Return in the sense that I had to make a special trek to visit the closest Albertsons, which served as my first such visit to the chain since Haggen came in and destroyed everything. I guess that dates back to February or so.
Anyway, I made a special trip to Escondido to pick up two specific items that only Albertsons can deliver. At work I started a little theme day called "Wedges N' Wings Wednesday" which, of course, capitalizes on the glorious combination of chicken wings and potato wedges. I don't know about you but I think the pair goes together like milk and cookies or turkey and gravy or Jared Fogle and jail; it just seems like a natural combination.
Albertsons has a nice deal at their deli called "Pick 3"; an entree and two sides for $5.50. It's a deal I used to get once a week in the early days of Greg's Gourmet, but eventually it was time to move onto other eating challenges, so I haven't had the "Pick 3" since 2013 or so. Imagine my happiness when I stepped into this Albertsons, ventured over to their deli, and saw the same sign that I grew to know and love once upon a time at an Albertsons not so far away: Pick 3 for $5.50. Oh, the glory! Granted, the Albertsons in Escondido doesn't have the extensive 8-flavor wing bar as the one that used to be on Balboa Avenue, but hey, it had 3 flavors of wings plus wedges. Good enough for me. For my second side I got, of course, mac n' cheese:
I don't remember the wing flavors here but I think they were regular, zesty, and honey...and they were FANTABULOUS. Everything about this meal was awesome, even the epic farts it gave me afterwards. I can't wait to go back.
The second item I came for is a product that has been a favorite of mine since before the Pick 3 and that is, of course, the purple bag of Albertsons chocolate chip cookies:
Seeing that shade of purple again made me feel like Indiana Jones first laying eyes on the Holy Grail. These cookies are THE BEST. THE BEST, JERRY. THE BEST! I bought two bags; one for home, and one for the Cookie Party at work the following day. My plan (and hope) was that no one would go into them and I'd just take that bag home at the end of the day. At 5 PM I was in the kitchen and they were still sitting there, untouched. When I headed out at 5:50 the bag was gone. GONE. Obviously someone missed these things as much as I did.
Oh yeah, I also bought some Strawberry Lemonade Gatorade which, for some reason, is really hard to find locally. Albertsons easily went 3-for-3.
The question I'm curious about is when (and if) Albertsons is moving back into the stores they bought back in San Diego. They purchased the Haggen in Rancho Bernardo but due to ongoing legal issues, it's not exactly known if (or when) they're coming back. The other question is what will this reincarnation of Albertsons be like? Keep in mind they're now part of Safeway/Vons and that chain sucks big time. I guess as long as they have the wing bar, chocolate chip cookies, and strawberry lemonade Gatorade then I'll be happy. Actually, you know what? I think having ANYTHING there other than Haggen will make me happy.
