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| Charcuterie case at Wegmans |
The HowChow part of the Wegmans deli is the center-right. I don't comment much about standard stuff, but I haven't passed the salamis without ordering a few slices.
The few slices is what makes this amazing. Mark Bittman is my master now, so I'm putting meat on the side of my plate -- Harris Teeter chicken sausage in pasta sauce, bacon from Laurel Meat Market, or a few slices of salami with vegetables and cheese.
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| Iberico ham |
Wegmans sells a line of salamis and other deli meats by Columbus, and I haven't been able to keep track of all the Italian names. I just get six or 10 slices of whatever looks good. It's a great way to experiment for a few bucks. To date, my favorite has been a smokey speck. For $3, I got about 10 slices. Great on a pretzel roll. Great crisped up a bit in a pan, then added to scambled eggs.
To me, this is an innovation for Howard County. Roots sells some nice salamis -- including chorizo, but Wegmans offers a wider variety and makes sampling easier with pay-by-the-slice. The workers are really nice. They'll let you sample a slice of anything.
Now, you do need to keep an eye on the prices. At the far right, you'll see a super-gourmet Iberico ham. That's delicious, but it's also $98 a pound. In one of the early days of Wegmans, Rob ordered a half-pound of prosciutto and a half-pound of ham. He didn't realize the price until he had a $50 packet in his hands.
As a bonus, Wegmans assembles small charcuterie or cheese plates. They're pretty cool for a small party, ready to unwrap and served on a cutting board. You could buy and slice your own cheese. But you'd need to ask for these sample-sized portions of cheese or meat. (Or check the cheeses on the salad bar at Roots.) RDAdoc used a cheese plate for a dinner party. I liked the look of the meat plates during the grand opening.
To me, this is an innovation for Howard County. Roots sells some nice salamis -- including chorizo, but Wegmans offers a wider variety and makes sampling easier with pay-by-the-slice. The workers are really nice. They'll let you sample a slice of anything.
Now, you do need to keep an eye on the prices. At the far right, you'll see a super-gourmet Iberico ham. That's delicious, but it's also $98 a pound. In one of the early days of Wegmans, Rob ordered a half-pound of prosciutto and a half-pound of ham. He didn't realize the price until he had a $50 packet in his hands.
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| Meat plates |
Good stuff! Have you tried the duck bacon yet?
ReplyDeleteTechnically speaking, that's about an $800-1,000 piece of pig. That weighs at least 8 lbs.
ReplyDeleteI almost bought some the last time I was there. I will try it eventually.
The funny thing is, I've had so many neighbors tell me about the salami and the italian meats/cheeses but I'm not interested in that at all. Being Italian does that to you ;) I still get most of stuff from Italian groceries.
ReplyDeleteBut I'm big into the seafood(Better prices than franks in some cases) and the produce. And of course when I'm in a bind and need something Italian they have a great selection and decent prices.
if all of your posts are going to be about Wegman's from now on I'm not going to bother reading...
ReplyDeleteSo Italian anonymous - what Italian delis do you go to? I've been trying to find a good one in the area!
ReplyDeleteTo Anonymous - it appears maybe you have already stopped reading, since you apparently have missed the MYRIAD of other posts recently that don't mention Wegmans. I had to scroll WAY down to find the last post about our new store here. So perhaps you should look before you type. And as a Columbia resident, I APPRECIATE the posts about Wegmans because it is a significant store (whether you prefer to shop there or not) and there are many things I would have otherwise missed in there without this blog to point them out.
ReplyDeletePretty sure Roots stop selling the good Chorizo they used to sell. The Wegmans stuff is very good and is also available packaged for those not willing to wait. If you have not had Iberico Ham, then the price may seem insane. If you have had it, especially the amón ibérico de bellota from the black hoofed pig, then the price is cheap.
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ReplyDeleteKdB, They aren't in Howard County but Trinacria (461 Paca St) in Baltimore is where my Italian MIL always shopped and consequently so do I. They have meats, frozen good, pastas, breads, make sandwiches, have cookies and packaged good plus some spectacular wine deals.
ReplyDeleteAs a Columbia resident I don't appreciate the MANY posts about one establishment instead of branching out to talk about DIFFERENT places. It was just a comment and I think I'm not alone in feeling this way- relax yourself! have fun at Wegmans hahaha
ReplyDeleteWegmans belongs on these posts - it is and will be a major force in grocery shopping in Columbia/Howard County. I have noticed several unhappy posts about Wegman on various social media and many do not actually say why they don't like it. There are not too many posts here on HowChow and considering its wealth of food, it may be getting too little coverage.
ReplyDeleteItalian Anon here.
ReplyDeleteI go to Litteri's in DC. My family has been going there for YEARS. I usually go once every 2 weeks and stock up on all sorts of goodies. I've noticed Wegman's prices are close to Litteri's and sometimes cheaper, but I do like to support them.
I've gone to a few places in Baltimore, but they didn't really impress me all that much. Maybe I'm just spoiled.
Reasons I do not like Wegmans...
ReplyDelete1) Overcrowded. I've been twice- Saturday afternoon I understand but 11AM on a weekday??
2) Bad parking situation
3) Organic and non organic items placed on different sides of the store making it difficult to comparison shop even in the same store!!
4) Anything good there is actually overpriced - like the cheeses, olives, bakery goods, meats
5) Dealing with rude pretentious patrons who lolligag in the aisles completely unaware of the persons around them who have better things to do than spend three hours in a grocery store
6) Bad selection of some pantry items - I couldn't find several things on my list when I went - and yes I asked and they did not even carry them!
7) Not that cheap! I'm sick of seeing these circulars where they comparison shop on some cherry picked items. My bill way definitely higher than several stores in town.
Wegmans is overhyped. That is my opinion. If you like it good for you.
I get annoyed at the people who just stop and stare. It's a grocery store for Pete's sake!
ReplyDeleteMy bill comes out close if not less to Harris Teeter. Plus the quality of the Wegmans house brand is superior to other stores IMO. Especially the Wegmans pasta.
And yeah there were some pantry tie s I couldn't find either, no biggie though I'll just go to HT for them.
I do all my shopping late(10-11pm) and its always empty, I'd never go close to lunch or on the weekend.
I can understand the sentiments about people looking around while shoppers try to shop-I think the aisles were made too narrow, but I'm not an architect. I feel bad for the (Marshalee) Giant-I was in there the other day after work and it was a ghost town. I do like a lot of their stuff, I know where everything is, and they have a lot of items priced less than Wegmans-I do the shopping so I remember these things. My wife loves Wegmans, and I do for a lot of stuff, but I still do like sneaking in for a late Giant trip to fill the fridge when no one is in there. People are right-there are a LOT of people in there that are looking around like they're in a museum or something. However, no store can be perfect I guess.
ReplyDeletePS-The olive, jalapeno cheddar, and sourdough breads at Wegman's are making me want to join a compulsive eating group. I cannot stop!