Second Trader Joe's in NY

In Rego Park! Well, not quite. But I call it all Rego Park.

With all the fireworks, New Yorkers assumed that a second Trader Joe’s wasn’t far behind, probably in a hip and well-heeled neighborhood like the Upper West Side or SoHo.
They were half right. A second Trader Joe’s is headed for New York, but the where will surprise many. This time, the company is setting up shop in Queens, in a long-dormant factory on the southwestern edge of Forest Hills.

There's more here.

In Praise of Key Food

This afternoon, frequent commenter Italian Grandma called me. She was planning to go to Whole Foods in Manhattan, but then she realized she didn't have to. I told her I needed to go to Key Food to get instant coffee, and she offered to come with me.

She was in awe. She didn't know grocery stores like this existed in Williamsburg. Her praise, coupled with my hunger, resulted in my deciding to buy food to make baked ziti with veal sauce. Giant containers of ricotta cheese were on sale for cheap, so I got one. Now I have leftover ricotta.

After Key Food, we went to the Jesus vegetable store, where Italian Grandma was taken aback by the cheap vegetables.

Then we went our separate ways. But I see Key Food through new eyes now.

Trader Joe's Now Takes Amex

The big news at Trader Joe's is that now take American Express. When I signed up for a new credit card specifically to use at Trader Joe's, I got a $50 credit. Now I'm done using that credit card. Ha.

C-Town has chicken thigh/legs for $0.49/lb. I have 3 in the oven right now. I'm not sure what I'm doing with them, but so far they have butter, sea salt, and pepper on their skins. There's a half onion in each corner of the pan with the same things, plus a little balsamic vinegar. The oven's at 450 right now, but in a second I'm going to turn it down to about 325 and cover the chicken with aluminum foil.