Category Archives: Retail

How to Foxtrot

I don’t know exactly why, but in early October I decided to stage a boycott.  Since early March I’d been meal planning for at least five days at a time and making one, well-planned, agonizing shopping trip to accumulate what I needed. I’ve never been much of a meal planner, but thanks to COVID-19, meals driven by spontaneity and hankerings were few and far between.

So, earlier this month I boycotted meal planning and arduous trips to the supermarket and lived, instead, by eating at Foxtrot Market for three meals a day for four days. Why Foxtrot? I considered it an experiment and change my routine. I visited both local Foxtrot Market locations: Snider Plaza and McKinney Avenue.  There, I found everything I needed except for fresh produce.

To be honest, I’m typically not a grab and go gal. I’m always a little suspicious of food that’s premade, prewrapped up and sitting in a cooler with a “best by” sticker plastered on it but decided to use my boycott to boycott boycotting grab and go.

Many of Foxtrot’s salads, sandwiches, soups, bowls, and other grab and go meals are inspired by international cuisine.  Flavors from Korea, India, Asia, the Mediterranean, Mexico, and Spain are alongside traditional American standards.

Two standouts I recommend are the Aloo Gobi salad with roasted potatoes, pickled cauliflower, kale, lentils, bell peppers and serrano peppers with a sweet-ish fig masala vinaigrette and the Carnitas Bowl with Mojo braised pork, brown rice, black beans and vegetables with a poblano crema.  The carnitas bowl was dinner one night which I served with chips and Sarah Jane’s Finest Gourmet Queso.

Foxtrot has an abundance of snacky foods. This is a merchandising strategy that speaks to my heart. One night, my husband and enjoyed a charcuterie spread with Calabrese, Proscuitto and Iberico Ham from Creminelli, La Quercia and Fermin and cheeses from Kindred Creamery and other brands. The selection at Foxtrot is all premium but I didn’t consider the prices to be out of line as I have found in other “luxury convenience stores.” 

There was also a Dill Pickle Dip that I tried on a lark, which was so good (if you like pickles) and the Fresno Chili Hummus which was great – creamy, little to no garlic and a nice punch from the Fresno chilis.  Foxtrot has plenty of chips and crackers, including several gluten free options.

From Foxtrot’s extensive wine collection, which includes big red cabs such as Silver Oak, light wines such as Chablis and everything in between, I picked a Rickshaw Pinot Noir because it rhymes with Kickshaw which is part of the name of my food blog, The Kickshaw Papers.  It was a great pinot with black cherry notes and only $20 per bottle.

Foxtrot also carries some grocery staples, including Allen Brothers steaks which we grilled one night and ate with Foxtrot’s Kale Caesar Salad.  For dessert, we devoured Haute Sweets Patisserie’s chocolate cookie cream sandwiches which are in the refrigerator section near the dips.

The refrigerator section has stables such as milk, eggs, butter, and bacon the freezer section is loaded with pizza and other frozen dinners but what’s most impressive is the amount of ice cream Foxtrot has. Forget Baskin Robbins, just come here and pick up a pint or two of Jeni’s!  

There are a few fresh-made items to choose from here.  The Avocado Toast is a must try – avocado, orange slices, feta cheese, radishes and micro greens beautifully arranged on a slice of thick toast.  Breakfast tacos and sandwiches, including a beef tenderloin with Korean Gochujang sauce and cucumbers are also high quality and tasty.  Foxtrot partners with local companies such as Bisous Bisous Pâtisserie and Haute Sweets Patisserie for croissants, macarons and other desserts and pastries.

Prior to this experiment, I did not consider using Foxtrot as anything other than a place to grab a quick iced tea or coffee.  Honestly, I just didn’t know how to Foxtrot. My husband and I ate 12 consecutive meals from one, small market that also serves as a specialty wine and beer shop, social hub, study hall, meeting place, and gift shop.  We picked up the food and we used Foxtrot’s one-hour guaranteed delivery service. We never ate the same thing twice (except the cookie sandwiches) and spent less on groceries during that four-day period.

Both locations have large, pet-friendly patios for outdoor Foxtrotting. There are plenty of seats inside with some folks wearing masks and some not.  All employees are masked, and, per the state mandate, guests are required to wear them inside while not eating or drinking. Snider Plaza’s adjacent parking garage is very convenient with loads of open spots.  The McKinney Ave location is a little tricky on the parking, but there are two spots up front for grab and go.

Something’s Fishy Here

What is the number one selling fresh seafood product at Central Market across the state?  Verlasso Salmon, the delicious farm-raised salmon from Chile. It outsells every other fresh seafood by a large margin and, if you’ve tasted it, you know why. Verlasso is mild in flavor, rich and buttery and has a perfect texture that makes grilling, baking, pan frying and even smoking very easy.  You can even eat Verlasso as sashimi; it’s that good.

So what makes Verlasso so good? It’s farmed in the fjords of Patagonia, southern Chile, where the Humboldt Current keeps the waters cool and clean. The area is pristine, far from environmental pollution, with cold, moving water rich in nutrients. Verlasso is a brand, not a breed, owned by AquaChile, which is selective in choosing its farming partners and invests in sustainable processes to cultivate the salmon.

Verlasso has been around for around a decade, which is pretty much when I first discovered it.  My notoriously picky daughter, 13 years-old at the time, wouldn’t eat much of anything so I picked up some Verlasso and roasted it with fresh thyme, lemon zest and olive oil.  Since then, I’ve prepared it for her about once a week and it was the second thing she requested to eat, after Whataburger, when she came home on college breaks.

The only retail outlet in Texas that sells Verlasso is Central Market, which is a perfect partner for a high quality product. I often write and post about my affection for Central Market, (remember this) because I think they sell the very best in each category they carry, and I appreciate the leadership and philanthropy of the owners, the Butts family.

If you’re not much of a cook but want to enjoy Verlasso, you can also find it on the menus of restaurants Parigi and Salum and many others.

Parigi Chef/Owner Janice Provost told me that “I chose to use Verlasso after seeing Abraham Salum using it. We share lots of ideas together,” she said. (Probably the reason they are two of my favorite restaurants.)

“We were getting Faroe Island [North Atlantic] salmon before March 17,” she continued. “Then, since COVID-19 shut things down, the product wasn’t as good. They had to freeze their supply to save it, and when we received it, it wasn’t up to our standards, so we switched to Verlasso.”

As an award-winning restaurant with a sophisticated clientele, clean food is important to Provost.  She added, “Like Faroe Island, Verlasso is also ocean farmed, not tank farmed, so it’s clean, no hormones, sustainable and we feel good about serving it. People love salmon so it is a regular on the menu.”

Want another reason to become a fan of Verlasso Salmon? When COVID-19 forced restaurant closures and many hospitality workers were laid off, Verlasso donated 2,500 pounds to Staff Meal Dallas, a program created by hospitality veterans including Alison Matis, who raved about the company:

“Verlasso Salmon has been a consistent and proven friend of the hospitality industry. By donating a literal ton of salmon to feed COVID-19-affected restaurant and hospitality workers, they ensured that hundreds of people in our community, and their families, would be nourished and sustained for months while out of work. Their ethical business practices carry through from their product to their practices in the community.”

Victoria Parr, Verlasso’s marketing director, estimated that their contribution provided 13,000 meals to those in need and were happy to support the hard-working foodservice workers who have represented the brand for years.

For more information on Verlasso Salmon including recipes and a fun story by Andrew Zimmern from Follow that Food, visit their website at www.verlasso.com.