A belly busting lunch at the 'House of Good Taste'

Stone-bowl bibimbap is one of South Korea's great, non-spicy comfort dishes. At Gammeeok Restaurant in Fort Lee, the rice-based dish is served with a spicy red-pepper paste on the side.

Gammeeok, which means "House of Good Taste," is known for its kimchi service and its deliciously sweet and spicy fermented radish and cabbage with extra sauce.

By VICTOR E. SASSON
Editor

Every Korean meal comes with unlimited free side dishes or panchan, but it pays to have a native at your table to get the full benefit.

I met friends for lunch on Friday at Gammeeok Restaurant in Fort Lee, and one of them brought a visiting South Korean judge as his guest.

During our meal, the judge explained that the simple bean-sprout soup served with my entree was considered as much of a free side dish as the wonderful cabbage and radish kimchi.

As such, I could ask for a second bowl. He did on my behalf.

If you have the room, a second bowl of bean-sprout soup is free, too.

Meatless bibimbap

I ordered Dolsot Bibimbap, a stone bowl filled with hot rice, vegetables, ground beef and a raw egg, and asked the waiter to hold the meat and tell the kitchen to cook the egg ($14.95).

When the bowl was set down in front of me, I spooned on gochujang, a spicy red-pepper paste, and mixed up everything before eating.

A friend who doesn't like spicy food ate his bibimbap without gochujang.

Belly buster

With unlimited cabbage and radish kimchi; two free bowls of soup and another complimentary side dish, fresh cabbage leaves dipped in bean paste, I couldn't finish the bibimbap, and took home a small container of leftovers. 

I ate it for breakfast today with an egg-white frittata and leftover kale and spinach.

Gammeeok is known for its ox-tail soup -- Seolleong Tang -- a bland milky, rice-filled broth ($10.95), but there are bowls of chopped scallions and salt on the table for seasoning it.

The restaurant is still honoring $10-off and $20-off coupons that appeared in The Record of Woodland Park in August.

A communal table and traditional low tables at Gammeeok.

 

My breakfast of leftover bibimbap.

Gammeeok Restaurant, 485 Main St., Fort Lee; 201-242-1333; and 110 Broad Ave., 2nd Floor, Palisades Park; 201-945-6300.

Web site: Bibimbap and so much more

The Fort Lee restaurant has valet parking and is open around the clock.

Here's why you should never pay retail for food

At the Costco Wholesale in Hackensack on Thursday afternoon, employees were restocking shelves with items left behind by customers at checkout counters or elsewhere in the store after last-minute changes of mind.

By VICTOR E. SASSON
Editor

Costco Wholesale's fair food prices are a persuasive argument for never paying retail for what we eat.

Why pay $6.99 or $7.99 for a pound of Earthbound Farm Organic Spring Mix -- one of the best salads on Earth -- when Costco sells it for $4.49 to $4.99 year-round , and makes a profit?

Why pay ShopRite $6.99 for 2 pounds of those wonderful Campari Tomatoes, when you can find them every day of the year at Costco for $4.99?

When ShopRite has one of its Can-Can Sales, the reduced prices of seltzer, marinara sauce and other items approach and sometimes beat the deals you can get at Costco all the time.

But fewer and fewer items go on deep discount during those ShopRite sales, and shoppers can sometimes do better with manager's specials, such as the bottled Dress Italian pasta sauces I bought at the Paramus ShopRite for $1.99 each or half-price.

Today, I saw the same imported sauce at the Englewood ShopRite for $3.49, a 50-cent discount, at the Super Can-Can Sale.

Despite long lines at other checkout counters, employees at the ShopRite in Hackesack didn't open the 20-item express line on Monday. It also remained closed on a previous visit.

Costco members 

You say Costco Wholesale is a members-only store with an annual fee of $55 to $110 a year, negating the savings on food?

With a no-fee American Express-Costco credit card, you get as much as a 3% rebate at the warehouse store, and outside rebates on gasoline, restaurant meals and other purchases -- money back that easily surpasses the membership fee.

Costco also sells such winners as Natural Peanut Butter and Basil Pesto that are difficult to match in terms of quality and price. 

At H Mart in Fort Lee, frozen South Korean yellow tail -- a fish often served raw at sushi bars -- were only $1.99 a pound on Sunday. I bought fresh, wild-caught croaker for $3.99 a pound.

Fresh mustard greens and prepared Korean pancakes, stir-fried vermicelli noodles and stewed tofu from H Mart and H Mart Fresh, both in Fort Lee.

Price variances

At Costco Wholesale, you won't run into price differences from one store to another in the same area.

That's what happened when I purchased a 16-portion box of Shin Ramyun, a spicy instant noodle soup, for $12.99 on Sunday at the Fort Lee H Mart, only to see it for less the next day at the Little Ferry H Mart (regularly $16.99).

I'm kicking myself for passing up the same box of Shin Ramyun for $9.99 at the H&Y Marketplace in Ridgefield.

Mouth-filling ribbons of Garofalo whole-wheat pappardelle noodles in bottled Dress Italian Arrabbiata Sauce with baby spinach. The pasta's name derives from the verb "pappare" or "to gobble up." How appropriate.

For a filling breakfast the next morning, I served myself the chunky pasta sauce, which is made with Italian chopped tomatoes and white wine, over organic brown rice and stewed tofu, plating them and reheating them in the microwave.

I added fresh basil leaves to the bottled Dress Italian sauce from a plant I found at the ShopRite in Englewood for $2.49, above and below. The plants, grown in Belvidere, contain no GMOs.

What goes up ...

I was surprised last week when the price for Kirkland Signature Wild Alaskan Smoked Sockeye Salmon at Costco jumped by more than $3 for a 1-pound package.

On Thursday, I returned to my Hackensack Costco, looking for more wild mahi-mahi fillets, a recently added item.

Instead of going when the store first opens at 10 a.m., I decided to visit after 5 in the afternoon, and found the shopping experience a lot more relaxed.

However, the parking lot was the usual zoo, with shoppers looking for parking spaces close to the doors and backing up traffic.

An employee was adding more shrink-wrapped mahi-mahi to the fish case, and I was pleasantly surprised to see the price had dropped to $5.99 a pound, from $7.99.

One pound of Earthbound Farm Organic Spring mix was $4.79, 2 pounds of Campari Tomatoes were $4.99 and 3 pounds of peeled Christopher Ranch Monviso Garlic, an heirloom variety from California, were $5.99.

Jumbo Shingo Korean Pears were $6.49 for three (weight is 2.8 pounds).

A homemade frittata and stewed tofu with mashed sweet potatoes from Costco Wholesale. They are sold in 10-pound bags only during the holidays for around 49 cents a pound.

The mall entrance to Whole Foods Market in Paramus.

'You can't see it'

Whole Foods Market and ShopRite are the last two supermarkets I patronize that give shoppers credit for bringing re-usable bags.

But on Thursday, when I purchased three 1-pound packages of imported organic whole wheat pasta at the Whole Foods in Paramus, the receipt didn't show the usual 10-cents credit for my one bag.

I said to the cashier, "You didn't give me credit for my bag," and she said, "I did, but you can't see it."

That didn't sound right, so I handed her the receipt, she looked at it and handed me a dime.

More smoked salmon

At Marshalls, near Whole Foods, I found a box containing a pound of smoked wild Alaskan sockeye salmon for $19.99.

The fish, in a vacuum-sealed pouch, is fully cooked, preservative free and doesn't require refrigeration until it is opened.

The label says the salmon is "smoked [over alder wood] in the same careful and time-consuming Native American tradition."

It's from Alaska Smokehouse and carries a sell-by date of January 2018. 

Lavazza beans

Jerry's Gourmet & More in Englewood restocked and had more Lavazza coffee beans from Italy when I stopped there today.

A 2.2-pound bag of Crema E Aroma was $19.99, a good price, though I've seen Lavazza beans at Jerry's for a few dollars less.

On the trail of the best sushi in North Jersey

Isami-san preparing a Sashimi Lunch platter at Tatsumi of Japan, a BYO on River Road in Edgewater.

By Victor E. Sasson

Editor

Japanese-Americans and transplants are fiercely loyal to their favorite restaurants, and many believe Tatsumi of Japan serves the best sushi in North Jersey.

At the restaurant's sushi bar on Monday, I enjoyed a lunch of sashimi -- pristine slices of raw fish -- and watched as Chef Isami-san presented individual pieces of sushi to a Japanese friend who joined me.

The Sashimi Lunch and Sushi Lunch at the Edgewater BYO are $15 each.  

The Sashimi Lunch -- served with miso soup, a small salad and a bowl of rice -- includes cooked octopus and five kinds of raw fish, above and below.

Isami-san took time to partially trim the skin of a lemon slice and curve it artfully.

Art of sushi

One of the pieces of sushi that impressed me visually was a slice of raw salmon Isami-san seared with a small blowtorch and brushed with a sauce of soy, mirin and dashi, a fish-and-kelp stock.

He then topped the fish with a cluster of roe before placing it on rice and presenting it.

Another was a slice of delicious raw fluke fin that had been deboned.

My Sashimi Lunch included slices of yellow tail (hamachi), tuna (maguro), mackerel (saba), Japanese snapper (tai) and fluke (hirami).

A wall niche near the restaurant's entrance.

My short list

After my sashimi lunch, my list of favorite Japanese restaurants expanded from one to two.

Tatsumi joins Hiura, a family run Japanese restaurant in Fort Lee, on my must-visit list. 

I especially enjoy Hiura's bento box lunches of cooked and raw fish.

Tatsumi of Japan, 1034 River Road, Edgewater; 201-969-0202. Open for lunch Tuesdays to Fridays, and for dinner Tuesdays through Sundays. Closed Mondays. Small parking lot, BYO.

Web site: www.tatsumiofjapan.com

Hiura Japanese Restaurant, 400B Main St., Fort Lee; 201-346-0110. Closed Wednesdays. Serves lunch and dinner. Small parking lot, BYO, valet parking at dinner.

See:

From a great lunch at Hiura
to rude shoppers at Whole Foods

Consumer Reports: Buy only antibiotic-free chicken

The February 2014 issue of Consumer Reports concludes "that most raw chicken breasts are contaminated with bacteria, including antibiotic-resistant strains."

By VICTOR E. SASSON
Editor

An investigation by Consumer Reports magazine led to a startling conclusion:

"Ninety-seven percent of the [chicken] breasts we tested harbored bacteria that could make you sick."

"Consumer Reports' recent analysis of more than 300 raw chicken breasts purchased at stores across the U.S. found potentially harmful bacteria lurking in almost all of the chicken, including organic brands."

Chicken can kill

The magazine's February 2014 issue reports "more deaths were attributed to poultry than to any other commodity," according to an analysis of outbreaks from 1998 through 2008 by the national Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

A total of 48 million people fall sick each year from eating tainted food.

Go drug free

"Still, there are good reasons for selecting chicken raised without the use of antibiotics," the magazine advises, adding:

"Buying those products supports farmers who keep their chickens off unnecessary drugs, and that's good for your health and preserves the effectiveness of antibiotics.

"'Chickens without antibiotic resistance to salmonella and other dangerous pathogens can't pass antibiotic-resistant bugs onto you,' says Dr. Robert Lawrence, a professor at the John Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health."

The Costco Connection cover story on "making food safer from farm to table" includes an appetizing photo of cooked poultry, produce and wine.

Costco weighs in

The Costco Connection magazine takes a starkly different approach to its report on food safety.

In a cover story in the January 2014 issue, Editor Tim Talevich asks whether government regulators are "making progress in the effort to make food safer?"

To answer this question, the editor met with officials from the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Food Safety and Inspection Service.

He also asked Craig Wilson, who oversees "Costco's food safety and quality-assurance program, to explain how food safety is promoted within Costco,  from fresh meats prepared in warehouse meat departments to packaged foods that come from suppliers."

Costco poultry

The magazine doesn't discuss Costco Wholesale food products that are raised on animal antibiotics, growth hormones or both.

The vast majority of meat and poultry sold at my Costco Wholesale contain harmful animal antibiotics, and labels on farmed fish are silent on whether their feed contains antibiotics or preservatives.

That includes the wildly popular Kirkland Signature whole rotisserie chickens.

At the Hackenack Costco, I've seen two antibiotic-free poultry brands, Coleman Organic and Empire Kosher.  The store also carries organic ground beef.

The ShopRite and Stop & Shop supermarket chains also offer their own brands of antibiotic-free chicken, and I've seen Coleman Organic chicken parts in several North Jersey ShopRites.

Whole Foods Market pledges all of its farmed seafood is raised without antibiotics and preservatives.

Footnote

Consumer Reports could have done a better job of communicating that all chicken, including more expensive organic and antibiotic-free brands, can be contaminated with bacteria.

A heading in the index, repeated in a prominent headline on Page 30 of the February 2014 issue reads:

"The high cost of cheap chicken"

As consumers know, organic and antibiotic-free chicken are more expensive than such low-cost, low-quality brands as Perdue, Amick Farms and Tyson.

Also, chicken breasts aren't the only parts that harbor harmful bacteria.

The Consumer Reports article includes a photo and story about Richard Schiller, 51, of San Jose, Calif., who was sickened by a salmonella strain found in the Foster Farms chicken thighs he ate.

This ShopRite is crowded and poorly stocked

Checkout counters at the ShopRite in Englewood.

By VICTOR E. SASSON
Editor

I hope the planned expansion of the ShopRite in Englewood comes to fruition soon, but wonder whether employees will do a better job of keeping the shelves stocked.

Today, I struck out finding any Adirondack Lemon Lime Seltzer during ShopRite's Super Can-Can Sale, which often seems to be a Can't-Can't Sale.

All I saw were 12-bottle packs of Original and Mandarin Orange (on sale for $4.80 each), and plenty of empty shelf space in the seltzer section.

Tense crowd

The store was crowded, as you'd expect on the weekend, and when I was looking for the seltzer, I heard an expletive-deleted shouting match between a man and woman in a checkout lane that lasted several minutes.

I bought a 12-bottle pack of Mandarin Orange, and a few other items at modest savings:

A six-pack of Swiss Miss Milk Chocolate Hot Cocoa Mix was 88 cents, a discount of 12 cents; VO5 shampoo was 89 cents each or 10 cents off, and Aqua Fresh toothpaste was $1.99 or 20 cents less.

There were no discounts on Herdez Salsa Verde from Mexico, $2.69; half-gallons of ShopRite 1% Lactose Free Milk, $3.49 each; or Bob's Red Mill Whole Grain 10 Grain Cereal, $2.79.

Advancing storm panics Costco Wholesale shoppers

Less than 30 minutes after the 10 a.m. opening today, checkout lines were long and getting longer at the Costco Wholesale in Hackensack, above and below. The line for returns was as long as the one I saw right after Christmas.

By VICTOR E. SASSON
Editor

Did I really have to rush down to Costco Wholesale -- less than 2 miles from my home -- for organic milk, liquid egg whites, bread and two kinds of cheese today?

For the past 24 hours, I had been listening to radio and TV news reports about an advancing snowstorm, and the media made it sound as if the world was about to end.

A story in the morning paper predicted "near-blizzard" conditions and power outages in North Jersey.

True, I was running low on organic spring mix, grated sheep's milk cheese and bread, but none of those purchases were critical or even necessary.

When I got to Costco, I slipped into the lot "the back way" to avoid a long line of cars at the entrance.

It was about 10 minutes after the 10 a.m. opening, but the lot was nearly full. Later, an employee said there was no unannounced early opening. 

On Wednesday night, after listening to storm reports, I prepared a pound of organic whole-wheat spaghetti in Kirkland Signature Marinara Sauce with baby spinach, sardines and anchovies.

After a plate of spaghetti tonight, I prepared a sweet-and-savory salad of Earthbound Farm Organic Spring Mix, diced fuyu and Parmigiano Reggiano Cheese, dressed simply in extra-virgin olive oil and balsamic vinegar.

On the checkout line, the couple in front of me had purchased folding shovels and a couple of cases of bottled water. 

Other shoppers were pushing carts that were piled high with food and water.

When I couldn't immediately find Kirkland Signature All Natural Multigrain 100% Whole Grain Bread, I asked an older woman who was pushing her full cart toward the bread section, and she simply ignored me.

When I saw another woman putting two 12-bottle cases of seltzer into her cart, I told her she could get a better deal at ShopRite during the Super Can-Can Sale ($5.69 at Costco v. $4.80 at ShopRite). 

She put back the seltzer, thanked me and said her husband loves going to the Englewood ShopRite.

This morning, I made a large quantity of mashed sweet potatoes with extra-virgin olive oil, and ate them with leftover mahi mahi, tofu and cabbage with sweet peppers.