I am fortunate to live a short drive from several major grocery stores. Instead of being loyal to one, I tend to change where I shop based on which is most convenient based on my schedule from week to week. Other times, I make a special trip to a certain store to get something I can't get anywhere else.
Until recently, I had to drive over an hour to get to my all-time favorite grocery store, Wegmans (see if there's one near you). I didn't make the trip often, but always looked forward to my trips to the massive market. I had been anxiously awaiting the grand opening of a Wegmans much closer to where I live. Now that it's open, it has become my go-to store. Here is what I buy most often.
Ready-to-Eat Salads
Wegmans is a hybrid store that is part supermarket and part takeaway restaurant. Whenever I shop at Wegmans, I almost always pick up something ready to eat. I often grab a salad for lunch, sometimes to eat the same day and sometimes to save for later in the week. I love the Harvest Salad with crumbled blue cheese, crunchy apples, walnuts and cabbage. Wegmans' ready-to-eat pizzas and subs are also popular in my house. My family likes Wegmans' to-go foods so much that we often stop at a Wegmans instead of a fast-food restaurant on road trips.
Sushi
Sushi is so popular at Wegmans that the chain has its own sushi bar. They also regularly host sushi festivals with live sushi-rolling demonstrations and samples. Even on non-festival days, Wegmans has a large sushi selection that always tastes fresh. Wegmans also has other great Japanese offerings that go well with sushi, including poke bowls, seaweed salad and lychee-flavored soda. Most of the sushi I get at Wegmans is on par with that from my favorite sushi restaurant, at a fraction of the price.
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Bulk Foods
Wegmans doesn't sell bulk foods by the pound, but they have a big selection of pre-packaged items you typically find in the bulk food section. Some of my favorites include Rainbow Delight Trail Mix, crunchy Sea Salted Green Bean Chips, and Sweetened Dried Pineapple Tidbits. I love Wegmans' dark chocolate almonds for a treat. I almost always take a moment to browse the bulk food aisle to see if anything new catches my eye.
Mediterranean Mezze
Wegmans has the best and largest selection of charcuterie and party platters that I have ever seen at a grocery store. Whenever I need to bring something to an event, want a nice hostess gift, or need something quick for guests who are stopping by, I make a stop at Wegmans. Most grocery stores have basic fruit and veggie platters, but Wegmans goes beyond the ordinary with a huge range of options. My favorite is the Mediterranean Mezze, which has feta, dolmas, an assortment of olives and red pepper hummus, among other ingredients. They also have tapas trays, charcuterie boards and tropical fruit bowls. The boards and platters come in a variety of sizes including appetizer portions, half trays and full-size boards, so I can always find just the right amount. Sometimes I pick up a smaller tray for a date night at home.
Michael Solomonov's Double-Tahini Hummus
Olives
At most grocery stores, I'm stuck with getting olives from a jar, but that's not the case at Wegmans. Instead of heading to the condiment aisle for my olives, I go to Wegmans' deli for a large selection of freshly packed olives. The olive section at Wegmans goes far beyond green and Kalamata. Some of my favorites include olives stuffed with Gorgonzola and hot olives. I love adding Wegmans Italian Olive Mix to salads. Wegmans' olive selection also includes olive-heavy antipasto salad and freshly chopped tapenade.
Ready-to-Cook Strip Steak
Getting dinner on the table each night can be a challenge. Often that means a basic main dish or skipping the sides. Wegmans makes it easier to have a complete meal on busy nights with their huge selection of pre-seasoned, ready-to-cook foods, including steaks, vegetables and pizzas. All of these foods are freshly prepared and are never frozen. Additionally, they all come with clear cooking directions, so there is little room for error. I just need to pop dinner in the oven and it's almost like having a homemade meal that was made from scratch. Garlic Studded Strip Steak is one of my family's favorites, that I often pair with buttery broccoli. If I hide the container, I can fool my family into thinking I made dinner from scratch.
Sparkling Water
Wegmans has a large number of items made under their house brand. These products are always good and are relatively affordable compared to name brands. One of my favorites is their sparkling water, which rivals the much more expensive name brands in terms of taste and comes in a variety of flavors. A couple of my favorite flavors include cherry pomegranate, grapefruit and ginger. For a treat, I reach for Wegmans' Frizzante Sour Cherry Lemon European Soda. It's the perfect mix of sweet cherry with a kick of tartness from the lemon. It's a delicious refreshing drink that I often serve as a ready-made mocktail when entertaining. I also buy Wegmans' house-brand frozen fruit, mini pierogies and flavored yogurt. It seems like Wegmans is constantly adding new products to their house brand, so I always keep an eye open for new Wegmans-branded items when wandering the aisles.
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Cheese
Wegmans takes cheese very seriously. They even created their own cheese caves with conditions that mimic caves where cheeses are ripened throughout Europe. Several of Wegmans' cheeses have won prestigious awards. I love browsing Wegmans' extensive cheese collection to see what catches my eye. But two that often end up in my cart are Professor's Brie and one of Wegmans' own creations, Sake 2 Me cheese, which is washed in Japanese rice wine. My family also enjoys eating cheese-based meals like fondue and raclette, and Wegmans is one of the few supermarkets I've found that sells "heat and serve" cheese, which saves me tons of time.
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Chocolate Chip Cookies
Wegmans' chocolate chip cookies are famous for good reason. They are soft and chewy and full of chocolate chips. I like the minis for a small treat. Chocolate lovers will love the double-chip version of these cookies. Copycat recipes are available, but the real thing is hard to beat. Plus, it's a lot more convenient to pick up a pack instead of messing up the kitchen trying to replicate something so perfect.
Brown Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies
