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November 22, 2008

More musings over the pre-holiday shopping cart

GiantNaan.jpg

 

Well, wasn't I the clever one, going shopping at the Giant the Saturday before Thanksgiving. There weren't any other shoppers there, oh no.

However, the fact that the Giant now carries naan stopped me in my tracks. I mean, there are 800 things the store doesn't have that I would have expected before Indian flatbread. (My Giant isn't as cutting-edge as some.)

I wish someone else would tell me if it's any good. I might have to rethink my pre-Thanksgiving meal plans and make a curry. ...

It reminds me of KristinB's suggestion:

Top Ten Places to Eat Before or After Thanksgiving. This isn't for the Thanksgiving meal, but for counter-programming, so to speak. A friend and I have theatre tickets that week, and we're debating, is Thai a good meal to have - nice and spicy - the night before Thanksgiving richness?

Definitely worth discussion.

I was shopping for my two guests, my brother from LA and Gailor, who are both getting in tonight, and so I was buying foods I knew they would like. Other shoppers looked like me, wandering around sort of lost either because they were buying foods they didn't buy every week because of the holiday or shopping for guests who had unfamiliar tastes. I must have looked particularly pitiful, because one woman who was filling shelves actually stopped and asked if she could help me.

At one point I was standing in front of the yogurts when I realized I was buying four different brands for four different people. The guy who was putting yogurts in the refrigerated case told me this Giant carried 270 different kinds/flavors. Even I, who likes choice, think that's too many.

Posted by Elizabeth Large at 12:44 PM | | Comments (29)
        

Comments

I'm not a naan expert, but I tried it once and thought it was pretty good.

I thought of going to the store today too, but then, realizing its the weekend before Thanksgiving, thought the better of it. Only need a few things, so I'll go on Monday after work. I get off early (3p) so maybe I'll beat the rush.

Leftover turkey makes a good curry. I might have to go by our Giant and see if they have this naan also. Could be a good Friday night dinner plan!

I make chapatis from scratch. It isn't hard, they keep and reheat well and they are tasty. Naan technically requires a tandoori oven, but I somehow doubt Giant has one in the back.

Reluctant to weigh in on this because I, like Dahlink, am not a naan expert, but I also think it's good. A few moments after putting the naan in my cart I was very happy to see high quality dark chocolate pastilles sold by the pound in small containers--each holding a different amount.

Did the Saturday before TGD grocery shopping, too. Better than the Sunday version. Much better than the Wednesday version I'm used to. No aisle rage, but no joy either. Too crowded to cart surf. :-(
Going for a very trad TG meal this year. No stuffed nasturtiums. No chocolate covered ants. No propane.
:-(
However, practicing sweet potato fries tonight. Rosemary garlic. If it works, they'll repace the trad sweet potato dish unchanged in epochs. They must be crispy to make the cut.

The Giant packaged Naan is not that bad for a commercially baked product. No, Lissa, they don't have a tandoor in the back.

Will be in New York from tomorrow through Wednesday evening, so no Thanksgiving shopping for us.

I'm taking my DW and son out for an early TGD at Victoria's on the outskirts of Columbia. He has to be at work at 5:30 on Friday, so we'll be having "dinner" at 2:00 p.m. It could be worse: Arundel Mills says they will be open Friday starting at midnight.

There was a much shorter line than usual at Aldi's this morning. Only two people ahead of me, which, for Aldi's, is nothing.

jl,
I hope your sweet potato fries make the cut. They are delicious!

I am currently warming a chunk of smoked turkey, purchased from the place Owl recommended. It was quite an experience, and I might email EL regarding the experience and perhaps she will make it a blog topic.

OK, the evening is almost over. Will you reveal the location of where you had your "waiting meal"?

I'm sitting in Luminous as we speak. I will report more later. EL

I tried this naan just the other day. It quick and easy to heat up - of course not as good as fresh would have been. I do have to say that we didn't use it all the first go around, and it seemed to get moldy pretty quickly (within a day or two)...which would be a good thing, I suppose, since it probably means it isn't over-preservatized?

I buy that Naan quite often. Not as good as fresh, but very decent. We often eat it with grilled lamb, veggies and tatziki. Although we have had it once or twice with curry. Sadly it will be the only Naan we will be having since our local Bombay Grill closed.

The SP fries were ... ok.
More experimentation needed.
Baked and fried.
Bakes were better, but not up to TG standards.

I can't actually say if it's any good as naan, but we have found it makes an excellent pizza crust. We've been using it for a quick easy crust for pizza made with chard sauteed with onions, mushrooms and garlic and then topped with goat cheese and mozerella cheese. It's excellent.

We have had the Naan several times and like it a lot. It tastes very much like the Naan served at Tambor's in Charles Village. Once in my local Giant (#158) I was looking for it when the bakery manager was on the floor. When I asked whether she had any, she said she could get me some frozen. A minute later she handed me a package, frozen in the state it arrived in the store. Now I always ask for a package from the freezer, knowing that when I defrost it, it will be for the first time.

shopping weekend before t'day...what an ugly scene, despite new giant scanners. i vow better planning next year!

Danielle--I'm going to steal that idea--thanks! I never would have thought of using chard on pizza, but the combination sounds delicious.


Sadly it will be the only Naan we will be having since our local Bombay Grill closed.
CtL -
Are you taking about the one in Belair?

We were to meet friends there this past Saturday evening to celebrate a friend's birthday and found said friends standing on the sidewalk outside the closed Bombay Grill wondering what had happened and where we could go at 6:00 pm on a Saturday evening with a party of 10.

MD Canon - Thanks! Who knew?!

Rosebud- it was the one on Owings Mills Blvd. We called to order carryout and heard the message that they were closed. I think there is an Indian place in Cockeysville. That's the only one that I know of outside of the city.

Rosebud, are you talking about Sizzling Bombay in Bel Air, behind The Festival? I'm feeling a little faint at the thought of that restaurant closing. I LOVE it.

No, Stacy, it was Bombay Grill. I said Belair because that's where the people we went with live and we drove from their house.

It's the one Christine the Lioness was speaking of on Ownings Mills Blvd.

You can relax.

Whew! Thanks, Rosebud. Feeling much better now.

Christine -- try the Indian Delight restaurant on Frederick Road in Catonsville, just west of the Beltway. It does a great carry out business in addition to the table service. I love the Kashmiri naan.

I was reading an article about outrageous turkeys. How about 'pecan deep fried turkey'?

Here is the link.

Pecan deep fried turkey

Why, that's all, why?

Cosmo Girl, I saw that last night also while I was working in a hospital ER...Kind of looks like that's where it belongs. I am oddly facinated though because I love honey,turkey, pecans, and anything deep fried.

I was fine with the deep-fried. I was fine with the pecans. But, honey? Oh, no!

Danielle wrote We've been using it for a quick easy crust for pizza made with chard sauteed with onions, mushrooms and garlic and then topped with goat cheese and mozerella cheese. I tried this last night and it was excellent. The only thing my husband could suggest to improve it would be adding a little bacon or prosciutto (and he doesn't even read this blog!)

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About Elizabeth Large
Elizabeth Large, The Baltimore Sun's restaurant critic, blogs about memorable meals, dining trends, comings and goings on the restaurant scene and more.
Elizabeth Large retired in February. Until a new critic is named, Laura Vozzella will be blogging here. Vozzella has been a reporter with The Sun for 10 years. She’s covered small-town scandal (Columbia gym towel thefts!) and big-city mayors (O’Malley, Dixon).

Lately she has been writing about food (cilantro, pine nuts). She also writes The Talk, a weekly column about politicians and other local oddities (again: O’Malley, Dixon). She’ll continue with the food writing and The Talk column while blogging.
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