by Pongo Twistleton
Well it seems that I owe Belle Kuisine an apology. In my last column I suggested a variety of shops for getting entertainment food and tidbits. I left out Belle Kuisine and they ended up saving my day.
For a New Year’s Eye dinner I needed a pile of escargot which on the face of it seemed an easy task. Just toddle to any store and get a few cans. Hah! My zip to the store became a two-and-a-half-hour odyssey. Most store helper-types gave me a dumb stare. One even shrieked, “Snails?” Lukhard’s was fairly helpful and as always pleasant but alas, fresh out. The guy at Rack ‘N Sack seemed scandalized by their snail-lacking status and tried to offer the world instead.
I thought the Stonewall Market would be my last hope and though they were also out of snails, true to their devotion to service, a pretty blonde lady jumped on the phone to Belle Kuisine and found two cans of the best escargot. My day was saved from apparent disaster. I have since heard a story or two from those who had similar problems and found the same solution. Thank you Belle Kuisine.
This same day I toured Hannaford’s and Rack ‘N Sack, and for what its worth I like Rack ‘N Sack better. For those of you who are devoted to the Price Club, tear up your cards. Rack ‘N Sack supplies the same or better prices on most items while stocking brand names you have actually heard of.
Hannaford’s is a nice clean store with friendly enough people, but I seemed to find things at Rack ‘N Sack a bit easier and for much cheaper. Rack ‘N Sack has a fairly impressive wine selection (for Richmond) and a very comprehensive supply of gourmet and international foods. The produce section is on par with the more expensive stores but with prices that tend to undercut even rag-tag Food Lion.
I found it interesting that, according to Rack ‘N Sack research, Ukrop’s is not the most expensive grocer. It seems, as I have always suspected, that Ukrop’s often supplies the same or better food at better prices than Food Lion, The Grocery Store, and the like. Why anyone shops at Food Lion I’ll never understand (unless you are in Corolla, N.C.).
However, from my unscientific hopping around, Rack ‘N Sack is the best bet for larger variety, low prices, and decent service. The problem is that you must be predisposed to fighting the mess of Broad Street or Midlothian Turnpike, but as the traffic hell tells, many are.
At any rate, after a whirlwind holiday season, the winter doldrums are here with one festive bright spot. The annual Jackson-Feild Home for Girls fundraising bash is set for Jan. 27 at Tredegar. This year’s theme is a big tailgate party before the Super Bowl. Catercorp always serves up good food and drink and Dave D’Arville is known to be fun. For information and a chance to win a trip to the Bahamas, call Cynthia at Jackson-Feild, 343-3304.