You’d have to go up to Jacksonville to find one.
Nothing beats Hellman’s, I’ll admit that - but you can make fresh mayonnaise that’s just as good. (I can pass the recipe along if you want it - just drop me an email).
Well, after an hour there in traffic and an hour back in less traffic - we came home HAPPY. The heavenly choir did start singing as soon as we walked in, but I think they were in my head:). For a pseudo-vegetarian like myself (formerly vegan and veg, now eat meat because it’s easier, but prefer to eat organic and veg), it was heaven. We did buy six bottles of wine, 3 for us and 3 for my in-laws (the Two Buck Chuck is $3.39 here, but I think that’s because Ohio has an incredibly high tax on alcohol), but we spent less on what we would consider a week’s worth of groceries there than we do at Giant Eagle or Acme. And we got GOOD, organic stuff. I am a happy camper - and it’ll be very worth it to drive up every couple of weeks to do my shopping.
I didn’t get the cocoa almonds - they were just a little too expensive ($4.99 for an 8 oz container, I think), and neither of us are big nut eaters. But we did get the Triple Ginger Cookies and I’m already hooked. We even made gnocchi with portabello and caramellized onion marinara and cooked ground turkey - excellent. Even mr. avabeth is happy with what we bought there, and he’s more of a meat-and-potatoes kind of guy. And we got a baked brie en croute with hazelnuts, apricots and cranberries that looks absolutely divine. Plus, we’ve got a 3-layer chocolate torte defrosting for dessert.
We were talking to the cashier and she said she’d heard that they were planning to put one in Akron, but she wasn’t sure when or if it was still in the works. I do hope it’s in the works - I could easily drive twenty minutes each way to do my shopping there.
Ava
Actually, it’s a 16oz. container. So they’re half as much as you thought! 
I’m glad you liked the Triple Ginger Snaps. I totally dig 'em. I like to eat the dried cranberries with almonds.
Back in the '80s Trader Joe’s had escargots in the shell. Just heat and eat. Oh, those were good! Too bad they stopped carrying them years ago. They also used to have a nice sausage. I don’t remember what they were called, but they were made of deadlamb with lots of cayenne pepper.
One thing I really liked was to get a hard crust baguette and a selection of cheeses (brie, gruyere, chev… something – the soft white goat cheese, cheddar, Swiss, and maybe one or two others) and snack with friends.
They’re building one in DC, around 17th and Euclid in Adams-Morgan.
Okay, see, I’d never eat an entire 16 oz container!
Maybe I’ll pick up a container for my dad one weekend and take it home with me - he loves chocolate-covered nuts, and would probably love these.
And those Triple Ginger Snaps are beyond delicious. I’m thinking we should have gotten two things of them.
The one thing that was a little weird - I found Edamame in the frozen section, and I LOVE those. I haven’t found them in the regular grocery store here, so I grabbed a pack. The ones still IN the shell were $1.49 a pack, and the already-shelled ones were $1.29 which strikes me as totally opposite - you’d think the ones that require less work would be less expensive. I bought the shelled ones because of the price, but now I’m regretting it. I love tossing them with some salt, and then sucking the beans from the shell. So next time, I"ll spend the extra 20 cents:).
They do have some chicken sausages there - does anyone have any opinions on these? I’m not big on sausage, but I like the flavors that they had. Any suggestions?
Ava
I noticed the same oddity when I got Edamame (don’t you mean in the cold section?) already shelled and they cost $1.99 here, while the ones in the pod cost over two-something.
Um, I like the chicken sausages but was not aware they came in different flavors.
I should mention that their “mild” salsa has a bit of a kick to it!
Glad you’re enjoying your new TJ’s delights.
–viva
I can’t remember the various flavors, but I do remember seeing several different kinds of chicken sausage. The SO remembers one with sun-dried tomato, but he doesn’t remember the other kinds.
And is there a difference between a frozen section and a cold section in TJs? We didn’t get the salsa, but I did get some tabouli (which i usually make myself, but went for the premade stuff for convenience since they had it) and some fresh bruschetta - oh, man - yummy!
What’s funny is that the SO didn’t even want to go. Today, he kept saying “We need to get this the next time we go, and this, and this.”. Something tells me we’re going to be making more than the planned one trip per month now - I’m guessing every two weeks:).
Ava
I’ve been to Trader Joe’s, and while they have some nice prices on certain things, they don’t compare to Whole Foods, not even close.
I’ve been known to walk through a Whole Foods Market just to look at the displays of produce and fish. It is like going to an art gallery - even if you can’t afford to buy anything, it is still a visual delight just to go there.
Plus, the habanero stuffed olives are free for sampling in the Boulder store. Mmmmm, spicy martini. Fourth of July treat?
Big Trader Joe’s fan here.
It’s one of few places where I can get my peanut butter filled pretzels. And they have sugar-free white chocolate bars that are to die for.
Plus, my one true love needs this Morning Star veggie sausage. I found it at TJ’s for almost half the price I paid at the Supermarket.
Those are the spikey ones, right?
[sub]I imagine balls of unmeat with little carrot tips sticking out. [/sub]
The cold section I referred to meant the place where the edamame is next to the salad bags, which are not far from the meat, which is next to the sushi, then the salsa, then the cheese.
The frozen stuff is in long freezers full o’ veggies, Asian goodies, desserts, fish, etc.
Actually, the veggie sausage patties are suprisingly palatable.
The veggie sausage links are the devil’s droppings, though.
Gotcha:). I wasn’t being sarcastic, I really didn’t know the difference! I got the Edamame from the frozen section, right in with all of the frozen veggies. I didn’t know they had it in the cold section, too - I’ll have to check for that next time.
Ava
I remain very envious of everyone with a Trader Joe’s nearby.
And I had no idea it was even in the frozen section. Ya learn something new every day on this Board! 
If you’re thinking of the same chicken sausages I’m thinking of, they’re pretty good. I like to pick up some sub rolls and stuff them with peppers, onions, and slices of those sausages all stir-fried up together. Quick summer meal.