Paramus Trader Joe's could be better, wine at Wayne Costco and more

A 3-pound bag of Organic Sweet Potatoes at Trader Joe's in Paramus is $4.49 or about $1.50 a pound, less than at ShopRite or other stores.

Editor's note: Back from vacation, I've been visiting Trader Joe's in Paramus, Costco Wholesale in Wayne and Jerry's Gourmet & More in Englewood -- because no one food store has everything.

By VICTOR E. SASSON
EDITOR

If you buy Trader Joe's hot dogs, bacon or cold cuts, make sure you read the labels to find out which package contains antibiotic-free meat.

The specialty grocer has ignored calls to stop selling meat and poultry raised on harmful human antibiotics, so shopping in the Paramus store is a little more difficult than, say, going to Whole Foods Market a few miles away.

For example, both Trader Joe's Beef Hot Dogs and Jumbo Beef Franks are uncured and fully cooked, but the bigger dogs contain antibiotics ($5.99 per package).

Trader Joe's Bacon is both antibiotic and nitrite free ($5.49).

Meanwhile, the selection of Applegate Naturals cold cuts is more limited than before, and I've only been able to find sliced ham and sliced turkey on my last two trips (a 7-ounce package was $4.49).

Applegate Naturals are antibiotic and preservative free, but make sure you read the label if you decide to buy Trader Joe's own line of cold cuts, which are displayed on the same rack. 

In general, prices at Trader Joe's have been creeping up, so some items, including 1-pound packages of organic whole wheat pasta, cost more than at the Paramus ShopRite.

And I ignore all of Trader Joe's prepared food, frozen fish, olive oil, pasta sauces with added sugar and most of the produce, because I can find better quality or better prices elsewhere.

Trader Joe's, 404 Route 17 north in Paramus, is open from 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. daily (201-265-9624).

One of the red wines that caught my eye at Costco Wholesale in Wayne is this Mount Hermon Red from Israel. 

Costco's own wine

The Costco Wholesale in Teterboro has a separate liquor store operated by another company, but the Wayne warehouse is different: 

It has its own liquor license, and sells private label Kirkland Signature wines and spirits, in addition to a large variety of other red, white and sparkling wines.

On Wednesday afternoon, we stopped at Costco on the way to hear jazz singer Karrin Allyson backed by a big band at William Paterson University in Wayne.

You can easily spend more than $100 on a bottle of wine at Costco, but I bought six bottles under $8 each on the theory they are just as healthy as bottles costing two, three or four times as much.

Two of the 750-milliliter bottles were Kirkland Signature Prosecco, a sparkling wine from Italy with a cork that pops like champagne, for only $6.99 each.

A Kirkland Signature Malbec was also $6.99, and a Kirkland Signature Cotes du Rhone Villages was $6.89.

A Merlot from the Bogle Vineyards in California also was $6.99; and a Cono Sur Pinot Noir from Chile was $7.69. 

I bought six bottles of wine, all under $8 each.

Kirkland Signature red wines include a Malbec from Argentina and a Cotes du Rhone Villages from France, above, and 1.5-liter bottles of Cabernet Sauvignon from California.

Costco Wholesale is at 149 Route 23 south, in the Wayne Towne Center Mall. Call 1-973-339-4006 for hours.

Jerry's Gourmet & More disappointed customers who love the store's restaurant-quality dinners to go, but don't eat meat, by wrapping three pieces of monkfish in bacon, above and below.

The takeout dinners are reduced to $5.99 after 4 p.m., if there are any left.

Jerry, there's meat in my fish

I got to Jerry's Gourmet & More in Englewood early on Wednesday afternoon, and found several restaurant-quality takeout dinners in the usual refrigerated case.

I don't eat meat or poultry, but do eat seafood, so I picked up the one with monkfish, only to see the pieces were wrapped in bacon.

My consolation was a large House Salad with mushrooms, arugula, roasted peppers, artichokes and Parmesan cheese with a house vinaigrette dressing ($5.99).

I bought the monkfish dinner and two others with chicken for other members of the family ($7.99 each).

For breakfast today, my stuffed egg-white omelet was accompanied by Eggplant Rollatini, Baby Bok Choy with Garlic and Sweet Baby Peppers left over from the monkfish dinner.

Jerry's Gourmet & More, 410 S. Dean St., in Englewood (1-201-871-7108), offers free samples of cheese, bread, olive oil and other items.

The large House Salad from Jerry's Gourmet & More.

Farmed v. wild red snapper; takeout from Seafood Gourmet in Maywood

This bone-in steak from a large, wild-caught red snapper we bought at H Mart in Englewood was prepared with caramel, sweet peppers, onion and garlic.

Editor's note: We love fresh fish -- prepared at home, in restaurants or as takeout. Here is a report on some of our recent meals.

By VICTOR E. SASSON
EDITOR

Little did I know the two whole wild-caught red snappers I bought at Costco Wholesale in Teterboro last October would be the last.

The next time I looked for them, I found two red fish labeled "Snapper," farmed in Costa Rica, and they weren't even scaled.

And there was nothing on the label about whether they were raised with antibiotics or treated with preservatives.

The texture and taste of the farmed fish paled in comparison to a firm, flaky, wild red snapper. What a mistake, I thought.

My only comfort was in knowing even farmed fish is good for the heart and the brain, and far better for me than meat or poultry.

Snapped it up

This past Sunday, my wife bought a wild-caught red snapper weighing more than 2 pounds from H Mart in Englewood ($7.99 a pound).

She cut the fish into three parts (head, steak and tail portion); and prepared them with Grace-brand Browning (caramel), sweet peppers, onion and garlic.

I took the steak, and ate it with a salad and a glass of wine. Delicious.

So, my advice when buying whole fish or fillets: Go wild.

A takeout container from Seafood Gourmet in Maywood held one of last week's specials: Grilled Wild Thai Salmon.

I plated the wild-caught king salmon, Thai chili bok choy and jasmine rice, and gently reheated them.

Seafood Gourmet

I've enjoyed every meal I've eaten in the small restaurant behind the fish market at Seafood Gourmet in downtown Maywood.

But the fresh seafood prepared by an adventurous chef is so popular it is often difficult to get a dinner reservation there.

That's when we decided to follow a friend's advice and order takeout from a menu and weekly specials listed online.

Lunch portions

Seafood Gourmet allows to you to order lunch portions from the takeout menu that cost less than dinner, and we found them satisfying, even if you don't finish with a salad.

And the specials listed online often cost less than the same dish served in the dining room.

Late Saturday afternoon, we ordered three lunch portions:

A special of Grilled Thai Wild Salmon ($15); Shrimp Parmigiana over Linguine ($13.99), a house specialty; and Sole Francese with sauteed spinach, both fish and greens made with garlic and oil, not butter ($12.99).

We also ordered a quart of the Soup du Jour, a tomato-based Maryland Crab Chowder ($10).

Rare problem

About 10 minutes after I called, I remembered I forgot to tell the woman who took the order I like my wild salmon prepared medium rare.

But when I called back, she said the cook usually prepares salmon medium, and I said that would be OK.

We enjoyed our takeout, which was ready for pickup in 25 minutes.

As I was paying with a credit card, the cook's helper, wearing plastic gloves, grabbed a couple of fresh fillets from the display case in the market, and returned to the kitchen.

When I got home, I found the king salmon had been cooked through. Though juicy, the fish would have been better if prepared medium rare.

We also found the crab chowder too salty to eat. We exchanged the uneaten portion on Tuesday for a quart of lobster bisque at no charge.

Details

Seafood Gourmet, 103 W. Pleasant Ave., Maywood; 201-843-8558.

Web site: Fresh fish for here or to go

On Wednesday afternoon, a complete takeout dinner from Jerry's Gourmet & More, 410 S. Dean St. in Englewood, included a skin-on fillet of orata with sweet peppers, linguine in clam sauce with zucchini, and vegetable dumplings, above. A kale salad also was included, below.

Another Meal To Go from Jerry's included a large fillet of sea trout, above. Complete takeout dinners are $7.99 or $5.99 after 4 p.m., if there are any left. After 4 on Wednesday afternoon, I found three at the lower price.

A pesto-accented egg-white omelet stuffed with smoked wild Alaskan sockeye salmon, which is available at Costco Wholesale in Teterboro, but not at the Costco Business Center in Hackensack. I had it for breakfast with leftover Asian greens and boiled Kabocha squash.

When you buy an Italian takeout dinner at Jerry's, appetizers are free

At Jerry's Gourmet & More in Englewood on Friday afternoon, there were free samples at stations throughout the store, including hard and soft cheeses, bread, crackers and focaccia, above and below.

At other stations on Friday, customers could sample farm-fresh milk, extra-virgin olive oil and balsamic vinegar. On Fridays and Saturdays, you can try Italian wines. 

By VICTOR E. SASSON
EDITOR

When I'm in Englewood once or twice a week, I always try to stop at Jerry's Gourmet & More for a delicious Italian takeout dinner at an unbeatable price.

I usually don't get to the specialty food store until late in the afternoon, so I make a beeline for the refrigerated case holding the complete dinners, called Meals To Go, which are marked down to $5.99 from $7.99 after 4 p.m., if there are any left.

On Friday afternoon, I  could choose between dinners with grilled branzino or tilapia, along with vegetable dumplings, cooked carrots with garlic; and two salads, snap peas and fava beans with walnuts.

I grabbed a branzino dinner, and then set out to have a few appetizers, courtesy of Jerry's, before paying and driving home.

I tried a half-dozen cheeses, three or four slivers of focaccia, farm milk and crackers.

If it's from Italy and you can eat it or drink it, you usually can find it at Jerry's, 410 S. Dean St., Englewood (201-871-7108).

Jerry's Meals To Go also are available on weekends.

One of the samples was a spicy Wasabi Gouda ($4.99 a pound), a different take on green cheese.

 

Jerry's own Neapolitan-style Pizza Margherita was $5.99.

After 4 on Friday afternoon, the remaining Meals To Go were marked down with a $5.99 sticker. The restaurant-quality dinners are said to be prepared from Jerry's family recipes.

At home, I plated the Grilled Branzino with Balsamico and Cherry Tomatoes; vegetable dumplings, snap peas and carrots, and reheated them for 2 minutes in a microwave. I also poured a glass of red wine.

My takeout dinner also included a Fava Bean Salad with fresh fava, walnuts, arugula, fennel, radish and radicchio, and I ate that cold from a separate plate. This is a great salad, but I've never seen it on a restaurant menu.

I also purchased a 20-ounce container of pitted olives for only $3.99.

Costco contradictions: Black truffles from Italy, toothpaste with 'deicer'

Imported from Italy, a Sabatino Tartufi Duo -- Whole Black Summer Truffles and Truffle Sea Salt -- was $19.99 at Costco Wholesale in Teterboro on Wednesday.

Also at Costco, Colgate Optic White Toothpaste contains propylene glycol, "an additive that is generally recognized as safe for use in food," according to a 1997 statement from federal regulators.

By VICTOR E. SASSON
EDITOR

Costco Wholesale continues to offer more gourmet and organic food, including the imported Sabatino Black Truffle Duo I picked up on Wednesday afternoon.

But the quality of other items sold at the warehouse store often is poor or questionable, such as Colgate Optic White Toothpaste we bought and then returned for a full refund.

That was after I noticed a major ingredient is propylene glycol.

It's a synthetic liquid that is used "to make polyester compounds, and as a base for deicing solutions," according to the federal Agency for Toxic Substances & Disease Registry.

See: Public Health Statement for Propylene Glycol

We returned the unused portion of Colgate Optic White Toothpaste for a full refund. Other ingredients include sodium saccharin and sucralose, two sweeteners.

In the same refrigerated case at Costco Wholesale in Teterboro, you can find antibiotic-free Coleman Organic Chicken Wings ($2.99 a pound), above, and Perdue Whole Cornish Hen ($1.99 a pound), below. The latter are raised with harmful antibiotics. 

The Cornish Hen is labeled "hatched, raised and harvested in USA."

The parking lot and store were packed on Wednesday afternoon, the day before New Year's Eve.

More checkout lanes

Although the parking lot and warehouse were packed, I had only a short wait behind two other customers to check out.

The larger Teterboro store appears to have more checkout lanes going at one time than the old Hackensack warehouse.

And on this, my third or fourth visit to the new Teterboro warehouse, I saved energy by walking through every aisle, picking up items on my list, rather than hunting for each item individually.

Two other gourmet items I purchased on Wednesday are refrigerated Kirkland Signature Basil Pesto ($7.99), and a wedge of aged Kirkland Signature Parmigiano Reggiano ($8.49 a pound), often called the "King of Cheeses."

The pesto is made with imported Genovese basil, and the cheese is made the same way it has been for centuries in Italy, where it was cut from a full wheel.

Organic Bananas were only $1.99 for 3 pounds. Earthbound Farm Organic Spring Mix, a weekly staple, was $4.49 for a 1-pound tub.

A 3-pound bag of peeled Christopher Ranch California Garlic was $7.39.

A 2-liter bottle of Kirkland Signature Organic Extra Virgin Olive Oil, packed in Italy, was $14.99 or about $7.50 per liter.

The bottle contains a blend of oils from Italy, Spain, Greece, Tunisia and Portugal.

An inch-thick Mahi-Mahi Fillet with Roasted Peppers and a Vegetable-Stuffed Portobello Mushroom from Jerry's Gourmet & More in Englewood.

Fish, wine, salads

My reward for braving the crowds at Costco was enjoying a glass of red wine with another restaurant-quality takeout dinner from Jerry's Gourmet & More, 410 S. Dean St., Englewood.

I also found the auxiliary parking lot at Jerry's much easier to get into and out of than the larger one.

Besides three dinners, I picked up more Mild Provolone Cheese, on sale for $2.99 a pound.

My Mahi-Mahi Dinner from Jerry's came with a stuffed mushroom and two salads, Beet-Tomato, and Artichoke-Fennel with fresh herbs, above. I gave Chicken Dumplings to another family member. Two other dinners, called Meals To Go, had entrees of Grouper with Roasted Peppers and Chicken Cacciatore, both with pasta, asparagus and roasted sweet potatoes ($7.99 each).

Around 2 Wednesday afternoon, this lot had free spaces while the main lot was overflowing.

Takeout from Homung Nangmyun in Closter and Jerry's in Englewood

The Shrimp and Vegetable Dumplings from Homung Nangmyun Restaurant in Closter were still warm when I got them home.

By VICTOR E. SASSON
EDITOR

Closter Commons is the other shopping center in the wealthy Bergen County community, the one that isn't a big, noisy redevelopment zone, and it has a pronounced Korean accent.

That's good for me and anyone else who enjoys Korean food and services, such as the haircut I get once a month at Closter Dongyang Barber Shop, complete with a head vacuuming that usually puts me to sleep ($20).

A few steps away is Perfect 20 Nails & Spa, where you can follow the haircut with a manicure and pedicure, including a no-charge back massage.

Then there is a small restaurant, Homung Nangmyun, which specializes in nangmyun, chewy cold noodles in an icy beef broth.

For non-meat eaters, the restaurant serves tasty Shrimp and Vegetable Dumplings to eat in or take out (10 for $9.45).

The other dish on the place-mat menu that caught my eye is a Soft-Tofu Stew with clams and other seafood, served with several complimentary side dishes ($12.95).

You'll also find Gateaux, a Korean bakery and cafe, in one of the bigger spaces, usually filled with Korean housewives catching up on the latest community gossip.

Other businesses include a Korean-Chinese restaurant that I've never tried. 

Closter Commons

All businesses are at 570 Piermont Road, Closter.

Homung Nangmyun Restaurant, 201-750-1010,

closed Tuesdays.

Dongyang Barber Shop, 201-767-4541, closed Wednesdays.

Perfect 20 Nails and Spa, 201-750-7370, closed Sundays.

At Homung Nangmyun Restaurant, I was told a takeout order of dumplings would take 15 minutes, and given a cup of hot tea while I waited. 

I'm guessing Homung Nangmyun has about 30 seats, and if you are by yourself and want to eat in, you might be seated with another lone diner.

The House Salad from Jerry's Gourmet & More in Englewood includes a small cup of Italian dressing made with mustard, anchovies, garlic, vinegar and olive oil.

Salad, salmon and more

On my weekly visit to Jerry's Gourmet & More (410 S. Dean St. in Englewood), I picked up a wonderful dinner salad for me and a complete, restaurant-quality meal with salmon, beet salad and crabmeat-stuffed zucchini for my wife ($5.99 each).

The next night, the Eggplant Parmigiana side dish from her dinner made a light meal for me with some leftover whole-wheat pasta.

This Baked Salmon Dinner and other Meals To Go are marked down to $5.99 from $7.99 after 4 p.m., but make sure you remind your cashier about the discount, if the container doesn't carry a $5.99 price tag.

Jerry's has an incredible selection of Italian wines.

I saw one bottle of Italian wine for $6.99, but this Montepulciano d'Abruzzo elicited sticker shock.

Two can shop faster at Costco, another great fish dinner from Jerry's

The lot at the new, bigger Costco Wholesale in Teterboro appeared to be full less than an hour after the 10 a.m. opening on Friday, but there were plenty of parking spaces on the fringes.

By VICTOR E. SASSON
EDITOR

Working together, me and my wife managed to get our weekly food shopping done at Costco Wholesale in about 30 minutes.

That's half of the time I spent on my first two visits to the new Teterboro warehouse, which opened last month.

The new Costco is far bigger than the Hackensack warehouse, with a separate cold room for milk, and three enormous refrigerated units for eggs, yogurt, frozen and prepared seafood, and other items.

I still think walking through the entire store and picking up items on your list as you see them is more efficient than just plunging into unfamiliar territory or going on individual searches.

On Friday, I stopped at the independent liquor store in the warehouse (with a separate entrance) to ask the price for a bottle of new Beaujolais, but my wife went ahead and I caught up to her in the produce section.

I didn't buy the French wine, which was between $8 and $9, a few dollars over my limit for a drinkable red.

Even though Friday's shopping trip was disorganized, we still managed to get in and out in close to a half-hour.

We spent about $185 on fresh and salted fish, smoked wild salmon, antibiotic-free chicken, organic eggs, lots of fresh conventional and organic produce, orange juice, lactose-free milk, peeled California garlic, guacamole and two dozen roses ($16.99).

We bought two fresh wild-caught red snappers from Panama that were nestled in ice at Costco's Seafood Road Show. They were 1.5 pound each and fully cleaned ($6.59 a pound). My wife prepared them for dinner Friday in closed aluminum-foil pouches with fresh lime juice, onions, sweet peppers and seasonings (40 minutes in a 400-degree oven). Delicious.

A wonderful piece of mahi mahi was the centerpiece of a takeout dinner from Jerry's Gourmet & More, 410 S. Dean St., Englewood.

Seafood dinners at a discount

I lucked out on Wednesday afternoon, when I stopped at Jerry's Gourmet & More in Englewood, and found five restaurant-quality Meals To Go in a refrigerated case, all seafood.

I picked up two, Mahi Mahi All'Acqua Pazza and Baked Grouper, at the discounted price of $5.99 each (after 4 p.m.)

My poached mahi mahi, with fresh tomato sauce, was accompanied by linguine in white clam sauce, vegetable dumplings, a vegetable frittata and an avocado salad.

I plated and reheated everything but the salad, which I ate cold.

My wonderful dinner only needed a glass or two of red wine to complete. 

My wife's grouper, with roasted peppers, came with gnocchi, sauteed broccoli rabe, vegetable dumplings and an artichoke fennel salad.

She has said the sauteed broccoli rabe in Jerry's dinners is the best she has ever had, and all of his sauces are bursting with flavor. 

At Jerry's, three dinners with Sea Scallops were still available Wednesday after 4 p.m., when the price is reduced to $5.99 from $7.99 (discount taken at the register).

A great piece of fish and more at Jerry's Gourmet in Englewood

A beautiful piece of grouper with aromatic roasted peppers was the centerpiece of a restaurant-quality takeout dinner from Jerry's Gourmet & More in Englewood.

Editor's note: In Englewood, you can't go wrong stopping for takeout from Jerry's Gourmet & More or enjoying an omelet and home fries in a booth at Jackson Hole.

By VICTOR E. SASSON
EDITOR

I was lucky on my Wednesday visit to Jerry's Gourmet & More in Englewood to find four Meals To Go in the refrigerated case, all with fish.

I picked two with a great fish, grouper; tricolor penne in a Bolognese sauce and vegetables ($7.99).

Two other dinners were made with farmed tilapia. 

After 4 p.m., the pork, chicken or seafood dinners are reduced to $5.99, if there are any left. A week earlier, there were none.

This week, my wife had Grouper Oreganato and I enjoyed Grouper with Roasted Peppers, Artichoke Salad and Carrots with Oil and Garlic.

In Jerry's back room, you'll find 2.2-pound bags of coffee beans from Italy for as little as $9.99 a pound; Garofalo whole-wheat pasta, including the hard-to-find, mouth-filling Pappardelle; and Ponti-brand vinegars for 99 cents to $1.99 for a half-liter bottle.

Jerry's Gourmet & More, 410 S. Dean St., Englewood; 1-201-871-7108.

The label of my wife's dinner. At home, I plated and heated up my dinner in the microwave, poured a glass of red wine and finished with a salad of Earthbound Farm Organic Spring Mix and tomatoes.

At Jerry's, the refrigerated case holding Meals To Go also offers salads made with kale or farro, Jerry's Homemade Italian Dressing, sandwiches and other items. In another case, I saw a large Caesar Salad with Chicken for $5.99.

Jerry's Italian Dressing, here with Earthbound Farm Organic Spring Mix and tomatoes from our garden, is made with canola and extra-virgin olive oils, red onion, fresh garlic, anchovy, mustard, red vinegar, salt and pepper ($3.49).

In yet another refrigerated case, I saw this 32-ounce jar of Tripe Soup.

A Bellini cocktail is a mixture of Prosecco sparkling wine and peach puree or nectar, available at Jerry's. I use Kirkland Signature Prosecco, imported from Italy by Costco Wholesale ($6.99).

Jackson Hole may be known for burgers, but its menu also lists more than a dozen omelets, including this Spinach Omelet with Home Fries ($8.50). Toast, coffee or tea and a small glass of orange juice is included.

The beautifully restored classic Jersey diner, above and below, is at 362 Grand Ave., in Englewood (1-201-871-7444), a few blocks from Jerry's. Most of the seating is in booths, and the service is excellent.