Grocery Outlet April 2010

[blissandfelicity]

Oakland

Santa Cruz Organic Sparkling Lemonade 1.59
Delmonte organic crushed tomatoes 28 ounces 1.29
Challenge butter 1 lb 1.99
Pescado Pete's Coastal Style Olives 0.99
Fresh mozzerella 2.99
Tonnino yellowfin tuna in olive oil 2.99
Tonnino tuna with oregano in olive oil 2.99
Pemmican beef jerky 2.99

[leeshore]

I don't get too concerned about the date. The outlet store I've gone to, a few yrs back, had boxes of biscotti for 25 cents. Unless it was yrs old, how could you go wrong with that. It's just too far away from me now, 100 mi., I'm from PA. I think I got one can that squirt at me, it was bad. But after savings tons of $$$, it was ok w/ me. I liked the unique food they had.

I have made a baked custard from goat milk, creamier.

[Windy]

Last night we tried the 2004 St Francis Sonoma Syrah I picked up at GO in Merced for ~$7. It went beautifully with the barbecue (pork belly, ribs, brisket) at Mission Street Food last night.

I only wish I'd gotten more.

-----
Mission Chinese Food
2234 Mission Street, San Francisco, CA 94110

[susancinsf]

I picked up a bottle of the same and concur. Will keep an eye out for more.

[ernie in berkeley]

Berkeley: 2003 Dragon Seal Pinot Noir, product of China.

No, I'm not that brave, even for $1.99.

[Melanie Wong]

Dropped by Redwood City today, the last day to use my $3 coupon.

Laloo's goat milk ice cream, $2.99
Laloo's goat milk ice cream sandwiches, $4.99
Lots of olive oil again, including a couple from Turkey.
Tried Wai Lana Yoga Chips (whole grain) - too hard

[gordon wing]

Never had goat milk ice cream before ..... do you like it?

[mare]

I've tried it, creamy, but with a tang, just like goat milk in cheese. Tastes different than regular ice cream.

[Melanie Wong]

Oops, made a mistake, the pints of Laloo's are Forestberry goat milk frozen yogurt, not ice cream. Yes, I do like both goat frozen yogurt and ice cream. I especially like the fruit flavors as the tanginess melds with those flavors really well. That said, chocolate goat milk ice cream can be incredible as the denser velvety texture makes the chocolate that much more luxurious.

I've tried the goat milk ice cream sandwiches and they're fine, but kind of expensive, even marked down to that price. There are 8 small sandwiches (bambinis) in the box, 90 calories each. But the vanilla ice cream is somewhat icy and the tart goatiness doesn't pair as well with vanilla flavor.

[ML8000]

Berkeley GO: Helwa organic cookie wafers, lemon and choco, .99 cents 3.5 oz. Decent ingredients list and tasty. From Holland. Didn't see them in Oakland.

[gordon wing]

San Pablo GO ......
Aidells Andouille .....
DiCecco Pasta
Blue Bunny Ice Cream (for you Midwest transplants)
Ben & Jerry Pints of Chocolate
Zentis Strawberry Preserves $1.99 - 16oz. ( Strawberry is listed as the first ingredient )
Hillshire Farms Smoked Ham Ultra Thin Slices - 1 lb. $2.29 IIRC - ( $5.99 on this week's Lucky flyer for this size)
Peeled whole Italian style tomatoes w/basil for 79 cents - 28 oz size.
Wisconsin State Fair Extra Sharp Cheddar 10 oz. $2.99 Nice tang
Sorry, I didn't get all the prices but as expected they're pretty low compared to the big chains.

[escargot3]

thanks everyone who posted this month.
but it's just not the same without rworange!
sure do miss those reports...

[Columba]

Santa Rosa has Niman Ranch uncured Italian salame.
No junk, made by Columbus .
Mid-May expiration dates.
8 oz chubs of plain & herb $1.49
10 oz packages of sliced for $1.99

[Melanie Wong]

I was in the Santa Rosa store last weekend and noticed a couple cases of Tonnino ventresca on the shelf. The best by date was Jan 2010. I pointed this out to the cashier and she said she'd let the manager know and they'd most likely be marked down more soon. I still bought one can because I wanted to have it for lunch that day and it was fine.

[ML8000]

In Berkeley today:

Polo shirt from the Gap. (I wouldn't pay $10 and it's not great but for $4, sure okay)
Lays Kettle Cooked Chips (8.5 oz, $1.99, a few varieties, I think they're like $4 in a supermarket)

[roster]

San Pablo GO:

Ille de France Double Cream Brie
Kane Thai Peanut Sauce ( This stuff is terrific!)
Niman Ranch Uncured Gouda and Herb Sausages
Vee Tee Dal Makani

[Alice Patis]

GO newbie here. I went to the SJ Monterey Hwy store. It's been recently remodeled and the parking lot seems spiffed up too.

My picks or almost-picks:
Manila mangoes, 50c each, med-small, huge bin so you can pick the good ones
Clementine Cuties, 2.99 for 3 lb bag
Soy yogurt: vanilla, strawberry, or strawberry-banana, 50c each
Avocados 50c each, small-medium, some firm and almost brown, some green
Grated cheese: mozz, mild cheddar or Colby, $4.99 for 2 lb bag
Italcheese bocconcini fresh mozzarella balls, 99c for 8 oz. tub
Carriage House frozen breaded chicken breast pieces, $3.99 for 2 lb bag. Baked up decently crisp in 450 oven, slight hint of something weird like dill in the breading

Of the wines, I got 2 to try:
Renwood Zinfandel 2005 Sierra foothills, $2.99 - hubby said good enough, about the same as a $5-6 wine
Twin Fin Cab Sauvignon 2005 California, $1.99 - not yet tasted

I saw the Scharfenberger baking chunks mentioned above. I forget the price but to me didn't seem worth it (compared to my usual, TJs pound plus dark choc).

[Travis A]

to the Carriage House chicken i tasted the weird dill like taste in it as well. Not only that but mine had Chicken Vein in it. (not recommended)

[Melanie Wong]

Lots of ice cream: Ben & Jerry's, H-Daas, Edy's.
Bliss vanilla ice cream, $2.99/pint

Milk or dark chocolate coated Peeps, 4/$1
Scharffen Berger 41% milk chocolat & sea salted almond bar, 3 oz, $1.99

Also saw Scharffen Berger baking pieces, 6 oz, but don't remember the price.

[choctastic]

the baking pieces were $2.49, iirc. They were very good.

[dordogne]

Which store, Melanie?

[Melanie Wong]

Rohnert Park (southern Sonoma County), and they were in the candy section along the wall around the corner from the wine nook rather than the baking section.

[wannab]

I just recently started checking out Grocery Outlet. I love the prices and the unique foods.
But I am still on the fence about it. Someone told me the food is like 2 years old. Another said it is rejected food or tested food that failed.

I am getting frustrated with Safeway, I find it becoming more and more expensive every week and would love to find alternatives ( thankfully, our Farmers Market opens in May) so I would be very happy to use GO and save. Just somewhat apprehensive about it.

[baron45]

Stick with the foods with expiration dates if you are skeptical. It's mostly surplus stuff that's near expiration or promo items that are left over.

[Stephanie Wong]

Many products have discontinued labels ala the rejected Tropicana labels on the OJ half-gallons. Supermarket consumers hated at full price, but GO sold at $1.99 each.

[wannab]

Actually I just came back from GO. I bought some flour tortillas with an experation of 4/9/2010. So I am guessing a supermarket pulled it and sent it to GO which is fine by me, they are perfectly good and cheap!

[Stephanie Wong]

Welcome to the treasure hunt!

What brand tortillas & which GO?

[wannab]

Mission brand. LG burrito size. The GO was in Pleasant Hill.

[choctastic]

I heard that it was all old stuff too, but then when I checked it out, it had a high percentage of things that I see at Whole Foods. I mean, the same maple syrup is twice the price at Whole Foods! It's basically a treasure hunt. Sometimes I see lots of cool, cheap stuff that I want to try, and sometimes I don't.

I love the shampoo and lotion section. I got some pomegranate body butter that was totally to die for but when I went back it was all sold out. Also, they periodically have J.A.S.O.N. hair care and sunblock products for sometime like $3, when the same product is at Whole Foods for over $10. When i see that, I buy them out.

I first fell in love with Grocery Outlet when they had this mega sale of Lindt candy bars, for 99 cents a bar. There was nothing wrong with them, no bloom, excellent flavor. I bought a lot and thus started my love affair with this place. My all-time favorite deal was scoring dark Scharfenberger bars for 75 cents. Those were frigging delicious and usually go for over $4 each.

[hummy]

It's a total treasure hunt -- I never know what to expect when I go. I'm usually pretty vigilant about checking expiration dates, but I forgot to check the date on the Tonnino yellowfin tuna in olive oil that the OP posted. Those expired in January. But I ate the couple cans I bought and they were fine. (This was at the Oakland store.)

The Ben & Jerry Flipped out desserts are pretty good. I went with the peanut butter one, but the cashier said that the brownie one is to die for. Two cups were about $1.50.

Just thought I'd mention that there seems to be a promotion going on right now where some people are getting $3 coupons on their receipts that are to be used later this month. Perhaps you have to spend a minimum of $25? I've shopped twice at the Oakland store this week and got one the other day but not today. I spent about $30 earlier this week and under $10 today. One person in front of me got one today and the other one didn't, but I wasn't paying attention to how much they spent.

[Ruth Lafler]

I'm glad you ate the tuna even though it was "expired" -- so-called expiration dates are virtually meaningless. But the fact that people don't understand the significance (or lack thereof) of date codes on food just means more bargains at GO for the rest of us.

[wannab]

I also found sugar free Hersheys semi-sweet chocolate chips which is a dream to my diabetic SO. I already made him a batch of sugar free chocolate chip cookies and he's loving them. I don't know why they don't sell these at regular supermarkets, there are a lot of diabetics out there.
It was $1.99 a pkg.
Good find.

[calmonte]

This is a total pet peeve of mine, and a reason why we waste more consumable food in this country than any other on earth or in the history of mankind.

Use by dates and 'freshness labels' are almost all unregulated and subject to the whims of a manufacturer, mostly driven by their marketing department. The only food required to have an expiration date, that then requires the seller to pull and return the product, is infant formula.

Keep in mind, if handled properly many foods are safe to eat well beyond the date a food manufacturer wants you to throw it out and go buy more. If you're afraid to eat a food that shows no signs of spoil just because of a random date, you've been well marketing to, just know many food banks would be happy to have that tuna.

Check this index of terms out:

THE LANGUAGE OF LABELS

-- Sell By: This voluntary mark indicates the last date perishables should be sold to ensure top quality. Manufacturers take into account that the product may be stored at home after the sell-by date. Dairy producers, for example, build seven to 10 days into their milk dates, so milk with a Jan. 10 date should be fresh through Jan. 17 or later if stored properly at home.
Most sell-by dates are found on perishables like meat, seafood, poultry and fluid milk.

-- Use By: Another voluntary phrase that indicates the last day a manufacturer believes a product will be at its peak of quality. The product may still be edible long after that date.

-- Best If Used By: This date tells consumers how long the product will retain its best flavor or quality, as determined by the manufacturer. The phrase is generally found on shelf-stable products which pose no health risks if consumed well after the date.

-- Expires On: This is rarely found on food packages. It is found on infant formula and some baby foods, which are the only food products the federal government regulates with regard to dating.

An alternative phrase is, "Do not use after," followed by a date.

-- Pack Date: Manufacturers either stamp it on the package or emboss it on cans. Some bakery products and soups are examples of products that might have a pack date. This date helps stores rotate and market stock and is not an indicator of freshness or taste quality.

-- Code Date: Some manufacturers use a "closed code" on canned vegetables, frozen foods and other products to indicate the date the food was packed and which plant, line or shift packed it.

These codes and lot numbers are particularly important if a manufacturer recalls a product, but are generally impossible for the average consumer to decode.

[Ruth Lafler]

Thanks for the more detailed explanation. It's a pet peeve of mine, too, and I get really frustrated when I read reports on chowhound of people who go through their cupboards and refrigerators and discard things that are even close to their "expiration date"

Melanie Wong posted this article a while back, and I think points 4-7 are a good lesson on why "expiration dates" cause more harm than good, and are actually more about people's perceptions about whether food is safe, rather than any actual risk. http://www.culinate.com/articles/culi...

[Melanie Wong]

I just bought some of the Tonnino yellowfin ventresca (belly) in olive oil. These 4 oz tins have best before 06/2010 dating. Just tried it, very good stuff.

[Ruth Lafler]

I haven't seen the ventresca in Oakland since they sold through their first batch. I wonder if they got a second shipment. It's a real deal, since it's twice that or more at other stores.

[Melanie Wong]

Novato had a couple cases of the ventresca when I stopped by this morning, same dating. Also the glass packed tuna fillets with oregano.

Other items to note:

5 lbs Dececco linguine $3.99
Low fat ricotta by Mozzarella Fresca, $2.99

[kleine mocha]

They still have the yellowfin ventresca at the San Leandro store (I just got my stash of 15 cans so am now willing to share).

[Ruth Lafler]

Thanks for sharing!

[calmonte]

RWC

Sunday is the list day for the wine sale a lot of Aussie wine in stock but mostly picked over.
Challenge Butter $2
Greek Gods Greek style yogurt - Honey $2.50
Avocados small and not quite ripe $.50
Rising Sun brand Garlic Galore Pesto $2.00 its aptly named
Hummus - Assorted toppings $3.00
Still have the Monterey Brand Ravioli in stock - very tasty and a deal at $4 for a double pack
Goat Cheese logs for $.50 in fig, cranberry and plain
Gallo small Salami chubs $1.50
Hams - mostly large, but a few small odd sized pieces $1.70/lb
Ben & Jerry's flipped out sundaes 2 in a pack for $1.00 cookies and cream, peanut butter and vanilla

[Sophie]

Redwood City:
Edamame Pods 1.29 1 pound
Large can of stewed tomatoes .79
Monterey Fresh Ravioli Sundried tomatoes/Mozzerella 3.99 for 32 ounces pounds
Holiday goat Cheese, plain, fig, cinamon 8 oz .50
1 pound fresh Strawberries 1.50

[Melanie Wong]

http://twitpic.com/1cttm9
In Rohnert Park, 2007 Julian Chivite Gran Feudo Navarra rosado, $2.99, less 20% until wine sale ends. 100% Garnacha Tinto (Grenache noir), 13% ABV, screwcap closure, 24 hr maceration, saignee.

In good shape, still fresh, a bit reduced but clears up quickly with aeration. Cerise color. Pushed a little hard with some phenolic notes making it kind of chunky, yet decent acid balance for grape variety and region.

In general I'm not a big fan of garnacha rose' due to elevated alcohol and a lower acid flatness. But personal preferences aside, this is one of the better Spanish roses I've tasted. I might like it more freshened up with club soda or used in sangria. It's also fine as is.

Importer: Kobrand

[susancinsf]

I've been wanting to try some new Roses, so this post got my off my rear and finally to downtown Merced to cross off 'checking out the Merced GO' off my list....and now I am totally hooked. The same Julian Chivite rosado was $4.99 (less 20%) in Merced, but still, I enjoyed it, and also picked up a few Syrahs, nicely discounted. Also got goat cheese logs, greek style honey with yogurt, a bunch of key limes for something like a $1, a bunch of other good stuff...

I also got the promotional coupon that was mentioned in another post. $3 off my next visit. I wonder if it was because I was new (and thus hadn't used that card there?).

Thanks for new addiction, Melanie, Ruth and others. :-) Looking forward to posting further future treasures on the California board.

[Melanie Wong]

Heheh, Mom and I just back from the Salinas store. We got a coupon and GO knows this credit card very well.

I'll join you on the Calif board. Maybe the heading should be for GO for "Central Calif.". About half my visits are at the stores in Salinas and Marina (Monterey Peninsulla) and the stock is a little different and turns over less fast than the Bay Area stores. Distance from the Berkeley HQ might account for some differences.

[Ruth Lafler]

I've never seen the Tonnino with oregano (anywhere) before -- I'll have to check it out. If they still have the 12 ounce cans of Polar, the quality is very good and the price is good for the quantity.

What's a "coastal-style" olive?

[leeshore]

I'm from Pa & bought a vac pack of Pescado Pete's Calif Olive Antipasto, for $1 at Big Lots. This probably has the coastal olives in it. It's delicious. They are a firm olive with an extra kick of vinegar, but it's fantastic. This mix also had carrots, celery, pepper, garlic, cauliflower (a lesser amt, wasn't in my pack) salt & spices. Hopefully find them again. This sounds like a good store. There is a good mennonite outlet store, but it's 100 mi from me. Wish I was closer to CA.