Stick a Fork in it...

...this column's done.

My Trader Joe's column is now online, and you can check out my take on the store with the Joefficial Forkster review.

If you do go to the 3-week-old Chapel Hill store, save some Mango Passion Granola for me!

You Want Answers?

I'm busy whipping out crafting the upcoming column for Wednesday, but here are few quick answers to the last post's questions.

Q: Can Granny's Apple Granola unseat its cousin, Mango Passion Granola, from the top of my list? Grandmas are seldom wrong...
A: I'd sell my grandma down the river for a case of Mango Passion Granola. (Just kidding, grandma! Besides, I meant the other grandma). In any case, I'll stick with the Mango version.

Q: Why did I buy banana granola bars? What made me think these would be anything but odd?
A: Because I'm a sucker for unusual flavors and products.

Q: Which of their frozen treats is the best: Mandarin Orange Chicken, Gyoza Chicken Potstickers, a Pizza 4 Formaggi , Chile Verde Chicken Burritos and Sublime Ice Cream Sandwiches?
A: Probably the potstickers, followed by the burritos.

I'd say that all of the above frozen foods are about 2/3 as tasty as ones you'd get in a restaurant at about 1/3 the price. I suppose that's a fair tradeoff. I certainly made short work of the Orange Chicken!

Joe Report--Part 3

In case you hadn't guessed, I'm writing my next column--out Wednesday--on the Trader Joe's that just opened in my town. Then again, maybe that's just a convenient way to cover up my complete addiction to the store's cereal.

Either way, I made my third real visit there yesterday. After a relatively restrained shopping run, I'm left with these questions:

Can Granny's Apple Granola unseat its cousin, Mango Passion Granola, from the bottom of my heart? Grandmas are seldom wrong...

Which of their frozen treats is the best? The Spoonstress and I will have to consume Mandarin Orange Chicken, Gyoza Chicken Potstickers, a Pizza 4 Formaggi , Chile Verde Chicken Burritos and Sublime Ice Cream Sandwiches by Tuesday so that I can write about them for the column. By then, we'll either be TJ addicts or never want to set foot in the store again.

Why did I buy banana granola bars? What made me think these would be anything but odd?

What's wrong with their peanut butter? I had a peanut butter and banana sandwich yesterday and the taste was a bit off. Since I couldn't put my finger on it, I compared its label to our last jar of organic peanut butter. The answer is an easy fix: not enough salt. That raises another question: Will I really salt my next PB & J?

Check back later for some answers...

Joe Report--Part 2

When I visited Trader Joe's one night shortly after it opened, I was shocked by the abundance of bare shelves. Last night, I returned at the same time to see how the store was adjusting to consumer demand.

Rejoice, Joe Folks, the shelves were mostly full. The ones that weren't were being restocked by smiling employees (Joe must either pay well or provide a nice discount). Best of all, the frozen aisle wasn't completely empty.

Now this was just a quick drop-in, but I couldn't resist another box of Organic Mango Passion Granola. I'd hoped the name implied passionfruit, but sadly it doesn't. I'm not sure I've developed a mango passion, but I do have a passion for this cereal.

The granola is litered with bits of fruit that remind me of "sugar cereal" marshmallows. Luckily, though, instead of "pink hearts" or "yellow moons," they're just freeze-dried mango. Color me charmed.

Joe Report--Part 1

Consider Trader Joe's visited. I made my maiden shopping run to the store recently and have been enjoying its results.

I arrived at 7:50 p.m., which was my first mistake. I was shocked to see many empty shelves. It was as if I'd entered a Soviet grocery store or a pre-blizzard American one. I expected to see snow when I exited.

I'm not complaining, mind you, as I understand the store is just working out the kinks and the staff was quite apologetic.

Not surprisingly, the bare shelves were a topic of conversation between shoppers and employees. The guy stocking the nut aisle joked, "Welcome to Trader Joe's, we've got nothing to sell ya."

The employees restocking the cereal aisle didn't have any favorite cereals to recommend, but they were happy to open up the cases of both Maple Pecan Clusters and Mango Passionfruit Granola. I'm sure glad they did. I have a hunch cereal will be a main reason for shopping at Joe's.

I haven't had a chance to eat too many of the other delights and pretty much the entire frozen dinner aisle was sold out. But I'll return to the store. When I do, I'll follow the nut guy's advice: "Get here at 9 in the morning."

Joe's Open

The Chapel Hill Trader Joe's opened Friday. I swung by there in the afternoon and now feel a kinship sardines. What a zoo!

I went to TJ's mostly out of curiosity, which I satisfied by elbowing my way through the aisles.

First impressions: I'm psyched about the prices, variety and emphasis on taste. Food doesn't feel like a commodity there, as it does at most supermarkets. Not psyched about the lack of unwrapped produce. I don't want to buy a bag of four avocados--I want to buy one.

I would have bought a box of their awesome Joe-Joe's cookies (Candy Cane flavor!), but then I took a crowd at the front of the store. I would have paid not to wait in those lines.

After my brief reconnaissance mission, I'm excited to return when I'm in full shopping mode and the crowds have hopefully died down. I'll let you know how it goes.