Fave Five Food Deals - 11/24/10

We weren't planning to do a FFFD entry this week because most of the supermarkets in town don't send out a sales circular during Thanksgiving week. Despite this paucity, we've ferreted out a few deals you should know about in case your drunken uncle horks all the leftover turkey.

1. Boneless skinless chicken breasts, $1.19/lb. at El Rancho Supermercado (through 11/30/10)

2. Jewel and Garnet yams, .48/lb at Newflower (through 12/1/10)

3. Green or red cabbage and premium Russet potatoes, .50/lb. at Newflower (through 12/1/10)

4. Green beans, .88/lb at Newflower (through 12/1/10)

5. Pork stew meat, .99/lb. at El Rancho Supermercado (through 11/30/10)

Austin supermarket links (directs to weekly ads where available):
El Rancho Supermercado
Fiesta
H-E-B
Natural Grocers
Newflower Farmers Market
Randall's
Sprouts Farmers Market
Sun Harvest
Wheatsville Food Co-Op
Whole Foods Market

Dorothy "Dot" Hewitt R.I.P.

Former Dot's Place owner Dorothy Hewitt died Saturday night. She was 71.

If you never had the opportunity to eat at Dot's when it was located on W. Orchid Ln. in far north Austin, you missed out. Regular servings of Dot's beef tips and rice made having to work in the awful industrial office hinterlands at the intersection of Kramer and Braker almost bearable.

Dot's was housed in a run-down edifice that looked like it had been crudely added on to one too many times. The dining rooms were spartan and cooled by overworked window units, but the meatloaf, mashed potatoes and greens made up for that. In 2005, the restaurant burned to the ground. The ever-resourceful Dot set up a trailer on the site of the burned-out restaurant years before such things became de rigueur on South Congress.

The last time I ate at Dot's was at this aforementioned trailer in November 2005. My pal Kevin Fullerton was visiting from Seattle and his luggage had been stolen out of my car the night before while we were watching the Diamond Smugglers at the Continental Club. After filing a futile police report for insurance purposes, lunch at Dot's did plenty to restore our faith in humanity.

Fave Five Food Deals - 11/17/10

Be extra thankful for the extra money you'll save by taking advantage of this week's Austin supermarket deals.

1. Boneless skinless chicken breasts, $1.67/lb. at Sprouts (through 11/25/10)

2. Organic Romaine lettuce, .88/ea. at Sun Harvest (through 11/25/10)

3. Organic celery, .88/ea. at Sprouts (through 11/25/10)

4. 10 lb. bag of Russet potatoes, $1.47/ea. at Sun Harvest (through 11/25/10)

5. Granny Smith or Rome apples, .50/lb. at Sun Harvest (through 11/25/10)

If you do a fair amount of shopping at Sun Harvest, be sure to pick up this week's circular at the store. There you'll find a coupon for $5 off a purchase of $50 or more this week.

Austin supermarket links (directs to weekly ads where available):
El Rancho Supermercado
Fiesta
H-E-B
Natural Grocers
Newflower Farmers Market
Randall's
Sprouts Farmers Market
Sun Harvest
Wheatsville Food Co-Op
Whole Foods Market

Behind the Lines at Walmart

I recently decided to make a reconnaissance visit to the newly opened Northcross Walmart Supercenter that engendered so much controversy when it first squeaked through the city approval process just ahead of the big box ordinance three years ago.

I had no intention of actually purchasing anything there. I avoid shopping at Walmart whenever possible because whatever cost savings the average American consumer might realize there goes toward undermining the living standards of the average American worker. Their new Butthole Surfers-inspired logo does nothing to change that.

That said, a quick perusal of the grocery side of the store revealed a few standout deals. Bananas were .36/lb., a full eight cents lower than H-E-B's regular price. Walmart's in-house imitation of Triscuits sold for $1.32, compared to H-E-B Hill Country Fare Woven Wheats at $1.67.

I think you could save money by shopping at Walmart over H-E-B if you spent the majority of your grocery dollar on packaged food. However, one thing that struck me about the Northcross Supercenter is how relatively little floor space is dedicated to fresh foods and how few of Walmart's prices on meat and produce best those of H-E-B. And why not? A key component of Sam Walton's retailing genius was in making sure goods make it to stores just in time for customers to buy them. It's harder to do that with fresh foods.

The rest of the store was just about what you'd expect at a standard Walmart with a few subtle differences. There is more natural light coming in through the roof, which improves energy efficiency while cutting down on the depressing florescent glow. Also, the bicycle racks are shaped like bicycles, which I guess is Walmart's attempt at whimsy. Overall, it's less ugly than the traditional blue/gray box, but it's still a box.

Time will tell how much the Northcross Walmart will (or won't) alter the characteristics of its immediate surroundings. I haven't noticed much difference in traffic during my morning and afternoon weekday commutes on Burnet yet. The holiday season should provide a more meaningful snapshot of how the store will impact area traffic patterns.

Fave Five Food Deals - 11/10/10

Hold onto your pocketbooks, Austin. It's time for your weekly dose of supermarket deals.

1. Haas avocados, 3 for $1 at Newflower (through 11/17/10)

2. Asparagus, $1.47/lb. at Sprouts (through 11/17/10)

3. Hill Country Fare split chicken breasts, $1/lb. at H-E-B (through 11/16/10)

4. Fuji apples, .50/lb. at Sun Harvest (through 11/17/10)

5. Brown Cow yogurt, 6 oz. cups, .59/ea. at Sun Harvest (through 11/17/10)

Austin supermarket links (directs to weekly ads where available):
El Rancho Supermercado
Fiesta
H-E-B
Natural Grocers
Newflower Farmers Market
Randall's
Sprouts Farmers Market
Sun Harvest
Wheatsville Food Co-Op
Whole Foods Market

The Future is There's

The following was scrawled - presumably by a 6th grader - on the MetroRail crossing guard down the street from our house.


When American kids are falling behind the rest of the industrialized world in math and science, it's sad.

When our middle schoolers can't lob an insult without scoring an own-goal, it's probably not a bad idea to start stocking up on bottled water, canned peas and ammunition.

My Elvis Year

As I enter my 42nd year on the planet today, I’ve thought a lot about the day in August of 1977 when I walked to the Circle K down the street from my grandparents’ house in Victoria, Tex. and scanned a slew of “Elvis Presley Dead at 42” headlines while waiting to pay for a grape-flavored Slush Puppy.

I realized Presley’s death was undeniably tragic, but I also remember thinking, “Well, 42 is pretty old.”

And I guess it was if you were an 8-year-old kid whose parents were still in their early thirties and not cocked up on pills.

42 doesn’t seem so old anymore, though.

I’m vaguely aware of being well beyond the vaunted 18-34 demographic, but I never felt like I was at the zeitgeist to begin with. One part of getting older that I’ve always sort of looked forward to is the prospect of “aging into” the curmudgeonly nostalgia that was part of my personality even as a child.

Becoming a father has definitely made me feel older, but that’s more a function of parenthood than age. I still don’t feel the sociocultural gravitas I thought I’d feel at 42. I have a family and an accidental career in civil service, but I haven’t put away childish things and have no intention of doing it voluntarily.

I’m glad that spending most of my days garbed in jeans and a T-shirt just like my infant son makes me a thorn in the side of sphincter-lipped scolds like George Will. Let them choke on their dull, grey notions of maturity and propriety – plum-dumb commode humor has sustained me through far too much to give up on it now.

Fave Five Food Deals - 11/3/10

Crazy cheap heads of lettuce lead the way in this week's list of Austin's best supermarket deals.

1. Romaine lettuce, 2 for $1 at Sun Harvest (through 11/10/10)

2. Organic Jonagold, Braeburn or Gala apples, .99/lb at Sprouts* (through 11/10/10)

3. Buttermilk sourdough bread, $1.99 at Central Market (through 11/9/10)

4. Boneless skinless chicken breasts, $1.49/lb. at Fiesta** (through 11/9/10)

5. Top sirloin steak, $2.99/lb. at Sprouts (through 11/10/10)

*Organic Jonagold and Braeburn apples are also on sale for .99/lb. at Newflower
**Sold in family pack, limit 2 with $10 additional purchase

If you shop at H-E-B, be sure to glance at your checkout coupons. In the past two weeks, we've gotten one for a free pound of red or white seedless grapes and another for $3 off a purchase of $30 or more. That right there is free money, hoss.

Austin supermarket links (directs to weekly ads where available):
El Rancho Supermercado
Fiesta
H-E-B
Natural Grocers
Newflower Farmers Market
Randall's
Sprouts Farmers Market
Sun Harvest
Wheatsville Food Co-Op
Whole Foods Market

Do the Crawl

Kate shot this iPhone video of Alex crawling today. He's been making tentative crawling movements for about a week now, but today he just took off.



Seeing Alex start crawling in earnest is really something. As Kate aptly noted, "It's like he's a whole new baby." It reminds me of the essential human instinct for exploration. It also reminds me that our house just got a whole lot more fraught with danger.