but lately i have had a hard time shopping at our local Kroger grocery store. i’m not usually picky about where i shop, but i really like a well stocked, fresh selection of produce, seafood and meats. when the Kroger down the street started renovations, the first thing that they adjusted was the produce section… and they certainly made some improvements over what it was like before, but they are still only slightly ahead of walmart with the freshness and selection of fruits and veggies.

recently i’ve gotten into this kick of picking a random recipe out of a cookbook and going out to get all of the ingredients i’m missing so that i can cook it that day. this weekend we had some friends over, and so i decided i was going to make chicken and walnut stuffed with blue cheese, and a fall salad, which consisted of Radicchio, Arugula, Hazelnuts, Red Wine Vinegar, and Olive Oil. (i’ll put the recipe for both of these below)

well… i went to the local Kroger, and hunted for the ingredients for the meal to no avail. I even asked the produce guy there… a nice older gentleman who was pretty occupied with stocking corn… and he replied… ‘Radicchio?’ … ‘Watercress?’ … ‘Arugula? nope… sorry… we don’t carry any of that odd stuff. Turnip greens, Parsley, Cilantro… we got them!’

‘odd stuff’ he says…

the thing is… i could understand that maybe a local grocery store like Jr’s Food Land wouldn’t carry any of this sort of thing, but Kroger is actually a regional grocery chain. they are huge!

so i went to Publix … and the difference was astounding. i’d been in this place a few times before, and i’ve always been impressed, but have wanted to stick it out with the incumbent … and so Melissa and i have both been loyal to Kroger. then publix gave me shrimp cooked in mango sauce on my way in the door. let me say it again… shrimp cooked in mango sauce … as soon as i walked in the door. oh… and the hot apple cider in the back of the store helped as well!

not only did they have all of the ‘odd’ ingredients that i was looking for, but i only had to stand around for a few seconds before one of the many produce guys who were stocking asked me ‘can i help you find anything?’. in fact, while i was in the store, i must have been asked this question a minimum of 10 times. these guys seem to take customer service almost to the level of a cult. it was like walking into an LDS convention with a black t-shirt on that says ‘i went to hell and all i got was this stupid t-shirt’. i was blown away with how friendly everyone was! Kroger employees mostly just look away when you try to make eye contact with them, especially when they are gathered in a gaggle of 5 or more at the front of the store.

one of the things i really like about Publix is that they actually will help you to your car with your stuff if you need it. my wife will frequently shop alone, and you hear all sorts of stories about people being robbed (or worse) in grocery store parking lots. it is nice to know that at Publix she has the option of being escorted by a 15 year old bagger. try and get that commitment to safety from Walmart!

another thing that is neat about Publix is that i’ve been told (by one of the cashiers) that if there is anything that they don’t have, they will not only order it for me, but they will deliver it to my house free of charge! wow. i’m going to test that by ordering some opakapaka. if they will get it in fresh for me… they will have a committed customer.

Here are the links to the recipes:

Fall Salad

Blue Cheese Stuffed Chicken with Walnuts

Bon apetit!