Supermarket Delis - What do you get?

[mabziegurl]

I'm talking about prepared foods. The only thing I have ever gotten was a rotisserie chicken from Ralphs once. Didn't think it was that great. I've been eyeing chicken salads at various supermarkets particularly Wild Oats.

[HollyDolly]

Well,I used to buy H.E.B.'s bowtie pasta salad,but they don't make it anymore. I buy like the roast chicken or brisket and potato salad or marinated veggie salad.

[Karl S]

Fried chicken. It's usually superior to the chains. Supermarket fried chicken is often the best thing for eating cold; it's usually cooked in a sealed pressurized deep fryer, and thus adheres much better than home-cooked. It's also often cooled down correctly so that the coating is not so soggy when chilled (the worst thing you can do to fried chicken is put a bunch of hot pieces together in a container to refrigerate...).

[Biggie]

I worked at a deli/prepared foods for over 3 years. It has really turned me off, now that I can't open up a fresh loaf of meat to slice.

Potato salad, macaroni salad, and cole slaw all havea fairly quick turnover - anything else you order has been sitting there for 3-4 days and is just being turned into new dishes to look freshly-filled.

We even used to add more mayo to any salads that had become too dried out.

As far as prepared foods go, the sandwiches are usually prepared using meat/cheese ends that you can't get away slicing in front of the customer. All chicken, pork, etc. Is injected with a brine-like solution by the distributor so it stays moist. Most hot prepared food is timed-out so that it's ready by 10:30-11 AM and then by 4-4:30 PM, so it's freshest around that time.

Don't even get me started on gourmet olive bar...

[The Ranger]

Usually salads: potato, egg and German, pesto pasta, sun-dried tomato pasta, Moroccan Rice (olives, sun-dried toms, lemon, brown rice), coleslaw.

I also get SAAG's German bologne, German salame, Boar's Head Sausalito Turkey, and Black Forest ham in thin-sliced, 2-lb allotments.

[westsidegal]

at the gelsons deli they serve two salads that i like:
one is called jessica's edamame salad and the other is called jessica's antioxidant salad.

jessica is the gelson's nutritionist.

[California Sunshine]

While their roasted chickens are quite good, we find that the salads in the Wild Oats market are incredibly under-seasoned.

[TexasToast]

I don't get much; maybe a sandwich platter or something. I don't get the cheese or the deli meat, or any of those pickles or ready salads . . . EXCEPT at Central Market!

TT

[hummy]

Central Market and Goode Co. BBQ -- the two things I miss about Texas. Any of their ready made stuff was great. I especially loved their black pepper & prosciutto bread. I haven't seen it anywhere else. Now that I'm back in the SF Bay Area, the made to order sandwiches from Safeway aren't too bad.

[TexasToast]

Alcohol in Safeway is what I miss about CA!

No TJ's where you are? But I'm sure there are independent places that serve the good stuff, right?

TT