I, too, am a specific item shopper. They have the best prices on eggs and organic milk around. I get quite a few frozen items there -- nuggets, fish sticks, shrimp, and turkey meatballs for the kids. They have few, if any chemical ingredients. Their cereals are very good. And the dried fruit and nut selection is excellent.

Kennyz wrote:Made a quick call to TJ on Lincoln, and the manager confirmed that the bread is delivered daily from a local bakery, so I will just assume that jlawrence01 had his facts wrong, unless he has some evidence to the contrary.

I cannot speak as to one store in Chicago but I have asked several employees in three suburban stored as to where the baked goods come from and the employees - who were unloading the recent shipment - told me that all the food comes "on the truck" from their warehouse in MA.

Traditionally, TJ's distributes all products from centralized warehouses in Pasadena, CA and a suburb of Boston (for the east coast). This is a very different model that the average market where the bread is delivered several times a week from various vendors.

I have not been to a TJs in Chicagoland in the past 90-120 days as much of their product mix is available at Aldi's at a lower price.

jlawrence01 wrote:I cannot speak as to one store in Chicago but I have asked several employees in three suburban stored as to where the baked goods come from and the employees - who were unloading the recent shipment - told me that all the food comes "on the truck" from their warehouse in MA.

Questioning several employees in three different stores is much more thorough research than what I've done. I have a feeling the employees you asked didn't include the artisan bread in the general "baked goods" category when they answered. Those breads, the Lincoln Avenue manager explained, are delivered daily from a local bakery near every Trader Joe's in the country.

I have a long list of TJ items I really like—off the top of my head, their:

Ginger cashew granola
Low-fat mixed berry granola
Instant cranberry oatmeal
Mini rice crackers
Blackberry jam
Red curry sauce and most of their other simmer sauces
Firm tofu
Regular hummus and three-flavor hummus
Rice drink
Simple trail mix (almonds, cashews, dried cherries & cranberries)
All of their spiced nut mixes, especially the pistachio one
Frozen haricot verts
Frozen succotash-like mix with edamame, corn and red peppers
Frozen vegetarian corn dogs
Frozen chicken burritos
Greek-style yogurt
Apples
Corn chips with flax seeds (the ones in the smaller bag that I think they’ve discontinued)
Cheetos-like product
Carrot juice
Red pasta sauce with basil
Peanut butter


They also have really competitive prices for items I like that are not TJ brand including:

Yogi ginger tea
Dundee-Keiller marmalade
Ground flax seed
Darryl Lee licorice (I don’t know if they’re carrying this any more)
Sliced cheeses including their sharp cheddar and Jarlsberg
Canned tuna and anchovies
Mango-vanilla soy ice cream
Morningstar Farms veggie links

I’ve tried more than a few times, but I don’t care for their breads or the chunk cheeses they sell. I rarely buy vegetables at TJ, but occasionally I’ll buy a bag of sugar snap peas to eat on the car ride home. I find that if I don’t finish them that day, they get splotchy very quickly. I visit the Arlington Heights location most frequently, and I like the people who work there. They can be very enthusiastic, but they’re actually helpful. I can always count on them for honest opinions about products, new and old.

Kennyz wrote:
Questioning several employees in three different stores is much more thorough research than what I've done. I have a feeling the employees you asked didn't include the artisan bread in the general "baked goods" category when they answered. Those breads, the Lincoln Avenue manager explained, are delivered daily from a local bakery near every Trader Joe's in the country.

To be homest with you, I have yet to see artisan bread is a Chicagoland TJs store.

On the other hand, when I can head to Caputo's or Eurofresh or Joseph's or similar markets, I would not even consider TJs for baked goods ... unless I am in SOCAL.

I consider it a guilty pleasure, but the orange-flavoured chicken in the frozen aisle is a stand-by for me. I bake the chicken, then toss it in a skillet with the included sauce (and I add some red pepper flakes, too). It takes as much as time as ordering Chinese delivery and tastes much better, with no/few added chemicals/additives. I'm also confident enough to admit to picking up their frozen brown rice and 'nuking it to eat with the chicken, on those days when waiting an extra 15 minutes for rice is just 15 minutes too many. Give it a shot, y'all, it's better than it looks.

Also, their heart healthy oatmeal (in response to my affection for the above) is good, and it's a good deal. There are things worth picking up from TJ's, but it's not, nor ever will be, a one-stop store. If only they could source better produce -- or allow me the option to buy a single dang onion -- I might change my mind.

danimalarkey wrote:I consider it a guilty pleasure, but the orange-flavoured chicken in the frozen aisle is a stand-by for me. I bake the chicken, then toss it in a skillet with the included sauce (and I add some red pepper flakes, too). It takes as much as time as ordering Chinese delivery and tastes much better, with no/few added chemicals/additives. I'm also confident enough to admit to picking up their frozen brown rice and 'nuking it to eat with the chicken, on those days when waiting an extra 15 minutes for rice is just 15 minutes too many. Give it a shot, y'all, it's better than it looks.

Also, their heart healthy oatmeal (in response to my affection for the above) is good, and it's a good deal. There are things worth picking up from TJ's, but it's not, nor ever will be, a one-stop store. If only they could source better produce -- or allow me the option to buy a single dang onion -- I might change my mind.

Your mileage may vary...ahem...but, based on the orange chicken rec's on LTH? and elsewhere(and the s/o's love of "orange" preps in general) we tried the TJ's chicken and dear lord it was a vinegar bomb in a bag...maybe it was a bad batch...someone at the factory got a little happy with the white vinegar...ick...seriously, it gassed us out of the kitchen...

Not recommended

it's been added to the preponderance(our list) of shit TJ's prepared meals

I like their frozen peas, I used to enjoy the Kung Pao bowl before some other idiot set the sesame controls for stun(same with the once upon a time adequate bottled hot n sour soup).

MY OPINION

most TJ's frozen "dinners" are horrid

I'm fond of the peanut butter filled pretzels (I can't be the only one?).

Athena wrote:I'm fond of the peanut butter filled pretzels (I can't be the only one?).

I hate the peanut butter filled pretzels. If there are ever any within 1/4 mile of me, I can sniff them out, and end up scarfing down handful after handful. They're evil things.

I do like some of the frozen seafood at TJ's, though. I usually leave with the Ahi and the calamari. I also like the tiny little frozen New Zealand lamb chops.

I've been shopping at TJ's for 15 years or so here in SoCal, and I think it's a great place to go for some unique things. There are also some extremely good values.

I'll tell you one of the great reasons I stop there once every other week or so is because it's a fun place to get something a little different. Each time my kids get to pick one "new" thing to try, and because of it, they have expanded their culinary tastes and we've discovered a few gems.

Here's some of my favorites:
Blue Bag Hawaiian style potato chips (best chips I have had)
Frozen Chocolate Croissants
Plugra butter (make some choc chip cookies with it and you'll never go back)
Mini Chocolate Bundt Cakes (with a scoop of ice cream one of the best desserts ever)
Big N Chunky Applesauce

Exceptional Values:
Eggs - even at their higher price of $1.49/dozen a great deal
Buttermilk
Their basic OJ...$1.99/half gallon
Pizza Dough Balls
Bananas...in the mainstream stores here they are 0.79/lb now...19 cents each is good especially if you can find some big ones

jlawrence01 wrote:To be homest with you, I have yet to see artisan bread is a Chicagoland TJs store.

I assume you mean you haven't seen bread that you would subjectively call "artisan". Because "Artisan Bread" is actually the brand under which every Trader Joe's store sells the bread it gets delivered daily from local bakeries. Since the local baker can vary from store to store, and reports on quality vary widely in this thread and elsewhere, I'd suggest that one try the bread from one's own TJ location rather than make any determination about TJ bread in general.

jlawrence01 wrote:Traditionally, TJ's distributes all products from centralized warehouses in Pasadena, CA and a suburb of Boston (for the east coast). This is a very different model that the average market where the bread is delivered several times a week from various vendors.

What you describe as tradition may apply to many TJ products, but not to the bread they sell as Artisan. That bread has always been and is still delivered from local bakeries.

jlawrence01 wrote:To be homest with you, I have yet to see artisan bread is a Chicagoland TJs store.

I assume you mean you haven't seen bread that you would subjectively call "artisan". Because "Artisan Bread" is actually the brand under which every Trader Joe's store sells the bread it gets delivered daily from local bakeries. Since the local baker can vary from store to store, and reports on quality vary widely in this thread and elsewhere, I'd suggest that one try the bread from one's own TJ location rather than make any determination about TJ bread in general.

jlawrence01 wrote:Traditionally, TJ's distributes all products from centralized warehouses in Pasadena, CA and a suburb of Boston (for the east coast). This is a very different model that the average market where the bread is delivered several times a week from various vendors.

What you describe as tradition may apply to many TJ products, but not to the bread. That bread has always been and is still delivered from local bakeries.

Apologies if this whole discussion sounds argumentative, but it's just factually inaccurate to say that TJ does not get its bread from local bakeries. Like it, don't like it, whatever. But the facts are the facts.

Kim3 wrote:Run as fast as you can from their Trader Giotto's Italian dressing. It's the only product we've thrown out after one use.

For future reference, TJs has a very generous return policy. Don't like it? Bring it back for a full refund. No time limit, no receipt necessary.

What you describe as tradition may apply to many TJ products, but not to the bread. That bread has always been and is still delivered from local bakeries.

Apologies if this whole discussion sounds argumentative, but it's just factually inaccurate to say that TJ does not get its bread from local bakeries. Like it, don't like it, whatever. But the facts are the facts.

Just to complicate matters, it seems to me every TJ's I've been to has two fresh baked goods displays. One is a usually free standing display rack/shelf of artisanal breads - ciabatta, sourdough, pane como, etc. in brown wrappers that seem obviously locally baked.

There is another baked goods rack with scones, english muffins, sliced breads, flax/spelt/soy bread etc. (not entirely sure what they shelve here since I never buy it). This stuff it seems to me quite possibly could be shipped from some distant bakery on the east coast.

rickster wrote:

What you describe as tradition may apply to many TJ products, but not to the bread. That bread has always been and is still delivered from local bakeries.

Apologies if this whole discussion sounds argumentative, but it's just factually inaccurate to say that TJ does not get its bread from local bakeries. Like it, don't like it, whatever. But the facts are the facts.

Just to complicate matters, it seems to me every TJ's I've been to has two fresh baked goods displays. One is a usually free standing display rack/shelf of artisanal breads - ciabatta, sourdough, pane como, etc. in brown wrappers that seem obviously locally baked.

There is another baked goods rack with scones, english muffins, sliced breads, flax/spelt/soy bread etc. (not entirely sure what they shelve here since I never buy it). This stuff it seems to me quite possibly could be shipped from some distant bakery on the east coast.

That's my experience too. I avoid the plastic packaged stuff like the plague. It's the free-standing display rack that has the local bread I've enjoyed.

Yes! I should have been clearer. It is the not the artisanal bread that I have come to loath. It is the 'regular' loaf bread at the Lincoln Ave. store. Superbad. it's like eating that green styrofoam that florists use!

just to chime in on the artisanal bread debate: not only have TJ employees claimed these breads to be locally produced, but the signage on the display reflects this claim as well. IMO the baguette is the best value in the city - baguettes of comparable or better quality are way more expensive.

I like the baguettes too. I do a big chunk of my weekly shopping at TJ's, I just find the produce sections a bit lacking & go elsewhere for that. Likes include

the aforementioned PB pretzels
the frozen fish selection
chili-lime burgers
frozen juice bars
the Indian jarred simmer sauces (the korma in particular)
the frozen naan & vegetable burgers (which are actually Indian potato tikki without all the usual fat)
various of the cookies & candies (like the almond clusters & chocolate chip dunkers)
the Thai curried tuna packages (helpful shelf stable emergency food)
frozen edamame
mango orange peach juice
frozen pizzas (the various thin cheese ones & the spinach/feta)
TJ's greek yogurt

The best thing about TJ's - I can get in & out in a fraction of the time it takes meandering through normal supermarkets (even Whole Foods). I know what I want in a fairly focused manner & don't need to walk through rows & rows of cereal & cookie & soup options to get the ones I want.

Trader Joe's is about a once or twice a month stop for me.
Some of the things I pick up:

organic/free trade coffees
"A fig walked into a bar" cereal bars
nut and dried fruit mixes
cellulose sponges (flat little things that expand in water, and biodegradable)
frozen chicken burritos with salsa verde (husband loves them, I hate them)
lamb chops
dark chocolate covered pretzels
pistachio and dark covered toffee chunks
tuna in olive oil
gloria ferrer rose champagne
plugra butter
braeseola

I have had problems with their poultry three times. Once was a kosher turkey for Thanksgiving (quite a pain!); the other times were the fresh organic/amish chicken. They reimbursed me all 3 times no problem, but I wrote a complaint to the customer service dept and they sent me a gift card.

I rarely buy produce there - similar to another's postings, my strawberries were coated with mold and disintegrating the next day after purchase, even though they looked perfectly fine when I bought them. Weird, gross, and annoying.

Similar to other posters, it's great for some things, terrible for others, and the bottom line is that I would miss it if I didn't live near one.

I live far away from TJs but take classes occasionally near the Lincoln/Grace store, so I usually stop in on my way to class which means no frozen food unless it's during the winter.

My shopping list:
cheese--I've liked the Spanish ones the best, plus goat cheese
nuts
dried fruit
candied ginger--my not-so-secret vice
lime yogurt for the fridge at work
Greek yogurt
triple ginger cookies
crackers
pasta
coffee--dark roast
tortilla and kettle chips (some of the novelty flavors are awful)
tuna
peanut butter
beer
Gloria Ferrer sparkling wine, pink or not
Jeanmarie champagne (may or may not be there)
Myntz! (another vice)

Unfortunately, it's true that the California stores not only have much better produce but carry a much better selection of wine and beer.

I don't get how anyone could call TJs expensive, especially if you're used to shopping at Jewel.

Organic stuff is important to me, and TJ has the best prices in that category. Their quirky snacky foods are fantastic - so much so, they have become banned in our household! we just gobble them up so quickly - the peanut butter filled pretzels, the chocolate-covered peanut butter filled pretzels, pistachio dark chocolate toffee, etc etc.

In many ways, TJ's is hit-or-miss: you just have to get a feel for the items you'll like (I've had some frozen items and cereals that were wretched). I recently discovered the frozen Masala Veggie Patties, which are fantastic.

I also love their fun beverage selection: an amazing selection of juices and teas and sodas. I am particularly fond of Reed's Ginger Brew and Virgil's Root Beer. I like the $4 Pinot Grigio, which I often buy by the case.

A typical shopping trip for me might include:
some frozen seafood
a frozen pizza
a baguette
shampoo (the TJ Refresh shampoo is my current favorite - $1.99!)
sunscreen (there is a great TJ branded one: high zinc oxide, very inexpensive)
granola (pecan praline is a favorite)
a fun beverage
something snacky
ak-mak crackers
some frozen veggies (edamame, french green beans)
frozen multi-grain waffles
yogurt
soymilk
organic milk or half and half
vitamins (best prices anywhere)

I live a little over a mile away from the Lincoln/Grace TJ, so I'll walk and take one canvas shopping bag - this keeps me from going overboard when I shop there, because I'm limited to what I can carry home.

sarcon wrote:just to chime in on the artisanal bread debate: not only have TJ employees claimed these breads to be locally produced, but the signage on the display reflects this claim as well. IMO the baguette is the best value in the city - baguettes of comparable or better quality are way more expensive.

I totally agree about the baguettes. The baguettes in most grocery stores are awful -- the ones baked on site are the worst because the dough is frozen and the industrial leavening and baking process creates a regular crumb (ie no big holes) and lacks crustyness. Not so at TJs.

The best grocery stores get their bread from bakeries - Caputo's does this.

One of the reasons I have come to despise Whole Foods is their vile bread. I am sure one can find better bread in prison.

AngrySarah wrote:One of the reasons I have come to despise Whole Foods is their vile bread. I am sure one can find better bread in prison.

I know! They should be ashamed of themselves! honestly, the only baguettes I found to be better are Fox & Obel and on occasion Red Hen (Red Hen has become very inconsistent in their quality, IMO. When it's good, it's great, but for what their bread costs, I am less willing to gamble on them). I've had a baguette by Crust, and while it was delicious bread, it did not have the qualities I seek in a baguette (too dense, too moist). I'm sure there is a thread around here somewhere heatedly comparing all the baguettes in the city, but I haven't been that ambitious.

(my post to this thread about TJ's has mysteriously vanished??)

oh well, on to more important things....

i agree about WF having lousy baguettes. there was a manager posting on some forum asking for things they could improve, i told them that.

red hen is such a ripoff. i went in there over the weekend to get two buns to serve pulled pork on... $2.55. for two rolls... if this city had a "real" market where they sold fresh bread, that'd cost 50 cents.

TJ's baguettes are somewhere "in between" good and grocery store ..

bennison's seem to have gained popularity over red hen in the city... sometimes they're too much of a crunch for me though.

(ddane: i believe something occurred over the weekend which caused posts to disappear. i swear at one point, there was a different format to the message board over the weekend, but by monday, it was back to it's old look, but posts had disappeared. i found it odd there was no message about this anywhere...)

as for TJs, i do what others follow, use it for very specific items. i will spare everyone my grocery list, but seeing others has given me some nice suggestions.

i have bought & enjoyed the pretzel rolls in the past few months, which i believe would be considered under the "artisan" category, as they are located in the front of the store in open air packaging. i've moved away from the packaged breads, though i do enjoy the flax seed whole wheat tortillas.

for my standard wheat bread staple, lately i prefer the Aunt Millie's breads, available at Strack & Van Til. usually on sale, which helps cut prices down a little bit. some of the varieties are organic, while others just remove HFCS.

miss ellen

smellen wrote:(ddane: i believe something occurred over the weekend which caused posts to disappear. i swear at one point, there was a different format to the message board over the weekend, but by monday, it was back to it's old look, but posts had disappeared. i found it odd there was no message about this anywhere...)
miss ellen

Miss ellen-

There was information about the upgrade and subsequent reversion to the current software version in Site Chat. The tagline under LTHForum at the top also noted that we reverted back to the current software version. If you're not a regular reader of Site Chat, it was easy to miss the news.

-The GP

OT: Yes, I have never surfed through Site Chat. I looked at Announcements, but completely missed that forum which I now see has lots of valuable info for these types of things....

Thanks,
miss ellen

ETA: also, i was not logged in over the weekend at home, therefore Site Chat doesn't even appear in the forum list. i tend to read mostly, so that is why i miss Site Chat altogether. sorry for the confusion!

oh.. yah who reads site chat ...though i'm glad it was nothing "personal" (and the formatting on that "upgrade" was not fun -- btw is the "usergroups" at the top new or has that always been there?).

anyway, my contribution to this thread in short was something like... TJ's is really more about a store of convenience than of practicality, if you ask me.

-no to fresh meat/produce, way overpriced usually and very limited selection
-frozen seafood/meat is usually good and is convenient to have on hand in freezer
-frozen entress i've found to be very "ehh" and sometimes just downright not good
-wine selection mediocre and everything is $1-2 higher than it would be in a real wine shop. but it's better than grocery store wine. $2 buck chuck is no longer, it's $3 everywhere now, including california. (unless it's actually $3.99 here now??)
-it's good to shop at a place that treats their employees well and pays them well.
-i've bought more than a few expired items at the clybourn/lincoln park store. check expiration. this was when they were fairly recently opened...
-to me the best thing they have are the pre-made sauces... the mole.. various ethnic sauces to make ethnic dishes with very little work. the mango sauce is great. they have several types of real apple sauce too.
-frozen fruits are convenient to have on hand, and unlike other grocery store frozen fruits, are actually recognizable as actual fruit.
-used to really like the pizza dough balls, but have found it easier/cheaper to just make my own now...

In preparation for Passover, set out to get some almond meal, which I found at TJ's for half the price they were asking at Treasure Island. More significant though, were the wonderful half sour kosher dills at $3 for a 1L jar. These were the best "new pickles" I've had recently (and such a deal!).

Before TJ's opened here, I used to make a point of visiting them when in California. When they finally opened here, I was disappointed. It took me a few visits to realize that while in California on vacation, I was looking for party food and nosherei, whereas in Chicago I look for real groceries.

So while TJ's remains a part of my mix of shops, it's one of the stores I go to for "fluff" rather than mainstays. They were a regular stop for arugula but some other stores now stock it in salad-sized quantities at reasonable prices. We often buy candy, frozen foods (seafood, pad Thai, quiche), juices, sauces and whatever's on sale that looks good.

It is fun to shop there, and it's fast, too, because the stores aren't large. I am finding that they've become more expensive -- like everywhere else.