A Trip to the Ocean

I am a big fan of East Asian cuisine. Asia has a large population, and people had to get fed with what few resources they had. How did they manage? Simply put, they ate healthy. You may get a large scoop of rice, a good portion of stir-fry veggies or soup, and a few slices of chicken.  The protein is minimal, as tending animals takes labor and resources not to mention the animals can give in other ways including pulling carts, and giving milk or eggs. When protein was up for grabs, by the same principle, they used every bit of the animal they could get their hands on.  Vegetables on the other hand, take less work to grow and you can afford more per person. This system is much healthier and refreshing compared to the American culture where people order 16oz steaks wrapped in bacon along a small side of potatoes and call it a hearty meal.

Live lobsters, crabs, oysters, and clams
next to fresh shrimp. 

What can be found in Pacific Ocean Marketplace embodies everything I like about Asian cuisine. The store is approximately the size of a regular supermarket; with separate produce, meat and cookware sections. Their produce selection has greater variety than can be found in your average supermarket such as lemon grass, bok choy, and kohlrabi. The seafood section alone is worth the stop. They have live lobsters, crabs, fish, and clams, alongside other fresh fillets and seafood. The meat case is also large with an extensive selection, albeit mostly frozen. If you're looking for things like chicken feet, ox tail, pig trotters, tripe, duck feet, pork blood and other less common cuts, Pacific Ocean Marketplace is for you.

Warmed meat case. On the right,
whole ducks, next to what I believe
is pork belly

At Pacific Ocean Marketplace, there are things that wouldn't ever cross the lips of people working in a classic supermarket, which is oddly enough, is located right across the street. Fresh duck eggs, quail eggs, and banana flours, right on through a good selection of frozen specialty items, even some exotic fruits. Most recently, I've seen fresh lychees, dragon fruit, and durian, which is very pungent fruit that is well worth a try (It will get it's own post for me to tell you all about it). They have a warm deli case of precooked beauties. You can special order whole roasted pigs of different sizes. I was a fan of the whole roasted duck that you can get broken down for $20. It can easily feed a family of 4 and is actually really good after getting it crispy in the oven.

Roasted duck with homemade
fried rice and lychee drink. 

To accompany your meal, I beg you to pick up a drink or two from their drink cases that you haven't tried before. They have a lot of exotic fruit juice based drinks, including lychee, sugar cane, and aloe vera, the latter of which is actually really good for you if you can get past the soft fruit flesh in the juice. You may not like all of them, but you will like some of them, and falling in love with something new is a fantastic experience.

Their dry goods section is impressive, everything from soba noodles to dried jellyfish. On the far left of the store is a section devoted to Japan, the Philippines, and a few items fro India.  There is also an aisle of just dishes and kitchen utensils, including a section of a Chinese chef's knives. I am still testing mine, but it seems sturdy. Just be careful not to cut yourself, as there are many are stored without a case as testers.

In the end, if you're looking for an authentic source for Asian cuisine, Pacific Ocean Marketplace can really help you do it right.

Rheinländer Bakery

Sometimes our culture is obsessed with dates. Retailers report lower sales on Friday the 13^th. Various groups claim to know the signs of the end days. Who can forget the Y2K run on generators? It should be as no surprise that we are now fascinated with this Friday’s date – 11/11/11.

November 11^th is also St. Martin’s Day, or Martinstag in Germany. This day is celebrated with various traditions in Germany, as well in several other European countries. Martinstag has a carnival-like feel, as it originally marked the days prior to the Advent fast. Roasted goose is typically served; children make homemade paper lanterns and go house to house, reciting poems or songs in exchange for holiday treats. This holiday marks the beginning of winter and the holiday season, much like Thanksgiving (or now Halloween) does in the United States.

Our review this week is for  Rheinländer Bakery, in Old Town Arvada. While this is not a true grocery as like our other reviews, it is a worthy spot for hard to find foods. If anyone in your family is diabetic or has a gluten-intolerance, this bakery is your salvation. During our visit, there were two full cases of gluten-free products – with cookies, cakes and various pastries. In years past, we’ve ordered a sugar-free birthday cake for my Mom, which never disappoints.

If your body can handle gluten and sugar, there is plenty to keep your taste buds happy as well. Bavarian bread, German coffeecake, flaky strudels are all staples here. For utter decadence, try the homemade “Nuttella,” a chocolate hazelnut spread that elevates ordinary bananas or toast to a real treat.

Besides the baked goods,  Rheinländer Bakery has a fair selection of pastas, German coffee, flavored syrups and a few German staples such as German sauerkraut and pickles.  They also have gluten-free all purpose flour if you want to make a gluten-free version of your grandmother’s favorite recipe.

So how does  Rheinländer Bakery celebrate Martinstag? With a “Sweet Tooth Activation Event.” This Friday, 11/11/11, Rheinländer Bakery is selling their beloved Coffeecakes and Strudels for $11 each. Sugar cookies and biscotti are also on sale for $11 a dozen. While you are there you can also pick up German gingerbread cookies and stolen for Christmas – that is if you can keep them in your house for that long without being devoured.

Christine

  Rheinländer Bakery

5721 Olde Wadsworth Blvd.

Arvada, CO 80002

Welcome to Arash

On a day out on the town, Christine somehow convinced me to drive half an hour to some little Middle Eastern market she had heard of. Upon arrival, I head a pair of women rattling off in a language I didn’t recognize, which is always a good sign; if true foreigners are shopping here, it most likely means you’re in for a treat. Upon entering, we found ourselves in the middle of a small market with simple décor; very reminiscent of a small market of the region. The walls are fairly bare and plain in color, giving off a professional yet humble atmosphere. I don’t need any distractions when I’m shopping. I’m here for the food.

We found a nice sized produce section filled with some of your normal veg but it was the produce that wasn’t, “everyday” that excited us. The items that stood out to us included fresh almonds, Iranian

Cucumbers, sour grapes, and sour oranges; naturally, we bought some of each. We then moved through the aisles, noticing a good selection of coffees, teas, sweets and surprisingly, scented waters. By this I mean, rose water, orange blossom water, tarragon water and other flavors that I didn’t even know were being made into such products.

The small case of frozen meats had me drooling, because I never thought I would see a whole lamb’s head in a market in the US. Normally roasted whole and shared by many, I was bummed when no one would share one with me in Istanbul. This tiny case also had beef tongue, tripe and assorted other frozen meats. Despite all of this amazing food, there was still one thing that topped the rest; imported orange Fanta.

Oh yes my friends, this is my holy grail. You see, companies change recipes for different regions depending on their tastes. For example, Lipton tea is kind of a joke in the US. If you go to Germany or Egypt, the same Lipton is much better. They keep the better quality tea leaves for countries that really drink tea, and give scrap to the US. The same principle is employed by Fanta. The stuff sold in the US has way too much sugar, and you can see and feel the excess syrup. Yuck! Arash has orange Fanta imported from Russia and the flavor is much more in balance.  

Zach

Dia de los Muertos

One of our favorite themes parties is Día de los Muertos– Day of the Dead. Falling on All Saints Day and All Souls Day, Nov. 1 and 2 respectively, it is a day to remember family members who have past. Having friends over to drink and munch on food adds to the fun – with no costumes required.

With the party scheduled for Friday evening, We’re looking for food that is easy to make.  This is a great opportunity to visit two larger Mexican grocery stores, Rancho Liberio and Advanza. Both had the common amenities of a one-stop-shop market; however there is a distinct small market feel that creates a unique hybrid atmosphere.

Ranch Libero had a nice selection of meats, including heart and tripe. Tripe is on its way back into fame because it’s good taste and low cost. On sale at $0.99 per pound, tripe can help make a healthy, cheap dinner. The seafood here was alright. We weren’t ogling over the fish but they did have fresh octopus which is nice. Produce was great, with everything you expect from a chain store and more. Aloe leaves, fresh figs and chayotes, both in the prickly and non-prickly variety. Chayotes are a water based vegetable much like jicama, but with a bit more of a green taste to it. The prickly variety is hard to handle.

Avanza was much like Rancho Libero, with an alright fish section and a decent meat section. The produce section was a bit bigger and included a few extra things like Banana leaves. The one big difference here is that, noticeably in the meat section, there isn’t much translation. Rancho Libero had everything in English and Spanish, while I did notice a lot of things at Avanza that weren’t labeled in English.

At Ranch Libero, we bought some fresh Hojarascas, lovely sable-like cookies from Northern Mexico. Dusted in powdered sugar, these cinnamon cookies would go great with coffee. Of course, we had to taste-test the cookies once we got home – make sure they were as delicious as they looked. Which led to one slight problem…

This one survived the onslaught of hungry stomachs and quick fingers. 

We now need to go buy more for the party.

Christine and Zach

Going Global, Looking Local

I was hankering for kofte, the Middle Eastern specialty of ground lamb, beef, onions and parsley. While it was not difficult to make, sometimes finding the ground lamb is. When my local supermarket fell short, I recalled a co-worker telling me about a cool Middle Eastern market in Aurora. “Great food,” she said, “You should go.”

Since Zach has a love of all food, especially the slightly odd and very fresh, we headed to Aurora to check it out. I could pick up some pomegranate molasses, I thought, just a couple of things. We walked in the door to find a bright up-beat market that had us filling up a cart.

How did we not know about this? Why aren’t we coming here all the time?

Hence the birth of this blog.

We knew of some European markets in our side of town, the Polish deli, the Russian market. When I mentioned these places to friends or neighbors, there was a quizzical, “Where is that at?” These markets are hidden gems, which is a culinary shame. Grocery shopping should not be a segregated experience.

Our blog aims to find the little Mom and Pop places, as well as the larger ethnic markets, that many people would drive by on their way to the chain supermarket with their loyalty card. We’ll be completing our reviews on a map to help you locate these gems and recipes to help you use some of these new ingredients.

Is there a little Thai market in your neighborhood? Or maybe you’ve been looking for that illusive ingredient to complete your grandmother’s favorite dish. Maybe you’ve found some exotic ingredient and want to know how to use it. Let us know! We’ll be updating the blog weekly, and look forward to your comments.

Christine and Zach