Costco Apple Pie

RE: Costco Apple Pie (chezkatie)

Wed, 14 Sep 2005 10:17:54 GMT

quote:
Originally posted by Willly

Another Costco bargain:
http://www.costco.com/Browse/Productgroup.aspx?ec=BC-EC1170-Cat20162&pos=1&whse=&topnav=&prodid=11048740

Hey! That is my 5 year old grandson's drawing..........how did Costco ever get it?

RE: Costco Apple Pie (mayor al)

Wed, 14 Sep 2005 10:04:45 GMT

Sorry, Sandy, I was just joking! Anytime my wife decides to add something 'cultural' to a wall here or there I make fun of getting a Velvet Elvis and Spanish Dancing Girl(topless) to add to the collection for the garage.

RE: Costco Apple Pie (Scorereader)

Wed, 14 Sep 2005 09:54:45 GMT

quote:
Originally posted by tacchino

quote:
Originally posted by Scorereader

Tacchino,
now I go to Wegman's in Fairfax and Sterling, VA.
But I grew in Syracuse and the Wegman's I refer to for bakery is the newer or newly renovated ones like in Dewitt or Onondaga Ave.

When I grew up, the best grocery store bakery was at Williams in North Syracuse. (which was the best butcher, seafood and deli too)

Wegman's now hires real bakers and pastry chefs at all the new locations and newly renovated stores.
I agree that in days of old, the bakery never stood up to the deli and cheese sections, but that has changed at the mamouth stores they build now.

I liked the Costco cake I had, but I like Wegman's better. Certainly, the price at Costco is better. I mean geez, I think we paid $14.95 for an ENORMOUS sheet cake at Costco for a retirement party.

Scorereader, was Williams on N. Salina Street? I have great memories of going to the Italian bakeries and restaurants there when I was young.

I agree with you about the quality at the DeWitt Wegman's..definitely very high, in all categories!

Still, I love Costco with its quality relative to price...a real bargain in the bakery, as well as other departments.

Tacchino, Williams was a grocery store in North Syracuse (not northern syracuse). It was bought by Peter's and was on S. Main St. (rt. 11) in North Syracuse. It's across from Sweetheart Corner, where Sweetheart Grocery and CVS used to be. Now Sweetheart Corner is an Eckerds.

You may be remembering some Northside italian bakeries which were fantastic. Which is why I limited my enthusiasm for William's as "the best 'grocery store' bakery."

Here's some northside (now called "Little Italy") favorites:

Columbus Bakery (hot fresh italian breads) ( on Pearl St.) - Frommer's actually called this place an "attraction" in Syracuse calling it "right out of 'Moonstruck.'"

Community Bakery (on Butternut St.)

Ragusa (on Lodi St.)

And some other good ones not on the Northside:

Harrisons (on W. Genesee St.)

Patrician's Snowflake (on E. Fayette)

Geddes Bakery (which isn't in Geddes anymore, it's actually on, S. Main St in North Syracuse)

and Bella Bakery (which also moved from the original northside lacation to Baldwinsville)

RE: Costco Apple Pie (tacchino)

Tue, 13 Sep 2005 23:40:53 GMT

quote:
Originally posted by Scorereader

Tacchino,
now I go to Wegman's in Fairfax and Sterling, VA.
But I grew in Syracuse and the Wegman's I refer to for bakery is the newer or newly renovated ones like in Dewitt or Onondaga Ave.

When I grew up, the best grocery store bakery was at Williams in North Syracuse. (which was the best butcher, seafood and deli too)

Wegman's now hires real bakers and pastry chefs at all the new locations and newly renovated stores.
I agree that in days of old, the bakery never stood up to the deli and cheese sections, but that has changed at the mamouth stores they build now.

I liked the Costco cake I had, but I like Wegman's better. Certainly, the price at Costco is better. I mean geez, I think we paid $14.95 for an ENORMOUS sheet cake at Costco for a retirement party.

Scorereader, was Williams on N. Salina Street? I have great memories of going to the Italian bakeries and restaurants there when I was young.

I agree with you about the quality at the DeWitt Wegman's..definitely very high, in all categories!

Still, I love Costco with its quality relative to price...a real bargain in the bakery, as well as other departments.

RE: Costco Apple Pie (Sandy Eggo)

Tue, 13 Sep 2005 21:37:36 GMT

I'm an art lover, but I'm embarrassed. Costco sells some good art at it's road shows, but a crayon work?
They are using that one for publicity... notice they don't advertise... it's word of mouth and an occassional thing like that to draw attention.

Al, do you really have a Velvet Elvis? Because I do in my office... for real. We love Elvis. So we have an Elvis shrine with his Velvet Picture and little lights and goodies to eat underneath.

RE: Costco Apple Pie (mayor al)

Tue, 13 Sep 2005 21:00:14 GMT

Willly, I could staple that to my velvet Elvis and have a great display in my garage!!

RE: Costco Apple Pie (Willly)

Tue, 13 Sep 2005 20:05:35 GMT

Another Costco bargain:
http://www.costco.com/Browse/Productgroup.aspx?ec=BC-EC1170-Cat20162&pos=1&whse=&topnav=&prodid=11048740

RE: Costco Apple Pie (Scorereader)

Tue, 13 Sep 2005 19:27:22 GMT

Tacchino,
now I go to Wegman's in Fairfax and Sterling, VA.
But I grew in Syracuse and the Wegman's I refer to for bakery is the newer or newly renovated ones like in Dewitt or Onondaga Ave.

When I grew up, the best grocery store bakery was at Williams in North Syracuse. (which was the best butcher, seafood and deli too)

Wegman's now hires real bakers and pastry chefs at all the new locations and newly renovated stores.
I agree that in days of old, the bakery never stood up to the deli and cheese sections, but that has changed at the mamouth stores they build now.

I liked the Costco cake I had, but I like Wegman's better. Certainly, the price at Costco is better. I mean geez, I think we paid $14.95 for an ENORMOUS sheet cake at Costco for a retirement party.

RE: Costco Apple Pie (GordonW)

Mon, 12 Sep 2005 22:37:39 GMT

quote:
Gordon, were they out of gas? Or don't have a station? Are there gas shortages going on because of Katrina?

They have a station; just plain out of gas, for about 5 days now. They said they had some on Sunday, but sold right out. Must be Katrina....? All the local stations have gas.

RE: Costco Apple Pie (mayor al)

Sun, 11 Sep 2005 22:00:44 GMT

The Pecan Pie is my absolute favorite Costco Bakery Product. It is as big as the Apple-Carmel or Berry. That makes it a 12 or 13 inch diameter As Sandy says they use Pecan halves not just pieces and chunks for the top layer. It is a thick(deep-dish)pie like the Apple...no 1/2 inch including crust on these guys. It's been a couple of years since we've had access to one of these beauties...but they were only $8.99 then.

RE: Costco Apple Pie (Sandy Eggo)

Sun, 11 Sep 2005 21:12:51 GMT

Sandancer, as you know pecans and not cheap. Especailly whole ones which is what Costco pies are covered with. Their pecan pies are good also. I've made my own in the past, but you can't get the ingredients for what Costco sells them for. Personally, I only buy one of those when I have company or for a party... otherwise I'll eat the whole thing myself.

RE: Costco Apple Pie (Sundancer7)

Sat, 10 Sep 2005 20:15:31 GMT

How are their pecan pies? That is my favorite for the fall. I anticipate traveling to Cincy for the JJ and the Costco.

Thanks for all the tips.

Paul E. Smith
Knoxville, TN

RE: Costco Apple Pie (mayor al)

Sat, 10 Sep 2005 20:10:31 GMT

Thanks for the points, Paul!!

And- Sandy/Joe- We get the baked goods too. We find that freezing the individual muffins works great for a late nite or after-work snack. We buy a couple of dozen and stick most of them into the freezer. The big carmel apple pies freeze well too. We cut them in quarters and tupperware them. Again, thawed with icecream they are outstanding.

RE: Costco Apple Pie (Sundancer7)

Sat, 10 Sep 2005 19:38:39 GMT

Any place that the Mayor suggest is good, I will try.

Al knows his spots and he is always on target.

Paul E. Smith
Knoxville, TN

RE: Costco Apple Pie (Sandy Eggo)

Sat, 10 Sep 2005 12:08:03 GMT

Gordon, were they out of gas? Or don't have a station? Are there gas shortages going on because of Katrina?

On the Costco hours... they keep hours from 10 to 6 or 8 to keep costs down. Most traffic is from 10 am to early evening. Keeping the store open for a few customer isn't cost effective. Most of the Costco business model or system, it a balance of keeping costs to a minimum while maximizing customer satisfaction. They also are a real family oriented company and want their employees to be able to be home. This is a company that gives a loeav of absence up to 90 days (all paid) for maternity, or other family emergencies. They are the opposite of Walmart when it comes to employee relations.

Back to the pies! It's just the wife and me but we'll buy a pie and have a couple of large slices and then I'll take the pie to the office. It's gone in minutes. Same with the danish, cookies and muffins.

RE: Costco Apple Pie (arianej)

Sat, 10 Sep 2005 00:03:34 GMT

Glad to hear the apple pie is a good bet! They're too huge to buy for just two people, unfortunately. Re: their other desserts, I've tried the All-American chocolate cake when they've demoed it, and it was pretty good.

And over Labor Day weekend, we bought one of their giant flans with caramel sauce--WOW. I highly recommend it, but it's very, very rich. 1/16th was more than enough for me.

RE: Costco Apple Pie (tacchino)

Fri, 09 Sep 2005 23:46:28 GMT

I still have Kirkland brand undershirts that have lasted three times as long as Hanes brand ones.

The quality of their products really is wonderful. I no longer am a member, but I do miss a number of their products: their bakery cookies, poppy seed muffins, and wonderful whole bean coffee...ten times better, and cheaper than Starbuck's.

Scorereader, which Wegman's do you go to? My points of comparison are the ones in central New York, where my parents live, and I have to say, while the quality of their baked goods is overall fine, it doesn't match Costco quality, and certainly can't match the prices. The stuff always looks really good at Wegman's, though. I just never thought their bakery products matched the level of goods in their deli, butcher, and cheese sections.

RE: Costco Apple Pie (ken8038)

Fri, 09 Sep 2005 22:51:59 GMT

I was the one who wrote a few weeks ago that one of my few complaints about Costco is that they do not carry skim milk. Low and behold I was in the Union NJ Costco this evening and they had skim milk! Maybe someone there reads this forum!

OK, another minor complaint. Why don't they stay open later. The ones in NJ close at 8:30 PM. Sometimes that's too late for me to be able to get there after work. So I go to Wal Mart instead, they are open until 10. I don't like to go to Costco on weekends because it's too crowded. ---Ken

RE: Costco Apple Pie (GordonW)

Fri, 09 Sep 2005 22:41:36 GMT

I did a Costco run today. They didn't have any gas. But there was a full complement of free sample people working inside.

RE: Costco Apple Pie (mayor al)

Fri, 09 Sep 2005 12:13:57 GMT

ScoreReader,
It's just Janet and I at home too...but it is kinda funny how fast the word gets out amongst the herd of kids and rabble of grandkids that the grandparents have made a Costco Run, and it's time to score on the goodies. I mean they are like the sharks sniffing blood, or the Vultures seeing the Lion at work !! Things they borrowed years ago seem to be found and returned within hours of our return from the big Warehouse !!

RE: Costco Apple Pie (Scorereader)

Fri, 09 Sep 2005 12:02:47 GMT

It's just me an the mrs. at my house, so Costco is not an option.
I have been to Costco though and prefer the bakery at Wegman's. They just can't touch Wegman's when comparing quality.
As far as price, Costco baked goods are cheap and taste pretty good. Especially when you can get a decent large sheet cake for under $20.

RE: Costco Apple Pie (Sandy Eggo)

Thu, 08 Sep 2005 16:19:04 GMT

While this thread was about Costco Apple Pie, I thinks it fair to say that Costco is part of "road food chain" because many mom & pop restaurants and great food joints buy many of their provisions from Costco. Also Costco is a great supporter of local businesses and frequently have take local products nationwide.

BTW, I always get their pumpkin pie for Thanksgiving. Can't beat the taste or the price.

RE: Costco Apple Pie (jackmck)

Thu, 08 Sep 2005 14:16:17 GMT

I think most Roadfoodies would appreciate the quality and price offered at Costco. The chocolate cake at the Dallas metro stores is wonderful. At $14, it is great for a birthday or holiday. And who can pass up a $1.50 dog and Dr Pepper lunch?

RE: Costco Apple Pie (mayor al)

Thu, 08 Sep 2005 14:08:24 GMT

Sandy,
Your comment on the 'end-cap' placement is interesting. Now that you mention it I checked, and sure enough, the endcaps are not filled with generic Kirkland labeled stuff...but rather with name brand items, meaning some outsider is paying a premium to have it displayed there.
And the bakery review is right-on also. The custom order cakes are great...fresh, delicious, and half the cost of Kroger or WalMart.
We are going to check out the Nashville store during the Distillery tour in October.

RE: Costco Apple Pie (Sandy Eggo)

Thu, 08 Sep 2005 13:59:03 GMT

I've heard many of the peeves people have about Costco. They will not have a "fast lane" (10 items or less) probably ever. It's not part of the business model. They want you to make a field trip out of it and stock up. That inexpensive bottle of wine, those developed photos, the birthday cake, the fresh flowers, the newly released book, video or CD... that's get you in the door and you will wait with one item or a hundred. As far as low fat items, they are not as popular so they are not sold. Costco limits its "SKU's" (inventory units) to about 2000 (compared to Walmarts 100,000+) to get the best price, display it the best, turn it the fastest, control inventory, freshness, and keep it stocked up. They also rotate items based on the upcoming season as well as drop items that don't meet sales expectations. It's all "real estate" in those warehouses and every item "pay rent" based on their margin. Suppliers even pay for the end caps (the aisle side displays).

Costco has a forumla that works and keeps members coming back. The shoppers that go three or more times a month will find the "gems" that are items they acquire in a one time deal and sell at great prices.

RE: Costco Apple Pie (Sandy Eggo)

Thu, 08 Sep 2005 13:43:14 GMT

I worked for Costco for several years and I can attest that they take their quality very seriously. They train and pay their people well. There are quality control laboratories that check eveything they agree to sell right down to the dog food. They measure the size of cashews, they test the durability of luggage and furniture. They really try to sell the best for the lowest price. When it comes to their meat, they have their own processing plants which they sanitive several times a day. They will not put their "Kirkland Signature" lable on a product without it beimng the highest quality. Their pies are made with the best ingrediants from apples to pecans. Their sheet cakes are some of the best I've tasted and they cost less than half what a bakery charges. They operate in store bakeries that start (like any bakery) early a.m. and bake fresh items all day. I love Costco and the only reason I don't work at their headquarters in Issaquah is because I grew tired of the dreary weather in Seattle. It's a beautiful place, but it's overcast way to much for this SoCal native.

RE: Costco Apple Pie (Scallion1)

Fri, 02 Sep 2005 07:06:55 GMT

quote:
Originally posted by Al-The Mayor-Bowen

Gordon,
Don't forget the $1.50 Polish Dog includes a bottomless soft drink.

I'm a HUGE Costco fan. And not only for the food; I've found some incredible buys on clothing, bedding, pharmaceuticals. Best so far, however is the 18-piece cookware set, for $149. Heavy, thick aluminum, non-stick, in every size you could need for home use. Mine are in service every day, and are as good as new. Not crazy about the handle design, but that's a small detail.

I guess it's worth noting that in the NYC area, Costco has wisely replaced this deal with a $1.50 Kosher hot dog special. Great value, but I find the bun they use too chewy.

When they have it, the meat loaf is a delicious buy. Two little loaves, covered in some kind of bbq/ketchup. Pop the whole thing, plastic tray and all, in the oven, and in 45 mins those bad boys are ready to go. About ten bucks out here.

RE: Costco Apple Pie (ken8038)

Thu, 01 Sep 2005 22:53:41 GMT

I love Roadfood and I love Costco! The two are not mutually exclusive. In fact, Costco seems to carry more than it's fair share of regional brands. For instance here in NJ they carry the Royal Carribean Jamaican meat patties, noted by the NY Times as by far the best store bought brand.

And so on.

One product they used to carry that no longer seems to be around was Bernstein's Parmesian cheese salad dressing (I may have the name slightly wrong). It's was a low fat item that has that extremely high fat taste, if you get my drift, and my wife and I used to buy it regularly.

Coupla peeves tho: Speaking of low fat, they hardly carry any low fat anything. Not that I'm big on low fat products, buy I like skim milk, and as I said, the aforementioned Bernstein's is no longer available.

Finally: Someone mentioned the Pizza. I think it's just awful. It's like Domino's on Steroids. ---Ken

RE: Costco Apple Pie (mayor al)

Thu, 01 Sep 2005 21:52:57 GMT

Kay, We will try the Sweet Potato Pie when it comes out later this season. It sounds great.

We bought two of the Carmel Apple pies this week for the Labor Day Picnic....but one of them had to be sampled to be sure of the quality....Now we have one pie to take to the Picnic..OH Well, It's all in the family.
Has anyone tried the Pecan Pie?? Thats my favorite! You can feed a whole herd from one Pie. It is so rich that despite my usual Appetite, I can't do too much damage to a pie at one sitting (unless I extend the sitting time) !!

RE: Costco Apple Pie (chezkatie)

Thu, 01 Sep 2005 21:47:30 GMT

Well, I want to tell you about the sweet potato pies that one can get (in season) at Sam's in the Baltimore area. They are wonderful. The crust is not as good as homemade but the filling is far better than my best.