Starbucks at Target, Jerry's 300-pound cheese and more

An employee of Jerry's Gourmet & More in Englewood said this provolone cheese from Italy weighs about 300 pounds, above, and came stamped with the store's logo, below.

By VICTOR E. SASSON

EDITOR

A licensed Starbucks Coffee opened last Monday at the Target in Hackensack.

The Starbucks at 630 Main St. is the second in Hackensack, joining a company owned store on Essex Street.

We stopped by the Target Starbucks on the first day, and the two employees were  having a rough day.

They couldn't make any espresso drinks, saying the machine needed to be cleaned first.

I ordered a Venti Zen Green Tea, and initially got one sachet of leaves, not the two that are supposed to be used ($2.45).

The Starbucks shares a space with a Pizza Hut concession, and there is seating for about 20 customers.

One big difference is that customers can use their Target credit cards and get 5% off all purchases at Starbucks, including food and whole-bean coffee.

JERRY'S

Check out the enormous provolone cheese on display at Jerry's Gourmet & More in Englewood.

An employee estimated the weight at 300 pounds. That's a lot of cheese for sandwiches and antipasto.

The cheese, imported from Italy, and smaller provolone hanging from the ceiling are stamped with Jerry's logo in red.

Jerry's, at 410 S. Dean St., offers free samples of cheese, cold cuts, bread, olive oil and other food.

Don't miss Jerry's Meals To Go, complete restaurant-quality dinners for $7.99 or $5.99 after 4 p.m.

I picked up Cajun Pork Loin in Pink Sauce. Packaged with it were cavatelli with peas, fava beans and pancetta; roasted potatoes and dumplings. 

COSTCO

Cans of Bear & Wolf Pink Salmon finally reappeared at Costco Wholesale in Hackensack (six 6-ounce cans were $12.99).

I used the skinless and boneless salmon and Genova Solid Light Tuna, also from Costco, to make a salad with diced celery, onion and green pepper, dressing everything in Dijon mustard, fresh lime juice and ground cumin.

I made a sandwich for my wife on toasted Balthazar Bakery baguette with spring mix, sliced tomato, reduced-fat sliced Swiss cheese and Sriracha chili sauce.

I also got a full refund for a partial bag of Della-brand Organic Long Grain Brown Rice from Arkansas I bought at Costco. We found boll weevils in the rice.

And I received the 12 pounds of California-grown Lundberg Organic Long Grain Brown Rice I ordered from Amazon.com  (about $2 a pound).

FATTAL'S

At Fattal's, 975-77 Main St. in Paterson, I bought 15 cans of Al-Shark Moroccan Sardines in Tomato Sauce (99 cents each), which has far less sodium than the same sardines in oil.

One gallon of Merve Ayran Yogurt Drink with live cultures was $8.99, and 13-ounce cans of Libano Verde Hummos Tahina from Lebanon were 99 cents each.

A 28-ounce jar of Salloum Bros. Fig Marmalade with anise and sugar was $5.99.

A few spoonfuls of marmalade with cheese and cinnamon-dusted roasted almonds is a delicious way to end a good meal.