New beginnings again! And fettuccine nests.

Aah, yet another year plus has passed without a post!  What can I say, life has been full.  Work picked up speed, free time went to maximizing our last year as a family of two, and now any extra time is spent resting and catching up on chores while our little monster sleeps.  The cooking and baking hasn't stopped, though the degree of difficulty and experimenting has sure plateaued.  Hopefully it'll slowly pick up speed again.  I'm inspired by my many mom friends (of multiple kids!) who still seem to cook and bake just as much as pre-kid days!

In the meantime, we were at Costco last week and saw this new item: Spinach and Egg Fettuccine Nests by Monte Pollino, made in San Francisco.

Bag of fettuccine nests from Costco

Each 3 lb bag comes with 8 fettuccine nests for $8.99.  Two nests were the perfect amount for dinner for the two of us, though the husband eats double portions (and loves pasta) so two pasta nests could probably feed 3-4 average eaters.  We really enjoyed this pasta!  We cooked it with a lemon garlic spinach sauce so I couldn't really taste the egg or spinach flavor as distinctly.  The noodles are slightly thicker than normal fettuccine, thus giving it a great bite or "QQ" texture.

This might be a local SF Bay Area Costco product and possibly seasonal.  It's a little more pricey than the standard Costco pasta, almost 3 times the cost actually since you can get almost 9 lbs of spaghetti for $9.99.  If this were a regular product I would probably alternate between this and the regular pasta.  Since it might be limited though, I'll be picking up another bag if I see it again next trip. :)          

Review of Costco Hawaiian Poke in California

Hawaiian Poke at California Costcos

By now most of you in California (at least in the Bay Area, Orange County, or San Diego) have probably noticed Hawaiian Poke making appearances at your local Costco.  The list of stores seems has been growing since my initial sighting in April and it sounds like their test period has been successful - the poke bar may be here to stay.  A recent trip revealed that poke prices run around $16.99/lb to $17.99/lb for varieties of ahi tuna poke and $11.99/lb for shrimp poke.  The poke bar may or may not be a stable addition to your local Costco.  I've seen some places carry it consistently each week and other places carry it only occasionally whenever the blue seafood kiosk is in the store.

Poke in the Bay Area

So, how does the poke compare?

Hawaiian Poke at More California Costcos!

Since my original sighting of Hawaiian ahi tuna poke at a Bay Area Costco last month, many more Costco locations have started selling poke.  Today I even saw it at my local Costco being sold alongside other fresh seafood like shrimp and crabs.  The employee said he wasn't sure how long they'd be there, but that it would make a regular appearance at least a couple times a month.  I'm guessing it'll be there whenever they have the fresh seafood counter.  Is there a set schedule for the seafood counter?  Friends and readers have also spotted poke at their local Costcos, though the exact schedule for the locations listed below is still unconfirmed.

Friends in Orange County have also sighted the poke at the District Costco in Tustin where it is being sold on the weekends.  

See the original list of Bay Area Costco warehouses carrying poke!

Newly spotted locations:

Costco Northeast San Jose (possibly twice a month)
1709 Automation Parkway
San Jose, CA 95131

Costco Danville
3150 Fostoria Way
Danville, CA 94526

Costco Sunnyvale
150 Lawrence Station Rd
Sunnyvale, CA 94086

Costco Mountain View
1000 N Rengstorff Ave
Mountain View, CA 94043

Costco Fremont
43621 Pacific Commons Blvd
Fremont, CA 94538

Costco Tustin (weekends only)
2700 Park Ave
Tustin, CA 92782-2708

Poke bar @ Bay Area Costco

Poke spotted at Costco in California!!

Imagine my surprise as I walked into a Bay Area Costco this week and saw a poke bar!  Usually found only in Hawaii, they carried all the same varieties of wasabi, shoyu, and spicy ahi poke - albeit at slightly higher prices.  The Costco employee didn't know if it would be a permanent counter but said it was there for at least this week.  Maybe they are doing a test run to see if it's popular enough to keep around.  I had to try it, even if just for the novelty of seeing the poke bar in California.  I got the Wasabi Poke at $17.99/lb and it was good but could have had a stronger wasabi flavor.  There was a 1/2 lb minimum purchase so I ended up eating all of it for lunch since I had other errands afterwards.  Given the warm weather lately it wouldn't have made it home anyway, right? ;)

As an avid Costco lover, one of the highlights of my trip to Hawaii a few years ago was visiting Costco.  We love visiting Costco when we travel, even within California, just to see the different, local products they may carry.  We've found beer from local breweries, new snacks, and even different food court items.  In Hawaii, one locally made product we tried was a tray of fresh mochi with different flavors ranging from green tea to blueberry to peanut better and jelly.  The mochi was so soft and pillowy!

Costco Hawaii, 2010: Poke bar and fresh mochi

The other notable Costco item was the poke bar - different varieties of freshly made poke sold by weight. Poke is a raw seafood salad typically made with tuna sashimi marinated with things like soy sauce, sesame seeds, furikake, and wasabi.  It's a common appetizer found throughout Hawaii and something I wouldn't mind eating as a main meal mixed with some salad greens.

Has anyone else seen poke at their local Costco lately?
UPDATE:  Flown in from Oahu weekly. Available Tuesday-Sunday.
UPDATE 2: See more Costco locations where Hawaiian poke has been spotted!

Spotted at:
Costco Almaden
5301 Almaden Expy
San Jose, CA 95118

Reportedly at the following Bay Area locations as well:

Costco Redwood City

2300 Middlefield Rd

Redwood City, CA 94063

Costco Downtown San Francisco
450 10th Street
San Francisco, CA 94103

Costco Concord

2400 Monument Blvd
Concord, CA 94520

A Costco dinner...

After a week plus of honeymooning bliss in Costa Rica, we returned home to an empty fridge filled only with leftover libations and random condiments.  Off we went to our favorite store, Costco, to stock up on some edibles and other unintended purchases.  Our first formal meal (aka not packaged ramen and candy) in our new home was made possible entirely thanks to Costco.  Sun-dried tomato panko breaded tilapia filets, sauteed french green beans and carrots, and a Mediterranean couscous blend.  The tilapia filets came pre-breaded from the fresh fish section and developed a nice crispy crust with simple pan frying.  We sauteed the veggies with just garlic and olive oil.  For the couscous, we used chicken stock in lieu of water to impart more flavor and also mixed in some sauteed garlic.  It's nice to be home. :)