455056 Sun Oct 28 22:14:28 -0700 2007 44 1 San Francisco Bay Area 0 3075490 Been loving the Manhattan-style pickles made by Alexander Valley, and have had my eye on the fresh, raw sauerkraut to try next. Last week I made a killer Alsatian style choucroute garnie with the sauerkraut. While much of its success goes to the sausage source (Willowside Meats), there's no question that the sauerkraut deserves kudos too. Salt-cured with a delicate tang, the sauerkraut soaked up and served as the carrier of the flavors from the melange of ingredients. My supply came from Fiesta Market in Sebastopol. I've also spotted it at Big John's in Healdsburg. Both stock it in the refrigerator case with the pickle selection. http://alvalgourmet.com/retailers.html Posts on the pickles: http://www.chowhound.com/topics/36051 http://www.chowhound.com/topics/334240 http://www.chowhound.com/topics/354390 Sun Oct 28 22:14:28 -0700 2007 10039 Melanie Wong 1 3075506 Thanks for the tip. I've been craving a dish with saurkraut lately. When I get up to Sonoma I'll check out Sonoma Market since they carry those pickles I love. Sun Oct 28 22:32:09 -0700 2007 3075490 10264 rworange 2 3103404 None at Sonoma Market, just the pickles. They did say if you ask they will probably order it. I don't get up to that way often enough, but anyone who is in Sonoma, doesn't hurt to ask. Wed Nov 07 09:53:48 -0800 2007 3075506 10264 rworange 1 3075764 Ive wondered about these pickles since seeing them at Pacific Market in Santa Rosa. Thanks for the right up - deserves a try. Mon Oct 29 06:30:05 -0700 2007 3075490 14086 kare_raisu 2 3075917 If you don't want to commit to a jar ... but they are really great ... the fig pantry in Sonoma sells single Alexander Valley pickles in the deli. Mon Oct 29 07:30:58 -0700 2007 3075764 10264 rworange 3 3103409 The fig pantry no longer carries Alexander Valley pickles. Wed Nov 07 09:54:54 -0800 2007 3075917 10264 rworange 1 3076286 As I have written...these pickles are fantastic! They are as close to NY pickles from a barrel that I have tasted..here in N. Calif. I ALWAYS keep a container of them in my fridge. Here in S.F. I have found them in the refrigerator case in Whole Foods and recently in Molly Stones! I have NOT seen the sauerkraut, but I will DEFINITELY ask these markets to get some, we'll see how responsive they are! Thanks Melanie! Mon Oct 29 09:23:57 -0700 2007 3075490 10485 ChowFun_derek 1 3078694 I just experienced the pickles for the first time, and now you tell me there is kraut too! I have been looking for the pickles in the east bay for some time - finally spotted them at the Andronico's on Shattuck (at the back end of the dairy aisle, near the meat counter). Keeping my fingers crossed they have the kraut too! Thanks. Mon Oct 29 21:08:10 -0700 2007 3075490 16239 megek 2 3103488 Where can I get the s-kraut in the Bay Area???....WF has only pickles.... Wed Nov 07 10:18:25 -0800 2007 3078694 19117 Pollo 3 3103575 Per my original post, Big John's and Fiesta have the sauerkraut on the shelf. Oddly, the company's website doesn't mention the sauerkraut, only the pickles. Maybe it's a special order for other stores. Wed Nov 07 10:40:38 -0800 2007 3103488 10039 Melanie Wong 4 3103611 Yes, but is there anything local?...i.e. Oakland/Berkely? Wed Nov 07 10:48:05 -0800 2007 3103575 19117 Pollo 5 3103625 Thanks for clarifying your town, as everything discussed on this board is the "Bay Area". Wed Nov 07 10:51:12 -0800 2007 3103611 10039 Melanie Wong 6 3103647 I don't think Sebastopol or Healdsburg qualify as Bay Area? Wed Nov 07 10:56:24 -0800 2007 3103625 19117 Pollo 7 3103746 The San Francisco Bay Area is comprised of nine counties, including Sonoma County where both Healdsburg and Sebastopol are located. http://www.abag.ca.gov/abag/local_gov/county/county.html That's the definition used for defining this board as well. For whatever reason, the cities identified at the top of the SF Bay Area board don't mention anywhere in Solano, Contra Costa or San Mateo counties. Wed Nov 07 11:20:06 -0800 2007 3103647 10039 Melanie Wong 8 3104162 OK, OK....but is there anywhere "closer" where the s-kraut can be had? Wed Nov 07 12:57:12 -0800 2007 3103746 19117 Pollo 5 4260218 I found both the A.V. Kraut and the pickles at Village Market in Oakland Bought both today. Near the front of the store under the hotdog and sausage cooler. 5885 Broadway terrace 94618 510 547 3200 Fri Dec 19 13:03:57 -0800 2008 3103611 11631 Mission 1 3103722 And don't miss the "Outrageous" Bread and Butter pickles which really are just that - outrageously delicious - I must try the sauerkraut next... Wed Nov 07 11:13:59 -0800 2007 3075490 46049 hibiscuits 2 3103755 Those are next on my list too. Not usually my style, but all reports I've heard have been like yours. Wed Nov 07 11:21:22 -0800 2007 3103722 10039 Melanie Wong 1 3103880 Can anyone chime in on the relative quality of Bubbies sauerkraut compared to Alexander Valley Sauerkraut? We get Bubbies in bulk at Rainbow Grocery, or in jars at Bryan's or Calmart in Laurel Village. My impression was Bubbies is very home-grown and local, but the "about" section on their web site indicates the cute old lady on the label is a marketing creation and they're in national distribution. Wed Nov 07 11:50:41 -0800 2007 3075490 17221 SteveG 2 3108870 Come on people....will I have to drive 40+ miles for the s-kraut? Thu Nov 08 18:06:57 -0800 2007 3103880 19117 Pollo 3 3315669 Yes ... yes I can compare the two. Bubbies is not in the same class. Napa Whole Foods sells Alexander Valley Saurkraut and their whole pickle line. The saurkraut is $4.29 for a big tub and worth every penny and more. I actually have had to stop myself from eating it plain. Nice crisp crunch, fresh taste and not overly salted. The best kraut I've had in my life ... which is consistant with the pickles which are in the top-tier of any pickles I've tried. Sun Jan 20 20:26:26 -0800 2008 3108870 10264 rworange 4 3315946 I TOTALLY agree about Alexander Valley Pickles...there's always a container in my fridge. I still have been unable to find the sauerkraut in S.F....has anyone found it here??!! Sun Jan 20 23:27:33 -0800 2008 3315669 10485 ChowFun_derek 5 3315986 Since at least one Whole Foods carries it, maybe you can ask your local Whole Foods to get some in. Mon Jan 21 00:23:14 -0800 2008 3315946 10264 rworange 5 3421419 Rainbow has the pickles, you might give them a try. Personally, the tub of Alexander Valley pickles I got was not to my liking at all. I was really excited to try them and they had a strong off taste. Don't know if I got a bad batch or what but it was a bummer since I bought a whole tub of them. I get my pickles and fresh kraut from New World on Geary. Thu Feb 21 12:38:38 -0800 2008 3315946 12836 Candice 6 3421468 Sounds like an over-the-hill batch. Salt-fermented pickles have a limited shelf life. Thu Feb 21 12:48:49 -0800 2008 3421419 11369 Robert Lauriston 2 3180568 I don't recall trying Bubbies sauerkraut. I have had Boar's Head sauerkraut from the refrigerated deli case in recent years and I prefer Alexander Valley's. Also wanted to mention that my friends who helped eat the choucroute bought some of the sauerkraut at Big John's a couple weeks ago. They said that it was too fresh, tasting mostly salty with little tang, and wasn't as good as the batch I used. I also reminded them that my dish had a half bottle of their RRV Pinot Gris to give it more oomph. (g) Tue Dec 04 21:29:46 -0800 2007 3103880 10039 Melanie Wong 3 3315901 Not to be a dolt, but is the Alexander Valley sauerkraut related to the winery, or does it happen to just originate from that area? Also: which choucroute recipe did you use? Sun Jan 20 22:41:20 -0800 2008 3180568 126908 iwantmytwodollars 3 3325203 Finding AV sauerkraut allowed me to make a great version of Varsakluge - Transylvanian layered cabbage, which I learned from the old NYT International cookbook when I was a student in NYC. AV sauerkraut is fresh, not bottled, and has been kept cool. Their AV pickles brought me back to the pickle barrels on the Upper West Side. Now if I could only find corned tongue.... Wed Jan 23 13:31:52 -0800 2008 3180568 49277 jimtak 4 3325278 jimtak Can this help? "Ms. Rever still loves tongue, but now she makes sure to slice it before sending it to the table. She cooks only pickled tongue, and only from Wasserman & Lemberger in Baltimore." nytimes 2007 Wasserman and Lemberger. 7006-D Reisterstown Road. Baltimore, MD 21215. Tel: (410) 486-4191. Probably don't call Friday night or Saturday. Wed Jan 23 13:46:29 -0800 2008 3325203 105235 wolfe 1 3419567 I was looking at the menu for BarberQ in Napa and they serve hot dogs with Alexander Valley Saurkraut. Here's the menu (pdf) http://www.barbersq.com/pdf/BarBersQ_Menu_012208_2 It's also a hot dog I haven't tried before ... Long Meadow Ranch Grass-Fed Beef Dog, Wed Feb 20 23:07:32 -0800 2008 3075490 10264 rworange 2 3421330 Long Meadow Ranch raises Scottish cattle--I've wanted to try their stuff for a while. Thu Feb 21 12:22:30 -0800 2008 3419567 17221 SteveG 1 3421417 Any sightings yet in the Berkeley / Oakland area? Anybody tried to order through Whole Foods? Thu Feb 21 12:38:22 -0800 2008 3075490 11369 Robert Lauriston 2 3421612 Andronico's on Shattuck has the pickles, not the sauerkraut. Thu Feb 21 13:19:38 -0800 2008 3421417 10133 wally 3 3422215 Same story w/ the produce market at the Market Hall. I asked them to look into carrying the sauerkraut. Thu Feb 21 15:56:55 -0800 2008 3421612 17723 lexdevil 1 3952437 I just found the saurekraut at Golden Health food on Church across from the Market St. Safeway...it is really excellent..quite home made tasting with a great crunchy texture! Wed Aug 13 01:04:06 -0700 2008 3075490 10485 ChowFun_derek 2 3955229 Glad you liked the product after searching for so long! Wed Aug 13 18:16:36 -0700 2008 3952437 10039 Melanie Wong 1 3952487 i thought about this thread the other day but forgot. good to see it updated. i wanted to add that i've been seeing alexander valley sauerkraut at rainbow grocery in SF for awhile now, though i haven't made a point of trying it myself. it was mentioned before that the AV pickles were available, but i think at the time the kraut was not. i had a nice pork goulash dish at walzwerk the other night, full of tender cubes of pork with all the sweetness of paprika stewed with sauerkraut in the stew, and i have my eyes on this kraut for fall and winter cooking. Wed Aug 13 03:54:35 -0700 2008 3075490 27741 augustiner 2 3953607 It seems to have the perfect texture for further cooking in various dishes, and the dish you had ar Walzwerk sounds GREAT! Wed Aug 13 10:37:54 -0700 2008 3952487 10485 ChowFun_derek 1 4206344 on the promise of a polish-american flavored thanksgiving involving pierogis and other eastern european treats, i decided to bring a dish of braised sauerkraut, flavored with slab bacon, onion, caraway, juniper, mustard seed, and black peppercorns. i used this opportunity to avail myself of alexander valley's kraut. plucking strands of cabbage from the tub, i noted the subtleness and vibrancy of the product, finally. i grabbed two tubs from rainbow grocery in the city. it's almost like the difference between kimchi out of a barrel, freshly made, or poured out of a vacuum sealed bag. you know those jars of ripe as hell factory kraut that make so many people unbelievers? they should try this. the pierogis were never made, and my friend set the handle of his le creuset dutch oven lid on fire. the kugel...kuge...i don't remember. eastern european potato bacon loaf?...came out way after everyone was done eating. so the polish/eastern european element wasn't really present at the meal. but i was proud of my sauerkraut, because while many looked at it in fear and skipped past it, all of the polish-americans and the rest of the chicago crowd gave loud praise to my kraut. but i can't take all the credit. alexander valley makes an exceptional product. i'm feeling up to a big alsatian choucroute garnie. this stuff is a gem. Fri Nov 28 04:27:54 -0800 2008 3075490 27741 augustiner 2 4206409 Perhaps you and Jason can get together. http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/571800 Fri Nov 28 06:08:25 -0800 2008 4206344 105235 wolfe 2 4206843 It's great stuff isn't it?!! ...and their New York pickles are "the best" here in the Bay area! Fri Nov 28 11:33:02 -0800 2008 4206344 10485 ChowFun_derek 3 4260243 I found both the Alexander Valley's Kraut and the pickles at Village Market in Oakland Bought both today. Near the front of the store under the hotdog and sausage cooler. 5885 Broadway terrace 94618 Fri Dec 19 13:11:43 -0800 2008 4206843 11631 Mission 4 4260444 Ooooh, I'm getting in the car right now. Haven't been to the Village Market for a million years. Didn't even know it still existed. Btw, I had a great dinner of sausages, sauerkraut and boiled spuds at Walzwerk couple of months ago - absolutely delicious. My husband kept trying to steal bites from my plate despite my smacking his hand repeatedly. Fri Dec 19 14:14:40 -0800 2008 4260243 10245 oakjoan 4 4260474 I make an ersatz Choucroute Garni with Saags smoked pork chops, whatever good sauerkraut I can find (I HATE Bubbie's products - after tasting those flaccid pickles, bleah! I'll never pay them money again despite all their adverts), carrots, new potatoes and onions. Fri Dec 19 14:23:08 -0800 2008 4260243 10245 oakjoan 5 4260678 If you have not been to Village market in a while you will be Surprised! Its very upscale and has been greatly renovated. Lots of Gourmet foods,Fresh BBQ and Pre made food to take home and eat. Prices can be rather high on some products. Same owner though. Fri Dec 19 15:39:39 -0800 2008 4260474 11631 Mission