Chicago area grocery stores (purchases, taxi, price)

[Vlajos]

Originally Posted by carrie1148

1. Whole Foods
2. Trader Joes

I do not buy processed crap though, so consider the source.

Most of Trader Joe's food seems to be frozen, which is processed. That place is so overrated it's silly.

[carrie1148]

Originally Posted by Vlajos

Most of Trader Joe's food seems to be frozen, which is processed. That place is so overrated it's silly.

One aisle? It's a nice place to get food that doesn't have high fructose corn syrup or partially hydrogenated crap. Ketchup is just under a dollar and it's made with real food. Peanut butter and jelly are also great things to buy there. Bread, pita, and tortillas. All free of nasty trans fats and HFCS.

If you are someone who will eat heavily subsidized poor quality food, then yes, Trader Joes is not for you. If you are looking for real food, then it isn't a silly place to shop at all. It's very well priced.

For the record, the only frozen thing I buy there is the veggies.


Like I said, consider the source.

[Vlajos]

Originally Posted by carrie1148

One aisle? It's a nice place to get food that doesn't have high fructose corn syrup or partially hydrogenated crap. Ketchup is just under a dollar and it's made with real food. Peanut butter and jelly are also great things to buy there. Bread, pita, and tortillas. All free of nasty trans fats and HFCS.

If you are someone who will eat heavily subsidized poor quality food, then yes, Trader Joes is not for you. If you are looking for real food, then it isn't a silly place to shop at all. It's very well priced.

For the record, the only frozen thing I buy there is the veggies.


Like I said, consider the source.

i don't care, I think Trader Joe's is for schmucks. You can get way better produce elsewhere. The alcohol selection is for fools and they have a lot of frozen food.

I am happy you like it.

[carrie1148]

Originally Posted by Vlajos

i don't care, I think Trader Joe's is for schmucks. You can get way better produce elsewhere. The alcohol selection is for fools and they have a lot of frozen food.

I am happy you like it.

This ******** agrees with you on the alcohol and the produce. Which is why I mentioned Whole Foods.

But since OP wants some snacks and pretzels, Trader Joes is a good option for those items. And staples like bread and syrup.

ETA.....funny, I typed the same word you did without the S and it censored me. So schmucks is okay, but one *******, not okay. LOL.

[Aleking]

Edgewater Produce

[pidgeon92]

If you're ever out in Niles, Jerry's Fruit Market at Oakton and Milwaukee has great produce, and is very inexpensive. Last week strawberries were 69¢ a pound.

[eating while walking]

I really enjoy grocery shopping. Here are some of my favorites.

For pickles, cheese, European butter, soup base, GREAT MUSTARD, and a universe of smoked sausages and deli meats that you never knew existed, check out some of the Polish delis on the northwest side. Gene's, Kurowski's, Endy's and Andy's are all good. I keep meaning to try all the different kinds of sausage they have hanging behind the counter but I always crack under pressure at the register and just go for the old favorite: kielbasa weselna.

Joong Boo Korean Market has very high quality produce and meats, but the selection is not huge. I go for their fresh scallions, yardlong beans, Tofu products, well-trimmed flank steak, head-on shell-on shrimp (3 – 4 different kinds), whole mackerel and thin-sliced beef for hot pot. It's just north of Belmont and Kimball under the expressway.

For a wider selection of meats in general, it's hard to go wrong with a mid to large size Mexican-owned or Mex-frequented supermarket. It seems like Mexican people won't tolerate bad or overpriced meat. Look for a busy Carniceria on the West/Southwest side, or go with a chain like Tony's or Pete's Fresh Market. These are great places to find well-marbled skirt and ribeye steaks. Also reasonable prices on economy cuts like pork shoulder and frozen chicken legs. Don't forget that the prepared meats in the deli case can often be very good; pick up a half pound of carnitas and a warm package of tortillas and you've got a great dinner.

Mariano's is a pleasant store to walk around but it's overpriced in my opinion. Everything seems to cost about 30% more than it should.

For cheap staples like milk, flour and eggs, go with Aldi.

[Drover]

Originally Posted by carrie1148

One aisle? It's a nice place to get food that doesn't have high fructose corn syrup or partially hydrogenated crap. Ketchup is just under a dollar and it's made with real food. Peanut butter and jelly are also great things to buy there. Bread, pita, and tortillas. All free of nasty trans fats and HFCS.

If you are someone who will eat heavily subsidized poor quality food, then yes, Trader Joes is not for you. If you are looking for real food, then it isn't a silly place to shop at all. It's very well priced.

For the record, the only frozen thing I buy there is the veggies.


Like I said, consider the source.

So you think ketchup and peanut butter and jelly and bread and pita and tortillas aren't processed? That they come right off the trees and out of the ground in that form?

Just because you buy higher-quality processed crap doesn't mean it isn't still processed crap.

[long101]

I live a few blocks away from a Jewel, so it is hard to not visit in a pinch.

However my staples are Costco, Marianos, and Aldi -for a few staples.

I was late to the Marianos bandwagon and didnt want to believe the hype. I can walk in, get a coffee for a buck, and go shop. Its almost an enjoyable experience. Their bakery is awesome, solid deli, and meat selection. It is also not horribly priced, so I can do the bulk of my shopping there.

[Vlajos]

Originally Posted by long101

I live a few blocks away from a Jewel, so it is hard to not visit in a pinch.

However my staples are Costco, Marianos, and Aldi -for a few staples.

I was late to the Marianos bandwagon and didnt want to believe the hype. I can walk in, get a coffee for a buck, and go shop. Its almost an enjoyable experience. Their bakery is awesome, solid deli, and meat selection. It is also not horribly priced, so I can do the bulk of my shopping there.

I like Mariano's. I was there this weekend and they had really nice manila clams for $6.99/lb which isn't bad. Two lb bag of mussels for $4.88, decided on the spot to make cataplana. One clam and no mussels were dead, very nice.