked up a 1-qt.
box of their Tomato and Red Pepper Soup and a loaf of
their Asiago and Pepper sourdough bread. I had these
items for dinner on Sat. and Sun. evenings. Quite tasty,
although the bread was a little too salty for my taste.
(I should have guessed as I don't care for the Asiago
Bagels at Panera for the same reason. I guess Asiago
cheese is just really salty and therefore it's impossible
to use it in anything and not have it be too salty for
me. I've never liked a lot of salt.) Anyway, the soup
was excellent and so was the couscous salad.

I also bought a bottle of McIntosh apple juice, made with
all McIntosh apples. It's okay but slightly disappointing
in that it seems to lack a strong McIntoch apple flavor.
When I go to Vermont I always buy cider that is made from
mostly McIntosh apples (shoot, I'd go to VT just to get that
cider if I could afford it) and it always tasty very McIntoshy.
But this juice was not particularly McIntoshy in flavor. The
only difference I noted from regular apple juice was that it
had slightly more tartness, but not a lot. Oh, well. Sounded
good.

I also was disappointed in the tortilla chips I bought.
I got some plain blue corn tortilla chips that had a
slightly less than crisp texture. I also was intrigued
by some Sweet Mole Tortilla Chips. I thought they would
be fairly flavorful. Turns out they taste pretty much
like plain yellow corn tortilla chips with a vague hint
of mole flavor. Oh, well. Sounded good.

I picked up one of their brochures at the checkout and
have marked many items in it to try the next time I go.
And I noticed they have a mole sauce that I'd like to
try. (I made mole from scratch once. It had about 35
ingredients and took 2 days to make what with toasting
various spices and seeds and grinding stuff, etc. And
it didn't turn out very good. I had about a gallon of
it and I ended up throwing a lot of it out as I didn't
like it enough to bother saving it to use later. If I
throw out food, especially something I slaved over, then
you know it's really bad.) So, in the hopes of finding
a good mole sauce I don't have to make myself I'm planning
to give it a try.

Can't wait to go back to TJ's on a less crowded day
and really check out everything.

It's just too bad I am living in PA now. Out in CA
they had wines at TJ's and you could get some really
nice inexpensive wines there. But I live in the
Fascist state of PA where we have to buy from the
state monopoly at outrageous prices. Sigh.

Kate

--
Kate Connally
“If I were as old as I feel, I’d be dead already.”
Goldfish: “The wholesome snack that smiles back,
Until you bite their heads off.”
What if the hokey pokey really *is* what it's all about?

Kate Connally wrote:
Hooray!!! At last Pittsburgh has a Trader Joe's.

I'm especially excited about it because I lived in
So. Calif. for 13 years and shopped at TJ's a lot.
I really missed it when I moved back to Pittsburgh.

So, I went after work on Friday. As it was opening
day it was a madhouse with checkout lines backed up
down the aisles, making it difficult to browse all
items on all the shelves.

Stan Horowitz bought me some of their "blistered peanuts" once and they
were really good.

Kate Connally said...

Can't wait to go back to TJ's on a less crowded day
and really check out everything.

It's just too bad I am living in PA now. Out in CA
they had wines at TJ's and you could get some really
nice inexpensive wines there.


Kate,

I'd say the TJ's Hawaiian potato chips are primo, imho!

Congrats on your TJs. It's a great place to flirt, err... shop.

All the best,

Andy

Kate Connally wrote:
Hooray!!! At last Pittsburgh has a Trader Joe's.

I'm especially excited about it because I lived in
So. Calif. for 13 years and shopped at TJ's a lot.
I really missed it when I moved back to Pittsburgh.

So, I went after work on Friday. As it was opening
day it was a madhouse with checkout lines backed up
down the aisles, making it difficult to browse all
items on all the shelves.

I picked up a few goodies that struck my fancy.
I got a small container of couscous salad with pinenuts,
red pepper, raisins, and peas. I also picked up a 1-qt.
box of their Tomato and Red Pepper Soup and a loaf of
their Asiago and Pepper sourdough bread. I had these
items for dinner on Sat. and Sun. evenings. Quite tasty,
although the bread was a little too salty for my taste.
(I should have guessed as I don't care for the Asiago
Bagels at Panera for the same reason. I guess Asiago
cheese is just really salty and therefore it's impossible
to use it in anything and not have it be too salty for
me. I've never liked a lot of salt.) Anyway, the soup
was excellent and so was the couscous salad.

I also bought a bottle of McIntosh apple juice, made with
all McIntosh apples. It's okay but slightly disappointing
in that it seems to lack a strong McIntoch apple flavor.
When I go to Vermont I always buy cider that is made from
mostly McIntosh apples (shoot, I'd go to VT just to get that
cider if I could afford it) and it always tasty very McIntoshy.
But this juice was not particularly McIntoshy in flavor. The
only difference I noted from regular apple juice was that it
had slightly more tartness, but not a lot. Oh, well. Sounded
good.

I also was disappointed in the tortilla chips I bought.
I got some plain blue corn tortilla chips that had a
slightly less than crisp texture. I also was intrigued
by some Sweet Mole Tortilla Chips. I thought they would
be fairly flavorful. Turns out they taste pretty much
like plain yellow corn tortilla chips with a vague hint
of mole flavor. Oh, well. Sounded good.

I picked up one of their brochures at the checkout and
have marked many items in it to try the next time I go.
And I noticed they have a mole sauce that I'd like to
try. (I made mole from scratch once. It had about 35
ingredients and took 2 days to make what with toasting
various spices and seeds and grinding stuff, etc. And
it didn't turn out very good. I had about a gallon of
it and I ended up throwing a lot of it out as I didn't
like it enough to bother saving it to use later. If I
throw out food, especially something I slaved over, then
you know it's really bad.) So, in the hopes of finding
a good mole sauce I don't have to make myself I'm planning
to give it a try.

Can't wait to go back to TJ's on a less crowded day
and really check out everything.

It's just too bad I am living in PA now. Out in CA
they had wines at TJ's and you could get some really
nice inexpensive wines there. But I live in the
Fascist state of PA where we have to buy from the
state monopoly at outrageous prices. Sigh.

Kate

--
Kate Connally
"If I were as old as I feel, I'd be dead already."
Goldfish: "The wholesome snack that smiles back,
Until you bite their heads off."
What if the hokey pokey really *is* what it's all about?

Ever try their Margharita pizza? The best frozen pizza I have ever
tried, altho I haven't tried many to begin with.

We stopped by Friday afternoon on the way home from work. It was way to
crowded to do any serious looking, let alone shopping. The one thing
that surprised me though was the size of the store. It's really,
really, small. So small that I'm wondering if the crowded isles and
long lines we saw Friday aren't going to be the norm.

I hope not because that was just way to stressful and I can't see myself
shopping there if it's going to be like that all the time.

Paul

Kate Connally wrote

(I should have guessed as I don't care for the Asiago
Bagels at Panera for the same reason. I guess Asiago
cheese is just really salty and therefore it's impossible
to use it in anything and not have it be too salty for
me. I've never liked a lot of salt.) Anyway, the soup

Asiago shouldn't be that salty, also the "pressato" (pressed) version
is not salty. Unless it is a pricey aged one, "d'allevo", but I don't
think they are using that.
--
Vilco
Think pink, drink rose'

On 30 Oct 2006 10:15:29 -0800, "merryb" wrote:

Ever try their Margharita pizza? The best frozen pizza I have ever
tried, altho I haven't tried many to begin with.

Daughter's BF thinks their mushroom pizza is the best. IMO: It's not
bad.

--
See return address to reply by email

On Mon, 30 Oct 2006 13:42:27 -0500, Another Day Another OS
wrote:

It's really, really, small.

If you're used to mega store grocery shopping, it's really, really
small.

So small that I'm wondering if the crowded isles and
long lines we saw Friday aren't going to be the norm.

Yes, unless you can get there on a weekday morning.... forget about
weekends or after work if you don't like crowds. Not sure why it
would be a problem. If those are the times you shop, it's crowded
everywhere - including the mega grocery stores.


--
See return address to reply by email

"Vilco" wrote in news:45467de8$0$19241
:


Asiago shouldn't be that salty, also the "pressato" (pressed) version
is not salty. Unless it is a pricey aged one, "d'allevo", but I don't
think they are using that.

OT, but, hi Vilco! Nice to see someone I know from another group!
d. who likes to drink pink

We love TJ's organic veggies, especially Harvest Hodgepodge and the
Roasted Red Pepper with sauce. Cheese is high-quality and reasonably
priced.

Merchandise aside, their friendly and helpful staff makes shopping
there a pleasure. No, I'm not an employee, I'm just appreciative.

Leo

On Oct 30, 12:41 pm, Kate Connally wrote:
Hooray!!! At last Pittsburgh has a Trader Joe's.

I'm especially excited about it because I lived in
So. Calif. for 13 years and shopped at TJ's a lot.
I really missed it when I moved back to Pittsburgh.

I'm becoming more and more a TJ's cultist.

I've been trying to buy fresh locally roasted coffee beans regularly.
But their Columbian Supremo really hits the right notes for me. So now
I have to go regularly.

Recent obsession inducing finds:

TJ's Bohemian Lager
Cashew, Almond, Coconut and Chocolate "Trek Mix." Way too good, and
the nuts are roasted.

My wife likes their shampoos and soaps too.

I also bought a bottle of McIntosh apple juice, made with
all McIntosh apples.
When I go to Vermont I always buy cider that is made from
mostly McIntosh apples (shoot, I'd go to VT just to get that
cider if I could afford it) and it always tasty very McIntoshy.

Shirley, there must be an orchard around Pitt or in Ohio that can
provide you with this. I know you could get
it in Michigan, but that's 5 hours of driving.

Greg Zywicki

Ditto here! My wife & I took a walk over to TJs on Sunday afternoon. It was
a mad house of course but like you we were surprised at how small the store
is. It sort of reminded me of a glorified East End Food Coop. We'll give it
a try in a few weeks. Hopefully it will make a better impression then.

John Mc

"Another Day Another OS" wrote in message
...
We stopped by Friday afternoon on the way home from work. It was way to
crowded to do any serious looking, let alone shopping. The one thing that
surprised me though was the size of the store. It's really, really,
small. So small that I'm wondering if the crowded isles and long lines we
saw Friday aren't going to be the norm.

I hope not because that was just way to stressful and I can't see myself
shopping there if it's going to be like that all the time.

Paul

In article , sf wrote:

On Mon, 30 Oct 2006 13:42:27 -0500, Another Day Another OS
wrote:

So small that I'm wondering if the crowded isles and
long lines we saw Friday aren't going to be the norm.

Yes, unless you can get there on a weekday morning.... forget about
weekends or after work if you don't like crowds. Not sure why it
would be a problem. If those are the times you shop, it's crowded
everywhere - including the mega grocery stores.

Ours isn't usually very crowded. And as SF said, if TJs is crowded,
chances are that *every* store is crowded.

--
Dan Abel

Petaluma, California, USA

Zywicki wrote:


On Oct 30, 12:41 pm, Kate Connally wrote:

Hooray!!! At last Pittsburgh has a Trader Joe's.

I'm especially excited about it because I lived in
So. Calif. for 13 years and shopped at TJ's a lot.
I really missed it when I moved back to Pittsburgh.


I'm becoming more and more a TJ's cultist.

Recent obsession inducing finds:

Cashew, Almond, Coconut and Chocolate "Trek Mix." Way too good, and
the nuts are roasted.

This sounds good. I'll have to look for it.

I also bought a bottle of McIntosh apple juice, made with
all McIntosh apples.
When I go to Vermont I always buy cider that is made from
mostly McIntosh apples (shoot, I'd go to VT just to get that
cider if I could afford it) and it always tasty very McIntoshy.


Shirley, there must be an orchard around Pitt or in Ohio that can
provide you with this.

Nope, believe me, I've looked. They only time I ever
found McIntosh cider was about 10 or 15 years ago at the
Flax Scutching Festival in Stahlstown. A local Boy Scout
troup was pressing cider at the fair. It was all McIntosh
apples. The reason the cider in VT is mostly McI. is that
they grow mostly McI. up there. That's not the case
around here. I've talked to some of the major orchards
that make cider in this area and they always blend and
use a lot of Golden Delicious (which I hate). There was
one place that made some "varietals" like Granny Smith
cider but no McI. Damn! McI. is my favorite apple, best
flavor with just the right balance of sweet and tart.
I really can't get very excited about any other apple
varieties although I'll eat them if necessary. Except
for the mis-names Delicious apples which I abhor.

I know you could get
it in Michigan, but that's 5 hours of driving.

Well, I'll look for some when I drive thru next fall on
my way to Montana to visit my sister. I want to visit
the Cherry Republic also. What's a good area for the
cider?

Kate

--
Kate Connally
“If I were as old as I feel, I’d be dead already.”
Goldfish: “The wholesome snack that smiles back,
Until you bite their heads off.”
What if the hokey pokey really *is* what it's all about?

Kate Connally wrote:
: ... Damn! McI. is my favorite apple, best
: flavor with just the right balance of sweet and tart.
: I really can't get very excited about any other apple
: varieties although I'll eat them if necessary. Except
: for the mis-names Delicious apples which I abhor.

I agree with almost everything that you say above. I do like the
snow apple very much, and within the Mac variety, there are a couple
of early varieties, Milton Macs and Jersey Macs, that have the
MacIntosh taste and more crispness.

But beware of Washington state Macs: Washington seems to have
built a corporate empire, breeding for large, colorful,
smooth -- perfect looking -- fruit of a uniform blandness, no
matter the variety or type. I have found exceptions sometimes in
seasonal stone fruit, but they *were* exceptions.

I've read high praise for Washington state apples, so I'm
guessing that there are honest orchards out the they just don't
ship to Wisconsin.

Our local Macs are good; later we can get pretty good storage
Macs from Michigan and New York...but I'm not sure how long this
supply will survive. Washington apparently can provide VOLUME,
and huge supermarkets need that.
--thelma
: Kate