I guess we always want what we can't have...
in Manhattan, for instance, they've been wanting a Trader Joe's for a long time, and now they're finally getting one. They've only had Whole Foods a little while, which I thought it was claustrophobic and petite compared to our lavish Glendale location. New Yorkers can't quite seem to figure out what to make of Trader Joe's -- is it a health food store? a gourmet shop? Is it as good as Zabars? Oh, who bloody cares, but the New York Times weighed in today with an amusing story on how they choose what to sell at Trader Joe's. They left out Matt's favorite part, though, the silly names -- Broccoli Wokly, Jo Jos, Soy Vey, etc.
And what I want is this place being built around the corner from my sister's house in Berkeley's Gourmet Gulch, adjacent to Chez Panisse. Epicurious Garden is a sort of yuppie food court featuring sushi, Provencal takeout and all the other wonderful things the citizens of Berkeley have come to demand. Just don't ask for extra plastic bags. In my experience, that's the kind of thing that gets you snapped at in Berkeley. But I'd settle for the Berkeley Bowl market, instead.
4 comments:
Speaking of supermarket envy, I got back from Austin where Whole Foods has a new flagship store. Makes Berkeley Bowl (except the produce dept) look weak and famished, and L.A. doesn't have anything near as cool as Berkeley Bowl. S-I-G-H.
One of the highlights of my day job is that our state office is directly across the street from the Berkeley Bowl. Amazingly, staffers in that office claim to be bored it! I look forward to my monthly work trips for my time in the produce section of the bowl, and a stop at its olive bar.
Is there anything in Los Angeles close to Berkeley Bowl. I can't get decent produce anywhere. Please do not mention the Farmer's Market in SM or Whole Foods---poor substitutes.
Nope, nothing in L.A. like the Berkeley Bowl, sorry. But at least there's lots of huge Asian and Latio markets to explore...
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