Arlington/Metroplex Market Guide (Drop a comment if you read!)

I've been working on these reviews for quite some time now, and I decided this morning to finish them up. Everything happens for a reason though, right? Wonder of wonders, as I was getting the address to my own main grocery store (Saigon Taipei), I checked their website and saw that, lo and behold, they are moving two days from now. I had no idea! I've been going there for years! What an oddity that I was just to randomly check the website that I didn't know they had. I'm excited for them-- hopefully a new place means a better place-- but I suppose this puts a stop on the bicycling to shop there that I was going to do.

Anyhow, this is a large list and I almost didn't post it yet because I wanted visitors (all one of you) to see the beautiful mussels two posts down, but alas. This is needed. Enjoy!

El'S HUGE ASIAN MARKET and JAPANESE SHOP
GUIDE AND REVIEW!
Kazy’s Gourmet
9256 Markville Dr., Dallas, TX 75243
972-235-4831
Mon-Sat 10:00am- 7:00pm Sun 11:30am- 6:00pm
[note: If you're coming off of 635, going south on Greenville, get in your left lane. It's a tiny little street that seems like its an alley of warehouses, but Kazy's is at the end.]

GO HERE FOR: Japanese, Hawaiian groceries, lunch supplies, the food counter, general groceries.
Kazy’s is a large grocery store with a good frozen section. It’s charming and the people are helpful enough—generally. Jun is a nice guy and there was a very very knowledgeable (and SO VERY nice) Hispanic girl there for a number of times I went. They have fish (I’ve never gotten them here, I go to Seabose for my fish) and pretty much anything you’re looking for. Be sure to check the back hallway, which is tucked out of sight, for bento things like sauce bottles and onigiri presses. However, the most exciting thing that I found there isn’t Japanese at all—but Hawaiian. They had Hawaiian Sun, Hawaiian salt, Aloha Shoyu, and even frozen bags of poi and sometimes ti leaves. They said just call ahead to make sure they had poi. Their food counter is great, too-- i've gone there for lunch before. So delicious :) and cheap too. I love Kazy's so much that I hav a Kazy's tshirt.
______________

Seabose
2760 Trinity Mills Road #102
Carrollton, TX 75006
214-483-5839
TUE-FRI 11:00-7:30, SAT 8:30-7:30, SUN 11:00-6:00
Tel: 214-483-5839, Fax: 214-483-2196
[note: this place has the teensiest sign in the world. It's next to a tanning salon in a shopping center with a 24-Hr Fitness.]

GO HERE FOR: Fish fish fish fish, Japanese, Fresh and high quality veggies, Sushi, korokke, General groceries
I love love love Seabose with all my heart. Just typing about it makes me want to go tomorrow.
______________
Minoya
3115 W Parker Rd
Plano, TX 75023
972-769-8346

GO HERE FOR: Japanese, things, non-food items, snacks, inexpensive stuff
This isn't a restaurant at all, but a shop. Kind of a 100 yen shop. They have various housewares, magazines, stationary and school supplies, as well as some bento stuff and dishes. They do have some food, too, like packaged cakes and snacks. There is a pretty good freezer wall in the back full of goodies. They're very nice here and usually have some kind of .15 cent candy in a bowl on the counter.
______________
H-Mart
2625 Old Denton Rd
Carrollton, TX
972-323-9700‎

GO HERE FOR: Everything?!
Do I really need to review H-Mart? I don't think I have time. It's huge, clean, and I'd trust it more than a run-of-the-mill American grocery store any day. They have shops inside, the best vegetable selection I've ever seen, a huge pickle-corner, fresh (WHOA amazing) fish (I still go to Seabose over them), housewares, endless rice and noodles, a great bakery right there, and anything else you want. Seriously. Appliances? Sure. An entire Lock & Lock aisle. Food court, with TAIYAKI! The handmade mango popsicle from the bakery is just to die for-- creamy, beautiful, delicious, and cheap. I go here on the way back from Denton.

______________
Saigon Taipei
2206 S Collins St
2430 E. Pioneer Parkway
Arlington, TX 76010
817-460-3428

GO HERE FOR: Bahn Mi, Everyday Asian Market Shopping, Common Japanese things, Cold Drinks, Vegetables, kitchen items.
This market is my main place. Cheap sandwiches when you're hungry, freshly made at the front. Boba tea and ice cream to the side. It's the best one in Arlington and it has pretty much everything I need. Their food is fresh enough and I haven't gotten anything spoiled there. I see live crawfish and crabs in the back sometimes, so if you're in need, go there. The security guard is a nice lady named Millie. I can't believe it's moving!

______________
Hong Kong Marketplace
2615 W Pioneer Pkwy
Grand Prairie, TX
972-988-8880‎

1816 E Pioneer Pkwy
Arlington, TX
817-265-1488‎

GO HERE FOR: Cell phone items, bulk rice, NOT quail eggs
[Arlingoton] I made the main move as a shopper to Saigon Taipei from here after I got some bad quail eggs here. I mean, really bad. But I still go here if I can't find something at Saigon Taipei or May Hao.
[Grand Prairie] This is a whole different world. It's clean, large, bright, and new. It reminds me of the Asian Market behind Joyluck BBQ in Plano, TX. Good stuff, but just far enough away so that it's not my main shopping center.
______________
May Hao
2525 E Arkansas Ln # 235,
Arlington, TX
817-261-8061‎

GO HERE FOR: Fresh fruits, snacks, small items
This is a good, tiny, locally owned shop. It's the best to go to for fresh fruit, I think. It's really no frills with a convenience store feel, and the owner is always there behind the counter, likely watching football. He's a really nice guy and it's a good shop. I go here if I can't find something at Saigon Taipei-- usually before I try Hong Kong Marketplace.

____________________________
(I wrote the following reviews and already posted some of them on www.justhungry.com.)

Note: On a recent roadtrip through the southeast, I found a great shortage of Japanese shops or information about them. I’m from Texas where I suppose I’ve been spoiled.
____________________________
MISSOURI
Fox Farm Whole Food
2639 E 32nd St # E
Joplin, MO 64804
417-623-3276

An odd little health food store, they have many Japanese things to choose from. A stop here is required when visiting my Hawaiian family in Oklahoma before a party. They have tako and other fish in the freezer and have inarizushi no moto, seaweed, a variety of rices (in bins that you can scoop from) and noodles, as well as fresh vegetables. And they’re honest about their veggies—if you ask for one and they don’t think its up to par, they’ll tell you and discount it. Its an interesting place… try it out.
______________
MISSIPPI
Little Tokyo
872 Avery Blvd. N.
Ridgeland, MS
601-977-0844

This place is an oasis in the middle of a Japanese shop void which is the southeast USA. It was small, but had exactly what we went for (mochiko, daifuku, tonkatsu sauce, and inarizushi no moto) as well as plenty of other things. They had mochi ice cream which I desperately wanted but I didn’t think it would fare too well on the road trip. They have a Restaurant two suites down which was QUITE delicious, too. Very cute shop.

______________

Aaaaalright, that seems to close our grocery store tour. Next up in reviews and guides, at some point: Boba.

Poke

What could be better than poke? The most important thing about making it is the slicing of the fish, to get the texture right. Hold the knife blade perpendicular to the grains of the fish (like sashimi) and slice that way.

Poke is easy to make-- just add equal parts shoyu and sesame oil, a hand full of chunked white onions, and a sliced green onion. Add some sliced red pepper before tossing your raw fish in there, let it sit in the fridge for a while, and you are left with one incredible snack.