Went to Trader Joe's and asked if they had yeast. A person checked for me and told it it was a seasonal item.Even the employee was puzzled. What season?
The store was jammed and I asked the manager if they ever contemplated an express line. I was told that they had experimented with it and people had cheated. I suggested that they tell people to move to another line. He told me that is not the Trader Joe's way. Wow.
I like Trader Joe's most of the time but the store can be goofy. Their flowers are very reasonable.
Whole Foods
Went to Whole Foods the other day and they had a big sign for " Napa Valley Organic Extra Virgin Olive Oil". The brand is Napa Valley Naturals. The oil comes from Spain and Turkey. I asked the manager about it and suggested that Whole Foods should do better. They can't change the bottle label and they can correctly identify the product on their sign. I received a blank yeah.
I could devote an entire site to Whole Food stories. If you have any good ones, let me know. I once picked up an avocado that had a label that it was Mexico. The sign said California avocados. When I asked the clerk, he went to the sign and took out a Mexico sign from behind the California sign and replaced it. Cha -ching.
New Orleans
Recently had a chance to visit New Orleans.
I love Cafe Du Monde http://www.cafedumonde.com/beignets. 3 beignets and lots of powdered sugar for $3. They place is a dump but it has ambiance. I had some hot chocolate with my beignets and my friend and I had a great 20 minutes taking in the scene.
On the other hand I was not impressed with the food in New Orleans. I asked everyone to name a good restaurant. Everyone I asked gave me another place. Zagat listings have more restaurants rated at 26 for food than probably any place its size. Talk about grade inflation. We ate at Mr Ed's for lunch and it was good. Simple seafood done well. Shrimp. oysters, crawfish, gumbo and etouffee were all good. The charbroiled oysters were especially good.
Went to Commander's Palace. http://www.commanderspalace.com/ It is considered one of the best in New Orleans. The setting is very pretty and it is the Garden district, which appeared to be a very nice area with some gorgeous houses. The menu is interesting in a New Orleans way with main courses with lots of ingredients. For example Pecan Crusted Gulf Shrimp -"A Commander’s Palace classic with crushed sweet corn, spiced pecans, petite herbs and Prosecco poached crab meat".
I had a citrus salad which was comical. Some grapefruit sections on some ratty lettuce. The bread was light rolls with lots of garlic, not my fav. I had flounder with a potato crust over some kind of veggies.I think they called it Lyonnaise. The fish was good. things are very expensive. The desserts were ok but they made a big deal of having to order the strawberry shortcake and bread pudding souffle at the start of the meal. The strawberry shortcake had lots of strawberries and some shortcake. Not sure what the fuss was about.
They have a huge wine list with lots of trophy wines but the prices are 200 to 400% markups. They have lots under $60 but they are $10 to $20 retail wines. We drank a William Fevre Chablis 2014 $60 and a 2013 Anne Amie Pinot Noir $76. The Chablis was very good. I have had good luck with 2014 french wines. The Anne Amie tasted strange to me.
Traveling Dilemmas Update
The Zika virus and Dengue fever have been in the news a lot lately. Not sure what's the answer for travelers. We were going to go to the Big Island in Hawaii but they have had a dengue fever outbreak. We were going to ignore it but the publicity got to us and we cancelled. we also read a detailed article which suggested that some folks on the Big Island don't really want to do anything about it. Organic coffee farms could lose their organic status if they spray for Dengue. Like I said easy answers are not forthcoming.It was probably an over reaction on our part but why chance it when there are lots of other places to visit.
Grand Cayman Island
Recently visited Grand Cayman again. I like the place. I have never had great weather but he water is sensational. The snorkeling the bay near the reef is exquisite and the beaches are beautiful. I am not a diver but but diver friends tell me the diving is great. The food on the island is good but can be pricey. The airport is quite crowded on Saturdays but security is efficient. It is very close to the US so in 3.5 hours you can be there from Newark.
Shuffle Along
Just saw Shuffle Along http://shufflealongbroadway.com/?gclid=Cj0KEQjwid63BRCswIGqyOubtrUBEiQAvTol0bvZlSARBj9qVe_T52_kUFffx3rkdWBmd1RKfpmG2MoaAn908P8HAQ on Broadway. It is in previews and has not opened yet. The talent is awesome but the plot is a work in progress. Audra McDonald. Brian Stokes Mitchell, Billy Porter and Joshua Henry lead an amazing cast. Savion Glover choreographs, Eubie Blake music and George C Wolfe directs. It is definitely worth seeing. See article in NY Times magazine section today. http://www.nytimes.com/2016/03/27/magazine/shuffle-along-and-the-painful-history-of-black-performance-in-america.html?_r=0
New wines
I have discovered Loire Valley of France wines other than Sancerre and Muscadet. Have had some white wines lately that have been very good with some nice complexity.
2014 Domaine de Chatenoy Menetou-Salon Sauvignon Blanc $22 - I LIKE THIS WINE: 90 points
Delicate but good acid, fruit keeps things interesting , very dry, no oak, enjoyed with Black Sea bass and scallops, will drink again, good stuff
2014 François Chidaine Montlouis-sur-Loire Clos du Breuil Chenin Blanc $22- I LIKE THIS WINE: 93 points
Very good, different type of white, great fruit with a dry finish, opened up as we drank, complex, you just know that you are drinking a fine wine, a richness without strong wood is impressive, need to check out other Chidaine wines, drank with scallops with faro and baked clams, will drink again.
In addition I had one of my favorite Sancerre's lately
2014 Pascal Jolivet Sancerre Sauvignon Blanc $16
I LIKE THIS WINE: 90 points
Fruity, medium bodied, enjoyable wine, balanced, a bit of complexity,I like this wine but more N Z than France, drank with blackened salmon, will drink again.
I also discovered another Sancerre recently
2013 Claude Riffault Sancerre Les Denisottes Sauvignon Blanc $29
I LIKE THIS WINE: 92 points
Very good wine, not too much acid, good fruit but dry, it slowly opened up as it warmed up, an old fashioned Sancerre, drank with salmon, will drink again, not inexpensive but worth it, will drink again.
Also tried a California white from Tablas Creek, a winery specializing in Rhone type grapes.
2014 Tablas Creek Patelin de Tablas Blanc Paso Robles White Rhone Blend $15 at Costco
I LIKE THIS WINE: 91 points
Different but good different, fruit and acid in nice balance, golden color, good value, drank with sushi, will drink again . This wine is pretty good from vintage to vintage.
Enjoy the spring.
