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PRODUCT REVIEWS FROM WALMART'S GROCERY DEPARTMENT

Walmart has become the largest grocer in the world.

In the post-pandemic economy their low prices are attracting new customers.

Over the past few decades, Walmart has morphed into a logistical and economic monstrosity. With such size comes power-- the ability to greatly benefit the regional citizenry, and also to destroy some of the traditional aspects their communities. From my perspective through a truck windshield, Walmart has managed to do both-- I've personally driven through many midwestern downtowns entirely boarded up, and yet on the outskirts there sat Walmarts providing fresh produce along with their usual cheap clothes and hardware to folks who otherwise might be grocery-shopping at gas stations and subsisting on Slim Jims and beef jerky.

Yes, Walmart's prices are typically the lowest for any given branded grocery item. But is it a place to shop for the fabulous ingredients we use to create the recipes and dishes for DANNY'S TABLE? Yes, as it turns out... or at least sometimes.

Here are three winners--

FISH

We are very careful about our seafood sources. Origin is important, and chain-of-custody even more so. The big winner-- the only winner so far, truth be told-- is the Argentinean farm-raised Steelhead. Seafood nomenclature is a bitch, mind you, and "Steelhead" means different things in different places... it is biologically a trout but often seems to self-identify more as a salmon. (HERE is the official explanation.) Our unofficial take is that farm-raised Steelhead is practically indistinguishable from farm-raised Atlantic Salmon, and that for $10.56/lb., Walmart's Steelhead is a fabulous buy.

MEAT

I love meat, and sausage is my favorite meat. Andouille is my favorite sausage, and smoked andouille is my favorite andouille. Chef Bruce Aidells, meanwhile, is famous for elevating sausage a high culinary art form beginning four decades ago. And so when I saw his namesake Smoked Andouille Sausage available at Walmart for a mere $6.97/lb., I couldn't add it to my cart fast enough. Highly recommended for Jamablaya, Gumbo, or simply frying up for breakfast. (HERE is a comprehensive resource for New Orleans cookery.)

In 1970 a lesser-known country singer named Guy Drake released "Welfare Cadillac," a song that naturally aroused political passions. It was with this tune in mind that I added a Walmart Wagyu NY Strip Steak to my shopping cart. For $27.98/lb., it is way less expensive than Wagyu from my usual mailorder sources... and one taste confirmed that yes, it is indeed genuine Wagyu. If you ever see anyone buying it with an EBT card at Walmart, you might well experience-- rightly or wrongly-- emotions similar to those aroused by "Welfare Cadillac" half a century ago. If so, here's a Pro Tip: MYOB.

OTHER STUFF

The good news is that not only is Walmart the largest grocer in the world, it is also the world's largest retailer of organic produce. The bad news, as such, is that their produce prices are not appreciably lower than those at my local supermarket. But we do recommend scouring Walmart's food section aisles for bargain-priced staples like ketchup, mustard, olive oil, and rice. Just be careful (as one always should be) to read the fine print in order to ascertain the country of origin.