Store Wars 

Once again, Creative Loafing has tasked me, the paper's resident food critic, with the mission of seeking out what's good, or lacking, in Charlotte's grocery stores. Since last year's edition of "Store Wars," much has changed in the local supermarket scene. Trader Joe's opened in south Charlotte and in the University area, with a third store planned for Midtown. Whole Foods has a planned store in SouthPark without an opening date. BI-LO is testing out its new super store in Matthews, and the light rail has finally stopped at the 7th Street Station location in front of Reid's.

The newest battle in the grocery store wars is that of the eco-friendly bag. Soon, baggers will no longer ask "paper or plastic?" Instead, savvy shoppers will tote "environmentally sound" bags sold from $1 to $5. These bags herald the return of the proverbial market basket; expect an explosion of creativity to define these new bags now that plastic is passé. Some grocers have banned plastic altogether. Whole Foods prohibited all plastic bags on Earth Day this year.

In Charlotte, store bags vary from the plain-Jane Harris Teeter bag to the colorful onslaught of Trader Joe's surfer bag. I haven't seen much cross contamination -- shoppers carrying other store's bags into a competitor's -- but as the design wars heat up, this will surely follow. Should it matter to a store whether a competitor's bag is used at checkout? John Bauer of the Home Economist wryly noted, "I don't care whose bag it is, as long as they fill it up at our store."

With rising food and transportation costs, the competition among grocers has intensified. A sign on Trader Joe's eggs reminds their customers that the Grade A large white eggs are still $1.79 a dozen. This month, the independently owned natural food store Talley's Green Grocery in Dilworth announced their closing, noting it had become more difficult to compete with larger chains. Indeed, more and more area grocers have expanded their organic and natural foods selections.

While Charlotte still does not have markets like some European cities, the amount of prepared and organic foods seems to have expanded exponentially during the past year. Here's my take on what some of the Queen City's grocery stores have to offer:

TRADER JOE'S

Sometimes Trader Joe's is so mad with shoppers, you can't find a cart or a parking space. And that's outside. Inside can be just as chaotic. The store is small, but packed with great buys. Two Buck Chuck is the rallying cry of the wine department -- it's not really a department ... more of a stack-'em-high section. And the cost is three bucks, not two, for the Charles Shaw proprietary wines.

The produce section is small and can be easily eclipsed by a visit to a farmers market. But, one of my favorite buys at Trader Joe's is the guacamole basket: two avocados, a jalapeño, garlic, and Roma tomatoes packaged together for $2.49. The bakery has bread for people with food allergies, good pita, and hand-braided challah. The all-cooked sushi rolls, on the other hand, are not good and should be avoided.

What brings folks back to Trader Joe's, however, are the thousands of private-label items like the $1 jars of marinara sauce or the $2 jars of roasted red peppers. The frozen food aisle is filled with fantasy: three pieces of naan for $1; a stack of burritos for a couple of bucks. The store's lime chili peanuts have an independent following. The drawback is once you get hooked, a product may not be offered again since there is a constant turnover of the more than 2,000 unique items on Trader Joe's private label. Hence the chaotic frenzy inside.

TRADER JOE'S QUICK TAKE

Layout: Bright, tall shelves, wide aisles, laid-back employees.

Produce: Average.

Fish Department: None, all packaged. Frozen paella ingredients.

Meat Department: None, all packaged.

Bakery: None on site. Hand-braided challah.

Prepared Foods: Avoid the sushi.

Specialty Items: Excellent.

International: Large and mixed in.

Finds: Great prices on almost everything. Frozen naan and empanadas, inexpensive olive oil, marinara sauce, candies and nuts.

Hours: 9 a.m. until 9 p.m. daily.

Trader Joe's, 6418 Rea Road

HOME ECONOMIST

In the late 1970s, Home Economist started selling bulk flour in a small storefront in Plaza Midwood -- when Independence had a couple of lanes and lots of stoplights. Betty York created the store to provide quality ingredients to home cooks. Her employees were all graduates with degrees in, you guessed it, home economics.

Today, Home Economist has expanded to three stores and is known for their variety of natural foods and their vegetarian and vegan prepared foods. The 18,000-square-foot store in the Sedgefield Shopping Center in South End is only a block from a light rail stop (behind the Pepsi plant), and the building itself was formerly a Teeter (not a Harris Teeter). The ambiance is created by the wooden floors and shelving not higher than eye level.

The produce section is small, organic, and some products are local. The prepared-food section has a Mediterranean slant with house-made white flour pita and Lebanese baba ghanoush. In addition to groceries, the store sells vitamins and homeopathic items.

HOME ECONOMIST QUICK TAKE

Layout: Easy and organic -- lots of wood.

Produce: Small, but organic.

Fish Department: Small.

Meat Department: Small.

Bakery: Small.

Prepared Foods: Many vegan and vegetarian dishes as well as Lebanese.

Finds: Freshly made pita breads, bulk Voortman cookies.

Hours: Monday through Saturday 8 a.m. until 8 p.m.; Sunday 11 a.m. until 6 p.m.

Home Economist, 2707 South Blvd.

HARRIS TEETER

A few weeks ago when I was purchasing shrimp at the Arboretum Harris Teeter, the seafood manager told me he was scheduled to visit a shrimp boat operation in South Carolina and that he just got back from an oyster harvest on Chesapeake Bay. He noted that three stores in the Charlotte region -- Morrocroft, Cotswold, and the Arboretum -- go on these trips. These stores also have the largest variety of seafood; especially shellfish -- from dry scallops ($10.99 per pound) to heads-on shrimp.

Harris Teeter, headquartered in Matthews, first opened in 1936 on Central Avenue in Plaza Midwood. Today the company has 18,000 employees and operates in seven states. That's a lot of buying power. They have only two flagship stores in the Charlotte area: Morrocroft and Cotswold. These stores feature amenities such as freshly baked pizza; hot and cold buffet lines (including an Asian buffet); large ready-to-eat counters; a bakery; sushi made to order; as well as an expansive fresh produce section with a growing quantity of organic and international fruits and vegetables.

The Morrocroft Harris Teeter, aka the Taj MaTeeter, is constantly upgrading. The wine "shop" is staffed with knowledgeable people and the prepared-food area takes up a sizeable amount of floor space. The antipasto bar ($6.99 per pound) has 36 bins, while salads run $4.99, and hot and cold buffets are $6.99. Bread is from L.A.'s La Brea and a proprietary brand. Local bakery Nova has breads on the shelves, and gigantic $5 paninis are grilled while you wait.

On the other side of the store are meats and a seafood department that carries mussels, clams, lobsters, shrimp (farm and wild) and a decent selection of fins. Smoked white fish (for you New Yorkers and Floridians) is available here.

HARRIS TEETER QUICK TAKE

Layout: Takes a few visits to get the pattern down.

Fish Department: Above average.

Meat Department: Above average. Will cut or grind beef to order. (Ground turkey, pork and lamb is prepackaged.) Lamb cuts include chops and shoulders and usually in stock.

Prepared Foods: Very good. Paninis and antipasto bar recommended.

Specialty Items: Average.

International: Above average with a variety of Indian, British/Irish, Asian, and Latino items. The Arboretum has more international items.

Finds: Augusta's Pimento Cheese (locally made) and manager's special sales. Customer service is first rate. For to-go foods, call in your order and drive by to pickup.

Hours: Open 24 hours daily.

Harris Teeter Morrocroft, 6701 Morrison Blvd.

LOWES FOODS

Lowes Foods, a supermarket chain headquartered in Winston-Salem, started in Wilkesboro in 1954 and has more than 100 stores in the Carolinas and Virginia. All 12 of the Lowes Foods in the Charlotte area offer the same selections and are approximately the same size.

Lowes has a reputation for high-quality and well-priced organic produce as well as a variety of fruits and vegetables. Recently the seafood department has blossomed and now carries fresh octopus ($3.99 per pound) and squid ($5.99 per pound) daily. Beef dominates the meat counter; no lamb here. The larger-than-a-Target pet section carries a vast amount of dog, cat, and fish food, including Fresh Pet Select packaged dog food in a refrigerator case.

The wide aisles here make shopping easy. A large freezer section contains such treats as excellent frozen pizza dough, Kosher and New York Italian-styled foods. The organic cereals are intermingled with regular cereals.

LOWES QUICK TAKE

Layout: Easy to navigate. Curved aisles.

Produce: Excellent.

Fish Department: Getting better.

Meat Department: Will cut or grind beef to order. Organics available.

Prepared Foods: Very good.

Specialty Items: Above Average, especially frozen Italian dishes.

International: Average.

Finds: Italian Bread a la the American Northeast, frozen pizza dough, kosher ice cream snacks, Point Reyes Blue Cheese, refrigerated dog food, cooking classes

Hours: 6 a.m. until midnight daily.

Lowes Foods, 10828 Providence Road, in the Promenade on Providence Shopping Center.

COMPARE FOODS SUPERMARKET

You may feel like you are not in Charlotte -- or the United States for that matter -- once inside a Compare store. And the prices are truly out of this world, too. At Compare, limes are eight for $1 -- and that's not a sale price. Trays filled with dried chilies are sold by the pound: pasilla, puya, monta, chipotle, ancho, arbol and guajillo ($4.99 to $5.99 per pound). Near these items are bins of Mexican squash, bags of fresh banana leaves, corn husks, Hass avocados, and green or mature plantains.

In the interior, a half aisle is devoted to corn oil. Although the international section is limited, they do carry gallons of African palm oil, and pork lard is sold at the meat counter. The meat bins are filled with packaged ox tail, goat shoulders, seven-bone steak, offal, smoked pork neck bones as well as a variety of beef, pork, and chicken cuts.

Compare started in Queens, New York in 1978, and now has four stores in Charlotte with more in New York, Connecticut, Rhode Island, Massachusetts, and South Carolina. Language can be challenging, depending on the department, but the cashiers speak English.

In addition to the produce, the bakery is worthy of an extended stay. Loaves of bread are 79 cents each, and cookies, bread puddings, pastries and muffins are baked throughout the day. Wedding and special occasion cakes are available by order. New is the jewelry counter and an abbreviated clothing shop just inside the main door.

COMPARE FOODS QUICK TAKE

Layout: Easy to navigate, but plain.

Produce: Excellent fruit prices, inexpensive, extensive root and chile section.

Fish Department: Mainly fins.

Meat Department: Includes goat and offal.

Prepared Foods: Excellent Latino bakery and sandwich counter. Best Cuban sandwich in the city ($4.75).

Specialty Items: The entire store.

International: Small, but has Africa fu fu flour and palm oil and Jamaican hot sauces.

Finds: 20 pound bag of rice for $9.99; Jamaican curry powder; coconut juice; a variety of Mexican, Spanish and Argentine chorizo; two-pound bags of flour or corn tortillas (about 50) for $1.59.

Hours: 7 a.m. until 10 p.m. daily.

Compare Foods 5610 E. Independence Blvd.

THE FRESH MARKET

This fall, The Fresh Market will open its third location in the Charlotte area in Cornelius (20623 Torrence Chapel Road). This store will have expanded meat and seafood counters, a floral and gift section, enhanced lighting, a deli island with a wide assortment of prepared foods, an improved selection of organic items, and a bakery. The Fresh Market is a regional grocer established in Greensboro in 1982. The company now owns more than 60 stores.

What brings shoppers to The Fresh Market is both the quality of food, the helpfulness of the employees and the convenience. Additionally The Fresh Market at Strawberry Hill sells locally grown food, such as South Carolina's McBee peaches, in front of the store during the summer months.

The Strawberry Hill store, with a backdrop of classical music and strategically lit counters, is often teeming with carts and kids making the aisles congested. Bins of coffees, candies, grains, spices, nuts and seeds can be bought by the pound. Seasonal items include German Stollen and flavored Moravian cookies at the winter holidays. Many items at the meat counter are prepared to cook at home while paninis are grilled while you wait. Nueske's bratwurst and Slotkowski sausages are available in the dairy; Ciao Bella gelato and sorbets stand at the ready in the limited freezer section. The meat department takes orders for organic turkeys at Thanksgiving and will always grind and cut meat. The Fresh Market is one of the few places to get freshly ground lamb.

THE FRESH MARKET QUICK TAKE

Layout: Small, and aisles are difficult to navigate when crowded.

Produce: Average, some local items, more and more organic items.

Fish Department: Small, but well chosen.

Meat Department: Excellent, freshly ground lamb available sometimes.

Bakery: Cinnamon buns.

Prepared Foods: Above average; rotisserie chicken costs more, but is worth it. Salsas available in the produce section.

Specialty Items: Excellent vinegar and salad dressing selection.

International: Small.

Finds: Nueske's bratwurst, Ciao Bella Sorbet, and good pita bread.

Hours: Monday through Saturday 9 a.m. through 9 p.m.; Sunday 11 a.m. until 8 p.m.

The Fresh Market, 4223 Providence Road, in Strawberry Hill Shopping Center.

REID'S FINE FOODS

This is Reid's 10th year at its current location, but the store is celebrating its 80th year in business. Now that the light rail has finally started its run, the idea of the 7th Street Station makes sense. Finally you can hop off the train and get a hand-dipped ice cream cone at the end/beginning of the line.

Reid's has an actual butcher (not a meat cutter) in their meat department, regular cooking classes, a well-chosen wine selection and a popular wine club. In addition to wine, Reid's is known for specialty items, custom-made baskets and a full-service gift counter.

Reid's collection of balsamic vinegars takes up several shelves and they have at least 60 varieties of hot sauce, plus a line of proprietary jellies, dressings and sauces. Reid's has always offered shelf space to local products, including the desserts of Tizzerts, Carolina Gold Rice, Crooks Grits, and Augusta's Pimento cheese. The prepared-food section has a crowd at lunch and has tables both inside and out.

REID'S QUICK TAKE

Layout: Easy. Parking is free for 90 minutes.

Produce: Good selection.

Fish Department: Small.

Meat Department: Excellent. Not much is displayed, but the butcher will get you whatever you want.

Bakery: Good. Desserts by Tizzerts, fresh chocolates.

Prepared Foods: Large.

Specialty Items: Superb.

International: Small.

Finds: Good Wives frozen crab puff pastries, extensive hot sauce collection, hand-dipped ice cream cones.

Hours: Monday through Saturday 7 a.m. until 8 p.m.; Sunday 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Reid's Fine Foods, 225 East 7th St. Free 90-minute parking. Baggers will help you to the parking deck.

EARTH FARE

Last year, a second Earth Fare, with its earth-toned interior, opened in SouthPark. This store is 25,000 square feet; much of this is devoted to prepared food. This may be one grocery interior that Michael Pollan would agree customers need not bypass since the effort here is to be trans-fat and high-fructose corn syrup free.

Earth Fare is a regional grocer based in Asheville and founded 1975. Currently Earth Fare has more than a dozen stores in the Southeast. They carry Homestead (a dairy farm in the Virginia Blue Ridge) glass bottled chocolate milk, a good cheese selection, shade grown coffees, and organic wines. The staff behind the meat counter is informed and will order what they don't carry.

EARTH FARE QUICK TAKE

Layout: Moderate. Overall the store is dark and makes you feel nocturnal.

Produce: Small, but lots of organics.

Fish Department: Average.

Meat Department: Above average. Australian grass-fed beef, whole organic and domestic legs of lamb, helpful meat cutters.

Bakery: Cookies, breads, lots of samples.

Prepared Foods: Expanded with a buffet, soup counter, and an eat-in café.

Specialty Items: Abundance of products for people (and animals) with dietary restrictions.

International: Not the focus here.

Finds: Local Grateful Growers organic Italian sausage; high-quality dry-bin bulgur; good cheese selection; organic wines; and cooking classes.

Hours: Monday through Saturday 8 a.m. until 10 p.m.; Sunday 9 a.m. until 9 p.m.

Earth Fare, 721 Governor Morrison St.

BI-LO

The Dilworth store of the Mauldin, S.C.-based BI-LO on Park Road is the store that time forgot. Located in what had once been a Kroger, the ambiance is retro without urbane kitsch. From the floors to the lack of color, the whole store seems like a throwback. But, BI-LO is charting another course in the area with the opening of the 24/7, 58,000-square-foot Super BI-LO at the corner of Weddington and McKee Roads in Matthews. This store features an expanded organic produce section, a coffee shop with a Wi-Fi café, and a drive-through pharmacy. For now, the BI-LO in Dilworth doesn't have much to recommend.

BI-LO QUICK TAKE

Layout: Large and quite old.

Produce: Below average.

Fish Department: Packaged

Meat Department: All packaged.

Bakery: Only on shelves.

Prepared Foods: Small.

Specialty Items: Below average.

International: Small.

Hours: 7 a.m. until 11 p.m. daily.

BI-LO, 2226 Park Road