Missing signs and products can make ShopRite in Paramus a hassle

At the ShopRite in Paramus this morning, I found a sign for an 18-ounce package of blueberries from Chile, but not for the smaller container below it.

The smaller container was marked 1 dry pint and weighed 12 ounces.

By VICTOR E. SASSON
EDITOR

Missing price signs make shopping a hassle, but maybe food stores want you to take the item to the register and buy it no matter what it costs.

I stop at the ShopRite in Paramus, because it is on the way home from the gym. 

This morning, I went there to use a super coupon for three 24-bottle packs of Poland Spring Water ($9) as long as you spent $10 on other items, and used a store card.

An 18-ounce package of blueberries from Chile, a so-called Manager's Special, was marked down to $5.99 from $8.99.

Not only was that a dollar more than at Costco Wholesale, but I could see many of the blueberries were broken or bruised and unappetizing.

A smaller container had no price.

I looked and looked for a 3-pound bag of sweet potatoes I had purchased there regularly, but couldn't find any for the second week in a row. 

So, I bought three half-gallons of ShopRite Lactose Free Milk ($2.99 each), and a 1-pound package of Luigi Vitelli Organic Whole Wheat Fusilli ($1.25).

At the Paramus ShopRite, 224 Route 4 east, all varieties of ShopRite 100% Lactose Free Milk are grouped together.

But last week at the Rochelle Park ShopRite, 220 W. Passaic St., varieites of the store-brand of Lactose Free Milk were scattered. I was looking for 1% milk. However, this store had the 3-pound bag of sweet potatoes I couldn't find in Paramus.

Food warehouse

I've gotten some good buys on organic and non-organic extra-virgin olive oil for salads at the International Food Warehouse, 370 Essex St., Lodi.

But this afternoon, so many price signs were missing, I had to bring up to the register 3-liter and 2-liter containers of Iliada-brand Kalamata EVOO from Greece to find out they were priced too high.

I did buy a 5-ounce package of non-organic Spring Mix and another of Arugula for 99 cents each.

The Food Warehouse has a good selection of Middle Eastern pocket breads, and extra-virgin olive oils from Lebanon, but here again, price signs are missing or prices are higher than you'd find in Paterson.

And I saw a package of bread sticks made in Damascus, Syria.

Where fish lovers eat breakfast, Argentine Red Shrimp a la plancha

When I ordered Two Eggs Any Style with Whiting at Golden Grill in Teaneck, I received two platters, a large portion of broiled fish in a tasty gravy, above, and two eggs over easy with home fries, below.

Cholula Hot Sauce from a bottle on the table gave on my eggs a Mexican accent.

Editor's note: Sunday began with a bountiful breakfast of eggs and fresh fish, and ended with a dinner of jumbo Argentine Red Shrimp grilled on the stove top at home.

By VICTOR E. SASSON
EDITOR

North Jersey is crowded with bigger and fancier places to have breakfast, but none equal Golden Grill in Teaneck.

That's especially the case, if you love fish and believe there's nothing lovelier than a delicious fillet with your eggs and home fries.

On Sunday morning, I took my wife and our guest from out-of-town for a filling breakfast in the modest storefront on Queen Anne Road.

This West Englewood section of Teaneck attracts food lovers with everything from the bustling Golden Grill to a French patisserie to several kosher places, including a bagelry and a coffee house.

More than fish

Besides whiting, you can order a homemade fish cake, sardines, chicken livers or other items with your platter of eggs or breakfast sandwich at Golden Grill.

Breakfasts are served with toast, terrific home fries or grits or both, and a small glass of juice.

When you order whiting, it will come fried unless you ask for it broiled, as I always do.

My breakfast of two eggs over easy, home fries, whiting fillets and juice was $7 (hold the toast). Tea was $1.40.

My eggs, whiting and home fries have been served on a large oval platter, but I got a bonus on Sunday -- two round plates, one with more fish than usual.

Golden Grill is known for generous portions at modest prices. Service is casual.

Breakfasts, such as this Spanish Omelet with hot sauce, usually are served on large oval platters ($8.95).

A vegetable omelet with added spinach and sausage ($9.95).

Most of the seating at Golden Grill is in booths.

Add a little heat to your breakfast with Cholula Hot Sauce from Mexico.

A portion of the menu.

Details

Golden Grill, 1379 Queen Anne Road, Teaneck; 201-837-1078. 

Open 7 days for breakfast and lunch until 3:30 p.m. Free street parking.

Previously frozen Argentine Red Shrimp, thawed and rubbed with fresh lime juice, extra-virgin olive oil and minced garlic, cooking on a stove-top grill. They were done after about 7 minutes on each side.

The grilled shrimp were delicious, shell and all. Inside, they couldn't have been more tender.

Long journey to my plate

Nearly 40 years after my first trip to Barcelona, I can still hear the gravelly voice of a cook in a casual lunch place open to the street shouting, "Gambas a la plancha."

Shrimp on the grill, whose aroma you could smell as you walked by, were always a treat when traveling in Spain.

They were usually cooked in the shell, and you could peel them or eat everything, including the juice from head.

On Sunday night, I thawed and grilled a dozen of the Argentine Red Shrimp I bought at Fish First Inc., which runs the seafood counter inside the International Food Warehouse on Essex Street in Lodi.

I was afraid the frozen jumbo shrimp would be tough after grilling them on the stove top, but they were as tender as could be.

I sprinkled them with sea salt as they coked after marinating them in fresh lime juice, extra-virgin olive oil and minced garlic.

Next time, I'll use granulated garlic to avoid the minced fresh garlic from burning on the grill pan, which straddled two burners turned to medium-high heat.

Organic v. grass-fed beef, elusive food discounts, home cooking

Nature's Reserve Grass Fed Beef, left, and Clayton's Organic Ground Beef, both from Australia, are available at ShopRite in Paramus.

Clayton's Organic Ground Beef is 85% lean, compared to Nature Reserve's 80% lean.

By VICTOR E. SASSON
EDITOR

Which is a better deal nutritionally -- 100% grass-fed ground beef raised without growth hormones or organic beef that is grass fed and grain finished?

I'd go with organic, because the beef is free of both harmful antibiotics and hormones, and the grain would have to be organic and free of GMOs (genetically modified organisms).

Both kinds are available at ShopRite in Paramus, where Clayton's Organic Ground Beef is on sale this week for $4.99 a pound with a store card, if you buy three packages.

At the International Food Warehouse in Lodi, 6.7-ounce bottles of yellow-fin tuna fillets are $5.99 or the equivalent of $14.30 a pound, above and below.

Fishing for deals in Lodi

You'll find one of the best selections of canned and bottled seafood at the International Food Warehouse, but bargains are elusive.

On Monday, I saw beautifully packaged 3.2-ounce tins of clams and crab from Chile for $2.50 each.

Bottle of tuna fillets, weighing only 6.7 ounces, were $5.99 each.

The store stocks tins of sardines from all over, but none are 99 cents, which is what I pay for Moroccan Sardines at Fattal's in Paterson.

Missing signs in the store, at 370 Essex St. in Lodi, make shopping difficult, but an employee I spoke with blamed customers for removing them, though I didn't understand why they would do that.

I took a 3-liter tin of extra-virgin olive oil from the Greek island of Crete to the front counter to find out the price, and left it there when it scanned at well over $20.

I bought a liter bottle of organic Turkish extra-virgin olive oil for $6.99, and fresh sweet red peppers for 89 cents a pound.

Two Costco Wholesale organic eggs with a generous pinch of Aleppo pepper made a great breakfast served over Costco's organic quinoa with diced tomatoes, black beans and whole garlic cloves prepared in an electric rice cooker.

Easy meals without bread

Breakfast can be just as filling without bread, especially one of those enormous bagels slathered with cream cheese.

Organic quinoa and whole-wheat pasta go great with eggs, omelets and frittatas.

Baked sweet potatoes need nothing beyond their terrific flavor and color.

When I couldn't find sweet potatoes this week, I boiled Kabocha squash with its skin and whole garlic cloves, and mashed them with extra-virgin olive oil and seasonings.

The squash was on sale at H Mart in Englewood for 45 cents a pound.

A simple egg-white omelet with a slice of Costco's reduced-fat Swiss cheese was delicious accompanied by leftover organic whole-wheat capellini lightly dressed in Costco's Kirkland Signature Basil Pesto.

My wife removed the bones and skin from leftover king whiting that were $1.99 a pound at H Mart in Englewood, and I used the flaky fish in a frittata with Costco's grated and sliced cheeses, and  dried Italian herbs. Two small baked sweet potatoes stood in for bread at this hearty breakfast.

My brother-in-law prepared fried whole porgy covered with onions, sweet pepper and whole pimento berries (allspice) cooked in vinegar or what is called escovitch fish, below. I ate mine with broccoli rabe from ShopRite that I blanched in boiling water and then sauteed with sesame oil and seasonings, including salt and powdered garlic.

For dinner tonight, I adopted a vegetarian recipe I saw in the newspaper for broccoli and firm tofu with ginger, onion, garlic, curry powder, tumeric and miso. I served the Costco tofu with Kabocha squash and garlic cloves I boiled and mashed, using extra-virgin olive oil and seasonings (I didn't have any fresh broccoli).

Recipe for Wafuu

Click on the following link to see the recipe from The Miami Herald:

Japanese comfort food

Shopping at Costco Wholesale is really paying off

The high cost of gluten-free food. Explore Asian-brand Organic Black Bean Spaghetti is about $4.50 a pound at Costco Wholesale, compared to organic whole-wheat spaghetti at Whole Foods Market and Trader Joe's for $1.39 a pound.

Editor's note: Today, I discuss cash rebates that return your Costco Wholesale membership fee many times over, and bargains at the International Food Warehouse in Lodi.

By VICTOR E. SASSON
EDITOR

In the last few weeks, I received two 1% rebate coupons totaling more than $343 from my Costco Wholesale-American Express TrueEarnings Card.

And I'm waiting for my annual 2% cash award for executive members like me who pay $110 a year to join Costco, twice the regular fee.

The TrueEarnings Card gives you rebates at gasoline stations (3% or 4%) and restaurants (2%) in addition to the 1% back for purchases at Costco and other stores.

The rebate coupons must be used at Costco, but if you make a small purchase, you will get the balance of the check in cash.

Organic brown eggs from Costco Wholesale, served with store-bought tofu and organic long grain brown rice.

A salad of Earthbound Farm Organic Spring Mix with Chilean blueberries, cinnamon-dusted roasted almonds, and Kirkland Signature Parmigiano Reggiano, a reduced-fat cheese, all from Costco.

Bargain organic greens

The International Food Warehouse at 370 Essex St. in Lodi is a good place to supplement my purchase of Earthbound Farm Organic Spring Mix from Costco Wholesale in Hackensack, where a 1-pound tub of the pre-washed greens runs $4.79 to $4.99.

On Thursday, I picked up a 5-ounce package of Earthbound Farm Organic Zen, a deep-green blend of Asian greens, spinach and kale, for only 99 cents.

You have to watch the use-by dates. I saw other Earthbound Farm Organic salads that had a use-by date of Thursday or the day before.

My Zen blend was good for two more days.

Other bargains were half-liter bottles of organic balsamic vinegar with no artificial color for $1.99 each, and 8.5-ounce jars of organic olives from Turkey for $1 each, though the sales flier mistakenly said the bottles were 16 ounces.

Large yams were only 39 cents a pound, and Korean yams rang up at 59 cents a pound.

Bella Famiglia Organic Balsamic Vinegar from Italy contains no added color.

The International Food Warehouse in Lodi has a wide selection of Asian Indian and other ethnic food, but there are no bargains to be found in the wine, beer and liquor department, above.

Does good extra-virgin olive oil have to be expensive?

I've been using this 100% Greek extra-virgin olive oil for cooking and dressing salads since February. My only complaints relate to how difficult it is to raise the tin's turtle-like plastic neck into its pouring position and to unseal it, below.

Editor's note: Today, I discuss extra-virgin olive oils, which can cost up to $20 or $30 a liter, compare organic and conventional apples, and herald 'the return' of Costco Wholesale's Organic Strawberry Spread.

You don't see too many bargains in extra-virgin olive oil these days, so a flier I received in February from the International Food Warehouse in Lodi caught my attention.

A 3-liter tin of Isle of Cyprus Greek Extra-Virgin Olive Oil was being offered for $14.99 or about $5 a liter.

Good extra-virgin olive oil was selling for around $5 a liter about 10 years ago, before a sudden and unexplained spike nearly doubled the price.

Then, blends of Italian, Spanish, Greek and Tunisian oils began to appear at a lower price than bottles of 100% Italian or Spanish extra-virgin olive oil, also referred to as EVOO.

I started buying extra-virgin olive oils from Lebanon, Syria and other Middle Eastern countries in 3-liter bottles that I found in South Paterson stores (about $15).

"Solely by mechanical means," above, refers to obtaining the oil from the olives without the use of hot water or chemicals. Another label, below, refers to "a pure and virgin product obtained ... without any additives."

In February, I bought 2 tins of Isle of Cyprus extra-virgin olive oil, and started to use it for frying eggs, omelets and frittatas, and for dressing salads, along with balsamic vinegar.

I also added it to bottled marinara sauce and drizzled it over reheated leftover pasta.

The oil was fruity and thicker than others I have purchased for the same price, and compared favorably to a Tuscan extra-virgin olive oil from Costco Wholesale that cost $11.99 a liter.

The International Food Warehouse then started selling 1-liter bottles of Isle of Cyrus EVOO for $4.99, but I didn't get to the store before the sale ended.

On May 22, I picked up 2 more tins of the Cypriot oil for $13.99 each.

The golden-green oil and balsamic vinegar make a great salad dressing.

I recall going to the store earlier in May, but found the tins had run out.

I overheard another customer telling his friend the Isle of Cyprus oil must be "adulterated," if it was being sold for such a low price.

But I don't see any evidence of that from the taste and aroma.

It's just a good extra-virgin olive oil at a great price, especially if you use it both to cook and dress salads.

The producer of Isle of Cyprus Extra-Virgin Olive Oil may have cut its price to be competitive in world markets after the island experienced financial problems this year.

It is imported by Phoenicia Specialty Foods of Houston, Texas.


International Food Warehouse, 370 Essex St.,

Lodi; (201) 368-9511. Open 7 days.

Conventionally grown Jazz Apples were $2.49 a pound at the Paramus Shop Rite on Wednesday or only 50 cents less than organic apples at Whole Foods Market.

Comparing apples

Price increases for food never seem to end.

On a visit to Whole Foods Market in Paramus on Wednesday, I couldn't find any organic apples for less than $2.99 a pound.

I bought a single Gala Apple ($1.11), an unusually crisp Braeburn from New Zealand ($1.44) and a Fuji Apple ($1.64), all organic.

A single organic apple cost more than an entire pound of conventional apples a couple of years ago.

Then, I drove over to the ShopRite across the street for lactose-free milk, and saw conventionally grown apples were going for $2.49 a pound.

Whole Foods organic apple prices were stiff, but I also found frozen, antibiotic-free turkey backs and necks for a low $1.49 a pound.

ShopRite had antibiotic-free Readington Farms chicken quarters for $1.49 a pound.

They're back

After several futile searches for Kirkland Signature Organic Strawberry Spread on visits to Costco Wholesale, I finally found some today at my warehouse store in Hackensack ($7.49 for a 42-ounce bottle).

When I couldn't find the spread -- which family members singled out for praise -- I bought Smucker's Strawberry Preserves, made with high-fructose corn syrup.

I also picked up Kirkland Signature Natural Peanut Butter (Creamy), and will refrigerate it to prevent the separation I didn't like the last time I tried it ($9.99 for two 40-ounce plastic jars).

The ingredients are Dry Roasted Valencia Peanuts and Sea Salt.

Costco Wholesale supersizes Korean roasted seaweed

Kirkland Signature Roasted Seasoned Seaweed is made in Korea and sold at Costco Wholesale. Ten packages are wrapped in clear plastic, each weighing  .6 ounce. I paid $7.49 at my Hackensack Costco.

Editor's note: Today, I discuss a popular Korean snack now being sold under Costco Wholesale's Kirkland Signature label, and food-shopping frustration at the International Food Warehouse in Lodi and Corrado's in Clifton.

Those addictive sheets of roasted and  salted seaweed from Korea are now being sold under the Kirkland Signature label at Costco Wholesale.

Each package weighs .6 oz, and appears to contain many more sheets than the smaller packages I've purchased at Korean supermarkets and Trader Joe's.

On the Web site of H Mart, a chain of Korean supermarkets, packages of seaweed, also called laver, weigh only .15 oz and .17 oz -- less than a third of  Costco's version.

Costco sold a brand of Korean roasted seaweed in the traditionally sized package, but the Kirkland Signature version comes in a bigger package that can be shared by two.

This afternoon, I snacked on seaweed sheets wrapped around canned-fish salad with chickpeas.

The Costco package shows the sheets wrapped around rice, shredded over raw fish and as an ingredient in canapes.

Ingredients are seaweed, corn oil, grape seed oil, sesame oil and sea salt. The package is marked "Winter Harvest."

An expensive Bentley automobile was parked on Sunday in the lot of the International Food Warehouse in Lodi, which sells many ethnic foods at a discount.

A liter package of this 100% juice from Turkey was 88 cents.

Out of oil

I drove over to the International Food Warehouse in Lodi to pick up another 3-liter tin or two of Isle of Cyprus Greek Extra Virgin Olive Oil, which a sales flier offered for $13.99 or a dollar less than before.

But the store had sold out. 

I use this thick, fruity olive oil for frying eggs, omelets and frittatas, and to dress salads. 

So, I took three 1-liter bottles of the same Greek extra-virgin olive oil to the register, but the manager wouldn't honor the $13.99 price. Each bottle was marked $6.99.

Consolation prizes

I picked up four 1-liter cartons of Aroma-brand 100% Pomegranate-Apple Juice from Turkey at 88 cents each; four 1-liter bottles of Vintage Lemon-Lime Seltzer at 59 cents each, and yams at 99 cents for 3 pounds.

The store also sells wine and beer, but nothing appeared to be a bargain.

Two organic brown eggs fried in Isle of Cyprus Greek Extra Virgin Olive Oil with Kirkland Signature refrigerated pesto from Costco Wholesale. Instead of bread, I warmed up leftover organic brown rice for a delicious breakfast.

Out of salt fish

Stores like the International Food Warehouse can drive you crazy when you make a special trip for an item, only to find it was sold out or never came in.

On the way back from an errand in Morristown last week, I stopped at Corrado's Family Affair in Clifton to buy 1-pound bags of salted cod from Canada.

The previous time I drove to the store, there was a  sign at the fish counter listing the price for large pieces of dried cod fish, with and without bones, and for dried fish in plastic bags, but I couldn't find a single bag.

Ackee and salted cod fish with Valentina Mexican Hot Sauce.

On Thursday, the same sign was there, but still no bags of cod fish.

I went over to the customer service counter, only to find a line of shoppers checking out their purchases.

In frustration, I shouted out for help, and an employee said the store had ordered the bagged cod fish, but that it "never came in."

Stolen fish?

Imagine: A truckload of dried codfish hijacked somewhere between Canada and New Jersey. 

Next time, I'll call the store before going there.

On the way back to Route 80, I stopped at Food Basics on Getty Avenue in Paterson, and picked up three 1-pound bags of dried Alaskan pollock at $3.98 a bag.

Pollock is a wild-caught fish that tastes similar to cod, but my wife prefers the latter.

Another problem I encountered at Corrado's is missing price signs.

In the produce section, 16-ounce plastic tubs of Uncle Vinny's spring mix and other salads had no price stickers or price signs on the shelf, but a sheet of paper hanging from a shelf gave prices for smaller packages.

An employee I asked just shrugged, and said he didn't know the price of the larger package.

Is there no end to food shopping?

Image by Sarolazmi via Flickr

Champagne mangoes.

I twisted my wife's arm to grab the Costco Wholesale coupon book and make a trip to the warehouse store in Hackensack today, but when she didn't find an item on her list, I had to run out to another store for it.


On Monday, my wife and my mother-in-law made a trip to ShopRite in Rochelle Park, as well as to Hackensack Market, but Costco was closed for the Labor Day holiday.


At ShopRite, my wife picked up cabbage, potatoes, bananas, apple sauce and condensed sweet milk.


At Hackensack Market on Passaic Street, she concentrated on Jamaican products, including 12 cans of a collard-like green called callaloo, in salted water; Grace-brand juice and pumpkin-soup base; Lasco-brand soy drink, Ting grapefruit solda, Foska oats and Excelsior water crackers.


She also bought green boiling bananas and yellow, soon-to-be-sweet plantains.


At Costco on Tuesday morning, a dozen 6-ounce cups of Stonyfield Farm organic, low-fat, fruit yogurt were $7.89 or 65 cents each; two 28-ounce loaves of 100% whole-grain Kirkland Signature bread were $4.19; and two 3-pound jars of Skippy Creamy Peanut Butter with sugar were about $4.20 each.


Four pounds of red seedless grapes were $1.75 a pound. Grade A medium-amber maple syrup from Canada, in a 32-ounce bottle, was $12.99.


My wife used Costco coupons for a total discount of $9, but she couldn't find preserves without high-fructose corn syrup.


So, later in the day, I made a trip to the International Food Warehouse on Essex Street in Lodi, where I found 12- and 13-ounce jars of strawberry, plum, peach and raspberry preserves with sugar for $2.29 to $2.79 each.


I also picked up four half-liters of Capitolio organic extra-virgin olive oil from Chile for $2 each. Fresh Jersey corn were six for $2, but the four ears I bought are small and I'm not sure how sweet they are.


Taste of the islands


My wife brought home a single mango from Jamaica that was a revelation, compared to the fruit from Mexico and Brazil I've been buying in North Jersey.


The color of the flesh was close to orange and the taste was even sweeter than Champagne mangoes. 


They are sold by street vendors in Jamaica for $3 to $4 each.

What does that sales flier say?

Image by the justified sinner via Flickr

Take those supermarket sales fliers with a grain of salt.

Does "USA caught" mean the seafood is wild-caught? 


Does "We source the salmon and smoke it to perfection" mean the fish was wild-caught or farmed and raised with harmful additives, including artificial color?


Those questions are raised by the latest sales flier from Fairway Market in Paramus.


On the cover, Fairway urges shoppers: "Catch spectacular savings!"


Just below that, "USA CAUGHT JUMBO WHITE SHRIMP" are offered for $7.99 a pound.


I called the fish department in Paramus and was told the shrimp are indeed wild-caught in the Gulf of Mexico.


The Fairway smoked salmon is $6.99 for one-quarter pound or about $28 a pound -- compared to $15 and change for a pound of smoked wild salmon from Costco Wholesale.


Fairway's smoked salmon must be farmed or the store would say otherwise. It's too bad the New York-based chain -- unlike Whole Foods Market -- doesn't tell us more about its farmed fish.


The Fairway sale on wild-caught shrimp is a much better deal than the smoked salmon -- about $2 a pound under what Costco charges for farmed shrimp from Vietnam.


But Fairway's sale on conventionally raised whole beef filet mignon at $6.99 a pound is at least $2 over ShopRite's sales price for free-range, grass-fed filet mignon from Australia.


Unfortunately, Fairway also has a sale on mercury laden swordfish steaks caught off Montauk, L.I., at $9.99 a pound


Fairway's sale starts Friday and runs until Sept. 1, but the shrimp and filet mignon are discounted through Sept. 5.


The flier is available online at www.fairwaymarket.com. The store is in the Fashion Center Mall.


Food warehouse


The sale at the International Food Wine and Liquor Warehouse runs through Sept. 6.


The Lodi store is offering two 16.9-ounce bottles of organic extra-virgin olive oil from Chile for $4. That works out to $4 a liter, an excellent price for organic olive oil.


The store is at 370 Essex St. You can submit your e-mail address to receive coupons and special offers at internationalfoodwarehouse.com


Corrado's Family Affair


Corrado's in Clifton, Wayne and Fairfield is offering whole watermelons at 19 cents a pound. The sale starts today and runs through Sept. 21.


Web site: www.corradosmarket.com


Greek yogurt


On Aug. 10, I bought two 32-ounce containers of thick, creamy non-fat Greek-yogurt at Costco in Hackensack for $6.49, or about $3.25 each, compared to $4.99 for a 32-ounce container at Trader Joe's.


When I returned to Costco for more on Wednesday, the price was two containers for $6.99 -- about $3.50 each.