Do some Costco employees hide their identity?

Costco Wholesale customers line up to return items at the Hackensack store.

I usually love the service at Costco Wholesale's Hackensack store, but last week, two employees were far from helpful when I tried to find out whether an organic brown rice I bought two or three times had been discontinued.

When I got home, I fired off an e-mail to the company from its Web site, and a couple of days later, I got a call from "Kevin" at the warehouse store.

One concern I brought up was that the two workers who basically ignored me had reversed the tags all Costco employees wear, concealing their names.

Kevin confirmed that if the tag shows only a bar code, the employee deliberately wore it in reverse to hide his or her first name.

Kevin asked me to describe one of the employees, but I can't imagine he'll be able to find the offender. 

I returned to the store today, and all of the employees I came across were wearing the tags with their first names showing in big letters.

I saw two Costco employees concealing their names this past Saturday.

Trying a new dish at the tofu house

Tofu Soup Ramyun at So Gong Dong in Palisades Park.

Editor's note: On the menu today is a new dish at So Gong Dong in Palisades Park, a shrinking milk gallon, a new brown rice mixture and a couple of my pet peeves when eating out.

In the decade or more that I've been eating Korean soft-tofu stew, my order has rarely varied.

I usually order my stew with clams, oysters, mixed seafood or head-on shrimp, and ask for it to be made "more spicy."

I've tried soft tofu at restaurants in Ridgewood, Fort Lee and elsewhere, but always come back to So Gong Dong, a second-floor tofu house in Palisades Park.

So Gong Dong has undergone some changes in recent months, including an expanded menu.

One of the additions is Tofu Soup Ramyun, which adds those krinkly ramyun or ramen noodles to a big bowl of tofu stew.

The serving is about twice as large as the stone bowl of tofu stew, but you don't get a stone bowl of steamed white rice to eat with it. 

The cost is $10.99, including tax, compared to $9.99 for a meal of tofu stew, rice, fresh egg, and four side dishes, including cabbage kimchi and bean sprouts. 

Side dishes and fresh eggs at So Gong Dong.

A large grilled vegetable-and-seafood pancake is $11.99.

I dived into the side dishes on Saturday night, we asked for more, and when my Tofu Soup Ramyun arrived, broke an egg into the hot broth.

Later, I ate the soft-boiled yolk over the noodles for a taste treat. This was a nice change of pace, and a little lighter than eating a large portion of white rice.

So Gong Dong, 118 Broad Ave., 2nd Floor, Palisades Park; 201-313-5550. Free parking on side streets.

Leftover wild king salmon and organic brown rice show up for breakfast.

Trying a new fish 

At Costco Wholesale in Hackensack, fresh wild-caught sockeye salmon has given way to wild king salmon -- a change that might appeal to shoppers who prefer the mild taste of farmed Atlantic salmon.

King salmon ($11.99 a pound) doesn't have the robust flavor or deep orange-red color of sockeye.

My wife bought a fillet of just under 1 pound, started it in a non-stick pan, then finished it in the oven with roasted pineapple salsa.

It was cooked through, but remained moist.

Of course, wild king salmon gets its color naturally from eating shrimp and krill in the ocean, unlike artificially colored farmed salmon.

The Lactaid container, left, is many ounces shy of a gallon, right.

Trying a new milk

In the last couple of months, I've been buying a large container of Lactaid Lactose Free 1% Milk when it was on sale at ShopRite, thinking it was a full gallon.

The large container is $6.19 on sale, compared to $3.39 for a half-gallon of ShopRite Lactose Free Milk. 

Instead of getting a better deal, I have been getting a lot less milk than in two half-gallons -- only 96 ounces in the Lactaid container, compared to 128 ounces in two half-gallons from ShopRite.

So, I was unwittingly paying more -- 1 cent-plus per ounce -- by  buying Lactaid on sale.

Half-gallons of premium orange juice sold in supermarkets long ago shrank to 59 ounces, but CostcoWholesale still sells a full-half gallon of Tropicana.

An uncleared outdoor table at It's Greek To Me.

Losing my appetite

I agreed to meet a friend for lunch today at It's Greek To Me in Englewood, a restaurant my family patronized frequently before we moved to Hackensack.

But when I sat down at one of the outdoor tables, I noticed the mess on the next table, including several olive pits on the shiny metal surface.

There is no greater turnoff in a restaurant than uncleared dishes and the associated mess.

A waiter brought menus, then a busboy cleared the dishes and olive pits, but failed to clean the table itself.

When my friend arrived, I got up and suggested we eat at Baumgart's Restaurant, across Palisade Avenue. 

Sushi rolls at Baumgart's Restaurant.

Stir-Fried Asparagus with Crispy Tofu and brown rice.

When I was looking over the menu at Greek To Me, I noticed that entrees begin at $15 and several whole fish are offered at "market price" -- including red mullet -- an apparent reaction to the closing of Nisi Estiatorio, a high-end Greek fish house that operated a few blocks away on Grand Avenue.

Now, Greek To Me has become a pricy restaurant.

Then, I ordered Stir-Fried Asparagus with Crispy Tofu and brown rice at Baumgart's, stared at the small portion and muttered, Is that all I get for $9?

For 99 cents more, I could buy a full meal at a Korean tofu house.

   

Korean 7 Grains mixture stands in for bread at breakfast.

Trying a new brown rice

On Sunday, I picked up a 10-pound bag of 7 Grains, a Korean mixture of brown rices, small beans and barley, using an H Mart 30th anniversary coupon.

The bag was on sale for $13.99 at the Englewood H Mart, but cost only $9.99 with the coupon.

The only negative is that 7 Grains must be soaked for 3 hours before you prepare it in an electric rice cooker or pressure cooker.

I used the former, and loved the mixture's nutty taste with organic eggs and leftover collard greens.

There is Thai -- and then there is Wondee's

Tom Yum Soup at The Green Papaya in River Edge. The medium-size bowl contained mostly spicy broth, in addition to a couple of shrimp, okra and other vegetables.

Editor's note: Today, I discuss The Green Papaya, a Thai restaurant; the use of za'atar thyme mixture in tomato-and-egg dishes and lazy shoppers at Costco Wholesale in Hackensack.

My friend Stanley invited me to lunch the other day at The Green Papaya, a Thai restaurant in River Edge I had driven past many times before.

I had never eaten there, convinced as I am of the superiority of Wondee's Fine Thai Food and Noodles on Main Street in Hackensack.

My first -- and last -- meal at The Green Papaya started with Tom Yum Soup ($3). I also had Green Papaya Salad ($5). 

Neither compared to Wondee's versions. My friend had Pineapple Fried Rice with chicken ($8).

Pineapple Fried Rice with chicken at The Green Papaya.

A nice touch is a welcoming cup of tea and refills.

I met my friend at the restaurant a little before noon. By the time we left, the place was full, and over customers' conversations I could hear the stir-frying of food in woks from the open kitchen in the back.

My friend, who lives in River Edge, said he didn't know about Wondee's.

Compare the Green Papaya Salad served in River Edge to Wondee's salad, below.

Wondee's salad cost more, but is big enough to share with one or two others.

The Tom Yum Soup served at The Green Papaya contained a surprise -- a couple of pieces of pineapple -- but there was more broth than shrimp and vegetable.

My Green Papaya Salad had a nice crunch, though when I finished it, there was way too much dressing left in the bottom of the dish. 

It also was missing the fresh green beans in Wondee's salad, as well as lettuce leaves you could use for wrapping the green papaya.

When we lived in Englewood, we enjoyed many Thai dinners at Pawana, but after moving to Hackensack in 2007, Wondee's has been our go-to place for Thai food from an extensive menu, including whole fish and vegetarian dishes.

Now, Pawana is closed. 

The Green Papaya, 110 Kinderkamack Road, River Edge; 201-678-1888. BYO. Parking lot.

Wondee's Fine Thai Food and Noodles, 296 Main St., Hackensack; 201-883-1700. BYO. Parking in rear.

Organic eggs with za'atar, sun-dried tomato and cheese shavings.

Exploring za'atar 

The Middle Eastern thyme mixture called za'atar is usually found on chewy, fresh bread, moistened with olive oil.

You could roll it up and eat it, or toast it until the mixture's sesame seeds sizzled.

The mixture, sold in green and brown versions, contains dried thyme, wild sumac, sesame seeds and salt -- it's both sour from the sumac and crunchy from the seeds. 

Another version is to sprinkle lots of za'atar over fresh bread spread with yogurt cheese.

Since I pretty much gave up bread to lose weight, I've sprinkled za'atar over sliced tomato, and in the past, I used it on broiled chicken. 

Now, I'm adding it to egg-and-tomato dishes.

An open-face omelet with cheese, Campari tomatoes and za'atar.

You can buy za'atar at Fattal's Bakery, 975-77 Main St., Paterson; 973-742-7125. 

But don't come home without eating at Aleppo Restaurant (939 Main St.), and visiting Brothers Produce in the Paterson Farmers' Market and Corrado's Family Affair just over the border in Clifton.

At Costco Wholesale, the lines were short, but the parking lot was a zoo.

Lazy shoppers

Costco Wholesale members must be fairly fit to handle all of those very large economy sizes the warehouse store is famous for.

Shopping carts are oversized to accommodate enormous rolls of paper, cases of spring water and 50-pound bags of rice.

If you fill up your cart, it takes quite an effort to push it to the car.

So, I'm floored every time I go to the Hackenack Costco on a busy Saturday at the laziness of many shoppers, who insist on parking in the rows closest to the doors and who clog up the single entrance road.

That was the case on Saturday, when cars were backed up to River Street.

Inside the store, I mentioned the problem to one of the employees, and said Costco should hire someone to direct traffic, but she dismissed my suggestion, saying the store can't do anything about drivers who clog up the entrance road.

Two other employees were just about as helpful when I asked whether Costco had discontinued Della-brand Organic Long Grain Brown Rice, which was missing from its usual spot.

Both told me to go look in the rice aisle, where I had just been. One didn't even break stride or stop eating something.

Another worker checked the computer, and said the Hackensack store no longer carries Della brown rice.

When I got home, I went online and ordered Lundberg Organic Brown Rice from Amazon.com -- six 2-pound packages for about $20.

Celebrate with H Mart coupons, rebates

The Spanish Mackerel Dinner at Woochon Restaurant in Palisades  Park.

Editor's note: Today, I report on a shopping trip with H Mart coupons, and another great dinner at Woochon Restaurant, a recent addition to the Korean dining scene in Palisades Park.

To help shoppers celebrate H Mart's 30th year in America, the Korean supermarket chain sent out a new coupon booklet to holders of its store card.

"The savings are almost as good as 30 years ago," the booklet cover boasts, but that's a wild exaggeration.

On Wednesday, I stopped at the Englewood H Mart and picked up three coupon items, plus fresh fish, baby bok choy and Korean sweet potatoes for dinner.

Three bags of Nong Shim Shrimp Crackers were $1 -- a savings of $1.97. Two 1-pound bags of Arizona Farm Cactus Honey Powder, a sugar substitute, were $4 -- a savings of $3.98.

And an 8-pack of Premium Roasted Seaweed snack was $1.99 -- a savings of $2.

Last year, H Mart issued a Smart Card, which entitles shoppers to in-store sales and a 1% rebate or reward.

But you don't get anything back until you spend $1,000 at its Bergen County stores. 

On Wednesday, I picked up a $10 rewards certificate at the Englewood store. However, it's not redeemable for cash.

I plan to use a coupon for Choripdong 7 Grains -- a combination of brown rice, beans and other grains. A 10-pound bag is $9.99 with the coupon, good from Sept. 8-23.

But after seeing the many artificial ingredients and colors in Hansung Seafood Nuggets, I decided against buying any.

Even the non-sale items were a good value.

At home, we had a wonderful dinner of pan-fried whole whiting; baby bok choy with sesame oil, soy sauce and garlic powder; and boiled and mashed Korean sweet potato with garlic powder and olive and sesame oils.

We pan-fried fresh whole whiting. They were $3.99 a pound.

Baby bok choy were 78 cents a pound. We plated the fish and bok choy with mashed Korean white sweet potatoes, which were $1.99 a pound.

A meal to share

Korean food lends itself to sharing, as I discovered at Woochon Restaurant in Palisades Park.

For dinner one night, I ordered grilled Spanish Mackerel ($16.99), then watched a procession of dishes arrive at my table.

First, 10 side dishes of tofu, vegetables and noodles were arrayed before me.

Some of the side dishes served at Woochon Restaurant.

You can order live fluke for an expensive, over-the-top sashimi dinner.

 As I worked my way through the side dishes, the fish arrived, along with a stone bowl of bean-curd soup and another dish holding the brown rice I asked for instead of white rice.

On the way out, I looked at one of the restaurant's fish tanks, and saw live fluke from Long Island hugging the bottom.

They were destined to come up for air, and be served as sashimi. 

After that big Spanish Mackerel dinner, I needed to come up for air, too.

Woochon Restaurant, 280 Broad Ave., Palisades Park; 201-242-9999.

Where $22 buys a tasty six-course meal

Seafood and Tofu Casserole at Lotus Cafe in Hackensack.

Lobster and Cream Corn Soup.

Few celebratory meals are as satisfying as a multi-course Chinese banquet, but you don't have to assemble a large group to enjoy such a feast at Lotus Cafe in Hackensack.

The BYO serves Dinners for Four, Six and Eight -- 6-, 8- and 10-course price-fixed meals for $69 to $160, plus tax and gratuity.

We had a delicious Dinner for Four on Monday night -- 5 courses of seafood, tofu and vegetables, plus dessert -- for about $22 per person, including tax and a 20% tip.

We couldn't finish the food, and I enjoyed the leftovers for dinner at home on Tuesday.

Filet of Sole with Ginger and Scallion.

Crunchy Chinese Broccoli sauteed with fresh garlic.

We've been going to Lotus Cafe for years, so I asked owner Philip Su if he could modify the Dinner for Four menu to eliminate dishes with pork and chicken, and give us only seafood.

We started with Lobster and Cream Corn Soup -- instead of Chicken & Wild Bamboo Soup -- and our  Lotus Mooshu Delight, served wrapped in thin rice pancakes, was made with shrimp instead of shredded pork.

Then we had the Seafood and Tofu Casserole (shrimp, scallop, squid and fish cake), Filet of Sole with Ginger and Scallion, and Chinese Broccoli (see photos).

The restaurant upgraded the usual dessert of Litchi and Pineapple to three big scoops of ice cream and orange sections.

We brought a half bottle of red wine to have with the meal, along with unlimited tea and small bowls of white or brown rice. 

An individual bowl of the egg-drop soup with vinegar.

Lotus Mooshu Delight is crowned with an egg crepe.

Hoisin Sauce for Lotus Mooshu Delight can be added before noodles, tofu, vegetables and shrimp are wrapped in pancakes. At rear, chili paste and Chinese vinegar.

If you can get 10 people together, Lotus Cafe will serve you a 12-course feast --  the Formosa Banquet -- for $268.

Ten to 12 people can order the 12-course Lotus Banquet for $338.

From the Dinner for Four to the Lotus Banquet for 10 to 12, each meal offers contrasting flavors and textures from one of the best Chinese restaurants in North Jersey.

Here are some of the dishes on the Special Prix Fixe Dinner and Banquet Menu:

Emperor's Pork Loin, Crispy Aromatique Duck, X.O. Beef Casserole, Paradise Chicken, Giant Meat Ball Casserole, and Five Delicacy Cold and Hot Appetizer Platter.

Lotus Cafe, 450 Hackensack Ave., in the Home Depot Shopping Center, Hackensack; 201-488-7070.

BYO, open seven days, parking lot, reservations recommended on weekends and holidays. 

Web site: Lotus Cafe

A fresh look at Corrado's Family Affair

Part of the produce section at Corrado's Family Affair in Clifton.

By VICTOR E. SASSON
EDITOR

Are there any other food stores with a more intriguing name than Corrado's Family Affair?

The big, ethnic supermarket on Main Avenue in Clifton -- just a couple of blocks over the Paterson line -- has been packing them in for more than 50 years.

The lure is a lot of food for just a little money, though there are fewer bargains here than in the past.

Jersey Fresh peaches were $1.39 a pound, the same price I paid for peaches at the Paramus ShopRite, but I ate only two of the latter and threw two away.

Two packages of Campari tomatoes were only $1, but they were less than a full pound.

Lousy peaches

After I wrote about buying South Carolina and New Jersey peaches for $1.39 a pound at the Paramus ShopRite -- they turned out to be lousy -- a reader said the new Corrado's supermarket in Wayne had Jersey Fresh fruit for only 99 cents a pound, and they were good.

Today, I went to the original Corrado's in Clifton, where New Jersey peaches were $1.39 a pound, so I bought four and will let them ripen on the counter.

I went for peaches and bought so much more.

Fresh bi-color corn, cold to the touch, were six for $1.99, and after I steamed them, they turned out to be sweet and needed nothing.

One-pound packages of strawberries were $2 each, sweet red peppers were 99 cents a pound and sweet orange peppers were $1.39 a pound.

But green-red peppers appeared wrinkled and old, and I passed, despite the low price.

Two 25-ounce bottles of Don Bruno Vodka Sauce, made with Italian tomatoes but no sugar, were $2.50 each.

Salted codfish

My biggest purchase was six 1-pound packages of Atlantic Pearl Salted Codfish Fillets from Canada at $6.99 each -- far lower than at ShopRite or Fairway Market in Paramus.

The high price of salted cod has prompted us to buy salted Alaskan pollock from Costco Wholesale, but my wife says the taste and texture aren't quite the same.

Corrado's is one of the few stores that carries squid-ink pasta, but an 8.8-ounce package was $5.99, and I decided against buying one.

The original Corrado's opened in 1960, and has expanded across Getty Avenue to a Corrado's shopping center -- with a store for amateur wine makers, garden center, pet store and so much more.

Gasoline, too

There is even a Corrado's gas station on Getty, where regular was $3.56.9 cents a gallon today.

I'd shop at Corrado's Family Affair almost every time I visited Fattal's Syrian Bakery and the Middle Eastern restaurants in nearby South Paterson.

But I stopped going there a few years ago after produce quality slipped, and I saw price stickers placed over expiration dates on organic salad mixes.

Today, Corrado's has liquor, flower and houseware stores inside the main building, as well as one corner devoted to brick oven pizza.

As good as Corrado's prices are on many items, I still had to go to Fattal's today for Al Shark spicy Moroccan sardines, still only 99 cents a can, and a gallon of Merve Aryan Yogurt Drink for $7.79.

I also noticed Corrado's is charging $12.99 a pound for Manchego sheep's milk cheese from Spain -- more than at Whole Foods Market in Paramus or the Hackensack Costco. 

I also couldn't find any antibiotic-free chicken for family members who eat poultry.

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

Web site: www.corradosmarket.com

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