Fresh & Easy – we started with hot macaroni & cheese, then warm pecan pie, some good coffee, and finally a sampling of mixed nuts.
Trader Joe's – Next up, Trader Joe's turned in one of its best performances yet. Not only was there a friendly sample butler (as opposed to the surly ones we often encounter), the samples were varied and generous: dark chocolate almond bark, some kind of nutty cake, and crispy chocolate-covered star cookies to start. A Peruvian coffee paired well, though it was decaf (the full caf was brewing). Hosea and E3 tried some lemon echinacea drink and seemed to enjoy it.
Then, the employee put out salt caramels, which were a knock-off of some very expensive ones you can find in Whole Foods (which I've bought and savored). This one was good, too, but we milled about, waiting for mushroom puff-pastry triangles to come out of the toaster. They emerged, and were worth the wait.
Feeling quite satisfied, we sauntered over to Bristol Farms, just barely touching on the work we had to do.
Bristol Farms – while not offering the usual panoply of cheeses, Bristol Farms did have cold cuts and some excellent mustards – including a champagne mustard that I correctly guessed cost $6.99. Being a newly minted vegetarian, I refrained from the meats, but Hosea enjoyed them. The few cheeses there were were quite good, especially a Dutch gouda-style cheese. A warm paper cup of pomegranate tea – with which we toasted our good sample safari fortune – warmed us up for the walk back to the office.
We strolled back feeling satisfied and warm, basking in the glow of a truly indulgent, fully successful safari. Happy Holidays!
WINNER: TRADER JOE'S.
