Reply #22: Don't forget crab legs in the regular chains...

[MiddleFingerMom]

.
...and AJ's is a REMARKABLE place, but their seafood, although of
the highest quality, is priced accordingly or even more so.
.
I used to go there for their deli salads (not a big fan of tabbouleh,
but theirs is fantastic and I can now make caprese salad as good as
theirs -- not a difficult thing to do as it's so simple).
.
Their meat department usually had some GREAT sale items. I believe
friends of mine were paying $35/lb for their top-shelf ribeye steaks
(these friends are now in the process of bankruptcy).

I almost always treated myself to one of their pastries and got one
of their small-batch sorbets -- the ones made with a touch of wine.
.
And they had the GREATEST selection of baby vegetables and exotic
fruits of any place I have ever been (it's where I tried Grapples
for the first time and was given a Buddha's Hand by the department
manager). Each individual fruit and/or vegetable looks like it was
hand-chosen from a source that was high-quality to begin with.
.
Although VERY upscale, their staff is friendly and not the least
bit elitist. Even their "sommeliers" are friendly and don't talk down
to the "great unwashed" (as they are seen by many in that profession).
.
We used to brag to each other about how LITTLE we managed to
spend on an AJ's trip each time we went there -- it was so easy to
dump an entire paycheck without a second thought.
.
Haven't been able to afford to go there for quite some time now.
.