Trader Joe’s yea/nay/meh 2019

NAY to the extinction of the Honey Butter Potato Chips, EVEN though, waist-wise, they were kryptonite - not just delicious but in a BIG bag. The clerk was baffled as to why this good seller was discontinued.

And selectivity is precisely the point of these threads. That is, they give us useful information that helps us shop more selectively at Trader Joe’s.

And back on topic…

YAY: Fig-balsamic salad dressing. I don’t usually buy bottled dressings, but this looked intriguing, and I’m glad I got it. Good fig flavor.

YAY: Pink pomelo grapefruit hand soap. There should be a law requiring all liquid hand soap to be grapefruit-scented.

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Kind of don’t really know where to put this but I’d like to add a YAY for the “Mideast Style Feast”! Not a big user of prepared foods, but we both really like this.

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That looks like a good lunch candidate for me. Is it in the prepared salads section?

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Where are you located? I haven’t seen this yet and am worried maybe nyc just won’t get it…!

Have you tried the rainbow wrap? Maybe the only prepared wrap sandwich I have really liked, really filling

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Yes, in the refer with the prepared salads, wraps, etc.

I’m in the San Francisco Bay Area aka Silicon Valley… Maybe show the photo to your local store mgr & see if they can order it… Its really quite yummy, at least to us. Stuffed grape leaves are not mushy!

No, haven’t tried the Rainbow Wrap. Will check it out next visit!

Thanks, i will! I swear west coast TJs gets better stuff… hopefully it will show up for us soon.
I was surprised how much i liked the rainbow wrap, half of it with a salad or veggies is perfect if you want a lighter lunch

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I have not. I’m generally skeptical of wraps–weirdly, the enticing sales pitch of “Like a burrito, but not as good!” never really grabbed me–though I have tried TJ’s Cubano wrap and thought it was pretty decent. What’s in the Rainbow?

Basically spinach, roasted sweet potatoes and beets with a curry-ish hummus. The tortilla is too big like most wraps but i just take off the excess. It’s vegetarian (i think vegan too?) yet somehow also has 20g protein and 12g fiber (!) per wrap.

And if you hate it they are totally amazing about returns- even in nyc! I refuse to schlep half eaten or icky food so i show them a photo with the TJs label showing and my receipt (last week my sugar snap peas were not good) and no problem.

Hell to the NAY for the frozen Thai eggplant. It is gray-green, with the texture of undercooked zucchini. The glut of garlic still tastes raw, and the Thai bird chilis make it far spicier than most prepared TJ’s dishes.

YAY to the frozen Canneles de Bordeaux. I found them meh when I bought them years ago, but this time I warmed them just a little and it made all the difference.

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Yikes…! Thanks for the heads up on that eggplant, i was debating it on my last trip but was afraid of the chilies.

I keep eyeing those canners, grey. How did you warm them?

This won’t help you, I fear. Restricting myself to one per day, I thawed the package in the fridge. Then each day I put one on a plate, flat side up, and set it before my space heater for ten minutes or so, rotating once.

Interesting. Sounds like it could be good…and I see where the name comes from.

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YAY for the Organic Elote Corn Chip Dippers with a Mexican-Style Street Corn flavored seasoning

These are their normal thick robust corn chips but with seasoning. When I think of elote, I think of crema, cotija, lime juice, and chile powder. I can definitely get hints of all of these. But once I read someone compare them to Cool Ranch, I had trouble getting that out of my head.

I like them on their own without dipping them so I can taste the corn and the seasonings. The habanero powder provides a little kick.

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YEA for the Carrot Cake Spread. A dollop is nice over vanilla ice cream, or mixed into plain or vanilla yogurt. It’s quite sweet but a small amount should be good on an English muffin with cream cheese. The spicing is similar to pumpkin pie.

YAY-ish: Banana Date Nut Bread Crisps. To start with, they are exactly what the name says, so if that sounds appealing to you you’ll probably like them okay. You might well wonder whether they’re a cookie or a cracker, and if so, wonder on, because I’m not sure myself. They’re a little plain for a cookie–good flavors, pleasant enough to eat by themselves, but not exciting–and are more reminiscent of the Rosemary Raisin Crisps (and other similar products). As such, I bet they’d be very tasty spread with a Brie or Cambozola.