Peapod Review - Groceries 2.0!

I earned my first freebie as a food blogger recently. Yay! The folks at Peapod sent me a $50 off coupon on my first order. You too can get $20 off your first order if you drop me an email. That's almost 30% off an order of $60+$10 delivery.

Peapod is an online grocery delivery service. In the New England area, they are in partnership with Stop and Shop. For me, it's a good compliment to Russo's because I can feed my diet coke addiction here.

At peapod.com I started by browsing the produce section as I do at the store, but nothing stood out because I couldn't determine freshness. I don't usually have a shopping list. In the end, I worked in reverse, figuring out what I needed based on what was in my fridge. Not such a bad thing I suppose. Turns out I'm making shrimp and spinach fettucine this week!

I can shop in my PJs:


The entire online shopping process was really easy. I ordered a variety of items including some pork ribs, spinach, bok choy, pita chips, navel oranges, peaches, Nestle drumsticks and some kashi frozen lunches. I was pretty satisfied with the produce that was picked out. The bok choy was healthy and oranges were sweet. And an even nicer touch was a sample box of Barilla pasta they sent. Did I already mention that it was free? :)

Check out my well stocked freezer thanks to Peapod. Yes I realize I am not one to cook much. But the Alexa frozen fries are really good. I usually get them at Whole Foods but they sometimes have it at Stop and Shop too! These satisfy my carb cravings and have no trans fats.




Peapod Cliff Notes
- $60 minimum purchase
- $10 delivery charge
- Order before midnight for next afternoon/evening delivery.
- There are a variety of time slots. Some are 2 hr time frames which is reasonable. For longer time slots you get a dollar or two off delivery.
- You can have them deliver heavier items hehe ... like diet coke!


Chomp Meter:
I swear I'm being objective here. I had to pay $20 out of pocket since there is a minimum order. Delivery was really prompt. I chose the 4-6pm window and the driver arrived at 4pm on the dot.

I may use this service when I start work again or if I move into Boston proper. I don't have an excuse to order online now. Really I am not that busy. No kids, no job, one dog. Not sure if they have such a service in place now but wouldn't it be great if you could order online and then pick it up from the store yourself eliminating wait time?

Dragon Fruit from Russo's

The strange pinkish exterior of this fruit never fails to draw attention. I've seen it recently at Russo's (near the bananas) and every time I pick one up someone is bound to ask me what it is.


Photo from wikipedia.

I tried this fruit recently on a trip to Asia. Dragon fruit is very popular in the region and I've heard it can help reduce high blood pressure (don't know how reliable this claim is haha). The fruit is easy to cut and has lots of seeds which are edible, like a kiwi fruit. The taste though is milder and sweeter toward the center of the fruit. According to Wikipedia it is rich in vitamin C and low in calories. A good choice for those "I'm feeling fat" summer days?



PS: Don't eat the skin, pretty as it is!

PPS: Dragon fruit is also known as pitaya or strawberry pear.

John's Market - A Korean Supermarket in Allston

Who would have known by it's name eh? After reading about John's Market on Foodie Mommy's blog, I decided to stop by the next time I was in the area.

John's Market is rather cool since it sells all sorts of Korean snacks, groceries, prepared meats, and panchans (banchan) that aren't really seen in other Asian grocery stores in the Allston area. You know like Super 88. There's a couple in the Cambridge area near MIT but I don't venture out that way as often.



Look at all the home made banchans and tupperwares full of kimchee!


You can see a photo of the meat case here. They do all kinds of marinated prepared meats like Galbi, Pork Belly, Bulgogi etc. You can then cook or bbq them at home yourself!

We got a couple bottles of Japanese lemonade (Ramune), some banchan: garlic stems, mini crabs, sprouts. Also picked up some cookies, a box of strawberry french pie and a hazelnut wafer thing (very yummy!). I found photos of the boxes online. The hazelnut wafer thing actually came in a purple box and the filling is whitish in color:


(Photos courtesy of Koamart and BiscuitVan)

While randomly surfing I also found a photo of this Korean cookie (Couque Dasse) I've tried before but haven't found in Boston. It is absolutely delicious, so try it if you ever find it:


(Photo from kgrocer.com)

I've uploaded a copy of the take out/ prepared foods menu here. If you can read Korean, please tell me what it says on the menu? :)



John's Market (Korean)
75 Linden St
Allston, MA 02134
617 202 3791



Chomp Meter:
Another great addition to the Allston area. It's almost like having a Korean room mate whose mom sends yummy homemade food every weekend. :) I'll be back to try the prepared meats at this Korean grocer next time and perhaps hunt down the Couque Dasse! The prices of the snacks are very reasonable too. Each box was less than $3 which is much cheaper than the Japanese snacks you get at Kotobukiya.

Russo's Fresh Produce

We found a new favorite grocery store today! After hearing alot about Russo's and Sons in Watertown, we finally had to see what it's all about. Fresher than Whole Foods? Cheaper than Shaw's? Take us there!

When we got to Russo's, the parking lot was pretty crowded but we managed to find a spot quickly. The outside was promising with lots of perennials and trays of herbs and vegetables you can grow. We picked up a little pot of italian parsley and one of rosemary for only $2.50 per pot. I'm so excited to grow my own herbs! In addition to having them fresh, it's economical too since a small package of Rosemary costs like $4 at Shaw's!

What's Available?
I wasn't quite sure what to expect when we stepped into Russo's. It isn't your typical chain grocery store since it doesn't have the usual canned and packaged products. It does however have a huge selection of fruit and all kinds of vegetables imaginable. They also have a wide variety of asian vegetables (Goodbye Super 88!). Asian eggplant, bok choy, baby bok choy, baby dou miao, and other exotic ones we didn't recognize.

As they say, a photo is a worth a thousand words:




There is also an extensive cheese selection, deli, and freshly made pasta. There was a small case that sold some meats such as chicken and steak, but they didn't look very appealing to me. I still prefer to get my meats at whole foods. We picked up some proscuitto which was amazing with cantalope ($1.99) also bought at Russo's.

Prices?
This place is definitely cheaper than Whole Foods. Many items are also generally less expensive than what you can get at Starmarket or Shaw's. Red peppers were only $1.99 a lb, this is usually $3.49 at Shaw's! Super 88 may be slightly cheaper, however, the quality of the produce there is sub-par. I also picked up a box of Mademoiselle De Margaux chocolates for $7.19. We later saw the same box, apparently on sale, at Whole Food's for $8.49!

I love these chocolates btw:


Purchases?
We left with two pots of herbs, oranges, asian pears (yum!), watermelon, a cantalope, blueberries, baby bok choy, spinach, red peppers, an avocado, prosciutto, balsamic vinegar, chocolates, and walnuts. We had to restrain ourselves from getting even more stuff, since we're only a two person + 1 dog household. :)

The herbs in our kitchen:



Russo's
560 Pleasant Street
Watertown MA 02472


Chomp Meter:
We will be going to Russo's for fruit and vegetables from now on! I am so glad we live close by in Newton ;) ... too bad we might be moving soon. I will miss this place.