Arrrrgh!
 

I knew that <a href="http://www.zagarasfresh.com">Zagara's</a> had gone Chapter 11; I didn't know that they'd closed their Glen Mills location for good.

Now I have to hunt down somebody that carries (a) Chile Today - Hot Tamale chips and pretzels, (b) Boylan's Grape Soda, (c) Garden Fresh Salsa Company's unsalted tortilla chips and salsas, and (d) the Jones Soda Company lineup, among other things.

I can think of local replacements for most (Whole Foods carries some Chile Today products, Trader Joe's has Boylan's, Wegman's carries GFSC salsas but not the chips, and supposedly Panera Bread (which I've never been to) carries some Jones products), but it sucks to not be able to make one trip.

I looked up Panera Bread, BTW, and the menu looked interesting -- then I clicked on the nutritional information. YOWZA. The first three sandwiches I clicked on (Coronado Carnitas Panini, Frontega Chicken Panini and Smoked Ham & Swiss) were all just as fatty as a Whopper with Cheese, and double to TRIPLE a Whopper's sodium. Meanwhile, Burger King's actually came out with a low-fat sandwich line (the chicken baguettes) that's reasonably healthy for fast food AND tastes pretty good.

Who'da thunk it?

Oh yeah it's hard to find good salsa... I personally like the Arriba ones. Genuardi's carries them. I've toyed with digging out recipes and making my own.

For what its worth, I get my supply of Jones Soda from the Super Target. Not the regular Target now, the SUPER Target. Don't know if you have one in your area, but if you do, you might check there. They actually carry a couple decent local salsas, BBQ sauce, etc. as well.

My salsas of choice are from Peppers in Rehoboth Beach (Delaware Destroyer for general consumption, Chesapeake Challenge for more heat), but there are plenty of good salsas out there...

The Garden Fresh line (as noted, found at Wegman's) is very flavorful, and fresh to boot (refrigerated plastic containers instead of sealed glass jars). The Jack's Special is my particular favorite.

Trader Joe's has a surprising number of decent salsas. (Surprising in that they look generic but taste good.) Their Santa Fe Red Pepper and Hot & Smoky Chipotle aren't bad at all for house-brands.

The Chile Today dried varieties are awesome, if you can find them. They're spice mixes to which you add fresh tomatoes and allow half an hour or so for the mix to reconstitute.

Perth, I've never heard of Super Targets, so you can assume that we don't have 'em. There are tons of west-coast sodas that are hard to find out here -- the Reed's line of ginger brews, many of the Hansen's Natural Soda flavors, Jones, etc., most of which can be shipped but with accompanying huge shipping costs.

Trader Joes
 

Someone else here mentioned Trader Joes. The nearest Trader Joes is south on Route 202 just over the border in Delaware, about 5 miles from the Glen Mills Zagaras.

BTW, a new upscale bakery/cafe opened two doors down from Trader Joes. It might be Paneras, but I'm not sure.

Trader Joe's is awesome, as long as you don't mind house brands. (Which, in general, I don't.)

The Delaware store recently picked up my Reed's Spiced Apple Brew, possibly as just a seasonal item, but at $.20 per four-pack cheaper than Whole Foods has it. I'll be buying the hell out of that.

That is a Panera Bread two or three doors down. It was mobbed beyond comprehension when I checked it out, so I bailed out and went over to TJ's instead.

Unfortunately, my local Whole Foods didn't have Chile Today's chips or pretzels on my last visit. Other than Le Gourmet Chef in the Lancaster outlets, I'm drawing a blank as to where else to look for them, other than online.

Mmmmmmm.... food!:p

Panera Bread (aka St. Louis Bread Company in a couple of markets) is sooooo good though, Jeff. Their sandwiches and baked goods are fantastic...well worth the price.

But is it worth the high blood pressure?

Italian Combo ("Roast beef, smoked turkey, ham, salami, Swiss cheese, pepperoncini, lettuce, tomatoes, red onions and our special sauce, on our Ciabatta"):

Serving size: 17 oz
Calories: 1050
Total Fat: 54g (83%)
Saturated Fat: 18g (90%)
Cholesterol: 165 mg (55%)
Sodium: 3570 mg (149%)

Now, dropping the mayo/special sauce will lower the fat content somewhat... but where in the hell is all that salt coming from? I'm far from a health-food nut -- I wouldn't eat tofu if you paid me, and I'll scarf down cheesesteaks when given the opportunity -- but time-and-a-half a day's allotment of sodium in ONE SANDWICH is a bit much.

Nothing is worth high blood pressure in the long run.

It's in the luncheon meats. Especially the Ham and Salami.

For an occasional meal, abso-fucking-lutely. And that's the best sandwich they make!

Salt causing high blood pressure is one of those off again, on again medical theories. In any case, I consume LOTS of salt, and my blood pressure was last measured at a near-textbook 121/80.

Besides, it's well worth it even if it does cause high blood pressure; it makes bad food edible and good food taste SOOO good. What's the use of a long life eating crap that tastes like sand?

Re: Arrrrgh!
 

Ooooo I had the BBQ Chicken baguette...good stuff!!! Gotta love that bread! :)

I'm hooked on this store, as well as Whole Foods. A bit pricey but worth it, IMO.