At H Mart, first sighting of Perdue chicken raised without antibiotics

Perdue, which has been selling low-quality chicken for decades, says its Harvestland birds are raised on all-vegetarian diet free of harmful antibiotics and animal by-products, such as kitchen scraps and bits of dead animals.

At H Mart in Englewood, boneless Harvestland thighs or what Perdue calls "filets" were a pricey $4.99 a pound. Chicken drumsticks, at $2.99 a pound, are more competitive. 

Editor's note: On a trip to pick up organic eggs and prepared Korean food, I noticed a new brand of Perdue Chicken. 

By VICTOR E. SASSON
EDITOR

I was heading for the fish counter at H Mart in Englewood the other day when packages of chicken caught my eye.

The Korean supermarket is the first store I've seen that stocks Perdue chicken raised without any kind of antibiotics.

This after decades of selling birds pumped up on harmful antibiotics, and spending millions on deceptive advertising to make the public think Perdue chickens were naturally raised.

Even the Perdue tractor-trailers I've seen on the turnpike had a farmhouse painted on their sides to counter the reality of chickens raised in crowded conditions and growing so large they sometimes fell over and could not get up again. 

We've been buying other antibiotic-free brands, including Coleman and Readington Farms, at Costco Wholesale and ShopRite, and probably won't change to Harvestland.

Perdue's Harvestland brand doesn't replace the cheaper chicken Perdue raises conventionally with harmful antibiotics.

Whole Harvestland Chickens were $2.88 a pound.

Jumbo Brown Organic Eggs were on sale for $3.99 at the H Mart in Englewood, the closest I could get to the $3.50 a dozen Costco Wholesale charges for Large Brown Organic Eggs.

Cage-free, non-organic eggs also were $3.99 at H Mart.

The H Mart at 25 Lafayette Ave. in Englewood has a large selection of prepared food, including panchan, the traditional side dishes served with every Korean meal, above and below.

The H Mart store makes its own items, but also sells food from Jinga and other outside caterers. Prices went up sharply last year.

The package of Jinga Whole Roll or Kimbap I bought for $6.79 was labeled 16 ounces, but weighed more than that on my kitchen scale, lessening the sting.

Jinga's Whole Roll is meatless. Ingredients include seaweed, rice, egg, pollock and crunchy julienned vegetables, and the package includes hot jalapeno slices and Korean pickles. This serving made a light dinner followed by a big salad.

At H Mart in Little Ferry, are some of the savings exaggerated?

At H Mart in Little Ferry, is one 15-pound bag of white rice for $12.88, above, a better deal than two bags for $19.99 with a store card, below? I pay a few dollars more for Kokuho Yellow Label Rice because it is grown in California.

The label of the cheaper rice doesn't specify where it is grown in the United States.

By VICTOR E. SASSON
EDITOR

After a trip to H Mart in Little Ferry on Sunday, I looked over my receipt to see how much I had saved on clementines and a 16-pack box of spicy noodle soup.

A 5-pound box of Bagu Clementines from Spain were $5.99, and the receipt said I saved $4 over the "regular price" of $9.99.

But other stores list the retail price of clementines as $7.99.

A box of 16 4.2-ounce servings of Shin Ramyun, a spicy instant noodle soup that is MSG free, was $9.99, compared to the regular price of $16.99, a savings of $7.

You have to present an H Mart Smart Savings Card to get many discounts, and I get the feeling the Korean supermarket chain sometimes exaggerates savings.

In 2011, the box of Shin Ramyun contained 20 portions, not the 16 you find today, and the retail price was $15.99.

A year ago, the 16-portion box was on sale at the same time for $12.99 at the H Mart in Fort Lee and for $9.99 at H&Y Marketplace in Ridgefield.

The label of Kokuho Yellow Label rice says it is "100% California grown."

The Hukukome Rice makes no such claim.

At the Little Ferry H Mart, I also purchased a 1.6-pound package of prepared Stewed Tofu from Pinocchio Catering for $5.99 (the label listed the weight incorrectly as 4 ounces). This was a better buy than a smaller package from Jinga, another caterer, for $4.29.

Today's special at H Mart: $2.99 each or two for $6

Seen on Saturday morning at the H Mart in Englewood, part of a chain of Korean supermarkets celebrating its 30th anniversary in the United States.

By VICTOR E. SASSON
EDITOR

Price signs continue to be a problem for food shoppers, whether they patronize a ShopRite or an H Mart.

On lower shelves, the signs are unreadable unless you get down on your hands and knees.

Often, products are misplaced on the shelf over the wrong sign, and instead of a deal, you get sticker shock at the register.

H Mart, formerly Han Ah Reum, is a chain of Korean supermarkets in New Jersey that is celebrating its 30th anniversary in America.

But the five H Marts I patronize in Englewood, Little Ferry, Fort Lee (2) and Ridgefield act as independent stores -- with different retail and sales prices, coupons, late-day discounts and sales.

Sign, label confusion

On Saturday at the Englewood H Mart, I saw Rico Garlic Paste for $2.99 each, according to the shelf sign, or a "special" of two for $6, according to a sticker on the jar.

The Englewood store also offers prepared food, and one of my favorites is spicy stewed Alaskan pollock, a cousin of the cod.

Jinga, one of the caterers that supplies H Mart, recently hiked the price for a 1-pound package of stewed pollock to $8.49 from $6.99.

Next to it on the shelf was a similar package of stewed pollock from Pinocchio, another outside company, for $7.49, but I couldn't compare the two, because the Pinocchio label listed the weight as "0 lb. 2 oz."

Shin Ramyun, a spicy instant noodles soup, is available in individual 2.6-ounce cups, above, and "Family Packs" of 4.2-ounce servings, below. The cups were on sale Saturday at the Englewood H Mart, but each serving contains 66% of the daily recommended sodium intake, compared to 43% for the larger portions.

The label on Pinocchio Catering's Stewed Alaskan Pollock has shoppers guessing at the correct weight.

At the H Mart in Englewood, I bought a 56-ounce tin of Kadoya Pure Sesame Oil from Japan on sale, but had to return to the store for a lesson on how to close it. The can has a three pictographs instructing you on how to open the can, but none on how to close it. The sale ends today.

Yams, farmed salmon, Costco Wholesale and more

A wedge of a frittata, made with store-bought pesto and boiled yam slices, feels at home plated with leftover organic whole-wheat pasta shells with pesto and salted cod fish.

The frittata puffing up under the broiler. I spooned on Kirkland Signature Basil Pesto from Costco Wholesale after removing the pan from the oven.

By VICTOR E. SASSON
Editor

I've been yamming it up in the kitchen.

I couldn't resist that play on words after preparing a frittata with sliced yams, pesto and cheese.

Yams are said to be starchier and drier than sweet potatoes, and may not be the best choice on my no-bread, no-pizza diet, but they taste as sweet.

For the egg mixture, I used three whole organic brown eggs, a 16-ounce carton of 100% egg whites, grated Parmigiano Reggiano Cheese and a little low-fat organic milk, all from Costco Wholesale.

The mixture was poured into a hot, non-stick pan with oil and allowed to set over a medium-high flame before I placed the yam slices -- boiled for about 15 minutes -- and reduced-fat Jarlsberg Lite Swiss Cheese (also from Costco) into the mixture.

A frittata allows you to layer yam slices, sweet potatoes, cheese or other fillings.

I finished the frittata under the broiler, set on low, for about 10 minutes or until it browned and puffed up. The pesto was added after I removed it from the oven.

I prefer to make frittatas instead of omelets that are folded, because the former allows you to use more yams, cheese or whatever you are stuffing it with.

A couple of years ago, I put a note in the suggestion box at Costco Wholesale in Hackensack, asking for lactose-free milk. On Monday, I saw 96-ounce containers of 2% lactose-free milk for the first time, but I use 1% lactose-free milk from ShopRite, and would really like to see Costco give members a price break on organic lactose-free milk. Organic milk contains about 60 percent more heart-healthy omega-3 fatty acids than non-organic varieties, according to Consumer Reports on Health.

Salmon warning

Consumer Reports on Health says that "in general," farmed salmon isn't as good for you as wild-caught salmon.

"Some research suggests farmed salmon may harbor higher mercury and pesticide residues and higher levels of possible carcinogens called PCBs," according to the March 2014 edition of the newsletter.

"The risks depend on how the salmon was raised and what it was fed. So it makes sense to spring for wild salmon," the newsletter says, adding both contain high levels of omega-3, the fatty acids that may support heart health.

Whole Foods Market pledges that all of the farmed seafood it sells is free of pesticides and antibiotics, but Costco Wholesale and other retailers rarely tell consumers anything more than that their farmed salmon is artificially colored.

The March 2014 edition also lists four seasonings that may improve your health: chili pepper, cinnamon, sage and turmeric.

'Poultry litter'

The April 2014 Consumer Reports on Health reiterates the consumer organization's recommendation to buy antibiotic-free poultry, and notes organic poultry "is raised almost always without the routine use of antibiotics."

"The widespread use of those drugs in food animals is triggering a rise in antibiotic-resistant bacteria," the newsletter says.

Then, the newsletter notes, "Organic birds can't be fed poultry litter (a mixture of droppings, spilled feed, and feathers) or arsenic drugs."

Isn't that an appetizing notion, that poultry raised on harmful antibiotics also may dine on feathers and droppings?

The newsletter also notes there are "no government-approved organic standards for seafood."

Grass-fed cattle

"As with chicken, organic cattle aren't raised with routine antibiotics, but for optimal nutritional benefits, look for organic meat that's also labeled "American Grassfed Approved" or "USDA Process Verified grass-fed," according to the newsletter.

"Studies suggest that meat from such animals might provide more health benefits than meat from animals fattened on a conventional diet of grain."

Both organic and non-organic beef and lamb from Australia and New Zealand are often labeled "grass fed," and they are available at ShopRite, Costco and Trader Joe's.

Even with more than 25 staffed checkout lanes, shoppers waited in long lines on Sunday at the Trader Joe's Chelsea in Manhattan, above.

A sign outside a deli on Seventh Avenue in the Chelsea section of Manhattan.

Lazy afternoons

My afternoon visits to Costco Wholesale in Hackensack keep on paying off in a less-crowded, less-frenetic shopping experience than the mad morning rush.

Just inside the door on Monday, I couldn't resist picking up another no-iron, 100% cotton dress shirt with a spread collar for only $17.99, and it isn't made in China.

Two 96-0unce bottles of Kirkland Signature Organic Lemonade (18% juice) were $5.99, two dozen KS Organic [Brown] Eggs were $6.99, and six 16-ounce cartons of KS Egg Whites were $8.79.

Three half-gallons of KS Organic Milk (1%) were $9.99, and four half-gallons of Tropicana Orange Juice were $11.59.

Wild-caught haddock fillets from Iceland were $8.99, a 1-pound tub of Earthbound Farm Organic Spring Mix was $4.79; and 5 pounds of seedless Red Globe Grapes from Peru were $7.99, but the label says they are "treated with sulfer dioxide for fungicide use, [and] please rinse well."

A 2-pound package of reduced-fat Jarlsberg Lite Swiss Cheese has a new package, but is still $8.59; and a new item, a 2-pound package of sliced Adams Reserve New York Extra Sharp Cheddar, aged more than 12 months, was only $6.99.

Three pounds of bananas were $1.39, the lowest price in North Jersey.

All organic products, whether you buy them at Costco or elsewhere, are free of genetically modified organisms (GMOs).

Timing is everything

At H Mart is Fort Lee, a 1-pound, 3-ounce package of stir-fried vermicelli noodles with vegetables from Pinocchio Catering is usually $5.49, but after 7 p.m. on Saturday, they were half price. 

I picked up two for $5.49.

The Korean supermarket also was having a sale on scallions -- five bunches for 99 cents.

At the H Mart in Englewood, some prepared Korean food from Jinga goes on sale after 4 p.m.

The North Jersey 'ethnic-food run' is alive and well

The takeout counter at Pollos El Chevere, where the menu of Peruvian specialties goes far beyond its signature rotisserie chicken.

Editor's note: Today, I discuss some of the great ethnic food available in North Jersey, and shop with a coupon booklet from H Mart, a Korean supermarket chain. The H Mart in Englewood was closed in 2018.

By VICTOR E. SASSON
EDITOR

North Jersey's increasing diversity pays big dividends: Great ethnic food at nearly every turn.

I often did my "ethnic-food runs" on Saturdays, starting in the city of Passaic with a snack of tacos, stopping in Paterson for a takeout soul-food dinner, and ending with food shopping and a meal in South Paterson's Middle Eastern bazaar.

The soul-food restaurant closed, and three and a half years ago, I stopped eating meat. But I can still do a food run.

Last Saturday, my wife wanted to shop some of Passaic's cheap clothing stores.

That set up a visit to Pollos El Chevere, an inexpensive Japanese-Peruvian-owned restaurant that is one of the nicest and cleanest in that poor city.

We ordered takeout for the meat eaters in the family:

Pollo Entero Solo, a whole rotisserie chicken with a side of white rice, french fries, green or sweet plantains or yuca ($10); an order of Tostones or fried green plantains ($2.75); and two Empanadas with ground meat and boiled egg ($2.50 each).

We also ordered an extra container of a pale green, spicy chili-cheese sauce ($3) that can be poured over the chicken, green plantains or just about anything else.

Plenty of seafood

I fondly recall meals at Pollos El Chevere, especially enjoying my favorite dish, Ceviche de Pescado ($12), a Japanese-Peruvian twist on sashimi, served with  sweet potato and popped corn kernels.

Another great dish is called Tallerin Verde, a green or pesto-like pasta dish available with shrimp, fish or steak ($12.50 to $14).

The menu also offers many seafood dishes, including stews, fried fillets and steamed fish.

Pollos El Chevere, 228 Washington Place, Passaic; 1-973-249-6330. 

Web site: www.cheverechicken.com

Al-Shark Moroccan Sardines in tomato sauce or spicy oil are still only 99 cents a can in the grocery section of Fattal's Bakery in Paterson. We use them in pasta sauce and salads.

Corrado's

Our next stop was Corrado's Family Affair, a big, ethnic supermarket on the Clifton-Paterson border where I used to go for salted cod from Canada in 1-pound plastic bags.

After two earlier visits to Corrado's, only to find they were out of those bags of salted cod, I called ahead and was told by a fish counter worker the cod had finally come in.

But what the employee called cod turned out to be salted Alaskan pollock, a cheaper substitute I buy at Costco Wholesale, and I left empty handed.

We drove less than a mile to Fattal's Bakery on Main Street in Paterson, where I picked up 21 cans of Al-Shark Moroccan Sardines in tomato sauce or spicy oil (99 cents each).

Aleppo Restaurant offers a great Syrian meal in a pleasant setting, above and below, free of the annoying hookah smoke so prevalent in other restaurants in South Paterson or over the border in Clifton.

If you like spicy food, Aleppo Restaurant's Muhammara is a must.

Aleppo Restaurant

We finished our "ethnic-food run" with another great meal of soup, salad, fish and kebabs at Aleppo Restaurant in Paterson.

See a previous post: 

My heart goes out to the city of Aleppo, Syria 

Details

Aleppo Restaurant, 939 Main St., Paterson; 1-973-977-2244.

Fattal's Bakery, 975-77 Main St., Paterson; 1-973-742-7125.

Corrado's Family Affair, 1578 Main Ave., Clifton; 1-973-340-0628.

One of the coupons in a book sent to some H Mart shoppers offers 20% off on big seedless watermelons, but that's just $2 off the price of $9.99.

The best coupon for me gave a $1 discount on 2 pounds of wild mussels harvested in Massachusetts just a week before I bought them. The discounted price was $1.99.

Whole whiting, here swimming in a sake-organic diced tomato sauce, were $3.99 a pound. There is no coupon for fresh fish.

H Mart 'savings'

H Mart has sent a "summer savings" coupon booklet to holders of the Korean supermarket chain's Smart Card, which gives a 1% rebate on purchases of $1,000.

On Wednesday, at the Englewood H Mart, I used coupons to get 20% off the price of green peppers ($1.59 a pound), and to buy 2 pounds of wild mussels for only $1.99.

I steamed opened the mussels in a little inexpensive sake, and they were deliciously tender and grit-free.

Non-coupon items I bought included a box of 20 intensely sweet Champagne or Ataulfo Mangoes for $8.99, a dollar less than before.

The store was having an even better special -- 2 boxes or 40 mangoes for $14.99. The regular price is $15.99 a box.

Jinga's Cheese Kimbap -- a seaweed, rice and vegetable roll -- were half price after 4 p.m. or just $2.49.

Fresh collard greens were 99 cents a pound.

H Mart has other stores in Fort Lee, Ridgefield and Little Ferry.  Coupons are good through July 14, 2013.

See its Web site: 

http://www.hmart.com/

Hackensack's biggest restaurant closes

The doors and windows of Green Grill in Hackensack have been papered over.

The sign on the front doors.

Editor's note: Today's buffet is a round-up of restaurant, food-shopping and takeout news.

Green Grill, the Brazilian-style rodizio restaurant in Hackensack, has served its last all-you-can-eat meal. 

With 440 seats, Green Grill likely was the city's largest restaurant and it served the biggest portions, too. 

In 2005, the restaurant was taken over by new Korean owners.

In 2010, Green Grill cut the price for an all-you-can-eat lunch of sushi, barbecued meat and salad to $9.95.

Green Grill was a tenant in the Home Depot Shopping Center at 450 Hackensack Avenue in Hackensack.

The Pathmark Supermarket in the rear of the shopping center closed in April 2011, and the space remains vacant.

Red Parrot Bistro's Pan Roasted Chicken.

A delicious black za'atar thyme mixture came with flat bread and olive oil.

Red Parrot is silenced

Red Parrot Bistro, a new Englewood spot that served free-range poultry and grass-fed meat, also has closed.

The Palisade Avenue restaurant opened in July.

When we had dinner there in mid-September, only two or three other tables were occupied.

Red Parrot is the latest unsuccessful venture in the storefront at 51 E. Palisade Ave. 

Filet of Sole with Scallion and Ginger at Lotus Cafe in Hackensack.

Hot & Sour Soup.

Lotus Cafe

I had lunch today with two friends at Lotus Cafe, the wonderful Chinese restaurant across the parking lot from the shuttered Green Grill. 

Good food and service, and reasonable prices, give Lotus Cafe the staying power that eludes so many other restaurants.

The Hackensack restaurant has more than 40 lunch specials for $7.50 to $9.50, including rice and soup or eggroll.

On a busy Sunday, the Hackensack ShopRite had only one of two express lines open.

Free-range beef on sale

Free-range, grass-fed beef from Australia is on sale at ShopRite Supermarkets through Saturday.

The Whole Beef Tenderloin for Filet Mignon is $5.99 a pound with a store card, a discount of $3 per pound.

On Sunday, I bought a 5.30-pound tenderloin at the Hackensack ShopRite for the meat-eaters in the family.

Usually the package carries the Nature's Reserve label, but the ones I saw at the Hackensack store said "Product of Australia" and had an Australian inspection stamp.

My wife trims the beef and slices it thinly, then combines it with Korean bulgogi marinade. She prepares one portion and puts the rest of the marinated meat in the freezer.

She cooks the meat on a stove-top grill and serves it with red-leaf lettuce for wrapping, kimchi, rice and a Korean red-pepper paste.

The tenderloin I bought on Saturday is enough for three meals.

A lunch box is 50% off after 4 p.m. at H Mart in Englewood.

Jerry's in Englewood cuts the price of its takeout dinners to $5.99 after 4 p.m.

Takeout-food bargains

The H Mart in Englewood has started cutting the price for prepared items from Jinga, the Korean food maker based in Queens.

After 4 p.m., Jinga kimbap rolls and lunch boxes are 50% off.

On Saturday, I bought a lunch box with baby octopus, brown rice, kimchi and other items for $3.14, normally $6.29.

Then, I drove to Jerry's Gourmet and More and picked up the last three Meals To Go for $5.99 each, normally $7.99 each.

Two were roast chicken and the other was a tilapia fillet with pesto, and all came with pasta, stuffed mushroom or artichoke, and vegetables.

H Mart, 25 Lafayette Ave., Englewood; 201-871-8822. 

Jerry's Gourmet and More, 410 S. Dean St., Englewood; 201-871-7108.


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My wild salmon swims in a sea of green

Frozen wild salmon fillets cook quickly in bottled Mexican salsa verde.

Wild salmon with collard greens and leftover organic brown rice.

Editor's note: Today, I discuss preparing frozen and fresh wild salmon, using a no-calorie cooking spray instead of oil, and pass along a a couple of bargains I found at Costco Wholesale and H Mart.

If past years are any guide, fresh wild salmon will be available at Costco Wholesale for only a couple of more weeks.

But frozen Alaskan wild sockeye salmon fillets are sold year-round, and we made a quick dinner the other night with four pieces we found in the freezer.

We used a 16.7-ounce bottle of La Costena Green Mexican Salsa (medium spicy), a preservative-free combination of tomatillo, jalapeno pepper, iodized salt, corn starch and spices.

I partially thawed the fillets, seasoned them with lime juice and Aleppo red pepper; put them in the pre-heated sauce, and covered the pan.

They were ready in 10 minutes; from frozen, they usually cook in about 20 minutes.

I also blanched fresh collard greens from the Englewood H Mart (68 cents a pound), drained them and seasoned them with a little soy sauce and sesame oil. 

Fresh wild king salmon from Costco is veined with heart-healthy fat.

Ready for the oven with Aleppo pepper, lime juice and chopped fresh herbs.

On Tuesday, I found fresh wild king salmon at the Hackensack Costco for $12.99 a pound -- a dollar more than when it first appeared a few weeks ago.

At home, I chopped fresh oregano, basil and mint; sprinkled the fillets with a little salt, Aleppo red pepper and lime juice, and cooked them at 400 degrees (roast/convection oven setting).
 
I had placed the salmon in a pan with aluminum foil and cooking spray.

For medium rare, the inch-thick fillets cooked in about 10-12 minutes; they cooked through in about 15 minutes, but stayed moist.

The high heat setting toasted the fresh herbs.

I also picked up a 2-pound package of those incomparable Campari tomatoes for $3.49 after an instant $1 coupon (through Sept. 23).

Two organic eggs prepared with no-calorie cooking spray.

No-calorie cooking spray

We've been using the Kirkland Signature Canola Oil Cooking Spray I bought at Costco to cook eggs, sautee vegetables and prepare Jamaican ackee and saltfish.

We substitute the spray for extra-virgin or canola oil.

The Kirkland Signature top is on the left.

A better bottle top

Both Costco and Trader Joe's have terrific 100% Spanish extra-virgin olive oils, and they are about the same price.

But the slit in the top of Costco's Kirkland Signature oil is ideal for drizzling, while the round hole in the Trader Joe's top requires more attention to avoid using too much oil.

Kimbap rolls, foreground, were 50% off at the Englewood H Mart.

Surprising bargain

On Wednesdays, I usually stop at Jerry's Gourmet and More in Englewood to pick up restaurant-quality takeout dinners, which are reduced to $5.99 from $7.99 after 4 p.m.

But this week, I went to H Mart in Englewood for prepared Korean food, and found a bargain on kimbap -- those addictive seaweed-wrapped rolls with egg, vegetables and fish.

The large package of Jinga kimbap was 50% off after 4 p.m. -- $2.49 instead of $4.99. 

The new awning and sign on Main Street in Fort Lee.

Here we are

Ramen Setagaya in Fort Lee is easier to find now that it has a new awning and sign.

The ramen restaurant opened several months ago on Main Street near Center Avenue.