First Lidl, not already Aldi!

 Aldi opened on Wednesday and I went that evening to check it out. I've been in Aldis before, mostly when I am in Pittsburgh, but sometimes in New York. Even earlier this summer on my trip to downtown Brooklyn, I went to both Lidl and Aldi and only liked Aldi.

Well, now I only like Lidl. The basket situation at Aldi is even worse. The prices are fine, but I don't know if the food seems as good. And I waited about 10 minutes in line, which is more than I've waited combined total at Lidl and the new Whole Foods on Grand St. Aldi doesn't have self checkout and they have separate lines for each register instead of 1 feeder line. So it's slow.

I bought a big bag of tortilla chips for about $3.90 and a flavored sparkling water for 80¢ I think. I drank it when I got home and it was gross.

I just got back from Lidl though where I got chicken breast for $1.59/lb, shredded Mexican cheese for $2.50/lb (other places charge $2.50 for 8 oz), and a bunch of reasonably priced flour tortillas. I'm making quesadillas tonight for old times sake.

Lidl on Grand St opened yesterday and I've been there 4 times so far

 In general, I like it, but they need to figure out their basket situation. They only have carts and big baskets you drag around on wheels. Those are too annoying for New York. Stores get crowded. Let me get by people!

Worse, on the trip I just got back from, there were none. They're just stacked up at the cash registers from past shoppers. I hope they figure this out.

So far I've bought tortilla chips ($1.50), 3 jars of salsa for $5, flour for $2.30, a big jar of pickles for $3, a bag of lemons for $2.30, cannelini beans for $1, two cans of tomatoes for $1.70 or so, tortillas for $1.50, tater tots for $3, and hot dog buns for $1.50. Oh, and mushrooms for $1.19

Things I might buy soon: wings for $1.49/lb, hot italian sausage for $3, a big bag of frozen whole sardines for $8, butter for $3, a baguette for $1, Greek yogurt for $3.35, and queso fresco for $3.

I got an air fryer recently so I like things I can air fry, like wings. And hot dogs. And mushrooms. And pickles.

What's on Sale in June?

 I have barely been in New York since early April and since I knew I would be away, I wasn't even shopping much then. Now I am back for the foreseeable future and need groceries. So far I have been mostly eating tomatoes from C-Town that were $1.49/lb last week.

I'm also back to iced coffee/cold brew that I buy at stores. Last night I used my $3 off in-app coupon at CVS to get Stok for $4. I should learn how to make it myself. I lack the equipment.

Bravo: Chicken quarters for 99¢/lb. Peaches are $1.49/lb. Cilantro is 79¢ and Vidalia onions are $1/lb.

C-Town: Same peaches, but chicken costs more here. Bottom round roast is $5.49/lb. I wonder if I could use that for birria. Maseca is $4. Bizzy cold brew is $4 for 48 oz. I haven't heard of that brand. C-Town seems to have changed its frozen foods store brand from Krasdale to Food Club and all the prices are a lot higher. Cilantro is 79¢ here too.

Food Bazaar: Peaches are only $1/lb here. A sleeve of garlic is 3/$5.

Foodtown: Tortilla chips are $3. Sleeved garlic is $3 here, so maybe I will go to Food Bazaar. Trader Joe's was out of garlic yesterday. Vidalia onions are $1.50/lb here. There's not much of a reason to go to Foodtown this week.

Green Corner: Tomatillos are $1/lb and serranos are $1.29/lb this weekend only. I need to go get some. Sleeves of garlic are 3/$5 here too. Ginger is $1.69/lb and Cotija is $6/lb.

my trip to Food Bazaar yesterday

 I wanted to make chicken paprikash and I wanted mashed potatoes to go with that. So I went to Food Bazaar because they were supposed to have 10 lbs on sale for $4. I didn't see that, but 10 lbs is heavy anyway. I got 5 lbs for $2.50.

It was too crowded and everyone was pushing around empty carts and leaving carts everywhere. I survived.

I bought so much stuff I usually wouldn't. Like korean rice cakes, genoa salami, provolone, leeks. The leeks had a price on their sign that didn't make sense and then they were expensive. I spent over $5 on leeks. I got buttermilk for my mashed potatoes.

They had a lot of Mexican stuff I didn't notice before like cueritos (pickled pig skin) and huitlacoche. 

Dried chiles at C-Town

 I'm back from Mexico City. I am going to start blogging about my grocery stores there too because I go to Sumesa, Chedraui, Tiendas 3B, and Walmart a lot. I got Tequila Cazadores marked down from 530 pesos to 130.

Anyway, this is about Brooklyn still. The last two times I bought dried chiles at C-Town, the cashiers actually asked me which ones they were instead of just guessing. That's an improvement. Also C-Town has chiles anchos again ($8.99/lb) which is good. I got arbol ($7.99/lb) the other day and guajillo ($6.99/lb) today.

Ozzie's is Closing, Whole Foods is Opening

 I just got back from Mexico and before I even got to my apartment building, I saw the new Whole Foods on the corner is almost open. Based on the shelves, it looks bigger than I expected. Maybe smaller than the usual Whole Foods I go to, but I think it will hold a lot of stuff. I only buy 2 or 3 things from Whole Foods, so if it carries those, I'll be happy.

Later I went to Ozzie's and saw 20% off everything signs on the windows. That reminded me it's closing for a new building. The store is only 1 story tall, so we definitely need the housing. Because of the 20% off, it didn't seem to have the usual weekly sales so there weren't actually good prices. The shelves are emptier though.

What's on sale? Summer is starting

 I've been buying one tomato at a time lately because they are good enough to eat now and cheap enough to buy. I wonder if I'll find anything good in the ads this morning.

Bravo: La Colombe cold brew is $5 for a 42 oz bottle. I don't like their bottles now because they got taller and barely fit in my refrigerator. I also don't like that they're 42 because I currently have a 48 Califia in my refrigerator that was $5. But I will buy it. I use their light roast when I make carajillos on the weekends. The only other good deal here is cilantro for 79¢.

C-Town: This will be all the same stuff I bet. Bags of frozen vegetables are $1.25, so I will probably get some of those. They have Cafe Bustelo cold coffee for $5, but it's only 40 oz. I've never tried it for that reason. I want my ounces. Looks like they have Califia for $5 too, which is 48 oz.

Food Bazaar: Plum tomatoes are 99¢/lb but they are always super pink at Food Bazaar. Peaches are also 99¢, so maybe it's time to make my summer peach and corn salad.

Foodtown: This says Eid Mubarak. I wonder if there are specials for that. It's above the meat section of the ad, which includes pork, so I don't know....

Green Corner: Poblano peppers are $2.49/lb. Jalapeños are $1.29.

Ozzie's: Their circular hasn't loaded for a few weeks. Who knows what's on sale.

I can't wait for the Lidl and Whole Foods bodega to open.

I shop at Bravo again

 I quit shopping there because I tried to buy romaine lettuce that was supposed to be 99¢/lb and the cashier tried to charge me $2 each and I said it was per pound and she said no lettuce is each. That store sells it sometimes per pound and sometimes each. So I quit shopping there until I left New York for a week. Leaving New York is when I reset my grudges.

I bought a bag of rice and a bag of frozen vegetables and spent about $3.50 and paid with a credit card which probably took all their profit. So I still have some grudge. But I will let them back in my rotation. I also like Foodtown of Grand St again and deleted my negative Google Maps review (because they stopped doing the thing I was mad about.)

New grocery stores coming to Grand St!

 Lidl is going to open where Key Foods used to be. That will be exciting. I've never been to one, but I know it's like Aldi.

And a mini Whole Foods is opening on Grand and Humboldt where Liberty Department Store used to be. As long as it has flowers, olive oil, and butter, I'll be happy. That's all I go to the regular one for. They don't even have sherry vinegar there anymore.

Sales heading into Presidents Day Weekend

 I made a lot of food for the Super Bowl and only 2 people came to watch it with me so I have been eating leftovers from that all week. I only left the apartment once all week to go buy hot dog buns. I'm not out of food yet, but when I am, I will want to shop. So let's see what's on sale this week. I hope coffee is.

Bravo: Romaine lettuce is 99¢. Pork chops are $2/lb. Tomates are also 99¢/lb but it's February so I am not hopeful. On the other hand, I got good enough ones from Green Corner for the Super Bowl. Canned clams are $2.69 and I think that might be a good price. I used up my clams on pizza for the Super Bowl. A bag of carrots is $1.

C-Town: The same tomato sale. Apples are $1/lb. I should get those since they're healthier than everything else I devour all day. Frozen mixed vegetables are $1.25 for 14 oz bags. I use those a lot for my various soups I make for lunch. Chock Full o' Nuts coffee is $5.49 which is not a good enough sale.

Food Bazaar: If I were going there anyway I would get a bag of tostadas for $2.50 but it's too far to go just for that. Lemons are 40¢ but I bought a lot last week at Green Corner. I need to make limoncello but I haven't yet and they are probably getting worse and worse for that as they sit on the table. Scallions are 50¢ and celery is $1.50 but none of that adds up to being worth the trip there.

Foodtown: I haven't been to Foodtown since I bought raviolis because they said they were $2 for a bag and then I got charged like $4.7. Maybe I will forgive them if there is a good sale this week. Seltzer is 75¢ but that's not enough to get me to go back. Pasta ($1.25) and cans of tomatoes (3/$5) are on sale, but I have tons of that so I don't need to return for that either. Romaine is $2.5 which is much worse than Bravo. Looks like I'm holding my grudge for another week.

Green Corner: Carrots are 79¢/lb here and they are sold loose. I think loose carrots taste better than bagged. Not as good as farmers market or garden carrots, but slightly better than bagged. Condensed milk is $1.25 which I think is worth the trek. I might have some already though. I don't use it that often.

Ozzie's: I don't see anything. Their circular shows up small in the browser now so it's harder to see anything, but I still didn't see anything.

New Sales for the New Year

 I have barely been in New York for the last 7 weeks, so even when I was here, I wasn't really shopping. Now I am back, so let's see what's on sale. Maybe this will remind me what I like to cook and eat. I ordered a pepperoni stick from Walmart.com last night for $7.

Bravo: Plum tomatoes are $1.49 but I bet they're pink. Frozen vegetables are $1.25 for a 14oz bag. Instant café de olla looks like it's $7.

C-Town: Even if they're not on sale, I need to stock up on dried chiles. A bag of 50 pizza rolls is $6. I could bring them to a birthday/NYE party tomorrow night. I always bring them there though and I don't know if I will develop a bad reputation.

Food Bazaar: I don't really want to walk this far, but who knows. Nah, nothing looks great here. Maybe I'm just not in the mood.

Foodtown: Chicken leg quarters are 69¢/lb. Pepsi 2-liters are 3/$5. Vintage seltzers are 5/$3. That's worth a trip. I know I need liquids.

Green Corner: I probably don't want to walk here either. A whole pig is $5/lb and a whole rabbit is $4.29/lb. One year Gideon gave me a whole rabbit for my birthday and I made rabbit cacciatore. A whole duck is $4/lb. A whole chicken is $2/lb. A pig head is $2.19/lb. A goat head is $13 each, but I don't know how much a head weighs. Tomatillos and jalapeños are $1.49/lb.

Ozzie's: Pizza rolls are 100 for $8 here, so now I feel like I am definitely bringing them to NYE. Plum tomatoes are also $1.49 here, but I bet they're still pink.

Western Beef: Realistically I'm not going here. Vintage seltzers are $1 each here, so why would I go far away when they are cheaper at Foodtown? Western Beef rarely has good prices in these last several years.

Trader Joe's: They don't have ads, but I am going there today to get flowers and maybe beer.

Already sick of the new Foodtown

 Searching my bag when I leave? Ozzies, Bravo, C-Town, Food Bazaar, Whole Foods, Trader Joes, and the other Foodtown get by without doing that.