Costco Kimchi, from our friends at The Daily Meal.
Last week Costco opened in Albany, with fawning media coverage worthy of that wedding at Madison Square Garden. We did not brave the crowds (there were long lines and a full parking lot) but are very familiar with Costco from our years in San Francisco. We love the food court hot dogs for weighing in at a fat ¼ lb but we’ll bring our own sauerkraut and crushed red pepper relish because those aren’t among the condiments offered.
That’s a very minor Costco food court hack compared to some you can read about here, like the jochizza which is a mashup of a hot dog, chicken roll and cheese pizza. And the forbidden glizzie, a weiner inserted in the chicken roll which is already stuffed with chunks of grilled chicken breast, creamy Caesar dressing, green onions and three types of cheese, wrapped in a crust made from pizza dough.
Aside from being gut busters in terms of fat and calories, these Costco food court hacks are also a poor value which defeats the purpose of getting a $1.50 hot dog with a bonus soft drink and feeling like you’ve put one over on the house. A smarter buy (because it’s free) is Costco kimchi, combining ketchup, relish and mustard from the condiment machine and chopped onions and pepper flakes which are available on request.
This photo is from 2010, but the Costco food court hot dog is still $1.50 with a refillable soda.
Will we try it? Quite possibly. We believe ketchup has no place on hot dogs but Korean cooking is another story; we use ketchup as a stand-in for gochujang in our Easy Korean Fried Chicken. Too bad we can’t wash it down with a shot of Kirkland Scotch or vodka, since New York’s arcane liquor laws forbid the sale of most alcohol products except in state-licensed liquor stores.
In the early 1980’s(?) I stopped at a BJ’s in Albany. They had a liquor store or maybe a separate area. Not Syracuse or Utica. What changed or got enforced?
I’m membership free now.
Yes, there is a liquor store at BJs in Albany. It’s inside a wire cage in the main store with a separate cashier. I guess that satisfies the requirement for a separate store.
On the other hand, Price Chopper bought a liquor store in Latham recently and wanted to relocate it adjacent to their Market 32 there. The owner of a nearby liquor store complained to the state liquor board this was unfair competition and they agreed. The liquor lobby is very strong.
Pre Covid Wegmans got into some SLA problems with adjacent liquor stores owned by family members, but “independent”. It got papered over. They did and may still serve wine and beer in some in-store Market Cafes.