Rev.A--

Is it in the meat dept, or in the cooler/freezer cases?

The KC tri-tip was in the meat dept.

And I would guess that one reason the butcher was so pleased about getting it is that it's rare (so to say) here: KC is absolutely old-fashioned and single-minded about steaks for the grill. If it ain't KC strip or a ribeye, it ain't for us.

I haven't even been able to find a butcher here who had a clue about what a flat-iron steak was; in fact, I asked the Costco butcher about hanger steaks [since I thought I remembered buying some there] and he didn't even know what I was talking about.

Sigh.

Geo

Tri-tip makes great Italian beef.

Geo,

In KC last week, I ran into a guy at the City Market, I believe Seafood, Meats & More was the name of his place. Seemed like a hell of a butcher. Said he raised all his own livestock and butchered it too, though the fresh rabbits he had on display weren't his cuz he ran out.

Stuff looked quite good, he claimed it was all organic (though not necessarily certified so) and good prices to boot. I specifically remember as I walked away thinking that there's a guy I bet could cut me a hanger steak. Do you know anything about this place?

What about the highly-reputed McGonigle's? Is this a worthwhile place?

Edit: I just went to their website and noticed in this week's advert they are offering Usinger's Bockwurst at $4.98/lb.

Aaron D--

Don't know the City Market guy--is he in one of the stalls, or in the buildings? In any case, where? I've been gone for 6 months, and haven't been to the Market for probably 10 months, so I'm behind the times. TODG arrives from Montreal tomorrow, so maybe we'd best plan on a run to the Market on Saturday morning. There are a couple of good butchers in town, but they're pretty widely distributed, most in the Deep Burbs. Since I live in MidTown (48th Terr), I don't get out south very often.

McGonigle's is an interesting place. There's no doubt that it's a very good butcher shop. But, I hate to say, I don't find their beef so far beyond the local quality norm that I feel inclined to shop there for that. On the other hand, they've always got offal, and their smoked meats, bought right out of the smoker, make the trip worthwhile.

Cosentino's, in Brookside, are certainly on a par with McGonigle's for quality.

Tnx for the head's up on the Usinger's bock--funny, the rep didn't mention McGonigle's.

Hmmm, come to think of it, McG's makes their own brat. After my Wisconsin Experience, I wonder what I'd think of it. Maybe I'd best try it.

Geo
PS. What were you doing in town--just visiting??

The guy is in the building, right about in the middle of the base of the "U". Sorry, I don't know which way the market is oriented. He was open on the Sunday morning before the 4th, when pretty much everything else was closed. I'll be curious to see how the stuff tastes. Sells his own eggs, too, and cheap for farm-fresh, $2.50/dozen maybe. I think he occasionally has duck eggs too.

I noticed McGonigle's homemade "Sheboygan-style" brat listed on their ad too.

We were in KC on a scouting trip for an impending move. I've been meaning to email you to get neighborhood advice and such. Kansas City seems like a weird place, in a number of ways....probably a better conversation to have off board.

Anyway, I'm happy to have an LTHer back at home in my future town.

Cheers,

Aaron

Hey that's great Aaron! Just send me a PM when you get the chance, and we'll talk.

I'll find the butcher.

And I'd forgotten that McGonigle's called it 'Sheboygan style'--now I'm all psyched to try it.

Enough of this--back to Costco!

Geo

bibi rose wrote:I usually don't buy a lot of fresh food there, but we got things for a huge tailgating party last week and I was very impressed with the red and yellow cherries. Sweet, and not a one of them was mushy or anything even though we were still eating them yesterday.

Their baked goods are quite good, too. I have only tried the 3-berry pie variety, but it was really good, and my mom swears by the sheet cakes (I hear the cannoli or cheesecake or some such is the best).

HI,

I found the marinated tri tips at the Glenview Costco. They were in the section where the chicken sausages are located. I was more than pleased the price at $3.45 a pound was the same as the regular cryovac tri tips.

Regards,

Geo wrote:Rev.A--

Is it in the meat dept, or in the cooler/freezer cases?

Geo

The meat is in the cooler section.

If you are ever preparing meat products (beef tenderloins, prime rib, etc.) Costco carries the same brands many of our local Chicago restaurants buy.

RevrendAndy wrote:I had never heard or tasted beef tri-tip till moving to the West Coast. It is ubiquitious here. It's a reasonably priced cut of beef (please don't ask) which people serve when entertaining a large group of people. Costco has a marinated tr-tip available in Reno and Carson City, which I've also found in Florida. However, I've also purchased it down in Florida. Generally, I'm pretty anal about seasoning and marinating my own food, but I love the Coscto tri-tip. Throw it on the grill and serve. I would urge you to seek it out and give it a try. By the way, I don't work for or have any financial interest in Costco.

I purchased the marinated tri-tip last weekend and ate it last night. Threw it in the oven straight out of the package. For convenience and price, it gets an A. For taste, a B. Because it's been marinating in the package for a long time, the texture of the meat does suffer from over-marination - too soft, a little mealy. But it is tender, that's for sure. The marinade itself is tasty although way too salty, but not prohibitively so for me. Anyhow, traditionally, roasts are a weekend thing, and who says? During the time that this roast tended to itself in the oven, I did a bunch of laundry, and it took me 30 seconds to assemble the side of sugar snap peas with sesame dressing. Very quick and easy meal. I'd buy it again.

I don't mean to brag or anything, but I do consider myself to be somewhat of a fishstick connoisseur, and I've tried just about every brand you can find in your grocer's freezer. Even though I enjoy a nice plate of 'sticks with frozen french fries or maybe some deli mac 'n cheese, all of the usual kinds(Fisherboy, Van de Kamp, Mrs. Paul's to name a few) suffer from at least one of the following troubles:
1. Too Mushy-the breading is so thick that it turns into a paste when you cook them
2. Too bready-hard to tell the difference between the fish and the coating
3. Too fishy-makes you scared to eat them


Costco is now carrying a kind by Trident called Ultimate Fishsticks, and they claim to solve not one, not two, but ALL THREE of the previous problems. Impossible, some might say. I had nothing to lose- really, how much worse can these things get?- so even though I'm the only meat-eater in my family I bought a 4 lb. bag of them for $10 last week.

How were they? They baked up crispy, the coating was in perfect proportion to the meat-which was made up of whole chunks of filet, and they tasted like fish, but not fishy. They had a distinct fishstick flavor and feel, but without the ick factor. So they really live up to their name. And might I add that they are greatly enhanced by a dash or ten of some nicely aged Tobasco Habenero hot sauce.

HI,

I grew up on fish sticks and mac'n'cheese every Friday night. I look forward to the bold new world of really good fish sticks, thanks!

***

FYI - I recently bought Vermont white cheddar at Costco, which claimed to be extra sharp. I guess by Vermont standards it was extra sharp, by my experience with extra sharp cheddar from Wisconsin, this was a bit limp in the sharp department. I was making pimento cheese with it where sharp is a sought after characteristic, which this cheese disappointed me.

Regards,

Cathy2 wrote:I bought my most recent set of tires there.

My Mom just bought a pair of prescription glasses.

_____I too picked up some tires for the Jeep at Costco, C2, as well as visit their optometrist. Might be about time for my first rotation in a few thou…? Huh...not often I find myself parallel to you Cath. Something to be noted.
_____Anyway, yes (to answer your question). I –heart- Costco...meat department! I have membership to Sam’s & Costco, but the latter offers everything just a step above the generic wholesale medium. Both stores have roughly the same thing and the same prices, but due to wine selection (albeit the well-rated Costco guy retired a year or two ago) and minor product offerings, I’d choose Costco if Ihad to limit my wholesale club budget.


Zin

P.S. Sorry for my distance from the list (several months), but I had a kid in June, started a new job in August, and began my doctorate in September. Can’t say I’m going to jump back in with the same fervor I had before, but I miss reading and contributing to my favorite topic…perishables.

- I recently bought Vermont white cheddar at Costco, which claimed to be extra sharp. I guess by Vermont standards it was extra sharp, by my experience with extra sharp cheddar from Wisconsin, this was a bit limp in the sharp department. I was making pimento cheese with it where sharp is a sought after characteristic, which this cheese disappointed me.

cathy, have you tried the rugged coastal cheddar from england sold at costco? its about a 17oz. block, wrapped in white paper. its not the sharpest cheddar in the room, but its absolutely my favorite cheddar, and cheddar is my favorite cheese. it has a unique, almost sweet smell and little cruncy bits that the label says is calcium. i use it for pimento cheese and mac&cheese and anything else i want cheddar for. i'm always sad to see it go as it disappears periodically. i believe it's available spring/fall. i recently saw it, in the same packaging, at another store but dont remember where. justjoan

The Kerrygold Dubliner cheese sold at Costco in big blocks is also very nice. It also contains those calcium lactate crystals -- which I love, though I'm told that some cheesemakers consider it a flaw.

I completely concur on that English cheddar, and to a lesser extent the Kerry. Flaw or not, those little calcinations are addictive, although it's the strongly flavored, hard but not dry cheddar itself that makes the case for this good stuff.

A recent example of a swell Costco-only meal that does not require anyone to buy a huge lot of food:

2 veal chops, pounded thin, bones "frenched."

Fried in butter.

Mozz' di bufula Campana and prosciutto di Parma on top, a few grinds of pepper, maybe a sage leaf if you have one, then under the broiler for a few minutes. Bottle of Barolo on the side.

Deglaze the pan with some of that Barolo.

you can buy prosciutto di parma at costco?

how much per pound and how much do you have to purchase?

Snark wrote:you can buy prosciutto di parma at costco?

how much per pound and how much do you have to purchase?

It's $12.99 for 12 oz.

Count me a fan of the Trident fish sticks from Costco. I bought one of those four-pound bags at the start of Lent and had a few for lunch a couple of times a week. That bag lasted a long time. They were, as another poster said, mostly fish, not much breading, with good fish flavor.

This week at Costco:

Canadian Coca Cola, $5.60CDN for a 24-pack. Still made with real sugar, although the label lists the sweeteners as "Sugar/glucose-fructose" (aka HFCS). It definitely has that real sugar taste.

Raw-milk camembert. $6 per 250g round.

Oh! Canada

(sigh)

Ever had the frustration of getting hooked on something that Costco is carrying and then make a trip only to find it gone - forever? For us, the first time was Knotsberry chocolate dipped raspberry shortbreat cookies and it took us a number of months to work through that trauma. Anyway, I'm not sure if this is common knowledge but fwiw thought I would share it. Yesterday I was at the Niles location to restock on the 2004 Norton Bodega Malbec which we have really been enjoying of late. I struck up a conversation with a manager who was restocking the wines and in the course of conversation about the Norton he indicated they would be discontinuing it shortly. He then showed me an asterick on the upper corner of the price ticket and told me that for any given product, if there is an asterick on the tag, that means that the product is in its final run and would no longer be carried after selling out. In the case of the Norton, he indicated they would have about 3 more cases delivered then would discontinue after those sold out. So, if you're picking up something you like and see that asterick, you might pick up a few more as it likely won't be seen for some time. I've never bought 2 cases of wine at Costco before, but yesterday I did.

Thanks for the tip, Mr. T!

But things do come back. They stopped having Carr's Lemon and Ginger Biscuits for a while, but now they have them again. So you never know! Maybe it's just the end of this vintage, and later when the next year is released they'll have it again.

HI,

I saw the asterick today on the duck breast jerky dog treats as well as their antipasto, which was marked down to less than $5. I bought a bag for my sister whose dogs adore them.

Regards,

The dogs like antipasto??

: )

Heh-heh C2, couldn't resist.

Now, let me get this straight: Costco sells a *duck breast jerky* dog food, right? Is that what you're saying?

Huh. Well, then. How does it taste?? (I'd have tasted it, just to see...: )

Geo

HI,

I tasted the jerky at Christmas time. It's a taste only a dog would love. My sister says the dogs sit next to the bag with pleading eyes.

Mom is the one who likes the antipasto.

Regards,

Count me among Costco fans. Started going for ribs, but have gradually expanded my explorations. Wine and alcohol caught me next, then produce, and now I wander around and buy most everything (except most of the prepared/frozen foods) at different times. Around Christmas, the Bride joked they should set up a cot for me there so I could just stay. Bought all the business gifts there, plus a couple of big TVs (acting as a buying service for friends) and more.

I do have one data point on Costco's pricing and philosophy. I do not think Costco tends to try to have the cheapest stuff, but rather good quality stuff at a very small markup. In general, you can almost always find stuff on sale at lower prices (called loss leaders, yes?), but one would have to drive around a lot. Recently I read an article about Costco's business model, and it went something like this (the numbers are from my memory and are surely not accurate, but they convey the message about how the company works):

They sell $4 billion of stuff, at a net profit of about $200,000.
They sell $500,000 of memberships, at a net profit of $400,000.

So the idea is not to sell more products and make more money on them, but to offer attractive products at attractive prices that will get people to become and stay members.

I have, however, recently become a bit disenchanted with some of their produce. I bought some french cut green beans, and found they tasted a little funny, I assume this is from whatever they use to wash and treat them. Then I began tracking how long Costco produce lasts in the refrigerator - and some of this stuff seems to last forever. Not sure how it is being treated, but it worries me a bit.

But I do think the Kirkland brand stuff is generally very good, and a great deal, and I confess that to my offspring's dismay, I am finding Costco to be a great clothing store. They sneer at the thought.

dicksond wrote:
But I do think the Kirkland brand stuff is generally very good, and a great deal, and I confess that to my offspring's dismay, I am finding Costco to be a great clothing store. They sneer at the thought.

We actually got some clothes at Costco for the first time this weekend -- a really nice quality hooded sweatshirt for Beth for $20. On par with the American Apparel product that costs $40. Assuming the made-in-america bit isn't a sticking point.

I tend to avoid their produce, although we'll sometimes pick up campari tomatoes, garlic, and pineapples. If they're in good shape, the fingerling potatoes are very nice and pretty reasonably priced. Do you sense a trend? Nothing refrigerated.