Speaking of grocery store discounters.
The biggest discounter of them all is Town Talk. They are the anti-Central Market -- in every way -- except the one way that matters: name brand food products, sometimes the really good stuff, at bargain prices. I am not saying all the food is high quality, or even that most of it is, but occasionally the deals there are better than imaginable.
For instance, Marmite. I like Marmite. My wife is British. She introduced it to me and I like it. Most Americans don't. It's a yeast extract and it's tangy. It's about $7 for a small jar. She picked up 4 of them at Town Talk for $10.
How do they do it? Town Talk takes department and grocery store overstocks, item close outs, and store closings, and consolidates it by category for resale. The aisles are changing all the time.
They have no cappuccino bar to stop and relax while shopping, the floor needs sweeping, and the warehouse spills over into the aisles.
But it's kind of fun, you never know what you will find and sometimes the cuts of beef are just too good of a deal to turn down. It's an acquired taste and sometimes they sell things past shelf-life date. But if you haven't tried it, it is worth a visit.
http://www.towntalkfoods.net/
Town Talk Foods
121 North Beach St.
Fort Worth, TX 76111
10 comments:
I'm a huge fan of Town Talk. Once I got little pork roasts, perfect for two or even three people for a dollar each. One may still be in the freezer. They often have good prices on juices and drinks, plus a wide variety of hot sauces.
I've seen Marmite at Fiesta and (I think) Kroger's, although I originally went to the British Emporium in Grapevine for it. My Ash Wednesday meal was two slices of sourdough bread from the Artisan Bread place on White Settlement topped with Marmite and jam (peach is my favorite). I know, it wasn't very penitential, was it! What I really want to try is the New Zealand Marmite, said to be different from the English. But if it's like Vegemite, you can keep it. That really is nasty stuff!
I remember in Oxford we used to dare each other to eat mouthfuls of the stuff. It just makes me shudder to think about it....
*Love* Town Talk. When I refer to the "scratch-and-dent grocery store" on my blog, that's Town Talk. I buy a lot of my cheese there, when I'm not splurging on Wensleydale with cranberries at Central Market.
Even though I'm getting closer and closer to real, true adulthood, I almost never feel like anything resembling an adult. I wonder if Town Talk is one of those things that might change for me when I grow older, like my taste buds. Right now, Town Talk absolutely terrifies me. My mom used to always shop there -- she still does on occasion --, and it is just a scary thought that if you don't eat this stuff right here, right now, right as it comes out of the grocery bags, it could go bad just like that *snaps fingers and shudders*
I used to pass this place all the time on my commute and I've always wondered if it's worth a visit. I love a bargain- might have to check it out if I"m on that side of town.
Rambler: I take it you liked the Artisan Bread place? And as far as the Ash Wednesday meal -- I'd say that's pretty meager.
Tyler: I think you hit it right. According to Marian our kids hated the place. Thomas wouldn't go in.
Sunni: Go in, it's ...hmmm ...different.
Andrew: that was before, during or after the 30th pub of the night?
Lynn: designer cheeses is not it's specialty.
Thanks.
I did like the sourdough bread. It had a good flavor (mild, not sharp), though I prefer a heartier texture - when I bite into bread, I like it to put up a fight. I really liked the store and plan to try some more of their wares. What a cool place.
Mouthfuls of Marmite? College students are animals. And I do so miss being one... though I wouldn't live through some of my stunts at this point.
We once bought chicken at TownTalk that had the texture of whale blubber. We have thrown things out that we have bought there. But, HEAR ME, we love TT and are regular customers. So if the above sounds negative it just one of those things that make TT fun. It is an unusual store, sometimes VERY good bargains, and always something new. And there is ALWAYS something we buy that is useful (we aren't into novelty shopping). Sometimes we find special dietary things like Atkins diet candy bars. Those are expensive at regular stores, but at TT it was a good deal, we bought a bunch & froze 'em. We had one other special dietary need for a relative and regularly find something that fits that need. We'll keep going back and we live within 5 miles. But here's the true test, if we lived 20 miles away, we'd still go! Greg G
I DO live 20+ miles away and try to go on a regular basis. I love TT. Its especially good if you are going to have a party or get together. I have found really great ready-to-go appitizers there on a regular basis, stuff that would have cost me 4x's as much had I bought them at Tom Thumb and the like.
Wensleydale cheese with cranberries is $3.99 lb. while it lasts. Tastes great along with lots of other gourmet cheese.
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