Image by wka via FlickrRotten tomatillos, tired-looking red peppers and squid-ink pasta for about $12 a pound. You may be surprised that I found all of those at Corrado's, the large ethnic supermarket on the Clifton-Paterson border that has a reputation for low prices.
I had an errand in Totowa, and decided to stop in Paterson to pick up Middle Eastern spices and bread at Fattal's Bakery. I also needed grated pecorino romano cheese, which Corrado's sells for $6.99 a pound. I keep it in the freezer, and use it on pasta and to sprinkle over salads and focaccia.
Corrado's is one of the few supermarkets I know that stocks squid-ink pasta, but today, the only package I found was 8.8 ounces and cost $5.99. I passed. One side of an entire aisle is devoted to pasta, including 24-inch long spaghetti from Italy.
I picked up two plastic bags of grated cheese, each one about a pound. Five pounds of carrots were $1.99, and jalapeno peppers were 2 pounds for $1. But I'll have to go elsewhere for tomatillos. Corrado's still has low prices, but in some cases, the quality is low, too. You get nothing back for bringing your own bags.
At Fattal's, I picked up two packages of Syrian bread ($1.50 for 12 loaves); a variety of green and black olives ($2.99 a pound), Aryan yogurt drink ($3.79) and a half-pound each of cumin and coarse Aleppo red pepper ($3.96 a pound).
The cumin and mildly spicy red pepper are my main spices for seasoning several dishes, including wild salmon, eggs and hummus.
I didn't need sardines on this visit to Fattal's, but noted Corrado's charges $1.49 for the same Moroccan sardines you can get at the bakery for 99 cents.
Fattal's Bakery, 975-77 Main St.,
Paterson; 973-742-7125.
Corrado's Family Affair, 1578 Main Ave.,
Clifton; 973-340-0628.
Corrado's quality has gone downhill over the past few years. I used to go there weekly, now I stop by about once a month. There are still deals to be found there, you just have to ask yourself if its worth the effort.
ReplyDeleteI agree. If not for the grated cheese, I would have just skipped it. Last year, a friend who shops there noticed the store was pasting a price sticker over the expiration date on organic salad mix so customers wouldn't realize it had expired. That's low. At the Farmers' Market, where prices are usually lower than Corrado's, they let you see the date of salad and other items and leave it to you to decide if you want to chance it.
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