While I've Been Out: Is Wegmans Trying Again For A Liquor Store? We Have A Sign, Not The Story

Columbia Wegmans trying again for liquor license?? What's changed? @suncolumbia @HowChowBlog @PerfectPourMD pic.twitter.com/fP6m3EgMYo

— Ryan (@foodtvsports) July 22, 2015

Among the many tweets and emails that I overlooked during the summer is the post above asking if the Columbia Wegmans is trying again for a liquor license.

Does anyone know?

The tweet seems to show a poster advertising a July 20 liquor board hearing for something called The Loft Wine & Spirits.  I see a county Web page that mentions a hearing, saying it was for Thomas quick.  I see decisions from July 21 and July 28, but nothing that mentions the Loft.

One aside, I did notice the extension that Petit Louis got so that you can now order liquor on their entire patio.  I have dreams about a relaxed fall evening with a glass of wine and dessert from Le Comptoir.  I also saw that Ananda has asked for a refillable container permit, which I assume means growlers.  That sounds great too.

But back to the big question: Does anyone know about plans for the Loft Wine & Spirits at Wegmans?  What have I missed?  I just searched a bit and don't see Web mentions of the Loft Wine & Spirits.  I'm agnostic on Wegmans opening a store.  I love Wegmans.  I buy very little alcohol, but I'm happy when I buy from a nice store with good stuff and good advice.  I go out of my way to check Perfect Pour in Elkridge because I get fair treatment and good advice.

Wegmans has a huge space on the second floor.  So I could see why they want to try again.  If they do, I would expect a similar fight from liquor store owners who don't want a massive competitor that people would visit as part of their regular shopping.  On the one hand, I don't buy the "save the children" arguments that seem to suggest liquor shouldn't mix with groceries.  On the other hand, the 2012 application seemed to just flout the law by installing a straw owner.

This is part of my "While I've Been Out" series to restart the blog.  Late last year, the blog got some serious competition.  I'm still working out how to keep writing while I'm doing so many other new things as well.  Thanks to everyone who has kept reading, emailing and commenting.  Monday, I'll be back with a gyro at Hickory Ridge Grill and the brunch at Ananda that was my great "lost post"

Wegmans' Secret Service: They'll Count Coins

Wegmans coin-counting machine in the self-checkout

Wegmans food gives me a ton of reasons to shop there, but I also love that they provide a secret service:  They'll count your coins.

It's not that people will count your coins.  It's the self-checkout machines.  Unlike most similar machines, these just have a bowl where you can pour loose change.  The machine sorts them into pennies, nickels, dimes and quarters.  No service charge.  No hassle pushing them coin-by-coin into a slot.

This may mean nothing to many people, but it can be great if you dump your change in a bowl like I do each night.  I don't want to pay a fee to CoinStar, and I cringe every time that I stall an entire line by trying to pay a human cashier with piles of dimes and nickels.

The solution:  I carry a bunch of coins into Wegmans and grab an item or two off the shelves.  Then a self-check by pouring all my change into the machine.  Seven dollars, 10 dollars, even more, they just get swallowed up, automatically counted, and then credited against my purchase.  I close out with a credit card or a few dollar bills.  At most, I trade a pocket heavy with metal for a few coins.

Then I wheel back into the store -- with my purchases bagged with the receipt -- lighter and a few dollars ahead of the game.

The $2 Gourmet: Bucatini From DeCecco At Wegmans Or "What I Learned At Italian Shabbat"

DeCecco Bucatini

I love a bargain, but a cheap indulgence can be just as rewarding.

Our friends try to promote a Friday night tradition that they call "Italian Shabbat."  That's a Friday night with friends and Italian food.  They put on terrific food, and I stole the easy part:  a thick, long pasta called bucatini.

That's thicker than spaghetti, but just as easy to make.  It's actually a long hollow tube.  Terrific with the meat sauce that our friends (let's call them "The Cordis Couple") served.  Terrific with all kind of pasta sauces that I have tried since I started buying bucatini in Wegmans in Columbia.

DeCecco's bucatini is a few dollars a box.  That's more than almost every other brand of pasta.  But the noodles themselves are delicious, and there is something fun in splurging on a luxurious shape.

Special Oranges At Wegmans: The Sumos Were Scheduled To Arrive Last Night, Will Go Soon

Sumo countdown at Wegmans

If you want an indulgent treat, go to Wegmans  today and grab a box of the Sumo tangerines from the shipment that was scheduled to arrive last night.

(Update:  I actually recommend that you avoid the Sumos delivered this year to the Columbia Wegmans.  The oranges are delicious, and some people have had no problems.  But our box rotted.  An orange was liquid by Friday, and others were soft.  I know that happened to other people.  Wegmans was easy and friendly with a return, so I'm fine.  But at a minimum I suggest that you feel every Sumo in your box and then wash them as soon as you get home.)

Sumo are a brand-name for a delicious hybrid fruit -- a cross between an orange and tangerine.  They're special citrus.  The peel pulls away easily. The section have a skin so thin that it's almost like they're all pulp. You get a strong citrus flavor, less sweet than those tiny oranges and more flavor of great fresh-squeezed juice.

I wrote about Sumos two years ago when they were a top-secret project just coming to market.  Wegmans has joined the fun.  They had a countdown clock at the entrance this week, and they had an order for almost 600 boxes.  I don't know the price, but they won't be cheap.  But then, they're fruit.  Even expensive fruit will be a relatively-small splurge, and you deserve some excitement in the midst of winter.

Go soon because they'll sell quickly.  I'd ask Wegmans to save me a box, but I doubt they'll last far into the weekend.

Of course, if you're looking for citrus fun, then you need to know about Al Pong's orchard.  Pong has commented on prior Sumo posts, and he grows and breeds all kinds of fruit trees in Fulton.  Last year, Pong said he was getting some varieties that competed with the Sumo.  Kyle wrote a few years ago about getting a kaffir lime tree from Pong's orchard.  It's definitely a fun local place to know.

Mini Hungarian Sausages At Wegmans

Little sausages = little post.

What more can I say?  Wegmans sells these tiny Hungarian sausages.  They were about four for $1, and they are each a meaty bite.  They have a nice crisp edge that gives way for a juicy mouthful with maybe the taste of paprika.  They're not spicy, but the flavor of spices came through with the meat.

These were a great find -- especially because I have found that salamis that I used to love now have too much fat for me to really enjoy them.  These were full-flavored, but a leaner feel.  I love cooking with Wegman's smokey speck, but these Hungarian sausages serve different purposes -- packed in a lunch, placed on a cheese tray, etc.

You Have A Duty To Taste Test Candy Cane Cookies; Christmas Cookies Knocked-Off Early

The Joe-Joes and the Os -- all peppermint

There are some questions that can only be decided by the expertise of a great food blog -- and then there are taste tests you have a duty to run for yourself.

It's peppermint cookie season.

Two years ago, we were enthralled by Trader Joe's Candy Cane Joe-Joes.  Then last year, we were shut out when we waited to late to buy ourselves a box of the Oreo knock-offs with peppermint chunks in the cream filling.

So this year, we acted early.  I found peppermint knock-offs at both Trader Joe's and Wegmans, and I brought them home for an epic battle that you can recreate with a quick run to the store.  They both have chocolate cookies.  They are both filled with cream.  They both add peppermint for that seasonal twist.

Joe-Joes at Trader Joes

The question:  Which cookies should you eat?

The answer:  Mrs. HowChow says both.  They're both dangerously delicious.  Crunch.  Cream.  Peppermint.  They're similar enough that she got a bit overconfident and guessed wrong about which was the Trader Joe's original.  Wegmans double-stuffs its Os, so you get more cream in each cookie.  But Trader Joe's put bigger slivers of peppermint in its Joe-Joes, so you get a more-exotic crunch.  Mrs. HowChow happily ate both.

(And I sampled another plate as I wrote this.  It's all in the name of science.)

This is definitely a fun taste-test for you to run at home.  I'd love your comments -- including candy cane Oreos because I assume that the true originals have gone peppermint for the holiday as well.  The only down side is hearing two open  bags of cookies call your name from the pantry.

What I Did On Summer Vacation #2: Guacamole, Kabobs, Cotton Candy And Other Comfort Foods

Guacamole from Roots Market in Clarksville

The guacamole from Roots in Clarksville feels like the flavor of our summer.

It's pricey, but it's worth every penny because it is always delicious.  The chipotle version makes a nice variation, but we keep coming back to the plain guacamole with a bag of Nana's Cocina tortilla chips thrown in the cart as well.  Fresh, zesty, seriously-filling as a snack or a meal.

You can just dip the chips.  You can zest up even a quesadilla made with pedestrian tortillas and cheese.  You can throw a party from Roots' refrigerator with their guacamole, a Cava hummus, and some chips to accompany them.  The only key is that you press plastic wrap if you're putting some back in the fridge to keep the avocado from turning brown -- and that you keep modern guacamole out of your Old El Paso tacos if you're trying to recreate the 1970s.

On top of the guac, we picked up a few other items this summer to make life fun:

Cotton candy at Sweet Treats

• Cotton candy from the Sweet Treats stand in Columbia Mall.  My mother and aunt love cotton candy.  Sugar-drunk from a visit to the Jersey Shore, they took the position that you couldn't get great cotton candy around here.  So Mrs. HowChow took eight bags to my parents' house.  Instant fun to make plates with the four flavors, and the ladies conceded that the mall's candy was top notch.
• Comfort food at Maiwand Kabob.  We took tennis lessons at Cedar Lane Park, and we relished the ease of chicken kabobs, a gyro and the pumpkin appetizer at the Afghan restaurant in the Harper's Choice village center.  That's eating for the day, and the flavors truly make this one of my favorite restaurants in Howard County.
• Oysters at Wegmans.  They may not be your cup of tea, but a slurp of salt water can make an easy meal.  I picked up a dozen oysters at Wegmans after one of their seafood folks enticed me with samples of two types.  I got several of each and taste-tested with the '34 Act Gourmet.  They sold trays already opened, or you can get a knife and shuck them yourself.  I got my short, strong knife at Frank's Seafood in Jessup, which sells similarly-delicious oysters.

Oysters at Wegmans

Hatch Chile Craziness This Week At Wegmans

While I was away, Mena flagged for me that the Hatch chile event comes back this week to the Columbia Wegmans.

The New Mexico chiles took over the Wegmans parking lot last year, and people could buy them in several levels of spiciness and roasted or fresh.  Looks like the same options come back this year.  People buy them by the case, then freeze them to add all year.

Mena says Wegmans called for pre-orders because she had ordered last year.   You can talk to the catering department.  Or you could check out the parking lot on August 23-25.

Thanks Mena!

Here Come The Salads At Wegmans: RDADoc's Pears & Provolone At The Caesar Station

Wegmans has been open a year, but they're still making changes.  RDADoc celebrated one innovation -- the salad station now open at lunch time and dinner time among the preapred foods:

One of the things that I was most excited about when I heard that Wegmans was coming to Columbia was that I’d be able to eat their "pear and provolone" salad more frequently.  I’ve gotten this salad at the New Jersey Wegmans in the past.  It’s made with field greens, provolone cheese, pears and Wegmans lemon vinaigrette dressing.  It is absolutely delicious! 

When the Columbia Wegmans opened, my biggest disappointment was that they didn’t offer this salad expect for on their catering menu. Over the last year I have purchased it for parties, and it’s always been a big hit! 

A couple weeks ago when I was shopping at Wegmans, I noticed that the counter that use to serve Mexican food and sandwiches had been transformed into a Caesar salad station serving salads by the pound. They offer my favorite "pear and provolone" salad.  They also sell a Caesar salad and a romaine strawberry salad.  I tend to stick with what I know I like.  So the last two times I’ve been to Wegmans, I’ve gotten the "pear and provolone."  Next time, I am going to branch out.

A Question Wegmans Fish Counter Could Ask

"I think we're going to need a bigger YouTube video."

Do you want that fish gutted?

I had a great conversation at the Wegmans fish counter on Sunday morning.  What kind of fish looked good.  How whole bronzini compared with whole trout.  How to cook them.  The nice flavors of lemon juice and herbs.

No language divide.  No cultural divide.  I figured that we understood each other -- until I unwrapped the bronzini today and realized that the Wegmans fishmonger saw me as far more skilled than I actually am.

H Mart always guts the fish.  They have a sign above the counter with numbers and pictures of the ways that they'll gut and chop the fish.

Imagine my surprise when the bronzini rolled out of Wegmans' beautiful packaging all in one piece.  I hadn't thought to ask about processing.  And I hadn't ever gutted a fish.

Thanks to Kyle at FlyFishingMyWay.com.  His YouTube video had everything that I needed -- including excellent advice about having a plastic bag ready to dispose of the innards.  The bronzini is roasting with some tomatoes from my garden.  It looks delicious.  And I'm ready for the next time.

(Update: It was delicious.)

Squid At Wegmans: Try A Light Summer Dinner That Is As Easy As Grilling Up Hamburgers

Squid Burlissimo

Quick-cooking.  Low-fat.  Fresh-tasting.  How could squid not be part of your everyday kitchen?

Well, the squid part kept me from cooking them for a long time.  Big bodies you need to clean or frozen blocks you need to defrost and use.  But that changed at the seafood counter at Wegmans.

They're easy there.  Sold cleaned -- either as tubular bodies or bundled tentacles. You literally just slice them and cook, no harder than a fish filet.  We go with bodies.  Buy maybe a 1/4 pound per person.  Then find recipes that keep me from deep-frying them into crunchy calamari.

My current recipe was adapted from a Melissa Clark recipe in the New York Times.  Sautéed squid with lime, hot pepper and mint.  Served -- by accident -- on toasted bread when I misread Clark's recipe and then decided that I liked the change.  It's a fresh little dinner, great flavors and dedicated to the famous Duke and Duchess of Burlbaugh.

Squid Burlissimo
serves two, easy to double if you cook in two batches

4 tbl olive oil
1/2 pound squid bodies, cleaned
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 small Thai pepper, seeded
1 lime
1/4 c. chopped mint
thin slices of crusty bread -- 2 large or 4 small

1) Rinse the squid, then drain and dry with a paper towel.  The bodies are long tubes, pointed on one end and open on the other.  Slice them into 3/4-inch-wide rings.  Pat dry, then put in a bowl.

Watermelon & feta salad

2) Heat a skillet large enough to hold the squid over high heat.  Let the pan get very hot.  Add the oil to the pan.  Then add the squid.  Sprinkle with salt and cook them for one minute without touching them.

3) Flip the squid.  Add the garlic and hot pepper.  Cook one or two more minutes.  Cook the squid until it gets firm and opaque.

4) At the same time, toast or grill the bread.

5) Pour the squid, oil, garlic and hot pepper into a clean bowl.  Squeeze the lime to pour juice over the squid.  Add the mint and stir.  You want a bit of oil at the bottom of the bowl.  Add a 1/2 tsp if you don't have enough.

5) Put the bread on plates or a serving platter.  Spoon squid onto the bread.  Spoon a bit of the oil on each slice.  Serve immediately.

Consider serving with a salad made of cubed watermelon, feta and basil.  Dress with a little olive oil and salt.

Top Secret Tangerines Are Back -- And They're Not So Secret At The Front Door Of Wegmans

The Sumo tangerines are back, and they're worth checking out wherever your find them.

Sumo tangerines are a special variety grown in secrecy in California.  Last year, we found them at Family Market in Columbia.  Today, they were right at the front door of Wegmans.  They're sampling, not secrets.

They're also absolutely delicious, large and sweet with lots of juice. The peel pulls away easily. The sections have a skin so thin that it's almost like they're all pulp. You get a strong citrus flavor, less sweet than those tiny oranges and more flavor of great fresh-squeezed juice.

Check out the Sumos at Wegmans.  Anyone seen them elsewhere this year?

(Update:  The Sumos are expensive.  I hadn't noticed the price when Mrs. HowChow grabbed a box.  I had remembered that they were really unique and special.  Even boxed, they're more than $2 each.  So just make sure that's worth it for you.)

Mini Sweet Peppers At Wegmans: My Secret Healthy Treat (And Then There Are Sliders)

Mini Sweet Peppers

One of my great Wegmans finds has been bags of tiny sweet peppers -- three-inch-long treats in the form of yellow, red and orange peppers.

They're tiny.  They're delicious.  They're useful in a thousand ways.  I cut them into omelets last night.  I sliced them to dip in hummus.  I have just through a handful in a bag as part of packing a last-minute lunch.

And that's one bag.  You pay $6 for a two-pound bag, but that's fine when they're so sweet and where they last weeks in my fridge.  They become convenience food.  Eggs, feta cheese, an onion, and the peppers were dinner on a night when I thought that I had no food in the house.  One dinner that I didn't expect makes them worth grabbing every time.

Sliders on Wegmans rolls

To me, this is one of the great innovations of Wegmans.  The produce is so good that we just eat more.  It's easy.  It's versatile.  It's really unique because the small peppers are so beautiful, even just sliced and seeded.  They're definitely worth checking out.

And, if you're looking small, get more of those Wegmans' rolls.  I started with the pretzel rolls.  Now, we keep four to six frozen at any time.  Grab ground chuck from Laurel Meat Market (or even ask for the firecracker mix), and you can make great wintertime sliders.  Grill or just use a cast iron pan.  Either way, the plain rolls are sized perfectly for little burgers.

News 2012: Wegmans, What Did It Mean?

Cheese, glorious cheese!

The funniest food moment of 2012 was realizing that Mrs. HowChow was slightly disappointed as she walked around a supermarket.

Wegmans opened in Columbia, and it changed the scope of food in Howard County.  But, in my house, Wegmans did the impossible and turned Mrs. HowChow into someone excited to grocery shop.  What did it?  Variety, flavor, and samples, samples, samples.

Until this year, food was my job.  I cooked, so I shopped.  But then Wegmans arrived and started hitting on my wife.  Across the store, they'd scatter people with pickup lines like "Do you want to taste the mozzarella?"  Mrs. HowChow drove there alone for yogurt, and she came home with three loaves of bread, two cheeses, and a 12-inch apple pie.

That's why she actually felt disappointed when we shopped late on a Sunday night.  At 9 pm, they're restocking and cleaning up.  No crowds, but no samples.  No one offers to pair a slice of apple cider bread with the perfect soft brie.  Mrs. HowChow arrived in great spirits, but slowly deflated when she realized that she was just walking around a grocery store.

Of course, Wegmans is the big news of 2012 because it's more than a grocery store.  Detractors complain about price or size or employee pay, but no one can deny that the right half of the store is a revelation -- breads, bakery, prepared food, seafood, deli, cheeses and produce.  The food is delicious.  The offerings are vast and seasonal.  The people want to help.

Hatch Chiles Have Taken Over The Parking Lot

Mena's peppers

The Hatch chile event at Wegmans run through Sunday, and it permeates much of the store.

A roasting machine and tent set up in the parking lot.  Roasted and fresh chiles in produce.  A cream cheese spread in the cheese section.  Even a "floral" arrangement of chiles by the florist.

Roasting in the parking lot

The smell flows right off the roasting tent into the parking lot as you walk to the store. I admit that I passed on the 23-pound box, but mostly because I overbought in the tomato and peach fields last month.  One quixotic canning event is cute.  Two is a problem husband.

But Mena paid $39 for 23 pounds of fresh peppers, which they'll roast for you as well.  Mena reports:

My peppers are are chillin' in the freezer now. House smells amazing.  I put about four peppers in each bundle. When frozen, I will put them in a ziplock. The rest are in the basement freezer.  Bought a pork shoulder and will probably make chile verde.  Couldn't remember what ingredients I needed except tomatillos -- so will have to make another trip.

Wegmans in Columbia is selling two varieties of Hatch peppers -- a spicy and a mild.  The roasted spicy pepper has a real bite, but it's all delicious.  You can buy everything from a few peppers up to the 23-pound boxes.  They're only available for about a month in the fall, so people freeze them like Mena in small batches to pull out for salsas, chili, and all kinds of Southwest dishes.

A Revolution In Bread In Howard County

Sourdough from The Breadery

In the last year or so, Howard County's simplest food has gotten way more complex -- and way more interesting if you like a crunchy crust.

We're talking about bread.  Years ago, I posted about bakeries in Howard County, and bread merited a single paragraph -- Bonaparte Bakery in Savage with side notes about the whole grain loaves at The Breadery then on Rte 40 and other people's love of Great Harvest in Columbia.

But a quiet revolution has truly changed your options -- new places, new flavors, novel spots where you can stop for fresh, exciting bread:

• Wegmans in Columbia.  This is the flashy new spot of 2012.  The bakery sits right inside the front door, and we fill bags with baguettes, rolls and other goodies.  The rolls are our new staple.  I buy eight or 10 at a time, and I freeze them two to a bag.  They're perfect to thaw for sandwiches or just to accompany dinner.
• The Breadery that relocated to Oella last summer.  An easy drive from Main Street in Ellicott City, and you can enjoy their long-standing line of whole grain loaves, along with crusty offerings like baguettes, sourdough, flat breads topped with cheese and vegetables, and the best hot dog buns that you'll ever find.



Loaves from the new Roots bakery

• Roots Market in Clarksville.  The Roots folks started a bakeshop this spring that does sweets to savory, and they now fill their displays with their own loaves -- sourdough, Russian black bread, a harvest bread coated with crunchy seeds.  We sliced ciabatta for almost every meal last weekend.

Bonaparte continues to make Savage Mill a wonderful place to stop for simple like baguettes or fantastic like the rosemary lemon bread.  The revolution is that almost every corner of the county now has bakers pushing similar excellence.

Soft sandwich breads or crusty loaves.  Simple rolls or dinner party centerpieces.  Whatever you like,  you can expect to eat something make with care and an eye on flavor, texture and fun.

The change has been so great that you have stil more hidden options for quality bread.  The Bagel Bins in Clarksville and Columbia often offer challah on Fridays.  The Shrine of St. Anthony in Clarksville sells rye and other varieties baked by Trappist monks in New York State.  And the Bon Fresco Sandwich Bakery in Columbia offers up focaccia and baguettes along with their spectacular sandwiches.

This is the gradual innovation that makes a place special.  Four great bakeries.  The specialist options -- topped off with loaves you can buy at Mom's Organic Market in Jessup or at one of the farmers markets.  Soon, the county has begun a place where you can expect to eat well and people stop saying "It's all chain restaurants and Safeway."  You can be a little proud and eat near home.

Don't forget the pretzel rolls.  That's an early Wegmans find.  Click here for all the posts about bread.

Hot Stuff -- Special Ordered -- At Wegmans

Hatch chiles for special order at Wegmans

The new Wegmans has brought a taste of New York New Mexico to Columbia -- offering to sell you cases of hatch chiles and delivering them in mid-September.

N8tiveNYer emailed me about the special hatch chile sale because she bought some last year when she lived in Virginia.  Wegmans has a large sign at the entrance saying you can order at the catering desk, and N8tiveNYer recommends buying a roasted case and freezing them for the future.

Hatch chiles are a New Mexico specialty, ranging from mild to hot but all coming from the valley running along the Rio Grande.  They're used in traditional southwestern dishes, but also as modern twists in burgers, chicken dishes, and even cookies.

N8tiveNYer thinks that she was quoted $39 for a 25- or 35-pound case.  Wegmans sells them fresh or roasted, and she buys roasted to avoid the mess.  She recommends them for a green chile salsa, although you can start looking for ideas from the Houston Chronicle (chicken-fried steak / cookies), the Aprovecho blog (chicken with cheese and chilis), or the Hatch Chile Heaven blog (chili / burgers / a whole cookbook).

Hot Dogs For Adults -- Spicy, Smoky Fare

Adult hot dogs at Wegmans

I'm looking to grill over Labor Day, but I want the best food that I can make with the least work.

Basically, I want adult hot dogs.  Or sausages.  Those will work for my plan to throw stuff on the grill and not worry myself with custom orders.

Over the past few years, I have become a chicken sausage fan.  All the flavor, a fraction of the fat from pork sausages.  The Harris Teeter spicy Italian sausage has been a staple, and I always pick up a half-dozen when I can get to the deli at Whole Foods.  Plus, I have advocated sausages from Laurel Meat Market, Boarman's, Family Market and others as your gateway drug to trying new markets.

My recent discovery was Hartmann's hot dogs at the far end of the deli at Wegmans.  They're cooked through when you buy them.  You just heat them on the grill, and they had a peppery, adult flavor -- absolutely worth whatever fat and other items are ground into the dog.  They actually taste smoked.

What should I try?  I will probably sample a few of the other Wegmans offerings.  They seem to tend towards European sausages with German names.  I'll probably splurge on a few Laurel Meat Market spicy Italians to split with friends.  And I'll try to get up to Oella for the best hot dog bun that you'll ever find.

What else do you recommend?  What do people buy at J.W. Trueth?  Anything from a package?  I have been burned by so many pre-packaged sausages.  Even expensive brands can be bland and slimy.

(Update: Last month, people put some nice advice in the comments to the hot dog bun post.)

Salamis, Speck And Exotic Slices At Wegmans

Charcuterie case at Wegmans

Everything about Wegmans is boiled down in the deli -- a long counter that runs from standard turkeys and hams down through exotic hot dogs, vaguely European sausages and a few feet of unusual salamis to a $100 piece of pig on the end.

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.

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.

Meat plates

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.

What You'll See At The New Columbia Wegmans

Fill a Wegmans truck with your favorite food

I didn't have to go to the new Columbia Wegmans.

I had planned on waiting a few weeks for the rush to slow, but then I had Monday off work and focused on food.  And I was excited.  I drove over at 8 am and ended up wandering around for much more than an hour.

What should you expect at the new Wegmans?  I appreciated the pre-opening publicity, but sometimes journalists get a little caught up in detail like square-footage and the number of check-outs and miss the way that things feel.

Gourmet cheese

It's huge.  The Wegmans is enormous.  The aisles are wide.  The store stretches forever.  It's more like a Target than a grocery store.  Get a map because I missed sections and had to loop back.  At the entrance, it's a gourmet store with prepared foods, bakery, meat, fish and cheese.  Then it's a huge produce department.  Then it's a grocery store down the center, then it's a steel-shelved club store at the far end.

But it's not exactly four stores stitched together.  Some items are scattered around the store.  There is bread in the bakery.  There is more way in the back.  There are sodas in a half dozen aisles -- including San Pellegrino next to Italian cookies on the aisles with pasta sauces.  It's more broken-up than a grocery store, which just means that you can walk around and make discoveries around any corner.