Archive for the ‘Grocery’ Category

• Alfio’s Caeser Salad Weekend Event

  Date: 2011.04.19 | Category: Dining, East Norriton, Grocery | Response: 3

  

  Alfio's Caesar Salad Weekend Event

  —-

   

  Exclusively at Ana’s Corner Store
  3310 North Wales Road
  East Norriton 610-279-3100
  April 30th & May 1st
  Noon – 7:00 PM

• Happy Pi Day

  Date: 2011.03.14 | Category: Everywhere else, Grocery, Local Bullshit, Random | Response: 6

  [Insert brief history of Pi]

  [Pi appreciation goes here]

  3.1415926535897932384626433832795028841971693993751058209 7494459230781640628620899862803482534211706798214808651 3282306647093844609550582231725359408128481117450284102 7019385211055596446229489549303819644288109756659334461 2847564823378678316527120190914564856692346034861045432 6648213393607260249141273724587006606315588174881520920 9628292540917153643678925903600113305305488204665213841 4695194151160943305727036575959195309218611738193261179 3105118548074462379962749567351885752724891227938183011 9491298336733624406566430860213949463952247371907021798 6094370277053921717629317675238467481846766940513200056 8127145263560827785771342757789609173637178721468440901 2249534301465495853710507922796892589235420199561121290 2196086403441815981362977477130996051870721134999999837 2978049951059731732816096318595024459455346908302642522 3082533446850352619311881710100031378387528865875332083 8142061717766914730359825349042875546873115956286388235 3787593751957781857780532171226806613001927876611195909 2164201989380952572010654858632788659361533818279682303 0195203530185296899577362259941389124972177528347913151 5574857242454150695950829533116861727855889075098381754 6374649393192550604009277016711390098488240128583616035 6370766010471018194295559619894676783744944825537977472 6847104047534646208046684259069491293313677028989152104

• Rain out

  Date: 2011.03.07 | Category: Consumables, East Norriton, Grocery, Local Bullshit, Norristown, Walmart | Response: 0

  I was out and about this afternoon and stopped by the WaWa in East Norriton, a rarity for me. I needed smokes and was headed in that direction plus I could use some air in my tires and it’s free there. Yes it’s true 7 Eleven charges for their air but this isn’t a pissing match. I grabbed smokes and filled my tires in the rain, and I was on my way.

  There were some nice rolls at home and I was getting hungry. I started thinking about a prosciutto hoagie. I thought this was all very convenient as I could swing by Talluto’s grab some fresh meats and do a review all in one. No such luck as they were closed.

  So I turned around and before I knew it I was in the barren zone. The first thing I noticed was they’re really making progress on whatever it is they’re building where Woody’s used to be (I know it was ‘Wood’s’ – what do you care!). The second thing I noticed was that for the life of me I couldn’t think of anywhere else to get fresh prosciutto but I knew Genaurdis would no doubt have some vacuum packed. I wasn’t thrilled with the prospect of going to Genaurdis but it was close and a guarantee and I wasn’t feeling real adventurous today.

  Naturally the whole shopping center was mobbed so I slipped in the entrance near staples with the gourmet foods and such. I wanted to grab soda and paper towels too, but there was no way I was paying top dollar for it at Genuardis. So I grabbed the prosciutto and some provolone and headed over to Walmart. It always comes back to Walmart.

  You can guess how this went.  I grabbed the usual – which I might add is becoming easier at East Norriton Walmart.  They had plenty of cherry limeade, and I grabbed some water and soda for good measure.  Also surprisingly despite the multitude of customers around the checkout, I got out of there quick because the 20 items or less lanes were open.  Those lanes are never open.  But in the last couple of weeks there has been a noticeable increased management presence on the sales floor.  Not just the leads and such, but also a trio of suits that sometimes walks around together plotting the execution of innocent endcaps based on inventory stats and sales figures.  I don’t know what exactly these guys are building, but they have definitely increased overall productivity and general effectiveness within the last month or so.

  It was raining still when I left and had a pretty uneventful ride home.  It was mostly focused on how to optimize my entrance so that I could make my hoagie the fastest.  Within minutes I had an excellent prosciutto hoagie with roasted red peppers and provolone cheese, on a nice roll with some oil.  Unfortunately I was so hungry I really didn’t have time to get any pics of it, so I got nothing for you right now in terms of images within this post.

• Local Meats

  Date: 2011.03.02 | Category: Consumables, East Norriton, Everywhere else, Grocery | Response: 2

  So a friend of mine, who we’ll call BobbyGrilladelphia turned me on to eating local healthy meats. Mostly because, and this was from carnivore to carnivore – that it tasted so much better. Well now you’ve got my attention.  So I finally wound up cooking some local healthy sausages.  And let me tell you the sausage was excellent! Sure it was local and healthy and all that crap, but the bottom line was it just tasted awesome. Also I figured it was time to kick things into high gear on the site with some of that multimedia experience. So please enjoy the look and sound of local healthy meats cooking.  I know the video quality is shaky and it’s pretty dark, but the audio is grade A!

  Local Healthy Sausages Cooking

• 7 Eleven

  Date: 2011.02.23 | Category: Consumables, East Norriton, Everywhere else, Grocery, Local Bullshit, Norristown, Nostalgia, Video Games | Response: 3

  It may come as no surprise that my favorite store is 7 Eleven.  It has been ever since 1993 when the 7 Eleven in North Wales on North Wales Road got a Mortal Kombat II arcade machine.  Ironically one of those machines is sitting behind me as I type this but it hasn’t worked in over a year.  I really have to get someone out here to take a look at it.  Hands down my favorite game ever and I completely dominate at it.  Don’t even think of messing with me.  During college I would double flawless/fatality challengers through a mirror.  It was intense, but this post is not about Mortal Kombat II, the greatest game in the history of video games.  It is in fact about 7 Eleven, the greatest mini mart in the world.

  Now mind you all 7 Eleven’s were not created equally, and some disgrace the precious TM they have adorned over their storefront.  However I haven’t seen tyranny like that in 20 years.  From City Line Avenue to Blue Bell 7 11′s dominate the landscape of southeastern PA for good reason.  Simply, they’re the best at what they do.  But what do they do?  For starters how about providing you with 365 days a year non stop interrupted service.  The only time I’ve ever seen one closed is right after a robbery.  7 11 knows how bad you need them too.  On City Line there are 2 practically across the street from one another.  In Norristown and the immediate surrounding areas there are at least 5. 

  However East Norriton itself only claims ownership of one 7 11 and sadly I rarely get over there.  You see in my opinion the East Norriton 7 11 is in what I like to call the barren zone.  Don’t get me wrong I love that 7 11 and it has some unique items that set it apart from the 7 11 on Swede in Blue Bell, but it’s in that zone.  The zone I’m referring to is anything between Whitehall Road and Swede Road.  If you are a Norristown resident, it’s very unlikely you will ever cross Swede Road for a spontaneous stop because there are no through roads again until you get to Whitehall.  East Norriton Township Park, Norristown Park, Elmwood Park, and the ever famous Norristown State Hospital all bump up against one another and permit no traffic.  Sure you could get through there with almost any vehicle.  But it’s just not a viable route.

  For the last 10 years or so my 7 Eleven of choice is far and away the Blue Bell location.  Friendly people, your brand of cigarettes is never out of stock, and it exists on an obelysk of concrete that you can only see from an overhead map.  I have been known to visit this store on multiple occaisions per day.  I was recently ousted as foursquare mayor because I got tired of checking in there!  I’m sure I could earn it back, but I don’t have the proper motivation to be honest.

  update:  I got my Mayor title back with one check in.

• Ana’s Corner Store

  Date: 2011.02.18 | Category: Dining, East Norriton, Grocery | Response: 0

  

  Front of Ana's Corner Store

   *UPDATE*  Ana’s Corner Store is now listed as a Featured Store. 

  Lately I had been getting quite a few search queries for Ana’s Corner Store.  Apparently it’s located on the corner of North Wales and Township Line road in East Norriton, so I set out to see what it was all about.  When I got there I explained a bit about what I was up to, and ordered myself a sandwich.  I got to meet Ana and we talked for a few minutes while my hoagie was being made.  By the way, the hoagie was fantastic.  I ordered an Italian.  The roll (which I think I read was from Corropolese Bakery) was unbelievable, and the hoagie was made with capicola!  Most places just throw some ham and salami on a roll and try calling it an Italian hoagie.

  The store was very unique, in some sense when you walked in it felt similar to many other mini marts in the area.  But then when you look around, there are several custom gourmet offerings.  The tasty looking pastries in the front certainly caught my eye.  Ana’s has been open just about 6 weeks.

  Also next weekend: 2/26 – 2/27 at Noon on both days Ana’s father Alfio will be making his renowned Ceaser salad (he’s won several local awards)!  I would say it’s worth dropping by to get a taste and support a new local business!

  Ana’s Corner Store

  3310 N. Wales Road
  East Norriton, PA 19403

  610-279-3100

• Bottom Dollar Food

  Date: 2011.02.06 | Category: Dining, East Norriton, Everywhere else, Grocery, Norristown, Walmart | Response: 3

  As I promised a few weeks ago, I finally checked out the new Bottom Dollar Food in Northtowne Plaza.  I only needed a few things and had planned to go to the Dollar Tree, but I figured this was a good chance to give Bottom Dollar a day in court.  At first I was dissapointed that such a new store could have a light out already in it’s sign. 

  

  How is a light out already!

  Fair enough I figured, for all I know they could have asked the leasing company that owns the strip mall about it weeks ago.  I’m not gonna assume anything though, and I’ll just take it for face value.  As I entered I was suprised that before me was a minitaure supermarket!  

  I didn’t know what to expect, but I did not expect anything like this.  It was like someone took a regular supermarket, stripped away all the bullshit that you don’t need or want, and left you with everything you do!

  

  Nice layout!

  At first I didn’t know where to go.  Should I get a cart?  Nah I’m tough enough to carry everything.  The first thing that happened was truly miraculous and I don’t ever expect it to happen again.  I grabbed a 24 pack of water of the shelf and it was ice cold!  I looked around as if I was guilty of receiving such a blessing.  I checked it again, my hands were not deceiving me, this water was already cold.  Now, they were stocking the shelves so I have to assume that this water literally came right off the truck out of the cold Pennsylvania winter night.  Now I don’t know what the odds of that happening again are, but I can tell you in all the years I’ve been buying bulk bottled water, I’ve never experienced it. 

  It appears that one of the methods Bottom Dollar uses to keep costs down, is by not providing free bags for your purchases.  I’ve seen this before in Ireland while I was there on my honeymoon.  It was at a department store called DUNNES in Ennis, Clare.  Really cool store by the way.  Kind of like a small super walmart, but much more upscale.  

  In any event bags were 5 for 25 cents or somethin like that.  I also grabbed a membership card and was on my way. 

  Next I was heading for Church’s Chicken in Norristown to pick up some dinner.  I had a coupon for a 12 piece chicken strip meal plus fries*, AND biscuits.  No way I’m passing that up.  It took a while though because that menu item is “cooked to order”  It was fairly uneventful.  Use your imagination.  There was a bunch of other people standing around waiting for their cooked to order meal.  It’s my understanding now that quite a few items on the menu are cooked to order.  When I got home I harrassed that box of chicken and then sampled a biscuit.  Thats when I decided to start working on this post.  Which is just about over. 

  

  Uneventful night at Church's

  *The coupon was actually for mashed potatoes but the cashier was gracious enough to let me swap for fries.

• The aftermath

  Date: 2011.01.28 | Category: East Norriton, Grocery, Local Bullshit, Weather | Response: 0

  

  Shopping cart victimized by snow plows

  Most everything was cancelled today, including work!  After I finally shoveled myself out I headed into East Norriton primarily for grapes and green onions.  Been thinking about chicken salad.  Figured first I would hit up Genuardi’s since I knew Walmart wouldn’t have either of those.  Now I had planned to stop at Walmart anyways for a few things so I would forgo the eggs I needed and grab them cheaper at Walmart.  Problem was when I got to Walmart all they had was an 18 pack and they didn’t have the Oscar Meyer boxed bacon.  Mmm bacon…  So I would up going back to Genaurdi’s.  Whatever it was a nice day out, at least I thought so.  However this shopping cart probably didn’t feel the same.

• Wal-Nite

  Date: 2011.01.27 | Category: Consumables, East Norriton, Grocery, Local Bullshit, Walmart, Weather | Response: 2

  So the office closed early today due to the expectation of more snow.  It still hasn’t arrived, but everyone is betting on it. (Update: it is definately here now in the form of ThunderSnow!)  I needed quite a few things and I had planned my route before leaving work.  First I stopped at the Walgreens on the corner of Township Line and 202 in Blue Bell.  Walgreens really is a superiour pharmacy and has the best retail goods out of all the chains.  However this location is not open 24 hours!  Sometimes I wonder about this area and their obsession with non-24 hour stores.  Surrounding East Norriton you really only have Giant and 7-11 in Blue Bell.  Sure there’s the 7-11 on East Johnson Highway but I prefer the one on Swede.  Come to think of it there’s also the one down Germantown pike towards the WaWa.  Of course there’s another Walgreens there but again it’s not 24 hours.

  I did what I had to do in Blue Bell Walgreens, and even grabbed my smokes there since it would give me more freedom of line choice at Walmart.  Coming into the parking lot at Walmart, I noticed one of East Norriton’s finest parked in the fire zone.  No one was in the vehicle, and I didn’t see anything out of the ordinary inside Walmart nor a police officer.  Maybe he just needed milk or rock salt.

  Since I had gotten out of work early I grabbed a cart and took my time tonite.  One of the first things on display in the front was a near empty pallete of rock salt.  Sure I’ll grab one of the last bags.  I was also extremely pleased to discover that they had cherry limeade again!  So naturally I stocked up on a few more boxes.  I also grabbed a packet of those Tassimo Maxwell House coffee discs.  I really do love my Tassimo machine, but I had a syrup problem with it before we moved.  Sometimes when you use the hot chocolate cups, the chocolate syrup goops up the dispenser.

  When I got to the registers there were only a few open and they were all packed.  The one I picked quickly became the slowest.  This woman was paying for her items with a huge stack of unidentifiable gift cards.  They were blue with multi colored dots on them and she had to have at least 25 of them.  She only used maybe 5 of them to pay so I’m guessing they were $10 or $20 amounts.  What do you know while I’m waiting for all this, the cigarette line opens up completely so I wound up in that line anyways.

• Valentine’s Massacre of aisle 5/6 endcap

  Date: 2011.01.25 | Category: Consumables, East Norriton, Grocery, Walmart | Response: 0

  Noo – Why!!!  My precious cherry limeade endcap is gone!  Sure I knew it was simply a matter of time before the endcap changed, but I didn’t think it would be in just over a week.  They sure moved a ton of cherry limeade in the past 10 days.  Now it’s been reduced to an assortment of Valentine’s day baked goods and marshmallows.  Which I’m sure are products worthy of endcap selection, but they don’t help me.  To boot they don’t even have any cherry limeade in the regular mixed drink aisle either.  Ahh what am I gonna do, at least I stocked up last week.  I still have 1 unopened 10 pack.

  

  cherry limeade is gone

  There really wasn’t much going on tonight.  Usually it’s kind of a struggle to make your way past the registers into the body of the store.  I think they should have a ramp and overpass for the people who aren’t in line.  But you could sell the same crap as they do in the lines on the overpass.  Why do the baseball cards have to be confined to one register?  What if that line’s really long and people are all squashed in there?  You’re gonna be the guy who tries to say excuse me to a bunch of irritated smokers waiting for cigarettes?  Speaking more to that, it amazes me that so many non smokers at Walmart go though that line even though it’s always the longest, and they don’t purchase anything else aisle specific like the “As seen on TV stuff” or the baseball cards.  Either way the sun has set on the cherry limeade endcap, I enjoyed it while it lasted.