oops!

Not only have I not posted anything this year, I haven't been reading much this year. And...I haven't really been cooking. Well, kind of. I'd been pretty blase about Trader Joe's coming to town...blah blah convenience food blah. And I've been spending $60-80 a week there for the last month and a half! The frozen dinners have been perfect for the SO's lunch. And the little tubes of already-made polenta and jars of already-made tapenades and the frozen naan and the envelopes of Indian food...well, I've become TJ-dependent.

Last night, though I actually made lasagna. And we didn't get to eat until 8pm! It felt like it took forever. Unlike opening a can of TJ's vegetarian chili, adding a few more beans to it and serving it with some tortilla chips--that takes less than five minutes!

But I need to get back into actual cooking. Joy's got this great recipe for pizza dough on her site and I intend to make a pizza soon. After I've eaten the TJ's pizza that's in the refrigerator right now...

First trip to Trader Joe's Nashville

The SO and I braved the crowds and made our first trip to the new Trader Joe's this morning, its second day of business.

The same issue that was a problem when Wild Oats was in that location was a problem today--traffic and parking. We drove around the lot just a bit and finally just camped out and waited for a car to leave. I'm sure we annoyed several people, but you gotta do what you gotta do. I'd thought we might park at Grace's Plaza, but there were signs in the lot warning against that. I noticed a few people who parked across Hillsboro and walked over--smart idea.

Once inside, the crowd was just as crazy as the parking lot. But people seemed to be fairly pleasant; I suppose because none of us really knew where anything was and wanted to see everything. And the staff was really polite and pleasant considering they had to navigate the crowds with boxes and such to re-stock the quickly-dwindling supply of food.

I really wasn't too impressed with the TJ's in Las Vegas, but I think it was because I was looking for some particular items. It also just seemed a little dingy. The TJ's in Nashville, though has skylights which really take the edge off the fluorescent lights. Also, I think the key is to go in with an open mind and dig for treasure. Which is how I ended up spending nearly $90. I'm really not sure what all I got, but my refrigerator is bulging. Some broccoli and fancy mushrooms, some fresh pasta, some of those fleur de sel caramels...um...well, that accounts for about $12. Oh! some truffled cheese, ginger cookies, soap...let's just say that we started out with one handbasket, got a second and then transferred to a cart. We went a little nuts.

And based on the other overstuffed carts I saw, I'd say we weren't the only ones. So now we've been initiated. We're Trader Joe's fans.

Trader Joe's
3903 Hillsboro Pike
open 9am-9pm every day

And, of course there's plenty of beer including Nashville's own Yazoo, but no wine.

Get ready for that first trip to Trader Joe's

The food-lover's community is all abuzz regarding this week's opening of Trader Joe's. And it just so happens that in the course of my usual workday, I read about this cookbook, Cooking with All Things Trader Joe's. A cookbook where all the ingredients come from Trader Joe's.

I find this interesting since I had to be educated on the Trader Joe's concept. That is, that it's a specialty grocery store, not one intended for meeting all your weekly shopping needs. And that they usually choose locations near other groceries so that it's convenient to pop in there to get those items after your regular shopping. Okay, so I can forgive the Las Vegas Trader Joe's for it's lack of selection and general dinginess now. I get it. Though, if you only make the recipes in this cookbook, you don't have to shop anywhere else!

You can buy the cookbook at Borders, Barnes and Noble and online bookstores but, alas, not at Trader Joe's. The authors originally self-published the book independent of the store or any sponsorship. They've got a newsletter and a blog to keep you updated as well. Unfortunately, not all items listed on the website, newsletter, and blog are available at all locations. Given that we're down here in the vast, empty Southeastern region of the country, I suspect that we'll be bereft of cherry clafoutis and some other items that databases indicate might not sell well here. Regardless, I plan to brave the crowds this weekend to pay a visit to the store.

Trader Joe's Nashville opens October 31 November 7

Update: Two commenters note that the actual date Trader Joe's is scheduled to open is November 7, not October 31. I suppose someone at the Tennessean was just as eager as the rest of us for this store to open!

The Tennessean reports today that Trader Joe's will open a week from today on Halloween November 7 (the original story has been updated). And that customers who line up before 8:30 to get in (the store opens at 9) will be entered into a drawing for a goodie bag.

Previous news reports indicated that TJ's won't be selling wine (including the famous Two Buck Chuck) since Tennessee's liquor store lobby laws prohibit grocery stores from selling wine and spirits. But reports have been that the grocery will not take up the entire building (abandoned by Wild Oats) and that a wall will partition the store from the space next to it. There's still hope that TJ's will open a wine and liquor store in that space, but no one knows and TJ's ain't sayin'. Those of us who know the building well know that the two separate doors used for the Wild Oats make it very easy for there to be two separate entities (much like Midtown Wine and Spirits has its separate beer and tobacco store under the same roof).

I can't get off work next Friday morning, but I plan to brave the crowds and check out TJ's at some point next weekend!

Day 6 - back in Las Vegas

Tuesday morning, I was eager to get up and finally see my hosts (who were in Memphis for the weekend). After a little catching up and finally meeting baby Eli (born in September), we headed out for lunch to In-N-Out.

Yes, this is still a vegetarian blog, but I'd promised the SO that we'd go and I remembered from a previous trip that they had some rockin' french fries (prepared for frying on site daily!). I also knew of the not-so-secret secret menu that had some vegetarian-friendly items. So I ordered the grilled cheese, fries and a strawberry milkshake.

Oh. Oh.

Generally speaking, I think that "American cheese" is an oxymoron. Though I grew up loving the stuff, you can't easily get me to eat a Kraft single. And don't even ask me about Thousand Island dressing--I don't touch the stuff. But this sandwich was delicious. I don't know--maybe I was extra hungry (I did send the SO inside for another order of fries), but it was one of the most enjoyable sandwiches I've had in a while. And the fries--they really are very good. Crisp and tasty, not too oily and never limp. When In-N-Out talks about their food quality, they ain't lyin'.

Could I have lived without the second order of fries? Yes, but I think my life is that much better for having them. In-N-Out: salted thumbs up.

For dinner, I decided to treat my guests to some lasagna. I had a request for no mushrooms, so I subbed in freshly-roasted red peppers. And you know what? I really liked the addition of that flavor, so I intend to add it to my recipe (though I'm keeping the mushrooms when I cook at home). When it was time to shop for dinner, I decided to take the opportunity to check out the local Trader Joe's. TJ's is a legend in the vegetarian communities and all my friends from out west seem to lament the fact we don't have them in Tennessee, so I was eager to check it out.

Meh.

First off, it was tiny and cramped. And had the all the ambience of an outdated Piggly Wiggly. The lighting was harsh and made the place seem dirty and the food look unappetizing. But I could really get past that if they actually had the items I wanted. I didn't think I was getting too exotic, but I couldn't find squash or zucchini or a red pepper. And I wasn't thrilled about the cheese, pasta or sauce selection. It was like a gourmet Aldi without the produce selection. It just had a very narrow selection that didn't even seem to included what I would think are basics. But there were some nice-looking convenience foods and I did see that collection of very cheap wine (though I didn't buy any). I did buy some fleur-de-sel caramels on the advice of my host. And some other candy. But I had to go to Whole Foods for everything else I needed to prepare dinner. So my trip to Trader Joe's was a fairly big disappointment. Nonetheless, now I know what it's like. I guess I'd go once in a while for some specialty items, but it wouldn't be my weekly trip. Trader Joe's: one thumb up, one thumb down; neutral thumbs.

Up next: the SO eats more sea critters and we eat at a high-concept Mexican restaurant that I actually like.