LoneJack not certain if it is still there because I stopped buying art supplies very early last year but it was in that strip of shops at 103 and Metcalf. That would make the entrance off of 105th. If you go and see Coldsnow's when you turn in it was 3 or 4 doors toward Metcalf. If you drive around the building on the west side of the building and wander around there used to be an Asian grocery that while messy had interesting, unusual produce. Just looking at the area on line I see from the map there is a Vietnamese/French bakery, Korean restaurant and a Vietnamese restaurant back in that area. Technically called Indian Creek Shopping Center but more just a cluster of shops and empty spaces.

I'm still shopping @ Safeway, in Monument. Not crowded, in a rural/wooded/Lodge-look sort of neighborhood, very safe.

80% lean beef patties: $1.99lb or Jennie O ground turkey $1.99lb/3 day sale

Wild caught salmon: $5.97lb

Chicken: $1.49lb or from the Deli: 8 pieces of fried chicken $5.77

HUGE....SWEET Bing Cherries, .97 cents a lb.

I purchased chicken, fruit, bakery wheat bread, Chobani yogurt, 8 cans of Beyond cat food...everything...my entire grocery bill for the week for 2 people and a cat was $28! Lars, that's crazy pricing!

Fresh Thyme has 96% lean organic ground beef for $6.99 lb and Alaskan Sockeye Salmon for $8.99 lb. We bought enough salmon for several meals. The ground beef is great for tacos and stroganoff.

Free delivery too!

Oh my, Nicole! My bill was $210 for one person! But I did buy sushi in addition to the Ahi tuna, plus an assortment of Brie and Camembert plus some other cheese and cold cuts. It was three grocery bags. I'm going to go back to Cárdenas once the pandemic scare is over - they always have hand-made tamales, which I think are about $2 each, but you have to get to the store early because they sell out. They also make their own guacamole in the store as well as chicharrones, which I miss. They make fresh tortillas and bolillos in that store as well plus tortilla chips. It was my go-to store before the virus. My main problem with it now is that there are always children in the store, and they are the worst about spreading viruses.

I'm looking forward to good prices on fresh salmon soon. I think the season starts in July.

FOAS, I associate clams with Pismo Beach instead of beef. There are some cattle ranches in San Luis Obispo County, however.

Oops! I spelled phonetically and threw in a vowel.

What is a pismo? First of all, it is actually “PSMO” (not “pismo”), which stands for “peeled, side muscle on”. So, it's a whole beef tenderloin with the side muscles still attached, and mostly peeled.

My experiences (recent) with Gelson's in SoCal suggested that its prices are quite high. Also, the one I went to a few times in Jan and Feb were very empty, that says something. Fish counters do vary from store to store - I prefer Whole Foods for fish but maybe there isn't one near where you are.

Safeways in the Bay Area are dumpy. It had been acquired by a private equity firm not too long ago and they seemed to be trying to squeeze as much profit as possible, at the expense of store maintenance and staffing levels. Long checkstand lines and low shelf levels were to be expected most days. We avoid it as much as possible. In SoCal, "Safeway" operates under the Vons name, they're also pretty dumpy. Ralphs is a longtime favorite of mine down there, it and WF is where we concentrate our grocery buying.

I've shopped at Whole Foods for fish in El Segundo, and it was not as good as Bristol Farms in Westchester or even Gelson's in Marina Del Rey or Rancho Mirage. In fact, the Bristol Farms fish market in Palm Desert is not as good as the BF in Westchester or Gelson's.

There is a Whole Foods in Palm Desert, but PD is further away. Oddly enough, there is a Walmart next to the Whole Foods in Palm Desert, and that is another reason for me not to go there, as parking may be an issue. Real estate is more expensive in Palm Desert than in Rancho Mirage, but that does not mean much.

Of all the stores I mentions, Gelson's has the best sushi across the board and is as good as Mitsuwa and Marukai in West L.A., although those stores have better sashimi.

We do go to Ralphs in Westchester for a lot of staples but we go to Bristol Farms in Westchester just as often when we are in L.A. However, BF is just as expensive as Gelson's, but it has the best selection of Brie.

Gelson's in Marina Del Rey was never empty when we shopped there while we were living in Venice. Ralphs Waterside Marina Market is one of the best Ralphs stores, however, and so we usually went there. The Ralphs on Lincoln in MDR is not as good, but easy to get to by bike.

Local chain store near us (north of Chicago) is Jewel -- $15/lb for choice beef rib eye last week and $11/lb. this week. Ground chuck 80% lean was nearly $6/lb. Ye gods! Hamburger @ $6/lb.! We buy Costco, too, but they were all out of steaks last time DH went -- just after Memorial Day.

Been quite awhile since I've been to Gelson's (La Canada Flintridge) or Bristol Farms (Pasadena). Both very pricey, for sure. I've definitely noticed an increase in beef. Just yesterday I paid $10/lb. for tri-tip. Seems crazy. I still remember not even checking the price since it was so inexpensive. Same with flank steak. I usually buy ground beef at TJ's, and it's still $5/lb. there.

Our lean ground beef is $5/lb on sale. The pork side ribs are on sale for $4.99 this week, a stupid price for side ribs.

I've found dairy has gone up in price. Half and half which has always been on sale for $1.97 is now $2.99. I don't buy it, but a litre of chocolate milk was always .99 now it's on sale this week for 2 for $2,88. Cheese as well has gone up.

beef prices never receded after the shortage a couple years ago ... and then with the pandemic, the meat processors weren't slaughtering. The beef should eventually get caught up, but demand is high and there is low supply. Swine producers were forced to abort babies because packing plants were idled by covid. It will take several months to regroup on pork.

Your best bet might be to get a half or quarter of beef from a producer, and pay a locker, by the pound, to divvy up the cuts. Overweight cows are not a big deal meat wise, but because they are so large, it costs much more to keep them around. Still, blame the middle man.

"Your best bet might be to get a half or quarter of beef ......"

Even better yet, eat less beef!

Im not sure where all of you are from but I would change grocery prices with you in a minute. Cherries here are 3.99 lb; shaved beef 9.00 lb; center cut pork chops 6.00 lb. Even sirloin which is not a particularly good cut is 10.00 lb.

Meat prices in general just keep rising, but definitely check the news about how many meat processing plants have been impacted by COVID-19.

And yes, I believe you're in a rarified environment, Lars - prices depending on what the market will bear...

FOAS, you are right, Angus is a breed of cattle and has little bearing on the quality or rating of the beef, but they have a heckuva PR program. Angus breeders would have you think differently, but I've raised both and can see no difference other than in personality of the animal, the beef produced is the same. Herefords are calmer and more docile, as a rule, and I like that, they are easier for me to handle.

Lars, that's expensive beef. Here grass raised is quite a lot more expensive than the commercially produced beef, but prices don't even approach the ones you experienced. Here our local Meijer sales flyer has pork loin chops for 99 cents a pound, Angus chuckeye steak $4.99, chicken leg quarters $1.19. A deli chicken is $4.99 and ground beef, an 80/20 ration is $2.99 a pound. Ribeye steaks are usually $8 or $9 a pound, and a whole tenderloin can be had for somewhere above $10 a pound, untrimmed. Grassfed beef will automatically add about $3 a pound to those prices. Wild caught Alaskan salmon fillets are about $10 a pound regularly, but the commercial fishermen who work the farm markets here will start selling whole fish for $3 a pound soon. That's not fillets, of course, it's a whole fish with the head/tail/fins/etc., but it's easy to fillet or cut into "steaks". Those fish average about 8 or 9 pounds.

Annie

"I believe you're in a rarified environment, Lars - prices depending on what the market will bear.."

The cost of living and prices of all kinds are much higher in California and of course in urban other parts of the country than the lower prices people see in less inhabited and other parts of the country. The range and variability of prices are nothing new.

I don't follow the comment "Wild caught Alaskan salmon fillets are about $10 a pound regularly, but the commercial fishermen who work the farm markets " and how there might be commercial fishermen at farmers markets in Michigan who catch Alaskan salmon but that's okay, I don't need an explanation.

There are fishermen at farmers' markets in Los Angeles who sell salmon (which they do not catch themselves) along with swordfish that they do catch.

Where we live, beef is about a 50% increase in price. So like a rib eye would be $15.00 a lb rather than its normal $10 a lb. and ground beef is $6 a lb rather than $4 a lb.

Four big meat processors, Tyson, Cargill, JBS & National Beef reportedly control 80% of the industry.

Letter from 11 states attorney general to the DOJ:

https://media.dojmt.gov/wp-content/uploads/2020-05-05-Barr-AG-William.pdf

More info including investigation into the chicken processing industry: https://www.fooddive.com/news/report-4-major-meatpackers-subpoenaed-in-doj-antitrust-investigation/579266/

About two months ago, cattle associations in 23 states sent a letter urging U.S. Attorney General William Barr and the DOJ to launch its own investigation into possible anti-competitive actions in the meat industry. Several senators and 11 state attorneys general also pushed the DOJ to investigate. After receiving all of that, President Donald Trump said he asked the DOJ to go forward.

Wild caught Alaskan salmon fillets are about $10 a pound regularly, but the commercial fishermen who work the farm markets here will start selling whole fish for $3 a pound soon.

Alaskan salmon is $10 a lb in Michigan. Great Lakes salmon is way cheaper; I've seen slabs of salmon for $3.99# in the grocery here in WI. Don't know if that is a sale price or regular price because I don't buy it. Most of the family loves tuna (one exception) but no one likes salmon.

You need a trip to Aldi, Lars!

Here is a funny four minute video where billionaire Bill Gates tries to guess the prices of common grocery items on Ellen's show:

watch

Wish the price of Ensure would come down some. I miss food :-(

We seldom eat beef so I can't speak to the pricing but the chicken, while it doesn't seem to have gone up in price hasn't been on sale in months. I usually buy it when on sale and then freeze it.

Our local store had chicken leg/thigh quarters in 10-lb bags for $7.90 a few weeks ago. Of course I bought a bag. Got it home and before I divvied it up into freezer portions I took all the excess fat, bones and organ meats off. I bet if I had weighed it I probably had 4 pounds of waste but at that price it was still worth it. Hope they do it again some time as DH loves chicken.

"There are fishermen at farmers' markets in Los Angeles who sell salmon (which they do not catch themselves) along with swordfish that they do catch."

The farmers markets in my area have a label "certified". That means sellers are only allowed to sell their own produce (or meat or fish or eggs or whatever they produce). Buying from others and reselling isn't permitted. I guess that isn't the same with all of them. Beyond that, don't "fishermen" spend their days on their boats, fishing?

I was surprised to hear of Great Lakes salmon, it's presumably a local product that stays local. It's a non-native fish and is stocked. The appeal of Alaskan salmon is that the fishery is well managed and the supply is large. The flavor of the fish is quite good, enhanced by the pristine waters and abundant food supply of the habitat. I can't imagine that salmon from the Great Lakes would compare favorably.

6-25-20
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-health-coronavirus-usa-meatpacking-idUSKBN23W2LA

Coronavirus kills 93 U.S. meatpacking workers, union says

FILE PHOTO: A grocery store worker wears a mask while working in the meat department of a grocery store as the outbreak of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) continues in the Brooklyn borough of New York U.S., May 5, 2020. REUTERS/Lucas Jackson/File Photo

CHICAGO (Reuters) - The largest U.S. meatpacking union said on Thursday that 93 meatpacking and food-processing workers have died from COVID-19 and continue to face risks from the new coronavirus.

The United Food and Commercial Workers International Union, which also represents workers at grocers and drug stores, told reporters on a call that more than 196 of its members have died from COVID-19, the disease caused by the coronavirus. More than 2,300 members have been exposed to or affected by the virus in the last month, the union said.

Continued at link...

Lars, buy a grinder, you can then better control your beef purchase, then grind it yourself.

I love WF in ES, its the biggest and best I've seen, I did move from Manhattan Beach so I don't frequent it anymore.

I like shopping at Pavilions best.

Pavillions=Vons=Safeway. The Pavillions near our SoCal home is huge and not that busy. A Vons about the same distance from our place in a different direction is always quiet. A Ralphs about a mile away from each is bustling, busy, short waits and always being restocked.

I'm sure this varies in all chains by location.

Like Lars, I shop at my Gelson's (Dana Point) because I feel safer. They require masks and limit how many are in the store. The Ralph's that I can walk to does not do either which I am not thrilled about being immunsuppressed.

Yes, the prices at Gelson's can be crazy but I am always happy with the quality. I will have to check the beef prices when we go tomorrow.

What I did notice last weekend was that neither Ralph's nor Gelson's had any roast beef available at the deli. Apparently they can't get it.

Although the ground beef got to $9 # a few weeks ago, it has come back down considerably. I am fortunate to live in a rural area with a lot of ranchers nearby. I an buying Angus/Hereford ground beef for $4.50 a pound...and it is wonderful! He sells it by the package, quarter, half, or whole and has 80 head to butcher before the end of the year. His problem is getting butcher times at the lockers.

I have a grinder attachment for my Kitchenaid mixer, but that is in L.A. I used to grind my own beef, but I haven't done that since 1995 or so.

I had heard about beef shortages a few weeks ago, when Gelson's had a limit on how much you could buy.

I've been to Von's and Pavilions, and the nearest Pavilions is in Marina Del Rey and there is a Von's in Culver City. There is a Whole Foods in Playa Del Rey that is closer to me than the one in El Segundo, but I have not been to it yet.

I'm not sure where Aldi's is, as it has not been in L.A. for very long. If it is crowded like Trader Joe's, then I won't want to go there.

We don't purchase proteins, meat/seafood, based on price. I'd rather have quality and have a small portion like 4-5 ounces. That said, those prices are outrageous. I do have a limit like under 10 a pound for mince. Sushi grade at 20, max 25. Definitely look for prime cuts on sale.

Before covid we shopped at two markets with proper butchers. One with an excellent fish and cheesemonger. Same with organic produce following the DirtyDozen.

Meat quality is all over the place. Like canned cream corn vs freshly picked in the morning from a local farm. No comparison. That is not food snobbery.

Aldi and TraderJoes are a good bet for quality and small portions. I've only been to Aldi once and Joes a handful. We have a brand new Aldi close by but never got a chance to check it out before this covid mess. (we are not shopping in any stores). No need. The one Aldi I visited was way out of my way and a filthy mess. Not been in our Costco since before Thanksgiving.

NYTimes had a link/list a couple months ago listing state-by-state farms. encouraging shopping local. Everything from cheese to beef, chickens, eggs. We have a HusdonValley farm share that now covers all of NewEngland. Every other month that includes hand delivery, not shipping. We postponed the last box another month no problem. Very customizable with lots of add-ons. So that is another option but most here are store shopping I've noticed.

I do miss the one-on-one with our local butcher/farms. Seeing it, choosing the marbling, and the thickness.

Seven Sons in Los Angeles County appears to be a vineyard, whereas Seven Sons Farms seems to be in Indiana and available only inIndiana, Ohio, Michigan, and Illinois. I typed in my zip code, and it recommended that I go to Illinois.

I have several grinders and like to grind my own chuck; then I can trim it, wash it, wipe it and control the fat. It’s really easy.

I pretty much avoided commercial meats since trump gave the big packers carte blanche to just keep on, despite the risks to many workers.

I bought some local grass fed, packed beef and chicken, and try to eat seafood and lots of veggies. Sadly, yet another regional long time family butcher went out of business. He sold the most excellent prime rib.

Lobster 🦞 prices are down on the east coast. $5 to $6 per pound and much of what’s in the market is from 🇨🇦 Canada. Trump really hurt the Maine lobster fishermen with his “easy to win” trade war (New England fishermen saw their lucrative Chinese markets go to Canada), followed by T’s ineffective (and still ongoing ineffective) response to the coronavirus (CoV19). Restaurants were closed, then limited in capacity. Despite Barr’s interference, “Vacationland” is hurting.

I envy the choices some of you have (maybe not the prices). I Remember when my roommate and I would buy NY Sirloin and Porterhouse* for $.79 per pound. And London Broil was cut nearly 2 inches thick, not 1” “thick” which is totally ridiculous.

The aldi here are clean and well organized and seem safe, arrows directing traffic, carts wiped down and disinfected, etc.

The food is basic but I like the organic chicken and organic produce.

I imagine you Lars would not like it but you might like Trader Joes although Aldi is cheaper for the same stuff. Can't beat the prices though.

I read an article that it looks like the meat prices will go down some in July. Since individual governors of each state shut down the restaurants and the other identities the bought meat it messed up the food chain. With the restaurants, etc opening back up the food chain will start going back to normal.

Last night we were looking at the menu at a local watering hole. The poor owner came over and apologized for the price increases. She felt so bad, but everything cost so much more.

What I find in this area is that not all of the same branding are the same. I seem to only go to Aldi's at holiday time but have two within a twenty minute drive. The older one is kept clean with a greater variety than the newer bigger one but their produce quality just is not what I would bring home. Their holiday cookies and cakes are wonderful. I have not purchased any produce at the newer one. I have a grocery store within a half of a mile that I do not shop at but would drive 15 miles, which is not far here, to another in the same chain but owned by another family. What I am trying to suggest is that people need to visit stores with the same name because while one may be nice another you may just want to turn around and walk out of.

Aldi seems to be relatively new in SoCal. I'm not sure it has such a good reputation, not sure why. We were familiar with Aldi from Europe.

We were having trouble getting grocery orders when the Stay in Place order first started. Instacart times and services were hard to get, and doing that from some of the larger stores resulted in 1 N/A for every available product, a 50% failure rate on orders. Aldi was by contrast seemed better supplied and had relatively more available products. Maybe because they're less busy, I don't know. We repaid their reliability with repeat orders. Believe me, we're picky but we found the quality is surprisingly good for many products and the prices are surprising for the quality. Salmon from Aldi was better than salmon from Ralphs, just as a simple example.

We got a large order from Aldi before returning to NorCal and it filled one car. Not because of availablility but because it was stuff we liked and can't get here (no Aldi locations nearby, hopefully they're coming).

Aldi's product lines are very different from Trader Joes. Similar only in that both emphasize house label brands but otherwise quite different.

As a reminder, a German company named Aldi split into two pieces many decades ago when two brothers who'd inherited the business from Dad weren't getting along. It's now Aldi Nord (north) and Aldi Sud (south), unrelated companies. They divided Germany in half (North and South, of course) and the rest of the globe so as to not compete. Aldi Nord owns Trader Joes (and has for a long time), Aldi Sud has the US as one of its territories and so Aldi in the US is owned by it.

I definitely try different stores with the same name. The Marukai in West L.A. is not as big as the one in Torrance, but it still has what I want and is larger than Mitsuwa. We have to pass by Mitsuwa to get to Marukai, but it is next to impossible to park at Mitsuwa in Mar Vista, and Marukai is bigger anyway.

Ralphs stores are all over the place - some (like Marina Waterside) are very good and some are shabby.

Oh, sorry Lars for the confusion. I started an on-line shopping file back in mid March. NYTimes, Eater, Food&Wine, etc, all posted link-lists. Even Chowhound, eGullet, forums posting favorites. I decided to only post on-line ordering I was familiar with.

Like Elmer, we could not get any delivery by mid March. I had one egg and half a stick of butter. 2 pounds of flour. Did not panic with a somewhat full freezer. Not having many choices did feel a bit sad but felt fortunate we had so much more than most. I did post back then we could keep healthy through next Thanksgiving. That was true but not what we found out to be mentally sane, 😂. NY became the global hot spot and 10 miles away from us was a USA hot spot.

Organized our freezer awaiting a FreshDirect order of over 600, but only less than 200 arrived. Bummer. Then a fancy NYC wholesaler opened up to home delivery. Banked it, then they got backed up. Who has freezer room for 12 8pound pork butts. Or 20 pounds of ginger, 😂. (they have fixed that now somewhat). I can order one pound of blue cheese, many varieties, instead of a 12 pound wheel.

There is a y-tube guy that visits stores like Aldi and Joes, WholeFoods, Costco, etc. He is in Chicago. Keto, but that covers meats. Annoyingly enthusiastic but good viral shopping by weekly store shopping. (Bobby, FlavCity). Kim, handle 'Wads' is adorable shopping Costco and Ikea. She did a hilarious video shopping all through Ikea last week.

That is how I know my Aldi is not what it should be. My Costco was a mess but found out it was the flagship store and finally remodeled 4-5 years ago. (it was a mess). TJ's was a disaster but they doubled their square footage in a re-model a couple years ago.

The moral story of this covid insanity, ?. We have more than ever in stock. Crisper drawer is beyond stuffed. Nothing goes bad. I check and sift through it daily. Eating better than ever and much cheaper than ever.

Breakfast, lunch snack, is YOYO. Only dinner is talked about and planned. Even that often covers two days. Not at all leftovers. Makes a different meal day two. Or easy freezer meals forward.

Yes, salmon were introduced to the Great Lakes and are stocked. But a good part of the fishery is maintained through natural reproduction. From the WI DNR (2012):

For years, state and federal agencies tried learning more about hatchery and naturally-produced Chinook salmon, but for various reasons the studies did not provide the information required to answer basic questions. In 2006, however, agencies came together and collaborated on a study looking at the contribution of hatchery-stocked Chinook to the entire population of Kings in Lake Michigan.

To do this, the Chinook from hatcheries in Wisconsin, Illinois, Michigan and Indiana needed to be marked. So, from 2006 through 2010, they were given food containing oxy-tetracycline (OTC), a chemical that forms a mark on the bony parts of the fish yet is safe for humans to eat. In 2007, fisheries biologists began collecting tails from Chinook salmon, looking for the mark on the tail bones. Finding a mark proved the fish was stocked from a hatchery and made it possible to estimate the percentage of wild versus stocked Chinook in Lake Michigan.

"The results of that five-year study found about 55 percent of 1-year-old Chinook in Lake Michigan didn't come from a hatchery," said Eggold.

Oxytetracycline is an antibiotic. So hatchery salmon were fed an antibiotic?

No thanks, I wouldn't eat that. Was this announced in advance to the public or was it more like the Tuskegee syphilis experiment?

Not one thing is unusual about a fish hatchery using antibiotics. Even in California.

@lars If you are ever on the central coast, Cal Poly SLO sells their locally raised beef. It is not cheap, but it is the best beef I have ever had. https://www.calpolymeats.com/ Today, I paid $14 a pound for fresh New York steaks and $19 a pound for fresh prime rib eye.

If you are looking for sushi grade or other fish, I like Santa Barbara fishmarket - https://www.sbfish.com/. Their standard price is $21 a pound for good quality Ahi, but is discounted if they have excess. We usually pick it up, but I know that they fedex all over the country.

"Not one thing is unusual about a fish hatchery using antibiotics. Even in California."

I don't eat local (Californa) salmon. Most of the higher value species caught in Alaska are from wild sources and not hatcheries.

Went shopping today, got ground chuck at $4.49/lb. Not too bad all things considered. Made good-tasting burgers on the grill!

Thanks, Lynda R, but I do have good sources for sushi grade Ahi in Los Angeles close to my house. I do remember having very good seafood in Santa Barbara, but I haven't stopped there for a few years now. I'll try to go back next year.

I was in San Luis Obispo when we went to Soda Lake for the wildflower bloom in 2017, but we got there a couple of weeks too late. We did stay in a hotel in SLO, however. I like visiting there.