Taste of the Town readers locate hard-to-find items in Las Vegas
July 4, 2018
Once handy but now hard-to-find items often turn up in the most unexpected places. For Rex Strong, John Fellows emailed that Del Monte sweet pickle relish should be available in most Filipino markets; he suggested Island Pacific Seafood Market at 8650 W. Tropicana Ave., and there’s another location at 467 E. Silverado Ranch Blvd. Marie Leavitt reported finding it at Walmart and said she has ordered it online at mybrands.com. Phyllis Hendrickson said it’s available at Smart & Final at 8485 W. Sahara Ave., and John Bradley found it at Smart & Final at 4439 W. Charleston Blvd.
More on XLNT brick chili mix: Therese Van Ryn Ainsworth found it at Smart & Final at 10050 S. Eastern Ave., where she said 1-pound and 5-pound bricks are in the open freezer case, near the tamales and taquitos.
More on Polly-O: Sue Bognaski recommended Rocco’s NY Italian Deli at 1181 S. Buffalo Drive; a call confirmed that it carries the ricotta.
More reader requests
Sharon Lowenstein is looking for restaurants that serve half duck a l’orange, or similar dishes.
Pat and Jennifer Fautt are looking for Tomato Magic pizza sauce and DiNapoli crushed or whole canned tomatoes, which they used to get at Glazier’s Food Marketplace.
Donna Shoulhoub is looking for Oscar Mayer braunschweiger, which she used to get at Glazier’s.
Ed Terris is looking for Sun Tropics Passion Orange Guava juice, which he used to get at Sprouts Farmers Market.
Shannon Merrill is looking for a local source for Tony Roma’s barbecue sauce.
And Jack Wiseman is looking for 8-inch hot-dog buns, to go with Costco’s 8-inch hot dogs.
Readers?
June 27, 2018
Jeralyn Elsasser is looking for a local source for Chicken Vesuvio similar to that served at Harry Caray’s in Chicago. While we can’t vouch for the recipes’ similarity, we do have two suggestions from Taste of the Town readers. Roberta Laible said she likes the version at Pasta Mia West at 4455 W. Flamingo Road, and has ordered it at least a dozen times. And Valerie Weinberg said although the dish isn’t on the menu at Johnny Mac’s at 842 S. Boulder Highway in Henderson, it’s often one of the specials, and she suggested calling ahead to request it.
For Jennifer Esposito, who’s looking for Polly-O ricotta and mozzarella, Laura Ring said the 15-ounce ricotta, in whole or skim milk, is available at Whole Foods Market.
More on small chickens: Echoing other readers’ complaints, Pat McManis said that when making her Southern fried chicken, “the huge birds coming to the market won’t do.” She reported finding 3-pound chickens at Larry’s Great Western Meats, 420 S. Valley View Blvd.
More reader requests
Henry Moss is looking for molasses cookies.
Bill Chavera is looking for a market that sells monkfish, preferably in the northwestern part of the valley.
Cheryl Ferguson is looking for a local source for Feast From the East Sesame Dressing.
Joy Kelpis is looking for unsmoked pork hocks.
Peter Mastrostefano is looking for Breyers Cherry Vanilla ice cream.
And Barbara Metzger is looking for a local source for Peter Luger’s steak sauce, which she used to get at Glazier’s Food Marketplace.
Readers?
June 20, 2018
One of the recurring sought-after items in Taste of the Town over the years has been XLNT chili, a “brick” chili starter to which one adds beans, vegetables, etc. Tom Vanderleest is the most recent reader to search for the product from this 100-year-old company, and fellow readers have come to his rescue. Richard Mennart, Rex Strong and Deanna Runyen all reported finding it at Albertsons, but specified that it’s in the freezer section, not the deli, as it used to be.
For Bob Moos, who’s looking for fresh beef liver, Phyllis Persicketti reported finding it at Smith’s at 3013 W. Craig Road in North Las Vegas, and Paula Nuzzo recommended Larry’s Great Western Meats at 420 S. Valley View Blvd.
For Ray Levesque, Ann Brown said potato rolls are available at Smith’s at 9350 W. Flamingo Road.
More on kluski noodles: Sheila Figarsky sent a photo of a bag of Manischewitz brand, which she has found among the kosher foods at Smith’s and Vons.
More reader requests
Strong is looking for frozen, sweetened sliced strawberries and Del Monte sweet pickle relish.
Juliann Schnabel is looking for Italian cookies and Drake’s Funny Bones, both of which she used to get at Glazier’s Food Marketplace.
Mike Hansen is looking for walleye fillets, which he used to get at Glazier’s, and ring bologna.
Marti Munns is looking for Portuguese linguica, preferably the Silva brand.
Lucy Schoonover is looking for puffy tacos similar to the ones she used to get in San Antonio.
And Bob Elsasser is looking for Lan Chi Chili Paste with garlic.
Readers?
June 13, 2018
Eileen Taylor is looking for Wunderbar bologna, which she used to find at Walmart or Albertsons, and her wunderbar fellow Taste of the Town readers know where it is. The answer: Walmart — or at least some Walmarts.
After finding it at a Walmart in Phoenix, James Johnson discovered it at the store at 3075 E. Tropicana Ave. Bob Merten found it at the store at 6005 S. Eastern Ave. And Bob and Sally Harnish, who winter in Yuma, Ariz., and visit Las Vegas twice a year, spotted it at Walmart at 300 E. Lake Mead Parkway in Henderson.
For John Thomas, who’s looking for Daisy all-beef skinless hot dogs, Dottie Shull-Krob emailed that the company ships from their store at daisybrandsausage.com (866-653-2479). “Be prepared for expensive S&H,” she said. The company ships products on Tuesdays by FedEx in a cooler box with reusable ice packs, and the charge for orders up to $100 is $35, although it drops proportionately as order amount goes up.
More reader requests
David Christiansen is looking for Redmond Real Salt.
Dani Carducci, noting that most local supermarkets sell Claussen refrigerated pickles, is looking for the company’s refrigerated relish.
Marcia Socolik is looking for Joey’s Mini Black & Whites and Joey’s Mini Linzer Tarts, which she used to get at Glazier’s Food Marketplace.
Helene Lonick of Mesquite is looking for Chris & Pitts’ barbecue sauce.
Lawrence Zoller is looking for a local sources for Jerusalem artichokes.
And Dolly Terrien is looking for canned tiny shrimp for use in her shrimp salad. She used to find the Geisha brand at Smith’s and Walgreens.
Readers?
June 6, 2018
Not so many years ago, Las Vegas had a store dedicated to English foods. Sources narrowed when it closed, but fellow Taste of the Town readers have suggestions for Rita Roberts.
Hilary Grillet, Jean Jennings and Ann Brown recommended Cost Plus World Market, which has stores at 2151 N. Rainbow Blvd. and 3890 Blue Diamond Road. Grillet and Ruth Jagodzinski recommended the International Marketplace at 5000 S. Decatur Blvd., which Grillet said has a “wonderful section with frozen foods, too;” she also praised the English crumpets at Trader Joe’s. Jennings and Jagodzinski also suggested Tina’s Gourmet Sausage House at 2101 S. Decatur Blvd.
For Virginia Brasch, who’s looking for kluski, which are Polish-style noodles, Brown said a good substitute is Company Pasta’s egg noodles, which she has found at Walmart and Smith’s.
And for all those readers searching for Green Goddess salad dressing, Larry Cox said Trader Joe’s now carries it.
More reader requests
Virginia Schneider is looking for Bohemian bread.
Joe Lowery is looking for vegetable salt.
Miriam is looking for Nathan’s dill pickles, which she used to get at Glazier’s Food Marketplace.
Kent Taber is looking for Aunt Hattie’s Cinnamon Raisin bread, which he used to get at Walmart and Winco (and which he said is baked in a factory in North Las Vegas that doesn’t have a retail store).
Julie Bridinger Lochner is looking for Cordon’s Old Fashioned Country Style Horseradish, which she finds in Utah.
And Jeralyn Elsasser is looking for Chicken Vesuvio similar to that served at Harry Caray’s in Chicago (where it’s prepared with quartered potatoes, peas, garlic and white wine).
Readers?
May 30, 2018
Barbara Jacques is looking for another item that’s become hard to find — large-curd cottage cheese — and her fellow Taste of the Town readers have spotted a number of sources.
Ann Brown, Barbara Moos and Paula Stewart found it at Smith’s. Bernie Osborne found the Great Value brand at Walmart. And Yolanda Gentile found Lucerne brand at Albertsons at 190 N. Boulder Highway in Henderson.
More on frog legs: Marlene Drozd said they’re also available at Andre’s Bistro & Bar at 6115 S. Fort Apache Road.
More on halvah: Scott Hebel of Hebel & Co. emailed to say they manufacture halvah in Los Angeles, and though they don’t sell it by the wheel, “it’s just about the freshest halvah one can get, shipped directly to your doorstep.” Visit hebelco.com.
More on instant coffee: Judy Baker recommended Folgers Coffee Singles, which come in bags (like tea bags) and which she gets at the Walmart Neighborhood Market at 6310 W. Charleston Blvd.
More on Farmer John hams: Gloria Castricone said she found her Easter ham at Smart & Final.
More reader requests
Al Wirtzbaum is looking for bagna cauda salad dressing.
Ray Levesque is looking for potato rolls or finger rolls, which he used to get at Walmart.
Rita Roberts is looking for a store that sells English foods.
Jennifer Esposito is looking for Polly-O ricotta and mozzarella, which she used to get at Glazier’s and Smith’s.
And Ron Camillo is looking for Millani dill sauce, Alexander & Hornung knockwurst and Kowalski fresh liver sausage.
Readers?
May 23, 2018
For Sara Shulman Fraga, who’s looking for halvah that can be bought from a wheel and is not pre-wrapped, fellow Taste of the Town readers have three suggestions. Deanna Campbell said both plain marbled and marbled with almonds are sold that way at Life’s a Bagel at 2223 N. Rampart Blvd. Sharon Reynolds said wrapped pieces are sold near the register at the Bagel Cafe at 301 N. Buffalo Drive. And Ann Brown said it’s usually available at Bagelmania Bagel Factory and Delicatessen at 855 E. Twain Ave., although she said they were out lately; she recommends calling before going.
For Joe Michael, who’s looking for fresh or frozen veal patties, which he used to get at Glazier’s Food Marketplace, Jim Guynup said the most consistent local source for veal is Village Meat & Wine at 5025 S. Eastern Ave.
And for Phil Pfeifer, who’s looking for restaurants that serve whole-wheat pizza, preferably in the northern or western parts of the valley, Robert Smith said it’s still available at Sammy’s Woodfired Pizza & Grill. Sammy’s has three locations in Las Vegas and Sammy’s Restaurant + Bar at 1501 N. Green Valley Parkway in Henderson.
More reader requests
Tom Vanderleest is looking for XLNT brick chili.
David Levesque is looking for a local source for Brigham’s Frozen Pudding Ice Cream.
John Thomas is looking for Daisy all-beef skinless hot dogs, and Daisy minced or shaved ham.
Virginia Brasch is looking for kluski, which are Polish dumplings/noodles.
And Deborah Sizemore is looking for Bob Evans pork sausage in a one-pound roll. Albertsons was carrying it for a while, but seems to have stopped.
Readers?
Send requests to Heidi Knapp Rinella at hrinella@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0474 (put “Taste of the Town” in the subject line). Follow @HKRinella on Twitter.
