Not just another trip to the grocery store...

[kelliem]

I went to the grocery store today with the kid-unit. We just went in to get a few things and ended up spending THREE HOURS! And we didn't even go down every aisle. This is because the Safeway store closest to my house is having it's grand re-opening as a new "Safeway Lifestyle" concept store this weekend. They've been remodeling for the better part of 4 months at least, and holy cow, it's pretty amazing. It's like they took a Safeway and crossed it with Whole Foods, and stuck a piece of a Williams Sonoma in for good measure.

There's a cookware/chef's needs area. There's a new organic/natural food-and-misc. section that takes up about a third of the store. They've expanded the bakery and added a bunch of in-house baked artisan breads and specialty desserts. There's a Starbucks on one end and a Jamba Juice on the other. They have a nut bar that sells every sort of nut imaginable and even some seeds (I got a container of roasted shelled pumpkin seeds which I have a weakness for and usually only have at Halloween.) There's a buffet-style take-out dinner bar with Chinese on one side and traditional American items like ribs and green bean casserole on the other. A very nice salad and fruit bar, and a soup bar. And a freakin' sushi bar. Not just prepackaged-in-a-plastic-clamshell sushi, but make-it-fresh-right-there-in-front-of-you sushi. Complete with cute Japanese sushi chefs with anime hair. Their expanded cheese selection almost rivals The Cheese Importer's. They even had Morbier, and various sheep and goat cheeses I've never seen in a non-specialty grocer before. The meat department is selling locally raised organic meats. The seafood area had tons of exotic shellfish, and even a whole (small) shark on ice. Granted that was kind of creepy, but still!

Of course, since it was the grand opening they were handing out samples right and left, everything from New York strip steak to bread, cakes, nuts, organic blueberry-apple juice, coffee, yogurt, and organic strawberries dipped in a chocolate fountain. I've heard about those chocolate fountains but this is the first time I've seen one, it was tres cool. We asked and they said that one the size they were using takes 20 lbs of chocolate, and that so far they'd had to refill it 4 times so far. That's EIGHTY POUNDS OF CHOCOLATE in two days. Yikes! Somehow I suspect they're not using Valhrona. ;D All in all it was more like a trip to a foodie theme-park rather than a grocery run. I can tell I am going to have to NOT shop there too often or I'm going to blow the food budget.

In other news, I was Very Effective at work on Friday, solving a potential problem with a job-candidate visit despite the fact that the problem didn't come up until only 45 minutes before the end of the workday, and the fact that the Chair was home sick. I had to coordinate between the candidate, the Chair and our travel agent and try to make new travel arrangements that would get the guy here without getting him stuck in that winter storm that's supposed to clobber the Atantic coast this weekend, without spending a fortune. (one of the options would have cost us a quarter of our entire search budget! Ack!) And I did it. I need to remember this when I have one of my occasional bouts of Imposter Syndrome. :)

I've also written a little bit in the last few days. Not much so far, and it may well suck, but after a months-long drought it feels really good to finally write something. ANYTHING.

Also, how's this for irony?


You're My Little Pony!! Sweet and innocent and happy, you make people want to spew burrito chunks. Even a Care Bear could kick your ass.

What childhood toy from the 80s are you?
brought to you by Quizilla

In honor of this result I am using my 'My Little Illya' icon. :)

Oh, one last thing... I saw this on lamardeuse's LJ and thought it bore linkage. I've read a few con reports of late that really made me cringe.

ETA I watched the Opening Ceremonies for the 2006 Olympic Games and... wow. Lamest. Opening. Ceremonies. Ever. Yikes. Lousy wanna-be-marching-band choreography? Plastic Cows on wheels? Roller disco? Skirt-mountain dioramas with trees and tiny skiiers? Luciano Pavarotti with dyed-black hair and painted-on black eyebrows? The only thing that was cool was the actual lighting of the torch. And the fact that the olympic rings look kinda like stargates. ;D

Comments

[matociquala.livejournal.com]

That sounds like pretty cool store.

And yay again on drought-breaking!

[shayheyred.livejournal.com]

SQUEEEEE~! My Little Illya has a friend~~

[bride.livejournal.com]

Re: Safeway

I noticed that a few months ago too! The Safeway near our home had become... very different. They've replaced the sterile laboratory lighting with warm yellow lights and it looks all hip, urban, organic and slightly Starbucks-y =D

[kelliem.livejournal.com]

It is a pretty cool store.I'm glad my dingy old Albertson's is also close by and I can go there and not spend nearly as much money. But it's nice to have the Safeway for when I'm flush, or looking for something special. I'm sure they'll do well here in Yuppieland, too. I just hope their parking lot doesn't come to resemble the one at Whole Foods, though, it's the most nightmarish parking lot in town.

And thanks for the yay. :)

[reginagiraffe]

Re: Safeway

Sounds like they took a leaf out of Wegman's book. *g*

[kelliem.livejournal.com]

I was mortified to get that result. But amused at the same time. ;-D matociquala once suggested The Italian Stallion here as a good alternate for Napoleon. ;D

[kelliem.livejournal.com]

Definitely sounds like a trend. Maybe it originated up there in your area. That wouldn't surprise me, I hear Vancouver is pretty progressive.

[kelliem.livejournal.com]

We don't have Wegman's out here, so I can't really compare, but it wouldn't surprise me. The old fashioned grocery chains are all looking for ways to compete with the new SuperTarget type stores.

[liaison27.livejournal.com]

I experienced one of those chocolate fountains last summer at a promotion in the makeup/fragrance dept of Dillard's Dept store in Cleveland. Too bad they went cheapo on the dipping items. No fruit and the cookies seemed stale. Marshmallows were messy fun though. :* When I see them for home sale though, I can't help thinking about the clean up problem. I mean, there's only so much pan licking of melted chocolate even *I* can manage. ;}

Wish we had one of those stores near here. The newest Giant Eagle built some years ago had a wider selection of unique deli items at first, but they've cut way back since many shoppers went back to the cheaper stores. So there just isn't a big enough market for that sort of thing here.

BTW, Kellie, I've been meaning to tell you that I tried that pork roast recipe you posted before Xmas and it was delish. I used too much garlic (yeah I was surprised at that too!) on a smaller-sized piece of meat but the meat was as good cold later as it was when hot. Thanks for posting!

[shiningmoon.livejournal.com]

The Safeway sounds very cool... I can well imagine spending that kind of time exploring!

It's interesting that the Safeway is the spendy store where you are because here, locally, Albertson's is the one that has the jacked-up prices. I won't shop there unless there's an amazing sale.

[kelliem.livejournal.com]

there's only so much pan licking of melted chocolate even *I* can manage

*nod* That reminds me of the time a friend and I made 300 assorted chocolate truffles to give as Yule gifts. I didn't want to see a piece of chocolate for MONTHS afterward. :D Though dishwashers are a great way to get rid of chocolate coating on pans. The dishwaster soap is designed to break down food particles and the hot water helps melt it so it all washes off.

I'd like to take credit for the pork roast, but I'm afraid that wasn't me. Kid-unit won't eat pork (except for ham and bacon) so I don't cook with it much. It sounds wonderful, though. How can anyone have too much garlic, anyway?

[kelliem.livejournal.com]

Huh, that is interesting. It's strange how regionalisms can even effect prices in chains.

[liaison27.livejournal.com]

I could have sworn that recipe was yours. [face palm] I really need to find some way to respond to posts in a more timely manner since my memory seems to be failing big time. My journal may end up a case study illustration of the progress of senility. Heh.

But yeah, I have this little ceramic garlic keeper and I just like to open the lid and smell the cloves sometimes. :)

[ardent-muses.livejournal.com]

Mmm. Sounds delicious. You write good food. :)

Yes, I'm going to take a shower now and then I'm leaving. See you soon.

[sensine.livejournal.com]

Writing! Yay!

And the fact that the olympic rings look kinda like stargates. ;D They totally do!
I had expected more for-the-occasion written music. And to drag out the poor LP was a shame. They should have let him rest in peace or whatever...

The cows on wheels were no surprise though : D Have you seen Orlando Furioso the Italian TV version? It's a hoot! (And very old now that I think about it.)

[frau-flora.livejournal.com]

This was most interesting. But how come I can´t read your comments? All empty spaces!

[tanrinia]

i loved the acrobats, too. and the torch lighting which, as always, got me all teared up (and at which, as always, vitaminJ expressed surprise).

what i would like would be for bob costa's and co. to SHUT UP already. tell jus a brief thingy about what is happening (as we have no programs at home) and then SHUT UP. do they get paid by the word?

[kelliem.livejournal.com]

I have no idea. The entry is public so you should be able to read comments-- maybe there was an LJ glitch?

[kelliem.livejournal.com]

I must've accidentally fast-forwarded through the acrobats, I don't remember that part. Oh, and Peter Gabriel was good, but he always is. I could've done without Yoko though. :-)

Bob Costa does really yammer on (and on and on and on...), true, but he made me LOL during the parade of nations to bad disco music when he said: "If they play Kim Carnes 'Bette Davis Eyes' my night will be made." That and the part where he and whoever it was he was with were wondering if the Serbian delegation had had to specially request "YMCA" because being at the Olympics meant so much to them. ;D