Sam the Cooking Guy Whips it up Bargain-Style at East Village Grocery Outlet

San Diego Bargain Mama | 09/08/2012 | 0 Comments

Blogger Table With Bloggers, Suzette Valle, Debra Anderson, Katie Dillon and Andy Lee, Grocery Outlet’s Director of Beer & Wine

Last month I had the pleasure of joining some media folk for an evening of bargain hunting and frugal dining at East Village Grocery Outlet ! Yes, Sam the Cooking Guy, in celebration of the opening of the new Grocery Outlet in East Village, gathered his helpers and prepared five courses, each paired with a different wine.

We were cooked for and served in the back of the grocery store by Sam, who I must add, never failed to infuse his Samesque humor while whipping us up tasty meals on a budget.Before our back-of-the-store dining experience we were greeted with a lovely spread consisting of of appetizers and drinks, all from the store, then were sent on a shopping savings contest. While my team saved over $80, we still came in second, I think. At least my “Bargain Mama” reputation was not totally blemished! Not that we were really paying too much attention, anyway, as we all had food on our minds and were led to the back of the store for a positively uniquedining experience!

Sam the CookingGuy

Sam had hand-selected the food from the Grocery Outlet, and not including the wine, and the entire 5 course meal only cost $86 for about 25-30 of us (wine cost about the same, we were told). We started with mashed potato tacos with sour cream, chives and hot sauce. Following that we were served salt & pepper shrimp (shells on and divined) with garlic, ginger and chives. The next course was a cedar plank salmon and asparagus, followed by spicy Italian sausage with a creamy sauce. Our dessert was grilled waffle on ice cream topped with cinnamon and candied peanuts. Pretty impressive for $86! Each dish was paired with wine that is also found at the Grocery Outlet.

Congratulations to Kim and Steve Smith, the store owners, for welcoming us and making sure we were sent fun baskets at home in anticipation, and groceries to take home to remind us of the extreme deals they offer! They shared their heartfelt appreciation for being able to open a store in San Diego! The best to them!

Grocery Outlet is located at 1002 Market Street. For more information, visit Grocery Outlet – East Village. Like them on Facebook, while you are at it!

Upcoming Event!

Join Sam the Cooking Guy at the East Village Grocery Outlet on September 20th for a fun night! You’ll eat, you’ll enjoy some great wine and San Diego Rescue Mission benefits…perfect!