Trader Joe's
Today, a week after it opened, I visited the Pittsburgh branch of Trader Joe's, next to the McDonald's on Penn Avenue, a bit south-ish of Penn Circle. I've known good ol' Joe for a few years now, and I've found him to consistently be a bit strange in terms of the grocery store world, even though the stores are a favorite among foodies across the country.
You see, Joe sells organic veggies. But, they're wrapped in plastic. He sells high quality wild and farm-raised fish. But, it's frozen. He sells eggs. In bulk. He sells wine (well, in California, he does). For two dollars. (Who remembers Two Buck Chuck's!)
Despite the idiosyncrasies of Joe's business, it's a decent enough place to buy groceries; indeed, I spent about $50 there today and am quite pleased with my purchases. However, I must point out Trader Joe's will probably not become my market of choice, since the selection is somewhat limited, and damnit, I want to look at the entire length and circumference of a zucchini before I buy it.
Anyway, I'm glad Joe has moved into the 'burgh. It seems businesses here are finally starting to cater to the high-end and health-conscious residents of the city, and I think that's a sign of good things to come.
In other news, the Carnegie Mellon Tartans football team is now 8-0 for the season and have just won their first UAA title (whatever that is) since 1997. Hooray Tartans!
Comments
Hey! I visited Joe's this evening. I am familiar with the Trader, so I knew what to expect, but I'm with you. I want a bit more of an active role in my cooking most of the time. I did get blueberry waffles, though. mmm.
Posted by: Katy | November 3, 2006 07:14 PM
Yeah, we love Trader Joes. We ship in Two Buck Chuck by the caseload from Southern California to Houston. It's a great wine, so I've heard.
Posted by: arc | November 3, 2006 08:34 PM
I've been there 3 times now--I went on opening day just to say I did and of course it was a zoo. I see what you (and Leland) mean about the produce, but a few things are unwrapped, like avocadoes, apples, and bananas. They seem to be a great source of baking supplies such as chocolate and dried and high quality frozen fruit. The prices on both white and brown basmati rice are terrific and so is the rice--we had some last night. Likewise coffee beans. But there are some strange gaps in their stock and you still need to go elsewhere to tick off your shopping list.
Posted by: Rebecca | November 7, 2006 08:51 AM