The Horror...

The clutters.

THE. CLUTTERS!

A follow up from last post about the change I noticed in my F&E store: taller shelves, more brand names, more family sized items.

Front of the store is packed full of stuff. The bins are back in the middle of the produce aisle. To the greatest of my horror?

Wire basket displays in the middle of the last open space left in the store, between the toiletries and medicines along the wall and the rest of the shelves.

Even Brandon, who actually would gladly run into an F&E for me (and not the other places) because he LOVES the uncluttered spaces and self check-out, uttered, "What the...?"

Out of the respect of the store's request not to take photos, I didn't take any. I was too horrified.

We did walk out with more than what we went in for, as always. But the cluttered shop weighs heavily on our minds.

The self check-out really is the last thing left of the store I worship?

(Well, that and Belgian Chocolate Mousse.)

I tried to justify with the fact that UK items are coming to the store, that more wine selection are coming to the store...oooh, and they have turbinado sugar now...

But is that enough?

My faith is being tested.

You might still be fresh, my dearest store. But you ain't makin' it easy for me.

Verdict: Sale Item Displays Out In the Middle of Aisles: Hell. Heavenly

ETA July 20: Quick bargain bin clutter update: I ran into the Spring Street store on Saturday afternoon to fetch the banana cream pie and I noticed the bargain bins in the produce sections were gone. I haven't gone through the entire store but that alone was a massive improvement. Thank you for listening, F&E!

Fresh & Easy Pork Chops: I don't understand

My friends,

If you know me, you know that I LOVE my pork. I have said, on many an occasion that the way to my heart is through pork products.

That is why it pains me so to say: Avoid the pork chops at Fresh & Easy. Twice now I've bought both the apple stuffed pork chops and the cajun pork chops. And all four times there was just something OFF about the taste of the pork.

I don't know if it is the supplier, the stuffing/spices, or what, but all four times I've taken three bites and thrown it all away.

If anyone has had a different experience of these dishes or other Fresh & Easy pork, I'd love to hear about it. I hate feeling like I have to avoid my beloved pork at my beloved Fresh & Easy.

Verdict: Hell

F&E Review: Experimenting with Grab-And-Go

I've been stocking up on a variety of grab-and-go entrees from F&E as they make perfect lunch to take to the office. Some were hits, and some miss the mark by miles. So here are my verdicts.

Chicken Tikka Masala with Basmati Rice is still the winner so far.

Chicken Parmigiana with Fettuccine comes in close second. Can't fault anyone for the parmigiana not being crispy. I mean, it's been sitting on top of sauce and noodles. However, the flavor and the tenderness of the chicken more than makes up for the lack of crispiness. I like the fact that I don't need a knife to cut through the chicken. The pasta sauce is fine to me although Brandon thinks it's a little sweet. Verdict: Nirvana

Chicken Caesar Pasta Salad looked and sounded promising, but it did not deliver. Not sure what it is with F&E (or Chef Mike's?) decision to put red bell peppers in a lot of things. (i.e. a surprise in the Tikka Masala although not disruptive.) But the roasted red peppers KILL this salad. I really want to like it but I just can barely taste the Caesar underneath the peppers. Verdict: Pergatory

Chicken Arrabiatta with Fettuccine is a far cry from the fellow Italian entree. The chicken was bland. I mean, I saw that it's supposed to have herbs on it but I don't taste anything. It was like bland boiled chicken slices on top of noodles and sauce. The sauce, I didn't like that either. Not sure what it is but I gave it three bites before I tossed that out and went downstairs to look for edible lunch. Verdict: Hell

Finally, a field report from Sister Sarah, another friend and fan of F&E, that matches my verdict. Chicken Tortilla Soup = FAIL. Big time. First, the texture was like someone blended a proper chicken tortilla soup. Not completely smooth but not completely chunky. That's not very appetizing. And then there was the taste. It was salty. And that is all we could taste. There is absolutely nothing good we can say about the soup. Verdict: Hell

**

Now you too can be the reviewers for F&E product!

F&E just announced that you can write your review of what you've tasted at F&E Kitchen Table. Once again, they're showing us that they LISTEN. And that's why we love the store.

Review: Chicken Breast in Creamy Tomato Sauce

My friends,

I love the F&E as you all know. The number of truly delicious meals I've made solely from their stock is staggering.

But I have to say it, I hate hate hate microwaved chicken. It just doesn't taste right. So why then, is the F&E brand Chicken Breast in Creamy Tomato Sauce (to be tossed w pasta) a microwave only dish? Perhaps I need to buck the instructions and just heat it up in my favorite magical saute pan. (It is magical because only delicious meals come out of it.)

I've bought the F&E brand Chicken Breast in Creamy Tomato Sauce three times now. And I have to say: MEH. It is bland and tasteless and the chicken is awful. I think if it were able to be heat up in a saute pan and spices added to it, then this review might end differently. I do have one more of these in the freezer and will definitely heat in the saute pan next time.

For now though, I have to say:

F&E brand Chicken Breast in Creamy Tomato Sauce
Verdict: Hell

Dinner Possible: Fajitas

Dinner for 2-4 in a jiffy, y'all!

Buy one each of the Fajita Marinaded Beef and Chicken. Toss all in a pan and cook according to the instructions. Chunky chicken tenders were totally satisfying and juicy and the beef also in good portion and tender. Brandon is not big on bell peppers so we only used the portion from one package. Mmm...cumin-y goodness! And even better as leftover.

Normally, I would prefer to dress this up a little more with onions and a side of guacamole. But for a quick dinner, this was plenty tasty by itself.

The fact that it's really, SUPER easy to whip up is a major plus.

Verdict: Nirvana

Brandon likes Flour Tortilla and I like Corn Tortilla, so I bought both kinds. Unfortunately, both of them didn't work out very well. Both seem a bit too dry, not pliable. I even heated them up under damp paper towel first. But the flour tortilla wouldn't hold when I wrapped up the meat. The corn one, forget it. It doesn't even bend well before ripping.

Flavor wise, the corn was disappointing. It tasted like cornmeal rolled out into a flat bread. Cardboard is not quite the texture but I think the flavor might be close. I don't know about the flour though but Brandon doesn't have any complain.

Flour Tortilla - Verdict: Earthbound
Corn Tortilla - Verdiect: Hell

The Pudding Escapade

All these few pounds I gain in the past 2 weeks are all for you guys, by the way. That's just how dedicated I am.

I picked up almost all of F&E single pudding and flans and tried them all out over the past week. I was never fond of anything "western" with coconut flavoring, having grown up where desserts actually HAVE coconut in them, I forwent the Coconut Flan to be subjective.

Here are the results.

Chocolate. A favorite at my household. Brandon got us buying the big tub now. I would occasionally dunk apples in them. It's definitely yummy. However, if you put me in a blind test between F&E and another brand, I'm not sure I could pick out the difference. But for whatever reason, Brandon seems to enjoy this one hence the high rating. Verdict: Nirvana.

French Vanilla. Not overpoweringly vanilla-y with crunchy little seeds. Not sure if I like the crunch but otherwise that wouldn't make it a FRENCH vanilla. I did like it quite a bit. Verdict: Heavenly.

Vanilla Flan. The flan was a double taste test. My coworker whose signature desserts are creme brulee and flans wanted in on the action. Neither one of us like it. We actually took a couple of bites each and decided to throw it away. It's neither creamy enough or caramel-y enough. So it tastes a little, well, bland. Not what we were expecting at all. If I have a flan craving to quench, I'd go to El Pollo Loco before I go to F&E. Verdict: Hell.

Rice Pudding and Tapioca Pudding. I had some that was more like vanilla pudding with tapioca in it. But this is more custardy and creamy and milkier tasting, if that's a term, than the vanilla pudding, Then again, on the same note, there is more pudding than rice/tapioca in theirs than in F&E's. The rice pudding, especially, it was almost like having a milk pudding in a bowl that used to have rice in it--too much pudding and note enough rice. It's almost the same way with tapioca, but I actually got more tapioca action than I did with riced. Verdicts: Rice pudding, Purgatory. Tapioca pudding, Earthbound.

Dark Chocolate. The king of the F&E pudding! I am already in love with the dark chocolate mousse (though I haven't officially reviewed it yet), and this was just like it...if you added more milk. Chocolatey with just enough sweet. My bias is toward dark chocolate so this is totally the winner for me. Verdict: Nirvana.

Now, I must go practice my Thriller to burn off the calories.

Music and passion

F&E is now on Twitter. And that's where I have been getting some fresh information lately (like the grill pack going on sale and such.)

@Fresh_and_Easy broadcast a message today about the new concert series they will start up at the Hollywood branch. Free live acoustic music each Thursday night at 7PM in September.

Doesn't that sound just like Hollywood to you?

Down here at the Spring street store, I don't know if they would need a concert series to bring in customers because at 6 p.m. today, the store was PACKED!

As in, I actually was in line for about 15 seconds. *Gasp*

I was looking around for an empty station but there was none so I settled in behind this lady who actually needed help checking out her few flats of bottled water. The F&E staff rushed over to me to help me with my heavy basket and pointed out the station where someone was just leaving. He also gave me a handful of coupons.

Obviously, my "buy what I can carry" strategies didn't work today as I loaded up on fruits, juices, and puddings.

Oh yes, the great pudding reviews are on the way!

Speaking of review, I must break it to you yet another Hell rating.

The grab-and-go Tangerine Chicken and Rice was horrible. I'm sure someone might like this more than I did, but this is actually the first F&E product I had to throw away after a few bites. (Well, that and the one time I accidentally picked up a sugar-free French Vanilla pudding. I HATE artificial sweetner so that didn't go past one bite.)

The chicken is moist and the rice is soft for being a grab-and-go. However that tangerine sauce tasted like, well, tangerine syrup. All sweet and not enough savory. The flavors just refuse to come together, resulting in a confusion on my palettes. Unless that's changed, I don't know if this dish can be saved, personally. That is the #1 ick for me.

Ick #2 is that, much like the rug on the Dude's floor, the sauce is supposed to tie the bowl together. But since the chicken wasn't simmered in this sauce, it's just cooked chicken, veggies and rice topped with the sauce. And STILL the whole thing wouldn't come together. When I took a bite out of the chicken, I don't taste the flavor of something cooked in tangerine sauce, but a sad piece of chicken breast steamed all by its lonesome with minimal seasoning.

Verdict: Hell

Fresh Garlic

Just because I am obsessed with the store and many of their products, it doesn't mean that I won't give anything a bad review.

As a matter of fact, I have one.

I usually get 3 heads of garlic for $1 at Downtown LA's farmers market. Sitting in my little garlic cellar, those puppies seem to last just about forever. Never once sprouts green on me.

Now, over at F&E, heads of garlic came in a mesh pack of 3. The brand is Spice World. A week into the cellar, I popped one open to find the cloves started to sprout. Huh. The other heads soon followed.

The second attempt I didn't even pick any up. There were 2 bags of garlic left and both of them were already sprouting. The third try pretty much yielded the short life span just like the first one.

Where every F&E is getting their garlic from, they've got to fire their purveyor. Unless they're doing this on purpose to push folks to buy the pre-peeled or ready-prepped garlic in the refrigerated section.

Verdict: Hell.
Amended Verdict 9/8/08: Earthbound.

Note: After the original posting, I actually bought another mesh pack of garlic because I didn't want to hop to another store. That batch, and the batch after that, turns out to keep quite well. No sprouting after the first incident. Good for F&E!