I had high hopes for the TJ’s Amarena cherries. Unfortunately we don’t care for them at all so they didn’t work out for us.
Del Real cheese and green chile tamales - somewhere between meh and yeah? These are refrigerated and were on the shelf next to the carnitas from the same brand. I liked that they were super easy to reheat, but the microwave didn’t really steam the tamale properly, and I’m not sure what the sustainable wrapper was because it looked too regular to be corn husks. Taste-wise they were pretty good with a bit of a kick. I’ll eat them but probably not repurchase as nobody else in the house liked them.
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I was wondering about those.
I recently tried the chicken and green chile tamales from Tucson Tamales (available at Whole Foods, and probably other places) and really liked them – reheated easily, moist, and seemed to have more filling than the ones at Tjs.
NAY on the everything seasoning breaded cod. It’s frozen, and happens to be gluten free (yay!), and my garlic-averse dad said the everything seasoning wasn’t garlicky. Maybe there is a difference in suppliers between east coast and west coast, because it was pretty darn bad. The breading was way too thick and the fish was oddly stringy (baked as directed per package, middle of cooking time range, in the oven that does not run hot). I had made two fillets and both were the same - inedible. I rarely return food to Costco but this one’s going back. But hey, dad was right - it smelled garlicky but didn’t taste of garlic.
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Here’s part 2 of David Lebovitz’s visit to Costco in France.
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We had family over for an Italian meal here in fl and rather than make our own garlic bread, decided to give this a try, turned out to be a guilty pleasure.
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Anyone try Terra Delyssa EVOO, from Tunisia. Gets good reviews like smooth and brown buttery, not grassy or peppery….but some quality issues.
In any case I bought some from Costco because they vet products, origin and if it’s real 100% oo….around $8 per liter, compared to most being around $12, so a good deal…and I figure imports will cost more soon, so try it.
However won’t open it for a while since have a 2 liter bottle open. But I might crack it open soon…but thought I’d ask if anyone tried it and what they thought.
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So funny I just got back from Lucky and a petite woman asked me tor grab this for her from the top shelf and I thought it looked intersting. Will have to pick some up.
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I bought these a few months ago and am using it now. Prior to that, my default cooking oil was usually one of the many variations of Kirkland olive oil. The cheaper version (the big jug kind from Kirkand) is used for general stir-fries and searing, and then their EVO) (usually the Tuscany EVOO) was for light cooking, marinades, dressings, etc.
I think it’s good, and works for my needs. It’s a good substitute if you were always on the hunt for that Tuscany EVOO, and if it remains more readily available throughout the year, that will be easier too. I personally prefer a greener and fruiter tasting EVOO for drizzling, so I never used the old Kirkland nor this for that application.
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Thanks for quick review. I noticed the difference in price and initially didn’t buy it until I did the math, then grabbed a twin pack. It was about $8 per liter.
Later I did a search and there was mention of quality issues…but then someone mentioned it’s Costco, you can return it. Also mentioned the QR code on the side of the bottle…which can trace batch number, harvest date and best by date. It also mentioned the specific orchard the olives were growth…and a whole bunch of info.
My take, the website and QR code is marketing, while addressing quality issues, origin, etc. it’s pretty slick. If it’s accurate, seems like a good idea given concerns about quality and counterfeits with olive oil. Interestingly, it’s a French net domain. I guess the colonial era still has influence.
Nay on Foppen Smoked Norwegian Salmon Slices. I got these because I wanted lox, but did not want to buy the big twin park of Kirkland (which I do like). Foppen has very little flavor, and it’s probably healthier because it seems to have a lot less salt. For me, though, the salt is a necessary part of lox. (And to add insult to injury, the bagels I got at the Old Bridge ShopRite seemed incredibly tough. For the rest of the lox, I’m going to go back to how I ate lox as a child–dipped in sour cream.)
I will note that if you don’t like salty lox, this may be fine for you.
I wasn’t thinking about this thread while I was at one of my local Costcos yesterday, but I saw they had, in addition to vanilla extract, right next to it was a jar of vanilla paste. Apologies for not checking the price. I’ll be hitting another local Costco tomorrow, and will try to do better!
Sadly - these Tattooed Chef roasted sheet pan vegetables are no longer stocked at my MN Costco. They now have instead another brand’s simply a peppers & onions & brussels mix – missing the 2 components that I loved in the version I got in March - zucchini and sweet potato.
a yay for the Synear pork soup dumplings. I’ve had worse in restaurants. they are relatively thin skinned, steamed on squares of parchment paper and none broke but I’d have liked a little more broth in the dumpling.
happy to have lots more in the freezer, I see no reason for this not to be a staple in Maison de plaisir.
best,
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- nay for the bouchard dubai chocolate, too sweet, for my palate. A dark chocolate version where the bitterness of the chocolate provides a contrast with sweet(ish) filling might work.
- a cautious yay for the costco branded burnt ends. I recall trying some other brand at costco and having to spit it out. The costco brand at the sample station was pretty good. I’m guessing mixed with the right sauce and heated covered in the oven, these will probably be excellent.
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This might be a local Costco thing, but I found and tried a box of Dumpling Daughter dumplings on my last trip, and just got around to eating them. They had the gyozas in a multi-pack with 2 different flavors. Dumpling Daughter has several restaurants in the Boston area.
Found these dumplings very meh. They are surprisingly dry, and the filling was a bit too salty for my taste. I would much rather get the frozen dumplings from the local Asian markets.
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I had high hopes for these dumplings but didn’t love them either.
I really like the Ajinomoto gyoza from Costco. I really dislike the packaging. The dumplings themselves are perfect little three-bite morsels with balanced flavors, and cooking them could hardly be easier. Arrange them in a cold pan, turn to medium-high, add 1/3C water, cover, and let simmer for 7 minutes. Remove lid and let water simmer away until the dumplings get lightly browned.
The packaging, however, is another thing. The gyoza are packed in trays (probably necessary - I think each individual partition holds not only a dumpling but also a small measure of fat/oil and some kind of starch). Each tray holds a dozen dumplings. The trays come in a box, which takes up a lot of freezer space. Also, it’s hard to cook any quantity other than a full tray. You could, I suppose, cut a tray into smaller sections, but that’d be a PITA. Can I eat a dozen at a time? Yes. Should I? Probably not.
I do like them better than the Ling-Ling potstickers my local Costcos also sell, but as a convenience food, the L-Ls are more convenient than the Ajinomoto.
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Yay for Sun Tropics tapioca boba pudding with coconut milk, ube taro flavor. It’s an ube / purple yam pudding with little tapioca balls and chunks of taro. 100 calories a container.
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The Sprout would LOVE those. What section are they in?
