Bottom-feeders' bonanza: a Draper gourmet grocer with unfathomable prices.

by Contributor

The Scene

Light, airy, spacious warehouse with aisle upon aisle of delectable edibles. You'll find fancy soups, crusty breads, imported pastas and olive oils, hard-to-find mustards and condiments, an impressive selection of alcohol-free wines and dozens of cocktail mixers. A refrigerated section offers beer, sausages and cheeses. It's all set to a tropical soundtrack, heavy on tunes by Jimmy Buffett. The owner is a former supplier to venerable West Coast gourmet discounter Trader Joe's. It shows.

The Goods

Selection is vast, and prices are good. But the real booty lies in the specials: imported pasta for 50 cents a pound (regularly $.79 to $2.69); Volker's sourdough baguettes for $1.50 (regularly $3); Desert Pepper salsas for $2.25 (regularly $4.15). There's a large selection of curry pastes and chutneys by Patak's, and six-packs by microbrewers McStiff's, Squatters, Red Hook and Boulder Ale. Highly recommended: Frisch-Gurken pickles by Krugermann and Cantare's fresh black-and-green olive tapenade.

09/14/02

Fantastic goodies--in Draper?!

by feh

If you've been missing Trader Joe's, don't despair. Pirate O's has all kinds of gourmet goodies at acceptable prices--and they run sales! If you're coming from a long distance for a particular product, be sure to call ahead, though. These folks have a tendency to understock, or sometimes one boorish customer will come through and buy up all the Orangina (you know who you are, miscreant!).

• Pros: good stuff, acceptable prices, friendly service
• Cons: often understocked