Uncle Giuseppe’s Delicious Market

A few months ago, there was a lot of buzz about an Uncle Giuseppe’s Marketplace opening up in Massapequa on Hicksville Road, just north of Merrick Road. Although I have never been to their other locations (the original store is in East Meadow and there are locations in Smithtown, Port Jefferson and Port Washington), I have heard a great deal of good things about them and couldn’t wait to try my local store.

I went a few weeks after it opened and it was quite an experience. I have never seen so many delicious prepared cooked and uncooked foods in a supermarket. They prepare everything a million ways! Chicken, for example, is already seasoned and ready to cook – chicken breast stuffed with herbs, chicken meatballs, and chicken sliders stuffed with cheddar and Muenster cheeses. All you need to do is remove them from the package and cook them thoroughly.

I made delicious chicken meatball heroes by topping the chicken meatballs with Uncle G’s homemade tomato sauce, freshly shredded mozzarella and shaved parmesan cheeses. I baked them in the oven and they were ready for lunch with minimal effort.

The store itself has an interesting look. The cash registers have a gas flame torch to indicate whether the register is open. In addition to a large produce section and the usual grocery store aisles, the store’s layout includes a section of prepared sauces (marinara, Bolognese, vodka), prepared cooked foods, prepared ready-to-cook foods, imported and specialty Italian foods, fresh pasta, a deli, large selections of fish, meats, cheeses and a bakery. Now, these are huge sections with many more food choices than your typical grocery store.

After a few months, my go-to “takeout” meals are any combination of their chicken parmigiana, chicken francaise, baked ziti, and macaroni and cheese. Each of these meals is fully cooked, only requiring a reheating in the oven or toaster oven for 15-20 minutes and can feed 2 people. The bakery options have been a hit - Uncle Giuseppe’s Famous Crumb Cake was very good and not too sweet and their cakes are mouth-watering.

Have you been to Uncle Giuseppe’s Massapequa? What are your favorite food purchases from Uncle G’s?  

Taco Joe’s in Massapequa

I haven’t posted anything in a while since I’ve been busy studying for the CPA Exam. Now that it’s over, I am back to exploring the Massapequas!

I received a menu for Taco Joe’s this week with the words “Taco Joe says: ‘I’m Keepin it Real and Fresh.” Taco Joe’s is on the corner of Merrick Road and Hicksville Road in Massapequa. Real and fresh and close by – that sounds like a good place to go for lunch.

So on Saturday, I found myself waiting in line at Taco Joe’s. All the tables were full, as well as the seating by the window. There were couples, families with kids and small groups of friends enjoying their lunch. The man in front of me in line ordered a number of items for his family while we all watched the assembly taking place behind the glass – steak fajitas with 2 soft flour tortillas and pulled pork, rice and bean burritos.

When my turn came, I ordered 2 El Deluxos – tacos with lettuce, tomato or salsa, cheese, sour cream and beans. I chose chicken but they also offer ground beef, steak, pulled pork and spicy chicken. They advertise nothing but fresh ingredients. My El Deluxo Tacos were a good, quick, fresh lunch close to home.

Taco Joe’s menu includes tacos, quesadillas, burritos, fajitas, nachos, salads, southwest sandwiches and a kids menu. They are open 7 days a week until 10PM. There is also a Yogurt & Such Café in there which I plan to try next time.

The Massapequas were Hit Hard by Irene

Tropical Storm Irene (also known as Hurricane Irene until it hit New York), hit our area late Saturday night and into Sunday morning. After the rain stopped, everyone on our block went outside to assess the damage and start to clean up. A few hours later, the winds started to pick up again (the back-end of the storm) and it caused more damage.

We lost power in Massapequa Park very early Sunday morning but I consider us lucky since there are huge uprooted trees, large branches and fallen power lines in the streets and on houses all around us. A tree fell into the street a house down from us and blocked the street off. Luckily no one was hurt and property was not damaged. On my way to the Southern State, I passed at least 5 uprooted trees and many more with large branches broken off. Two of the uprooted trees were resting on people’s homes while others were tied up in power lines. Many streets were still closed late this morning.

Our neighbors south of Merrick Road had to evacuate their homes before the storm. I haven’t been down there, but have seen pictures from friends and family whose streets are flooded with knee-deep water. Hopefully everyone is OK down there.

We are on Day 2 without power (I am writing this from a family member's house). Half a million LIPA customers (this is at least a million people since there is more than one person living in a house or apartment) lost power. This is more than 500,000 out of the 1 million customers served by the power authority (2.5 million people live on Long Island). The power authority says it could take until Friday to restore power.

How have you fared in this storm? Please let me know in the comments. I hope everyone is safe.