WOW! Trader Joe's

Ok, so I am a bit behind the times as I visited a Trader Joe's store for the first time yesterday. There is a new store that has opened in Rego Park, Queens, NY, at the corner of Metropolitan Ave. and Woodhaven Blvd. I happen to be driving by when I thought I would check it out since I had heard so many good things about this chain of food stores that seem to be dedicated to healthy, whole and often organic foods and grocery items. I have also heard about their amazing wine prices, but, alas, this store seems to have no wine section. There is a Trader Joe's in Union Square, in Manhattan, that I have told myself I need to go check out for almost 2 years now and when I lived out in Long Island, I told myself the same thing about the one I occasionally used to drive past. So, it has been a long time coming. As a chef instructor and a currently single woman, I don't cook a lot at home and have little complaint about the food shopping in my neighborhood in Astoria, Queens, which is wonderfully diverse and ethnically rich. But this was a real treat and I will go back, as I can tell from one trip that there are several things I will add to my personal kitchen staples. These will include the low sodium stocks, $1.99 per quart, which are truly low (around 50mg) and the low sodium soy sauce from Japan for $2.99(an excellent price for a half liter). I also liked the one pound bag of frozen edamame for $1.49 which is easy to prepare in boiling water for 5 minutes and delicious sprinkled with fleur de sel sea salt. I also was pleased with the frozen Chile Lime Chicken Burgers which are low in fat, low in sodium and high in protein. The package is four 4 oz. burgers for $3.49 and they are easy to defrost in the microwave and bake in the oven for about 10 minutes at 350F. I eat them with a dollop of mustard and some cornichon pickles and pepperoncinis, but they would be great a dozen different ways. All in all, I was very pleased that I had stopped and the checkout person was super friendly and polite and even though the location is not particularly convenient, I will return. So, if there is a Trader Joe's in your area that you have not been to....GO!!! You will not be disappointed. My only regret is that I didn't buy the Cilantro, Roasted red pepper and Traditional Hummus Trio when I had the chance.