Zabar's Blog

This week's 50% OFF Zabar's Deal of the Week

50% off savings on a different Zabar’s product each and every week!

This Week's Deal
Libbey Sociable 4pc Wine Glasses
Now Just $9.99 – Regularly $19.98
Through Monday 8/1 at Zabars.com

These lovely glasses feature a wide bowl allowing the intense, fruity aroma room to expand and circulate. Perfect for reds.

And don't forget - if you live within Zabar's Home Zone and order $49 or more your shipping is FREE! Find out if your shipping address is within Zabar's Home Zone on our home page.

Cuisinart 3- Piece Aluminized Steel Baking Sheet Set

Cheese Department Weekly Specials through July 28th

FEATURED CHEESE OF THE WEEK: Kaltbach Cave-Aged Gruyere
Aged for 12 months this smooth-textured cheese is bursting with flavor: nutty and fruity with a gentle pungency, it has warming notes reminiscent of toasted sweet onions and a savory finish. Far less salty than most gruyeres. Made of raw milk.
On Sale this week for $8.98/LB
WE WILL BE SAMPLING THIS CHEESE FROM 3-5pm

Soignon Goat Brie
Sale $6.98/LB

Kaltbach Cave Aged Emmenthal
Sale $5.98/LB

President Double Cream Brie
Sale $3.98/LB - Reg. $7.98/LB

Dutch Yellow Wax Gouda
Sale $4.98/LB

Swiss Appenzeller
Sale $8.98/LB - Reg. $15.98/LB

French Port Salut
Sale $9.98/LB - Reg. $10.98/LB

While Supplies Last!

Zabar's Bagels featured at RealSimple.com!

We couldn't be happier to report that our NY Original Toasting Bagel Box was recently featured as a Unique Foodie Hostess Gift on RealSimple.com!  You can get it two ways; 18 plain, or 6 each plain, poppy, and sesame, and it's only $23.94 including ground shipping!  Did I mention that they're kosher, too? 

Many bagel fans seem to love our NY Original Toasting Bagels as much as we do!  It's been nearly a year since we introduced this particular box on www.zabars.com and it has become hugely popular!  We've sent out over four thousand NY Original Toasting Bagel Boxes since then; that's almost 75,000 bagels!  If you laid all of those bagels on the ground end to end, they would cover the distance across Midtown over two and a half times!  I'm not even counting the thousands more that go into our gift baskets, crates, boxes, and totes, and that are ordered by bagel lovers everywhere who use our Z-Peat repeat delivery service.  We feel the love!

Now, for some delicious eye candy... 

 

A new recipe for Summer Grilled Pizza

from Allison Schraf

Go to the recipe.

Grilling is one of summer's true pleasures, however truth be told, there are only so many burgers one can eat. Enter Grilled Pizza!

It's much easier than you might think, even if you've never made pizza in an oven, grilling it is easy. The dough won’t fall down between the grill grates, plus if you’re using hardwood charcoal the lovely smokiness mimics the flavors imparted by a wood-fired oven. For excellent pizza you want hot cooking temperatures, in the 500°F range, and while nobody wants to crank their oven that high in the summer, grills definitely get that hot. 

Pizza is a great appetizer for outdoor summer parties, too! You can mix flavorings like chopped rosemary, olives, sun dried tomatoes, etc. into the basic dough recipe and make tasty grilled focaccias.

Go to the recipe.

New @ Zabars and in the US! Playmarket Shopping Trolleys!

Do you shop locally?  Do you carry all that you buy for blocks, haul it up and down stairs, or shop where the space is a bit tight?  Do you wish there was a better way to do it all?  For most of us living in cities, especially New York, the answer to these questions is “heck yeah!”  Schlepping your shopping is simply a fact of city life.  

There are plenty of simple, inexpensive shopping carts on the market to help carry the load when we anticipate buying heavy things or a big volume, and they work, but their design has barely changed in decades and they are really very basic.  Isn’t the urban shopper in America eager for a great leap forward in the design and functionality of the carts in which we haul our stuff around?  We think so, and Zabar's is leading the way! 

With great pleasure, we introduce Playmarket Shopping Trolleys!

Playmarket has been designing shopping trolleys for the European market for nearly half a century and are only just beginning to make their wares available to US retailers. Zabar’s is excited to be one of the very first retailers in the entire country to carry these terrific trolleys.  We really think that New Yorkers (and people in other "walking cities") are going to fall in love with these, because a Playmarket trolley is to your basic wire shopping cart as a fully loaded Cadillac is to a Model-T.  We are carrying two models; the Go Up and the Go 2. 

There sure were lots of "oohs" and "ahhs" when we showed the Go Up around to everybody in our offices.  The first things that people noticed were the overall sturdy construction, and the wheels.  The front double wheels swivel, very like those on a stroller, so maneuvering is super easy.  The rear wheels are large and will roll even when the trolley is fully loaded, and its assembly folds for storage and for rolling up stairs.  The non-slip handlebar adjusts to be comfortable for the short, the tall, and people in between. 

We admire the heavy-yet-soft fabric and the machine-washable liner, as well as the large capacity of the bag; this baby holds lots of groceries (or a new set of cookware, or many pairs of fabulous new shoes, or whatever you need carried around)! My personal favorite feature is the big zippered insulated thermal pocket on the front of the bag for cold items.  It also folds down to a teeny 19” w x 25” h x 12” d.  Fantastic, right? 

There are yet more bells and whistles but suffice it to say that we’ve not seen any shopping trolleys in the US that equal those from Playmarket.  I’ll tell you about the sleeker, not-quite-as-tricked-out Playmarket Go Two next time, but if you’ve already decided you have to have the Go Up, it’s available (in Black, Red, and Lilac) online at Zabars.com and in the store. $149.98.  Remember, ground shipping (schlepping?) your order of $49 or more to any address in Zabar’s Home Zone is free.     

Back at Midsummer Night Swing this week

This Friday will be our last Midsummer Night Swing event for this year. If you haven't been yet, stop by! The dancing, music and summer fun should not be missed. Sign up for our Zabar's Gift Raffle.

More about Friday's performers:
Lisandro Meza and Juan José Meza
Friday, July 15, 2011 at 6:00
Dance Lesson at 6:30, Live Music at 7:30

Lisandro Meza is a towering figure who has had huge influence on the creation of cumbia, the traditional dance music of Colombia, with a rootsy, accordion-driven sound. Lisandro takes the stage with his son Juan José Meza as the family musical dynasty continues.

Dance Lesson: Ricardo Torre Teaches Cumbia
DJ: Geko Jones (Que Bajo?! NYC)

Damrosch Park
62nd Street between Columbus and Amsterdam

This week's 50% OFF Zabar's Deal of the Week

50% off savings on a different Zabar’s product each and every week!

This Week's Deal
Zabar's Mini Potato Knishes
Now Just $4.99 – Regularly $9.98
Through Monday 7/18 at Zabars.com

It's easy to see why knishes are nearly the perfect food: warm, homey, and filling. But sometimes too filling! Zabar's knows how it is. That's why we have Mini-Knishes, available in potato, spinach, and mushroom - at this size, you can have one of each. They're also perfect for parties. Shipped fully-cooked and ready for reheating (instructions included). Kosher, too. Yes, we think of everything.

And don't forget - if you live within Zabar's Home Zone and order $49 or more your shipping is FREE! Find out if your shipping address is within Zabar's Home Zone on our home page.

Cuisinart 3- Piece Aluminized Steel Baking Sheet Set

Entertain this Summer with Zabars.com

We're hitting some high temps today in NYC. Summer is so very very here. Here are some really great ideas for cooling off from Zabar's Housewares Department as well as some really nice picnic ideas: rugelagh, cheese plates and Zabar's Picnics - you can't go wrong with these!

 

KitchenAid Professional Immersion Blender
Stick blenders, a fixture in commercial kitchens for decades, are the perfect design for the home kitchen. It's wonderful to be able to whip up a smoothie, blend a frozen beverage, or puree a pot of soup right there in the cooking pot all without dragging out your full sized blender. Plus they are compact and easy to store in a drawer which is a definite plus!

Prepara Volcano Ice Pop Molds
These well-designed ice pop molds produce a pop with a fillable hole. Fill with whipped cream, pudding, frosting or even a bit of something stronger for an adult treat. The base of the handle is a drip tray, and the handle itself is hollow, so any melting ice pop goes down into the handle, not on the floor. These are a great size for smaller hands. 4-pack. BPA Free.

Prepara Ice Ball Molds
These Ice Ball molds are fun to use and allow you to be creative with your drinks. Place mint leaves, whole or sliced berries, slices of citrus, or even edible flowers into the Ice Ball mold, fill with water and freeze. Freeze juices, nectars, or purees in the molds to keep a pitcher or bowl full of cold liquid chilled without diluting it. Get really creative: how about a whole fresh chile frozen into an Ice Ball for a "fire and ice" Bloody Mary? 4-pack. BPA Free.

Zoku Quick Pop Maker
Making frozen treats-on-a-stick is a hallowed rite of summer. With the Quick Pop Maker, not only are you using your own fresh chilled ingredients, it's so fast you can watch them freeze before your eyes in 7-9 minutes! The most basic pops can be made with your favorite naturally-sweetened juices, fruit purees, yogurts, and soft drinks. Or have a blast making them multi-layered and with thin slices of fruit! Definitely not just for kids - mimosas or watermelon margaritas on-a-stick, anyone?

Zabar's Fresh Baked Rugelach
When you catch the warm aroma of our rugelach, you'll immediately know why New Yorkers think ours is the best. Zabar's rugelach would make Grandma proud: made by hand, flaky, rich, sweet, fragrant, and stuffed with raisins or chocolate. Each order contains a full pound of our famous rugelach, in your choice of chocolate or raisin.

Jonathan's Cheese Plate
Ready to picnic? Start with this winning collection at a great price. The Chatelain Brie is soft and creamy yet full of flavor that cries out for a crusty piece of bread. Pont l'Eveque has a balance of flavors and creamy texture that make this cheese a must for any cheese plate. The Istara is a great example of an aged sheep's milk cheese that is wonderfully nutty; a customer favorite for a reason! Piave is a newer cheese from Italy that holds up to the hype. Its pineapple sweetness is the perfect balance for the salty, dry texture that dissolves on the tongue. We love these cheeses and think that you will too!

Zabar's Picnic for Two
Just imagine a picnic for two... from Zabar's. It's not a fantasy, it's a delicious reality! Each picnic includes: Two sandwiches (choose from four varieties), two bottles of water, raisin nut mix, two apples and two brownies all packed in our reusable Zabar's insulated lunch bag. We'll ship this anywhere throughout the country, but if you are shipping within Manhattan receive Free Local Messenger Delivery.

Thank you for the Bagels

A quick bagel endorcement!

Hi Stanley,

I wanted to thank you very much for sending me the delicious bagels. I shared them with my family this past weekend and everyone really enjoyed them. 

Best regards,
Lola 

Zabars.com Featured Cheese: Pleasant Ridge Reserve, American Treasure

My goodness, if you are a cheese lover and still haven’t heard about Pleasant Ridge Reserve from Uplands Cheese in Wisconsin, we have to rectify this situation right now!  It’s really one of the best farmstead artisan cheeses made in America, and has been for over a decade.

I first heard about it years ago in 2001 when it won Best in Show at the American Cheese Society’s annual competition, which is a major competition for American farmstead, artisan cheese.  It comes from the Upland region of Wisconsin, an area ideal for growing lush, highly diverse pasture (the picture on the left is part of the 200 acres of pasture on Pleasant Ridge!), which in turn results in incredibly complex, flavorful milk.  It’s this special milk that inspired the creation of the Upland Cheese company and Pleasant Ridge Reserve.  

I could go on and on for pages about the many, many important things that the Gingrich and Patenaude families do (and don’t do) to make the best, most flavorful cheese possible. The truth is, from the care and husbandry of the animals, the stewardship of the land, to the production and aging of their cheeses, everything affects the flavor. Suffice it to say that they, along with their cheesemaker Andy Hatch and all involved, have always done all the things that cheesemakers know produces truly great cheese, but that others sometimes overlook because it’s actually a lot of trouble and a more costly way to make cheese. Happily, their mission has always been to produce quality over quantity.  You can definitely taste that care and passion in the cheese! It’s made from raw milk in the style of alpine cheeses like Beaufort and gruyere from their single herd from animals that they breed themselves. The paste is medium-firm and the flavor is a big-but-balanced riot of floral, milky, and nutty notes. It is a wonderful table cheese and also a tasty melter.

Clearly all of this dedication has paid off because Pleasant Ridge Reserve has won Best in Show at the ACS competition twice more (2005 & 2010), and is the only cheese to win more than once!  This special American treasure is available at zabars.com for $13.98/8 oz. and of course you can stop by the store and pick some up if you’re local.