It's been quite some time since I've ventured to the Westside of Sixth Avenue. As most of us know the hip happening part of  "The Ave" is the Eastside between Union and Sprague. But something had been gnawing at me for a while. Calling me. Wooing me. Luring me with its discount prices and fancy aluminum water bottles.

If you haven't guessed by now, I am talking about Grocery Outlet. I don't know why I ever stopped going there. Back in the day the husband and I used to shop there all the time, mainly because we could always find a killer wine deal. Well, without going into detail, let's just say I don't need to find the killer wine deals anymore.

You can still find some good buys on wine at Grocery Outlet, but you will find so much more. There's something very cool about this store. Aside from the deals, I feel comfortable there and not overwhelmed. While this store is not going to carry everything you need, I was impressed with the quality and diversity of the selection.

Let's start with the 24-ounce aluminum water bottles for only $2.99 each! These usually sell from $10 to $20 in regular stores, so I bought two. Champion and Russell athletic jackets and sweats started at $9.99. I would have bought this cute black and green zip-up hoody but there were no mediums to be found.

They sell "previously enjoyed" DVDs for $4.99 and there are some good titles like, Benjamin Button, Thank You For Smoking, and "Marley and Me. Much like Big Lots, they also have blankets, pillows, barbecue accessories, home decorative items and so much more - all at great discounted prices.

So enough about the cool stuff for your home, let's get to the food. While your not going to find any fancy triple crème cheeses, you will find some great deals on your everyday, run-of-the-mill cheese. Blue and Gorgonzola six-ounce tubs are only $2.49 each. I found a tasty looking 9-ounce Mediterranean cheese torte for $2.99 and lots of "previously cubed" cheeses for a quick and easy cheese platter.

This store is a goldmine for cheap, fast party eats. Lots of frozen appetizers and items like Gertie's Artichoke Tapinade, almost 20-ounces for $3.99. Grocery Outlet is another store that sports a good deal on olive oil, one-liter of extra virgin for $7.99. By all means cook with it, bath in it, or drink it straight. We don't want to upset anybody.

I did discover they have an unusually large selection of canned fish. Tuna, herring, sardines, smoked oyster, and more. I picked up a four-ounce package of Tonnino yellow fin tuna fillets in olive oil with smoke flavoring. This is a product of Costa Rica and it will set you back $1.99, which after trying, I thought it was a little pricy. It was good mind you, but not much different than StarKist.

Produce section was nice. I found button mushrooms, $1.50 for 8-ounces and the meat department wasn't huge, but what they had looked fresh. No bakery here, but I did find some bread after searching. Great deals on dried pastas, beans, crackers, cookies, bottled juice and cereal. Stop in and shop for Easter. Great chocolate like Dogoba and Scharffen Berger were to be found.

Grocery Outlet is not just a discount store. It's an experience. From the groovy music playing over the blown speaker in the wine department to the Perfect Chopper for $4.99, I will go back for more soon. Even if it's just for the Jean Naté body lotion and bath splash, also $4.99.

Check out their Web site for more information: groceryoutlet.com

[Grocery Outlet North, 6425 Sixth Ave., Tacoma, 253.565.2441]

[Grocery Outlet South, 11011 Pacific Hwy. SW, Lakewood, 253.581.5333]