Non-GMO wild rice, 40-ounce marinara and much more

Ingredients are: Long Grain Brown Rice, Sweet Brown Rice, Wild Rice, Whole Grain Wehani Rice and Whole Grain Black Japonica Rice.

Editor's note: Today, I discuss visits to Costco Wholesale, Aroma Espresso Bar and Whole Foods Market.

By Victor E. Sasson
Editor

After an absence of more than a week, I noticed a few changes at Costco Wholesale in Hackensack, the warehouse store that is only a couple of miles from my home.

For one thing, boxes of apples, peaches and other premium fruit have been consolidated in one area and the aisles through them are shorter and oriented differently.

But it is still no easier to find what you're looking for, and on Monday, I had to ask an employee to point me to the 5-pound bags of limes ($4.99).

I also can't shake the feeling that much of the fruit has been handled and picked through by other customers, who think nothing of opening even clear-plastic packages and testing each piece -- for what, I'm not sure.

I picked up Lundberg Wild Blend Rice -- a mixture of wild and whole-grain brown rice -- and noticed the "NON-GMO Project Verified" stamp on the BPA-free bag (4 pounds for $9.39).

Della Organic Long-Grain Brown Rice, also sold at Costco, is from another grower that pledges the rice hasn't been genetically modified.

Two 40-ounce bottles of Victoria Marinara Sauce were on sale for about $3 each, below.

At Costco, Kirkland Signature Soft & Chewy Granola Bars appear to have replaced Chewy Granola Bars from Kashi, one of my favorite snack bars.

A manufacturer's instant rebate reduced the price of two 40-ounce jars of Victoria Marinara Sauce to $5.99.

Made from Italian tomatoes, Victoria is highly rated by Consumer Reports, and the 40 ounces allows you to cook 1 pound of pasta at a time, with sauce to spare.

On my last few visits to the Hackensack Costco, I haven't been able to find Kashi Chewy Granola Bars Trail Mix, a favorite because of the almonds they contain.

On Monday, I did find an enormous box of 60 Kirkland Signature Soft & Chewy Granola Bars ($8.69), but they don't have any almonds in them and each bar is under an ounce.

The Organic Quinoa Salad at Aroma Espresso Bar in Paramus is misnamed.

The staff at Aroma let me down today.

A large Cafe Au Lait was $2.75 (16 ounces); a small piece of chocolate is complimentary.

Poor service in Paramus

The menu, including 9 healthy salads, impressed me when I discovered Aroma Espresso Bar last December at the Garden State Plaza mall in Paramus, so I returned a couple of times more.

But this afternoon, the staff served me an unseasoned salad and even forgot to give me the lemon-olive oil dressing, which I learned later is supposed to be served on the side.

I ordered the Organic Quinoa Salad ($8.50), only to discover it is mostly chopped vegetables with barely a couple of ounces of quinoa (KEEN-wha) on top.

The salad was unseasoned and undressed, so I added black pepper and a little salt.

As I was leaving, I mentioned to an employee, who appeared to be the manager, that I couldn't taste the dressing, and he said it is always served on the side.

"Sorry about that," he said weakly.

At Garden State Plaza, Nordstrom has a cafe with a small menu.

Pan Seared Atlantic Cod was one of the choices today.

One of three kimchis at Whole Foods Market in Paramus.

Kimchi at Whole Foods


Whole Foods Market in Paramus is now selling three kinds of kimchi on its pickles bar for $9.99 a pound.

The kimchi is labeled "premium" and is said to come from "Mama O."

I stopped to chat with one of the employees at the store's wonderful fresh-fish counter, remarking about the stark difference in color between wild-caught king salmon and farmed sockeye salmon.

He said Whole Foods' farmed salmon, which was a pale orange, is colored by a yeast added to the food, not chemicals, as is the practice on many fish farms. 

On the way out, I stopped to buy 5 ears of bicolor corn from Georgia for $2.

My wife just steamed the shucked corn and my ear was pleasantly sweet, needing nothing.

Espresso bar serves coffee in real cups

In a coffee-retailing world led by Starbucks and Dunkin' Donuts, real cups are a thing of the past. But if you order a coffee "for here" at Aroma Espresso Bar, you get a real cup and saucer, and a small piece of chocolate in the spoon.

 

I needed a mid-afternoon pick-me-up during my visit to Garden State Plaza shopping center on Tuesday, and I knew just where to get it.

I headed to Aroma Espresso Bar and ordered a small Cafe Au Lait ($2.50), and when asked whether I wanted it "to go" or "for here," chose the latter.

After a few minutes, I picked up a tray with my coffee in a real, oversized cup -- a rare sight in a world dominated by the cardboard and plastic-foam cups from Starbucks and Dunkin' Donuts.

I brought my tray to an empty table, sat down and enjoyed the stimulating cup of coffee and hot milk.


Aroma Espresso Bar, Garden State Plaza, Paramus; 201-556-1700. Use J.C. Penney entrance, walk past California Pizza Kitchen and turn left.

Web site: www.aroma.us

A coffee bar's nutritious food is a big lure

A Personal (Half) Steak Sandwich on whole-wheat bread, above, at Aroma Espresso Bar in Paramus, an Israeli chain's first U.S. branch outside of Manhattan and Miami.

Aroma's Vegetable Jambalaya delivers a chewy, spicy meal in a bowl without the usual sausage.

An Israeli import is showing more established coffee shops how to lure and keep customers with great food.

With a white, red and black color scheme, Aroma Espresso Bar at the Garden State Plaza shopping center in Paramus resembles an outdoor cafe brought indoors.

The menu offers 13 sandwiches, 10 salads, all-day breakfast, fresh juices, pastries and, of course, lots of coffee, including Turkish Coffee ($2.25), which I've never seen before outside of South Paterson's Middle Eastern food district.

Take that, Starbucks. 

Customers order at the counter, right, then wait for their food or drinks near the kitchen, left. Sandwiches are prepared to order, according to the menu.

  

Just the names of some of the salads make my mouth water: Sweet Potato Lentil, Warm Garbanzo, Organic Quinoa and Halumi. Salads are $7 and up.

Besides Turkish Coffee, Aroma Espresso Bar's Israeli origins are evident in such menu offerings as  Hot Sachlav Pudding, described as "a sweet, milk-based pudding flavored with rose water and garnished with coconut walnuts and cinnamon" ($3.95).

Shakshuka, one of the breakfasts, is a mild tomato, onion and pepper sauce topped with 2 eggs sunny side up, served with tahini sauce, and bread and butter ($9.90).

On Tuesday, my teenage son raved about the spicy Steak Sandwich ($6.50 for half), and he convinced my wife, who arrived later, to order one, too. 

I loved the thick, chewy, meat-free Vegetable Jambalaya, one of the soups of the day ($4.95).

When I ordered my wife's half sandwich and the soup at the same time, I got a discount for a "double-up combo," paying $10.50 for both instead of $11.45.  

The menu is so extensive, Aroma Espresso Bar qualifies as another casual-dining option at the Paramus mall, which has a California Pizza Kitchen and a Zinburger nearby.

But Aroma's menu seems to offer more healthy fare than the others, and lots of vegetarian or non-meat dishes. 



Aroma Espresso Bar, Westfield Garden State Plaza, 1 Garden State Plaza (use J.C. Penney entrance), Paramus; 201-556-1700. Closed Sundays. 

Web site: Wake up and smell the Turkish Coffee   

Drink the zin, forget the burger

At Garden State Plaza, Zinburger replaces Napa Valley Grille.

Editor's note: I went to the mall to see the Tesla electric car and came across two new eating places.

The ground beef that goes into the standard hamburgers at Zinburger in Paramus is nothing special, but the soon-to-open restaurant has plenty to offer non-meat eaters and wine drinkers.

On Saturday, shoppers at Garden State Plaza saw a lot of activity at Zinburger, which is set to have its grand opening on Jan. 15.

A group of workers were at orientation, a chef was having a bite to eat at the cluttered counter and a manager was working on her laptop.

A copy of the menu shows hamburgers will be made with Certified Angus Beef ($9 to $12) or "American-style Kobe" for $5 more.

Certified Angus Beef is raised with harmful animal antibiotics and growth hormones, though there is a natural line without those additives.

Zinburger will be serving the same low-quality ground beef used by celebrity chef Bobby Flay at his misnamed Burger Palace in another Paramus mall, Bergen Town Center.

The Zinburger menu says nothing about how the "American-style Kobe" is raised.

Despite the name, none of the burgers are actually made with red wine.

But wine drinkers are offered glasses for as little as $5 and bottles for only $20.

And for $9, there is a veggie burger with smoked mozzarella, avocado, pea shoots and mayo that can be made "vegan" by substituting a green salad for the bun. 

What's in that bun?

Non-meat eaters also can enjoy a seared ahi tuna sandwich or salad, zucchini fries and low-fat cottage cheese.

The Zinburger logo shows a steer sniffing a glass of red wine.

That would be a good bet. Drink the zinfandel ($9 a glass and $38 for a bottle), but don't bother with the burger. 

Zinburger is opposite California Pizza Kitchen.

 

Aroma Espresso Bar brings the outdoor cafe indoors.

Not far from Zinburger is Aroma Espresso Bar, which has a full menu of breakfasts, sandwiches and  salads.

The Garden State Plaza outpost also serves Turkish Coffee ($2.25), something I haven't seen at Starbucks or Dunkin' Donuts. 

On Saturday, shoppers lined up to place orders, pick up drinks and food, and then grab a seat at one of about two dozen tables.

Service was slow.
 
A 12-ounce cup of brewed coffee was $1.85, but it came with a small piece of chocolate and customers can drink free ice water with lemon slices from a dispenser.  

This is the only Aroma Espresso Bar in North Jersey. Others are located in Manhattan and Miami.

According to its Web site, Aroma is "the largest and most successful espresso bar chain in Israel," with more than 90 branches. 
 

A small slice of nature between the parking lot and the mall.