Congratulations to Elements restaurant in Princeton for their well-deserved “Don’t Miss” review in The New York Times today. And, nestled right next to it, in the print edition, a very nice Quick Bite piece on another favorite spot of mine, the Blue Rooster Bakery & Café in Cranbury.
That takes care of the Congrats, Congrats. Now, where’s the Wow?
That would be the spacious new wine department at our local Trader Joe’s. It was a sight to behold today, as dazed shoppers came upon it, and were pulled into browsing the shelves of two-buck Chuck (actually $2.99 now), and more. I’m afraid it’s like Brigadoon, and when I go there the next time I need wine, it won’t be there any more. Was it just a dream?
Nope, things are looking up for wine shoppers in New Jersey, now one can buy wine in the supermarket, locally at TJ’s and Wegmans. But what does this mean for your nice neighborhood wine shop? Well, neither Wegmans or TJ’s are near where I live, so I will likely still shop closer to home for the most part.
That said, may I point out to upscale grocers that Montgomery is a sorely under-served area for gourmet groceries. It’s a bit of a hike, through often heavy traffice to get to Whole Foods, Trader Joe’s and Wegmans. Sometimes weeks go by before I can get that far out of my way to shop. Am I really that much more time-challenged than everyone else? I doubt it. How about spreading the goodies around a little more?
NJ SPICE 
We were in Trader Joe’s this weekend too and were so surprised by the wine. A really nice convenience.