Trader Joe's suggestions

OK, I'm going away this weekend for my college reunion and need to stock up on some grub for my wife to enjoy as she waits in our hotel room with our baby while I'm out guzzling beer. I'm dropping my dog off at a kennel in Glenview this afternoon, a kennel that is right next to the Trader Joes' on Waukegan road. I've been there before, and liked most things I've eaten there (Trader Joes, not the kennel) , but need some specific recommendations (plus, I need to get in and out fast--no time for browsing.)

I'm looking for prepared foods, preferably ones that don't need to be heated. Recomendations for cheese, bread, cold cuts (does TJ even sell cold cuts?) or anything else that can provide a tasty meal without access to an oven or microwave. I will be picking up a few microwavable meals, on the chance that our room has a microwave, but am not counting on it.

Thanks.

Well, it's a pretty subjective thing. Your wife may like or dislike an entirely individual set of flavors that don't correspond with mine. But given that you didn't state any preferences, here are the things I've found decent so far.

They have multiple versions of Brie (foreign and domestic) and some are quite high in butterfat and yummy. Check the labels.

I had an aged gouda that was very nutty and flavorful. Also like their Manchego (milder than some, but nice) and Iberico which is a blend of sheep, cow and goat's milk.)

Their baguettes are perfectly acceptable.

I am rather addicted to the Wm. Macy cheese sticks found in the cracker aisle. Almost a dollar cheaper than at other places around town.

The TJ salsa isn't bad. They have multiple organic salsas as well. The TJ brand chips are fine too for munching.

Cold-cut selection varies. I've had a ham called something like "Healthy Ham" - not particularly attractive package, but a perfectly decent deli ham. Various brands of sliced turkey come and go.

Their deli "wraps" are decent when still fresh. I like the plainer ones. (Not the asian inflected or goopily sauced ones.)

TJs hummos is also fine if you're not making your own.

They have a lot of prepared salads, but I haven't really tried those.

I'd stick with a variety of fresh bread, crackers, and good cheese and a bit of cold meat to spice things up. (And a couple of bottles of wine to wash it down. The Perrin cotes du rhone is very nice for that kindof snack/lunch - alternatively, so is the Villa Maria sauvignon blanc - oft discussed here. But the wine selection changes a lot.

In my opinion, Trader Joe's is best for frozen foods and pantry items and not so great on the prepared foods.

You'll find a "better than Dominick's" selection of cheeses, breads, and salamis, but nothing that is specific to them.

They do have an excellent selection of nuts, dried fruit, and salty snacks. I always buy their unsalted, roasted, almonds and salted soy nuts to keep at work. I also like their "fruit leathers" (a natural fruit roll-up).

They also have great organic roasted red peppers in a jar.

Their microwavable meals are very good, especially the indian varieties. I also like their whole wheat cous-cous.

The other issue with TJ's is that they don't keep a consistent inventory, on purpose. They buy what's available and good. You'll see products there that may not be around next month. For the kind of stuff you're looking for (prepared), I would personally recommend a different store.

Here's a link to a post I did on my site about TJ's a little while ago:

Well, here's my first advice: In the same shopping center as TJ's is the deli, Max and Benny's, one of the better (in a small catagory) of deli's in Chicago. They have some really nice cold cuts, breads, smoked fishes, and prepared foods. I'd get that kind of stuff there, and then accesorize at TJs.

But to your point: I am not a big fan of the cold cuts at TJs. I do not like their too pink and too mushy roast beef and turkey, and I am not a lover of the rosemary ham. The sliced proscuttio and bresola are decent enough though. You can find some good cheese, and we go through a lot of their goat cheese logs in our house. Of the breads, I like the ciabatta and the Portaguese sweetbread or whatever that one is called. You can surely find plenty of good snack stuff, chocolate covered almonds, pirates booty puffed stuff, chips, dips in all the aisles.

If you split your time between TJ and Max and Benny's, you'll end up with a pretty nice spread for Ms. M.

Rob

For what you are looking for, I would head across the street to Kuhns' Delicatessen instead. They have really good roast beef, leberkase, a wonderful selection of cheeses, and they make a mean goulash as well. You can get it all to go as well. Their cucumber salad is also very good. I use them for Ravinia outings.

It's in the middle of the mall next to the Italian restaurant IIRC. If you go N to the next light from the Trader Joes entrance and turn into the mall, it will be in front of you right on the right.

Oddly enough, there are two Trader Joe's on Waukegan road--one in Glenview and one in Northbrook--not too far apart. I discovered because I could not remember seeing Max and Benny's deli the last time I was at the Glenview store. No wonder, it's by the one in Northbrook.

I've tagged along to a conference my husband was attending and killed way too much time in a hotel room with a baby. If I could have had one item from Trader Joes with me, I'd want the dark chocolate-covered dried cherries. They're on the shelf above the freezer cases.

Second the love for Kuhn's Deli. Among other things, they are one of the few shops that carry all flavors of Inglehoofer mustard. My favorite, the creamy dill with lemon and capers, is one of those that most stores don't bother with.

I go to TJs pretty much only for the Total yogurt. If I were going to recommend pre-made food, it would be the Total tzatziki and other dips, with some chips from their fairly interesting collection. I've bought some of their ready-made salads and chicken dishes but was not terribly impressed.

I am NOT a fan of the various deli-type options at Trader Joe's. They are sourced from the east coast and do not approach the quality that you will find at many local Chicago delis.

It seems to me that there is a Kosher delicatessen in the same strip mall as TJs - it is close to the Sara Lee outlet.

TJ's sells "Ducktrap River" smoked trout in its refrigerated case-----It comes in a vacuum-sealed plastic pouch, and if I had the chance---I could eat 4-5 packages of this stuff. Delicious, condemded-man last meal request kinda stuff. Enjoy!

Since there's a thread for Costco, I thought I'd start a thread on Trader Joe's. I've been invited to my aunt's house tomorrow for her annual New Year's lunch of congee and pan-fried duck egg rolls. It's something that I look forward to after Christmas ends. To go along w/the cuisine, I decided to make Trader Joe's Matcha Green Tea Cake & Baking Mix. I was hesitant but curious enough to give it a shot. I made them this morning since I'll be out and about for the rest of the day and tomorrow morning. I added a little fresh squeezed lemon juice & 1/2 tsp of ground ginger to the batter and topped them with sliced almonds before baking. As they sat on my cooling rack, I drizzled a little honey on top for some added sweetness. As you can see, they turn out quite greener than the picture on the box. The texture was quite spongy - it's moist, but you could use a glass of milk on the side. It's definitely mild in sweetness as are most Asian desserts.

P.S. ed - do you see that I used the silicone baking cups? I love them! Thanks for the feedback.

I love Trader Joe. The only lame part is that they seem to discontinue a lot of my favorite products. Case in point: TJ brand dark chocolate with raisins and nuts, hemp chips, TJ flax seed pasta, etc. You all know about my love for the TJ sweet canned corn. My latest crush: edamame hummus! I just add a little chili sauce and lemon and it's good and healthy. Yay for Trader Joe.

I'm into dark chocolate covered powerberries right now, choc covered frozen bananas, frozen edamame. Panko crusted chicken nuggets are always a staple for some healthy protein bites, margherita frozen pizza, Lactose free milk is .50 cheaper than Dom's or Jewel. I just roasted two of the organic roasting chickens for $6 and they were delicious and the perfect size.

We're huge fans of the chocolate croissants from the freezer case at TJ's. Not sure if they were mentioned here before. They're pretty damn good. Take them out of the package before you go to bed, they rise over night and you throw them in the oven for 20 minutes in the morning and you have some nice, flaky, chocolatey treats.

Two recent finds (at least for us): TJ's Organic Woodfired Sicilian Style Pizza. Roasted red pepper, bocconcini, tomato paste, spices, a really nice crust, and a packet of red pepper olive oil in each box. Made in Italy, every ingredient is organic, and, while still frozen pizza, puts any brand name freezer case competitor to shame. We still like their truffled mushroom flatbread as well.

Cha siu bao - cheap, four to a freezer pack, and microwave perfectly in 45 seconds. I wonder who the supplier is; nice pleats on each bun and the pork and sauces seem of good quality, if not aggressive flavor.

Have come up with some total crap lately as well (fresh tomatillo salsa with way too much cumin, instant miso packages with funky dried mushrooms), but I can sift through it at these prices.

The Dark Chocolate Lovers Chocolate Bar from Columbia is an absolute steal, two bars of 85% @ $1.49!
The roast beef hash in the box is amazingly low in fat and close to home made for $2.49.

Anyone have any experience with the Pound Plus chocolate bars? I almost pulled the trigger on a 72% bar the other day, but it't a pretty big commitment for never having tried it.

You can't go wrong with the Pound Plus.

We have lots of TJs frozen entrees right now (I stocked up in anticipation of those no-cooking early baby months) and so far, our favorite is the gnocchi with tomato sauce. Just dump into a pan and the little disks of sauce magically melt and create a delicious meal. The next best thing is the vanilla ice cream - on a par with Scooter's, IMHO.

I like their tapenade. Nice texture and flavor. I always try to have some in the fridge. Their price on St. Andre cheese is better than Whole Foods (not really a surprise, lol). Oh and they have good dairy-free semi sweet chocolate chips, as well. They have the same Sancerre-Pascal Jolivet- (but not always, sadly) that they serve on the by-the-glass wine cart at Mon Ami Gabi. They are making good progress on the new store on Diversey!

Does anyone remember what their cakes are like? I need to pick some up for an office party, but I can't remember if they are in the freezer section or refrigerated, or if they are highly perishable or not. If you have any suggestions about especially tasty ones, let me know!

TJ's have pies and pastries in the freezer, and cakes, pies and some pastries that are room temp. They are fine, but not big. Depending on who you are serving, and how many, I might recommend going to Costco. They always have pies (and reasonably seasonal flavors) sheet cakes that serve 50 in the fridge cases, and room temp chocolate cakes that are quite tasty. They occasionally have things like Black Forest, and cheese cakes.

We probably would go to Costco, but this is a company-funded thing and we don't have a membership. We are only serving about 25 people and there will be fruit and veggies too.

Pie Lady wrote:Does anyone remember what their cakes are like? I need to pick some up for an office party, but I can't remember if they are in the freezer section or refrigerated, or if they are highly perishable or not. If you have any suggestions about especially tasty ones, let me know!

Why don't you go to a real bakery? You're a mile and a half from Abundance Bakery (quite a few mentions here but no thread). I feel somewhat confident saying their caramel pecan cake is better than anything at Trader Joe's.

Abundance Bakery
105 E 47th St
Chicago
773-373-1971

But how are the prices (by comparison)?

Pie Lady wrote:But how are the prices (by comparison)?

Doesn't hurt to call to confirm, but they have prices on their website.

http://www.abundancebakery.net/

Pie Lady wrote:We probably would go to Costco, but this is a company-funded thing and we don't have a membership. We are only serving about 25 people and there will be fruit and veggies too.

The freezer section has a pretty good cheesecake sampler (6 different flavors, I think) at a decent price. The baked goods are across from the dairy section, but I haven't really found anything outstanding there (that I can recall, anyway). Oh, also in the freezer section, the TJ's brand vanilla ice cream is really good, and last time I bought it, was a full half-gallon.

I had to move my father rom his home due to health issues before TJ's opened locally.
The only inexpensive place for steamed clams was Hooters. Every server knew Dad's name. When TJs opened locally they had (fair) frozen clams that made him happy. As well as my wife and kid for not having to go to Hooters to keep him happy.

Hi- The Trader Joe's in Arlington Heights is supposed to have apple flavored Stoli vodka for $6.99, which I am told is a good deal. I got deathly sick on vodka once when I was 19, and I have not had it since then. Hopefully it is on sale at other TJ stores too. Hope this helps, Nancy

The Trader Joe's in Northbrook had the Stoli on sale last weekend, but I didn't notice the price or the flavor.

Hi- Has anybody heard when the Trader Joe's is supposed to open up on Chicago Avenue in Evanston.? Maybe once they open up, I will go there on occasion. The Glenview store is too far for me. Thanks, Nancy