Trader Joe's

For the price/value, I highly recommend shopping for your everyday wines at Trader Joe. Have found some really nice Spanish (pinot gr) and Australian (Cab) for under $7 that are dynamite. more

Don't be fooled by their "corner grocery store" appearance: they stock lots of interesting little snacks, new and interesting little things that seem to leap into one's shopping basket. You may THINK that you're going there to pick up some cream and vegetarian "Buffalo Wings" only to find that you've spent $100 on spiced papadam chips, spiced pecans, dehydrated banana chips, and other goodies. It is a great place to go if you find out that you're having a dozen people over the next day and you need to feed them, as their foods seem to make the cooking process increasingly easy. more

Trader Joes has a unique niche. I can't categorize exactly what they sell, but it's a good place to go for entertaining. They've got lots of great frozen appetizers, and for baking, my wife buys nuts there all the time. I think the frozen food is the most unique. They have items that you just can't find anywhere else. They've got a great frozen strudel for like $3 that you can't beat, and I also love the frozen vegetable tempura nests. Comes with a good dipping sauce. Frozen cioppino packs are also quite good. On the downside, if you get something that's not so great, it is really bad! I either love what I get there, or sometimes, I'll try something new and just hate it. Know what's good & this place is great! Always busy though! more

Trader Joe's is hard to beat for all kinds of food staples - frozen, fresh, grains, beverages, etc. Each store has slightly different offerings, but I believe that the one in Bellevue (I've only been in it once, vs the one in Seattle that we visit every week) has some bulk food offerings. Give a call to them and inquire about what you're interested in. If they don't have specific or specialty things, they're likely to have enough of the basics for snacking, cooking, and baking to make the trip worthwhile. While it's not bulk foods, who can beat $4.99 delicious 6-packs of TJ's brand hefeweizen and $1.50 bags of frozen edamame? more

This is the cutest food store! They have wonderful hard to find foods for great prices! They carry plenty of whole foods and natural things. Their produce is always fresh and they even have some very very lean ground beef for cheaper than the fatty stuff from the regular grocery stores! Love this place! more

That's right. Trader Joe's, a native of the Seattle area before it sprang up around the country, is probably the most painless way to show state pride since those creepy Washington-themed stores that began popping up in area malls. If you're tired, you can drink delicious, complimentary coffee. If you're hungry, you can buy cheap lunch food from the refrigerated area (like sushi). And, environment-conscious as they are, you can enter to win a gift certificate if you put your groceries into a reusible cloth bag (they sell them cheap, but you can bring your own.) I would refridgerate or freeze the bread they sell that doesn't come with preservatives, but that proved to be a problem only once. Treat your wallet and your conscience! more