I’ve had mostly good experiences with them, but according to some they barely say hi when you walk in the store, so they definitely ain’t bringin’ anything to your car. 
P.S. @Omotesando I know you’re VERY discerning when it comes to wine. I read your sink pouring post. 
What are you liking at John & Pete’s?
Instacart delivery from Sprouts this morning was basically perfect. One or two things they couldn’t get, but probably got 90% of what we wanted and delivered on time.
Also did curbside pickup at Santa Monica Seafood yesterday. Called in the morning with order, was given a time to pick up, then drove over and called to pick up. Probably spent 2 minutes on hold on the phone each time but overall fairly seamless.
Although last time I went there pre-pandemic, they did not have it, in the past, I could always get Ermes Pavese Blanc de Morgex et de La Salle at John & Pete’s-- which is a great wine and not easy to find. In fact, Antico has that wine on its to-go list, albeit for $52 when the retail is around $30 to $35.
It seems to me that John & Pete’s may have changed ownership in recent times, and I hope that doesn’t mean the stock will suffer. Last time I went looking for the Ermes, I couldn’t remember the name, but described the bottle, and the person who helped me, who I think might be the new owner, had no idea what I was talking about, which was not a good sign, and I could not find the wine after searching the entire store. So there may be a downhill alert.
The Ermes Pavese Blanc de Morgex et de La Salle is imported by Rosenthal, which is a great importer, and in the past you could always find Rosenthal wines at John & Pete’s as well as Louis/Dressner, another great importer.
My cousins who live above us got someone else’s Sprouts order (5 bags) dropped on their doorstep. They called and Sprouts said they could keep it. #whenmistakesworkout
Thanks! Yes John & Pete’s does have a new owner and I’ve read complaints about the prices going up and the quality of stock going down. I can’t speak about the Wine because I don’t know a lot about it, but I’m thrilled by the Sake situation under new ownership - it’s in properly chilled cases separate from the wines w/dry and fruity on different sides. This might have more to do with the close supervision of Kerry Tamura from World Sake, but the workers said they’re really proud of the case and are following his guidelines.
Back to the topic. Update on Mercato. I received an apology, a $25 credit on my account toward the next order and a credit for the $13.38 tip (it was a big order). I didn’t ask for the tip refund, but hey, he did screw up. Nice, but I’m still not completely sold on them. The membership is $95 per year (plus tip) and you still have to buy a minimum amount for it to apply, they’re using 3rd party delivery services and the messed-up order took a week. I’m definitely not using them for multiple-store deliveries again. I went to Huntington Meats, Marconda Meats & M. Marcel myself the other day and it was way less stressful. I’ll report in the COVID-19 Shopping Strategy thread soon.
OMG! Yes. I so wanted to like them but between the shape of the store and coolness of the staff… I don’t think I’ve stepped foot in the place in over 2 years…
Where I do prefer to shop is Bar & Garden in Culver City. I had a bit of left over booze stash from a Superbowl party… so it wasn’t until a good three weeks into Safer at Home that I realized… I needed to supplement my perennial stash of Trader Joes Vihno Verde…
I was heartbroken to discover the Bar & Garden was closed. So I appeared o be headed to a long and thirsty stay in place… But this weekend, I caught wind of their delivery service and am I happy to report that they are doing quite well with it!!!
I ordered on Saturday night for Monday Delivery and late on Monday afternoon… it was here!! Not only did I get three bottles of Wine… but also some Cherries for Cocktails and some fancy tuna (one of my weaknesses and perfect for Tuna Tortellini Salad these next few days…)
Delivery was $10 flat fee. Which I was happy to pay to support them and for the service since I’m not in Culver City. I would do it again (especially if they get Brandy in stock… We on the cusp of Sangria Season!) My friend in Palms has also been relying on Stanley’s Wet Goods. They have a Free Delivery with $150 in purchase.
You don’t have to buy a membership.
But then you pay delivery each time? I actually didn’t think I did buy a membership. They offered a free-trial, but the membership showed up on my bank statement… another problem I had with Mercato.
Interesting. The last time I was at the store, the store just felt a little “different” than previously. The wine was arranged differently and it just seemed “off” to me. Maybe they ended the relationship with the distributors who used to supply them.
Hi @Dommy!
I 
Bar & Garden. We discovered them when we went to Pasta Sisters CC location. Cool aesthetics, fun selections, knowledgable & friendly.
I have a weakness for fancy tuna too - just ordered an 8-pk of Ortiz on Amazon.
P.S. I saved your Sangria recipe from last year!
It’s probably hard to take over what was once someone else’s passion and try to make it your own. Especially with online biz cutting in and an up-and-down economy.
Like most free trials, the one for Mercato Green starts billing automatically if you don’t cancel before it ends.
Yeah, well, they billed me within a couple days of signing-up for the free-trial.
I also love fancy tuna, but was thinking of ordering some of this stuff which isn’t fancy at all, but which David Chang says is the best. Normal Chang on Instagram: "Probably my favorite canned tuna and it’s in the top 10 of my all time tinned food. Something Americans need to eat more tinned/canned food. I haven’t tired to make a tuna salad out of this and the fancy stuff that comes in glass jars is never that satisfying. I do not like to eat tuna stored in spring water. Has to be a oil or something flavorful. This canned tuna I like because it doesn’t even taste like tuna. That doesn’t make any sense but until you try one you won’t understand Grade: B+ I could do without the potato and carrots but gochujang flavor is amazing. The double spicy tuna is very hard to find but it’s great." It’s available on Amazon, albeit a bit pricey with shipping.
I’ve figured out that with Instacart it’s good to check out enough items to make the minimum on, say, Thursday or Friday, or whenever you can pick a good delivery window, such as Tuesday 12-2, when the store should be well-stocked. Then you can keep adding items until Tuesday morning.
Thanks, I’m on it. I love Tuna & Rice. Also loving his IG videos… picking up some good tips and recipes. I also found out I’m pronouncing Gochujang correctly. 
I haven’t been to their store so far this year, but I’ve only had good experiences in the past----both as far as their staff’s attitude and the wine I’ve purchased.
Our son did a Sprouts/Instacart order this morning. Mostly perfect but somehow he wound up with 3 mushrooms and 7 Brussels Sprouts. He said the mushrooms were listed in 1/4 lb lots so he put in a 3. 
He didn’t elaborate on the sprouts.
Interesting! I have sworn off all Japanese Canned Tuna… it’s all terrible… I would have never tried this!! Will keep my eye out if I ever get back into an H Mart…
My favorite tuna hands down is Katy’s Smokehouse in Trinidad. After reading @TheCookie’s post about her Ortiz order, I had to put in one although shipping is not cheap at Katy’s… It’s been AGES since I’ve had a can of their Jalapeno Tuna…