Costco food court

[El Barto]

Yea I stopped drinking soda so I'll either fill it with water or get like a lemonade or something if I am feeling that.  Or I just give the cup to whoever is with me so they can have a drink and I'll ask for a cup for water.  Or they just have the 25 cent bottles from the vending machine if thats more your thing.

Y'all are kind of at a disadvantage in that fresh brewed tea doesn't seem to be a thing up there. It's ubiquitous down here, along with lemonade, so I'm generally an Arnold Palmer kind of guy at the soda fountain. Barring that I hope that the soda fountain dispenses plain fizzy water. Soda water with a squirt of lime is my usual non-alcoholic dinner time drink.

You southerners and your fresh tea  I'm really not a big fan of tea unless it has lots of sweetener in it and at that point I might as well just pass on it for my own being.  I'm aware that iced tea is much better than up north anyway, but still not my cup of tea

Before I realized that it was a regional thing I got some pretty shitty looks in NYC. People would snap at me like Belushi with the "No Tea! Snappel!" bit.

[TempusVox]

I voted for the hot dog. But this thread makes me think about the conversation I had with my wife last weekend, while standing at the checkout line at Costco. I was telling her that I can't recall any time where we haven't enjoyed any of their food products that we've tried. I usually buy meats at a couple of local butcher shops near me. But, if we're grilling out with friends, I will buy Costco hamburgers for the grill, and nearly all of their meat is near butcher quality.

My nephew is a manager at Costco, and considering that they make all of their profits on memberships, you would think they would be inclined to cut corners on product quality. Not so. He told me at the corporate office level, their goal is to make and sell at least, if not better, name brand quality food and products. What's really interesting is that they have at times contracted with name brand companies to make Kirkland products for them, but they insist their quality be better than the name brand. That would be like going to Nabisco, asking them to make a version of the Oreo for you with your brand, and then saying , "Now. make that cookie even better!"

How you gonna make a better Oreo??   

Costco rocks! 

[bosk1]

They had hot dogs at Home Depot? 

I've never seen a hot dog at a Home Depot. The one near me has a half-assed Dunkin' outside it.

They do around here! There's always a little hot dog stand in the main vestibule. They are delicious.

I don't generally go in for hotdogs, but those things tempt me every time I'm there. They just smell so damned good.

They taste damn good too. There are few better snacks than a Chicago hot dog.

Yep, any HD down here has a tiny Mexican woman with a cart out in front of the place. Usually they're bacon-wrapped, which makes them smell even better.

Oh, that reminds me of a sort of tradition we have here.  In downtown San Jose, they do a big "Christmas in the park" tree lighting and carnival the day after Thanksgiving every year, and it's pretty fun.  And there are in a few select locations around the area, carts with (coincidentally) Mexican women cooking and selling bacon wrapped hot dogs.  They also grill rough chopped onions and jalapenos to top them with.  SO GOOD!

[pg1067]

Oh, that reminds me of a sort of tradition we have here.  In downtown San Jose, they do a big "Christmas in the park" tree lighting and carnival the day after Thanksgiving every year, and it's pretty fun.  And there are in a few select locations around the area, carts with (coincidentally) Mexican women cooking and selling bacon wrapped hot dogs.  They also grill rough chopped onions and jalapenos to top them with.  SO GOOD!

That sort of thing is commonplace in and around downtown Los Angeles -- and especially during concerts and games at Staples Center.  They've got their "grills" set up in shopping carts and converted baby strollers.  It's actually pretty creative, and it's about the best smelling thing ever.  I've never been brave enough to buy and eat one, though.

[JayOctavarium]

Oh, that reminds me of a sort of tradition we have here.  In downtown San Jose, they do a big "Christmas in the park" tree lighting and carnival the day after Thanksgiving every year, and it's pretty fun.  And there are in a few select locations around the area, carts with (coincidentally) Mexican women cooking and selling bacon wrapped hot dogs.  They also grill rough chopped onions and jalapenos to top them with.  SO GOOD!

That sort of thing is commonplace in and around downtown Los Angeles -- and especially during concerts and games at Staples Center.  They've got their "grills" set up in shopping carts and converted baby strollers.  It's actually pretty creative, and it's about the best smelling thing ever.  I've never been brave enough to buy and eat one, though.

YESSSSSS


I never have cash after shows, but I think I am going to make sure I have something on me to buy post Dream Theater Hot Dogs outside of The Wiltern later this month.

[Chino]

Sounds great. I want fewer Starbucks and Subways in stores and more hot dog stands!

My biggest complaint with the flood of food trucks in the city I work in has been the death of the hot dog stand. They charge so much for a permit to sell on the street, hot dog stand operators can't afford it. Now all we have are mobile versions of of restaurants in the area.

[TAC]

Oh, that reminds me of a sort of tradition we have here.  In downtown San Jose, they do a big "Christmas in the park" tree lighting and carnival the day after Thanksgiving every year, and it's pretty fun.  And there are in a few select locations around the area, carts with (coincidentally) Mexican women cooking and selling bacon wrapped hot dogs.  They also grill rough chopped onions and jalapenos to top them with.  SO GOOD!

Is that the park across the street from the arena?  If so, that's nice down there.

[El Barto]

Alamo Hotdog is my go-to post-concert chow in San Antonio. Bacon wrapped with grilled onions and jalapenos, with a drizzle of queso and chili. Good eatin.

Dallas has never had carts. Not really any good place for them to congregate. The food truck craze has been insane, though. By and large I avoid them. Seems to me that they charge a premium just for the fact that they're in a truck. Dallas is trendy like that, so any reason to jack up the price will increase sales dramatically and you don't even have to worry about it being any good. I did some work for a guy selling $8.50 bahn mi out of a food truck. His offerings simply can't be as good as most of the 3000 proper Vietnamese restaurants charging $4 for the damn things, and you're never more than a mile from one of them.

[bosk1]

Oh, that reminds me of a sort of tradition we have here.  In downtown San Jose, they do a big "Christmas in the park" tree lighting and carnival the day after Thanksgiving every year, and it's pretty fun.  And there are in a few select locations around the area, carts with (coincidentally) Mexican women cooking and selling bacon wrapped hot dogs.  They also grill rough chopped onions and jalapenos to top them with.  SO GOOD!

Is that the park across the street from the arena?  If so, that's nice down there.

There's a park there?  I know there's part of the greenbelt (such as it is) with the Guadalupe River trail, but didn't realize there is an actual "park" there.  But no, it isn't there.  It's a few blocks away in Cesar Chavez park which is in the center of South Market Street by the Fairmont, the Museum of Art, and the Tech Museum.

[Cool Chris]

I go to HD like once a week as part of my job (there are three I hit based on which property I am working on) and none of them have hot dogs.

[TempusVox]

As for hotdogs, Cincinnati chili!! Skyline Chili, Gold Star Chili, Blue Ash Chili, Empress Chili, Camp Washington Chili, Dixie Chili, Price Hill Chili, Chili Time. We are known for our version of chili, and nothing beats a Cincinnati style cheese Coney...Cincy chili, cheese, onions, and mustard. Oh yes!

https://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.skylinechili.com%2Fimages%2Fconeys.jpg&imgrefurl=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.skylinechili.com%2Fconeys.php&docid=eRc2Ae22qXwK3M&tbnid=hpjDGzV90VSgqM%3A&vet=10ahUKEwjA0KLil_PgAhUDR6wKHYKbDJwQMwhBKAAwAA..i&w=508&h=384&bih=757&biw=1600&q=skyline%20cheese%20coney&ved=0ahUKEwjA0KLil_PgAhUDR6wKHYKbDJwQMwhBKAAwAA&iact=mrc&uact=8

[bosk1]

I don't get Cincy chili at all.  I mean, I get the concept.  But I don't get why people like it.  I'm pretty open when it comes to food, but that is one thing that just doesn't work for me.

[cramx3]

Before I realized that it was a regional thing I got some pretty shitty looks in NYC. People would snap at me like Belushi with the "No Tea! Snappel!" bit.

And I just learned in my last denver trip that snapple is a northeast thing. Funny how that all works out regionally. Snapple peach tea is pretty good, but once again so much sugar that since I cut out soda it makes these drinks really hard to enjoy.

[El Barto]

I don't get Cincy chili at all.  I mean, I get the concept.  But I don't get why people like it.  I'm pretty open when it comes to food, but that is one thing that just doesn't work for me.

That's cool. I don't really get California chili. Don't you guys put it on spaghetti? 

[bosk1]

I don't get Cincy chili at all.  I mean, I get the concept.  But I don't get why people like it.  I'm pretty open when it comes to food, but that is one thing that just doesn't work for me.

That's cool. I don't really get California chili. Don't you guys put it on spaghetti? 

No.  That is Cincy chili.  Out here, we would think that putting chili on spaghetti is an abomination, as most right-thinking folks would.

I don't think there really is such a thing as "California chili."  We just go in for a variety of southwestern chilis.  I think most right-thinking folks would agree that your chili should taste like it would be at home in AZ, NM, or Texas, or it isn't worth eating.

[Samsara]

And I just learned in my last denver trip that snapple is a northeast thing. Funny how that all works out regionally. Snapple peach tea is pretty good, but once again so much sugar that since I cut out soda it makes these drinks really hard to enjoy.

It is a northeast thing? I'm from there, but live out west, and I drink it all the time -- but not until I moved out here. Weird. I go for the diet half n half. Damn tasty.

[El Barto]

I don't get Cincy chili at all.  I mean, I get the concept.  But I don't get why people like it.  I'm pretty open when it comes to food, but that is one thing that just doesn't work for me.

That's cool. I don't really get California chili. Don't you guys put it on spaghetti? 

No.  That is Cincy chili.  Out here, we would think that putting chili on spaghetti is an abomination, as most right-thinking folks would.

I don't think there really is such a thing as "California chili."  We just go in for a variety of southwestern chilis.  I think most right-thinking folks would agree that your chili should taste like it would be at home in AZ, NM, or Texas, or it isn't worth eating.

It was Chili Johns that I was thinking of, which does put it over spaghetti, and tops this particular list.
https://www.laweekly.com/restaurants/5-places-to-get-damn-good-chili-in-la-6447513

And New Mexico is an odd duck with chili. I like chili verde as much as the next guy, I actually make it at home rather than the red variety, but it's an entirely different breed of animal. An honestly, I'm more likely to go for a bowl of posole when I'm in NM.

[El Barto]

And I just learned in my last denver trip that snapple is a northeast thing. Funny how that all works out regionally. Snapple peach tea is pretty good, but once again so much sugar that since I cut out soda it makes these drinks really hard to enjoy.

It is a northeast thing? I'm from there, but live out west, and I drink it all the time -- but not until I moved out here. Weird. I go for the diet half n half. Damn tasty.

We went through a Snappel phase down here. Don't think it lasted all that long. Now Arizona has mostly cornered the canned tea market. I'm a fan of their half n half, though I don't usually want that much sugar.

[bosk1]

It was Chili Johns that I was thinking of, which does put it over spaghetti, and tops this particular list.
https://www.laweekly.com/restaurants/5-places-to-get-damn-good-chili-in-la-6447513

OK, fair enough.  But that isn't really a "California" regional thing.  That link says the original place was based in Wisconsin and opened up a sister restaurant in Cali.  If a restaurant is importing a recipe from another region, or if it is a specialty recipe that that chef does, it doesn't really qualify as a "California cuisine" in my book.

And I didn't realize that chili verde is a NM thing.  Good call on the posole!  .  The cafe in my building actually does an AWESOME homemade posole on Wednesdays in the winter. 

[El Barto]

It was Chili Johns that I was thinking of, which does put it over spaghetti, and tops this particular list.
https://www.laweekly.com/restaurants/5-places-to-get-damn-good-chili-in-la-6447513

OK, fair enough.  But that isn't really a "California" regional thing.  That link says the original place was based in Wisconsin and opened up a sister restaurant in Cali.  If a restaurant is importing a recipe from another region, or if it is a specialty recipe that that chef does, it doesn't really qualify as a "California cuisine" in my book.

And I didn't realize that chili verde is a NM thing.  Good call on the posole!  .  The cafe in my building actually does an AWESOME homemade posole on Wednesdays in the winter.

It's the only famous chili place I know in Cali. I do know I've been in plenty of places that claim to serve tex-mex out there, and nothing they crank out resembles actual chili. That's what really matters to me, since from my perspective chili is really more of a condiment or a sauce than a meal. 

[New World Rushman]

Never had the hot dog, had the pizza a few times, but its been years. Not terrible for what it is, but, I'm in North Jersey where we have the best pizza in the world, so...

[Chino]

Never had the hot dog, had the pizza a few times, but its been years. Not terrible for what it is, but, I'm in North Jersey where we have the best pizza in the world, so...

You've clearly never been to New Haven CT! 

[Dublagent66]

Never tried, but I've heard some of it is actually pretty good.

[Chino]

Never tried, but I've heard some of it is actually pretty good.

Pretty good? PRETTY good?   

Excuse me, sir, but I'll have you know that in 2017, Bar, Modern, and Pepe's pizzas were rated 3 of the top 50 pies in the entire country, and they're all within like a mile of each other. It's pretty wild actually. Definitely something in the water.

[El Barto]

We've had this discussion before, and as a rule people like the pizza they grew up with. That's why so many Americans like Pizza Hut and hate the pizza when they're in freaking Italy. There is no best pizza in the country.

I don't know as I've ever been in a Costco, so I don't know of this food court thing, but I watched a video on their pizza and it looks pretty decent. I'm not sure about the liquid sauce they put on it, and flattening out the crust doesn't seem like it'd work too well, but they do seem to put a good deal of thought and effort into what they crank out. I was expecting something more high school cafeteria like.

[pg1067]

I am going to make sure I have something on me to buy post Dream Theater Hot Dogs outside of The Wiltern later this month.

Thursday or Friday (or both)?  Friday for me.

[King Postwhore]

I don't get Cincy chili at all.  I mean, I get the concept.  But I don't get why people like it.  I'm pretty open when it comes to food, but that is one thing that just doesn't work for me.

That's cool. I don't really get California chili. Don't you guys put it on spaghetti? 

No.  That is Cincy chili.  Out here, we would think that putting chili on spaghetti is an abomination, as most right-thinking folks would.

I don't think there really is such a thing as "California chili."  We just go in for a variety of southwestern chilis.  I think most right-thinking folks would agree that your chili should taste like it would be at home in AZ, NM, or Texas, or it isn't worth eating.

I just made a sweet chili and put it over brown rice.  I like variety in food.  Next time I'll make it burn insides.

[bosk1]

We've had this discussion before, and as a rule people like the pizza they grew up with. That's why so many Americans like Pizza Hut and hate the pizza when they're in freaking Italy. There is no best pizza in the country.

For me, I can enjoy lots of different types and degrees of quality.  I generally prefer the more authentic, homemade pizzeria varieties as opposed to the mass-produced delivery stuff.  Whether it's homemade Chicago style, NY style, or whatever style in a mom & pop shop, it's going to be much better than a Pizza Hut or whatever.  Of the more "fast food"-ish, mass produced pizzas, Costco's is probably my favorite.  It doesn't hold a candle to the "real deal" stuff.  But it's good for what it is. 

Take last night, for example.  For a quick in-and-out on the run, the slice for Costco was more than adequate, and I had zero complaints.  After the show was over, going into the pizza joint next to the venue where you can see the chick covered in flour hand-tossing the dough to spread it, and where they take your slice and throw it into the oven with your toppings on it and give it to you piping hot, it was clear that this was another level.  And the Costco pizza couldn't hold a candle to that slice.  But both served their purpose and were good.

I have no idea whether I would like "real" pizza in Italy, since I've never been there.  But I tend to be very open to food anyway, so I probably would.

I don't know as I've ever been in a Costco, so I don't know of this food court thing, but I watched a video on their pizza and it looks pretty decent. I'm not sure about the liquid sauce they put on it, and flattening out the crust doesn't seem like it'd work too well, but they do seem to put a good deal of thought and effort into what they crank out. I was expecting something more high school cafeteria like.

The sauce I'm sure is pre-pared canned sauce, but it is tasty.  And while a rolled crust is not going to have the same texture as a hand-tossed crust, it's still pretty good--for whatever reason, markedly better than other mass-produced pizza places.  I don't know why.  But it is.

[Cool Chris]

A bit late to the Cincinnati Chili party, but count me in as someone who doesn't "get it." But I am not a big chili guy. I'd take a can of Nalley Jalapeno chili any day over most chilis I've ever had.

[TempusVox]

Not to derail the thread any further (my comment was about cheese coneys though), I'll try and explain the phenomenon that is Cincinnati Chili.

With the exception of chili powder in the recipe, it's not really a chili at all. At least in the traditional sense. It comes from recipes brought to the region from Macedonia and Turkey.

Two brothers immigrated to Cincy in the 1920's, and opened a restaurant. They made a meat sauce, where the meat is ground down and cooked into a near paste. Almost a Bolognese type meat stew with traditional Mediterranean spices like cloves, cinnamon and nutmeg and then to satisfy the tastes of the mostly German/Americans they were feeding it to, they also added chili powder, along with other spices familiar to their Slavic Mediterranean upbringing.

They poured it over spaghetti, which was growing in popularity, and the final touch, they donned the whole thing with mounds and mounds of sharp cheddar cheese. The Germans ate it up like crazy.

It would have probably been far more accurate to call what they served an "Americanized Greek stew," but that doesn't have much of a ring to it, does it? Instead, they called it chili, something easily recognized by Americans. They opened their restaurant next to a burlesque cabaret venue called the Empress Burlesk Theater, and called it Empress Chili. It was open 24 hours a day, and was packed all night after the shows ended next door.

It's not spicey. Instead, all those Mediterranean spices, and even chocolate in the recipe, hover delicately in the background, and give the illusion of heat, because there is no capsaicin anywhere.

Most people usually really like it right away, or do by the second offering. It is definitely different. It's served on a plate. You eat it with a fork. It's thin, almost sauce like consistency is ladled on spaghetti and topped with that avalanche of shredded cheddar that blankets the entire top, concealing almost all the chili underneath. But to most of us here, it's so damn good!

We do also eat traditional chili here too. Texas, Memphis, Rocky Mountain, Five Alarm-- we get it. With beans,without, loaded with chunks of meat and peppers. We eat all that too.

But we're proud of, and love our Cincinnati style chili. It's spreading now too. There are restaurants that exclusively serve it in Columbus, Indianapolis, DC, and several cities in Florida.

The two most popular chains, are Skyline, started by Greek immigrant relatives of the brothers who started Empress; and Gold Star, started by Turkish and Jordanian immigrants.

But that same chili, on a hot dog is superb too.

[Cool Chris]

Summary: It's a runny, not-spicy, alternative spaghetti topping that needs a heap of cheese to make it even halfway appealing.

[dparrott]

I have one across the street from work.  We get pizza, snacks and baked goods there a lot.

[Ben_Jamin]

It's not what Us here in the Southwest call Chile/chili. New Mexico is known for our Green Chili. Mmm....making me hungry now.

[Stadler]

Never tried, but I've heard some of it is actually pretty good.

Pretty good? PRETTY good?   

Excuse me, sir, but I'll have you know that in 2017, Bar, Modern, and Pepe's pizzas were rated 3 of the top 50 pies in the entire country, and they're all within like a mile of each other. It's pretty wild actually. Definitely something in the water.

Never had Bar, but I prefer Sally's over Pepe's (it's not like they are radically different though) and Modern is the bomb-diddly.  can't say I know what "North Jersey pizza" is like (but I do understand the difference between "North Jersey" and "South Jersey"; if you live there, it's as if there are two different states) but I know South Jersey and Philly pizza pales in comparison to New York and New Have pizza.  I still like Philly pizza, but that's because I like the taste; as "pizza", it doesn't compare to Sally's or Lombardi's. 

I also like Chili John's, but again, I make no argument as to it's authenticity as a representative style.  I just like the taste.

[Zook]

Do you need to be a member to eat at their food court?