Nice Grocery Shopping in Chicago (Mark: coupons, find a job, to buy)

[Jesse69]

What the the nice items you find in Chicago groceries? What and where?

I go to Treasure Island to buy gyro meat, as this is the only grocery in Chicago that sells gyro meat. Other stuff in Treasure Island is expensive. The only restaurant I know that makes gyro omelets is Sunnyside Grill on Elston and Kedzie. I like eating gyro omelets but making your own is great. The best healthy egg substitute is the Kroger one sold at Food4Less. Then I get cheese from Aldi.

Whole Foods sells the best healthy Angus hamburger patties you can buy. Nature's Rancher 1/3 lb patties that are 270 calories and 34% saturated fat – best hamburger stats I've seen! $7.99 for a 2 lb package. I also love the gourmet soups at WF. Plus I like the bakeries at WF too. Their Eastside Cafe pizza is really great too; tastes great and a lot of natural ingredients.

I go to Uptown's Tai Nam [?] Vietnamese store to buy oysters and Ferraro Rocher candies, as I think this store has the best prices for that.

There's Rich's Delicatessen in Ukrainian Village that has a good selection of European candies and potato chips. On very rare occasion I saw them sell Bounty and Lion candies there; candies I only saw in my France vacation.

Oh, on the side, Jewel's website has coupons! Coupons | Jewel-Osco Grocery Stores (http://www.jewelosco.com/viewcoupons?currentPageNumber=1 - broken link)

Jewel's used to have a nice $1.98 Culinary Chef Cinnamon Roll, but its been sadly discontinued. At least Jewels has their nice torte cakes. Jewels now has Applie Cider Donut holes, but after tasting them I think they're not so special...

I get the best prices for canned pears and peaches at Aldi. Back in the 90's I thought Aldi was for welfare shoppers but now I get such great deals there I don't think that way anymore. Cheapest place for a gal of milk and 59 cent avocadoes.

Target used to sell nice candy popcorn but they discontinued it. I like their Chocolate Chunk Hazelnut Biscotti granola cereal.

I don't go grocery shopping in the suburbs.

I like the $4.98 Carrot Cake cookies of Trader Joes. Their candied pecans are great.

[Avengerfire]

Oh lord.

[MannheimMadman]

Originally Posted by Avengerfire

Oh lord.

I pretty much thought the same thing. But the last time I made comment about that, I received an infraction from our Komrade mod.

[Avengerfire]

Originally Posted by MannheimMadman

I pretty much thought the same thing...

I used to think of Jesse as a pest-but the last year or so I look at him as comic relief or a way to break up the monotony.

He just needs to be more focused I suppose.

[Drover]

Chicago is too expensive to live in and you can't find a job, but you can shop at Treasure Island and Trader effing Joe's.

Gee, I feel your pain. The only thing that would complete my misery is a $30,000 bike collection.

[Jesse69]

C'mon people... this is a serious yummy topic! Not a beat on Jesse69 thread!

I only buy gyros at Treasure Island and pastries and candies at Trader Joe's.

It's a $34,000 bike collection I have. Plus maybe over $22,000 in womens clothes!

[grapico]

There are definitely more places that have gyro omelets...
I do a lot of shopping at Trader Joe's....they are actually pretty cheap compared to other stores for certain items like frozen seafood/meat/strawberries/blueberries/certain cheeses...

I don't eat egg substitutes however, just real eggs...I thought the low fat/cholesterol craze died out in the 90s...

[emathias]

Originally Posted by Jesse69

...
I go to Treasure Island to buy gyro meat, as this is the only grocery in Chicago that sells gyro meat.
...

This is simply not true, at least depending on what you mean by "gyro meat."

Plus, if you're going to cook your own "gyro omlette," you may as well go the whole distance and make your gyro-seasoned meat - it's far better tasting and (can be) better for you anyway.

[NearWestSider]

C'mon people... this is a serious yummy topic! Not a beat on Jesse69 thread!

OK, Jesse, I'll play along:

For beef intestines, chicken claws, and raw cow and pigs feet, you simply can't go wrong at Supermercado El Guero on 22nd st in Pilsen.

Great prices, and I've even seen PIGS HEADS on occasion!

And although I can't confirm it personally, rumor has it the Hong Kong Market in Chinatown has the best fish stomachs, goat testicles, and dried fungus in the entire city.

Bon Apetite!

[UnderTheLiveOaks]

Originally Posted by Drover

Chicago is too expensive to live in and you can't find a job, but you can shop at Treasure Island and Trader effing Joe's.

As much of a whackjob as some people on this thread may or may not be, I'll put Trader Joe's up against any mainstream grocery store any day of the week (for many items).