the new Wegman's in Cherry Hill

[dagordon]

Just picked up some Prime, dry-aged steaks from Wegmans for a July 4th BBQ:

We had two of these a couple of weeks ago (not grilled), and they were fantastic. They're not cheap -- 27.99/pound -- but it's actually a fairly good value, imho. I'm also not sure that there's steak of this quality available for purchase anywhere else around here. (Mail-order is an entirely different story, of course.)

Interestingly, I think that these steaks at the Cherry Hill Wegmans are better than their counterparts at the Princeton Wegmans. Of course, I imagine quality will vary over time, but the steaks we had from Cherry Hill were substantially better than the ones from Princeton -- the Princeton ones weren't as well marbled, and they weren't available in cuts as thick.

Edited June 30, 2006 by dagordon (log)

[mrbigjas]

i'm just back from a trip over the bridge to wegmans again, mainly because i wanted a really nice steak and the terminal isn't open sundays. got a dry-aged ribeye for $22 a pound; we'll see how it compares to ochs. and a good chicken for cheap--they also had d'artagnan organic chickens for $2.99 a pound, rabbit for $7.59 a pound, and duck breasts for about $10 a pound, i think. priced similar to the new dibruno's meat store, about which i have many questions. but that's another post.

but we had a nice lunch there and i'm here to say that the already impressive store has improved from my previous visit on opening day. for instance: remember how i said there weren't many peppers? there are now long hots, frying, poblano, and habanero peppers along with the jalapenos (still no serranos, though, which are my personal preference for most any situation). however, just a little ways away were 10-12 varietes of dried pepper, from arbol to costeno to tepin.

near the peppers, fancy mushrooms, from bluefoots and chanterelles at $20-25 or so a pound, to morels at $30, to hen of the woods and shiitake at $10.

jersey blueberries at 2 pts/$3 was a great deal. big packages of about a dozen or 15 baby artichokes for $3.

but what really caught my eye this time was the international sections, in the indian section there were all kinds of dal, from whole or split mung beans to red lentils, several types of chickpeas, and so on. and bottles of mustard oil! which i've never seen in a grocery store here.

and next to that, the irish section, and the british section, where you can pick up hp sauce, branston pickle, and the like (i'm having digestive biscuits even as we speak).

near there, the asian section, where you can actually get neoguri and many types of udon in the store (although they didn't have red vinegar, which necessitated a trip to hung vuong this afternoon, and there is a very high ratio of la choy products to others).

all this is besides the massive goya section i mentioned in my last post.

anyway, pretty cool stuff.

[rockhopper]

On July 4th they were selling Georgia corn. In New Jersey.

No thanks.

[rlibkind]

On July 4th they were selling Georgia corn. In New Jersey.

No thanks.

←

When the South Jersey corn is ready of picking, they'll have it. Probably fresh-picked three or four times a day (in other Wegman's stors I've seen "next delivery" clock facades).

[rockhopper]

On July 4th they were selling Georgia corn. In New Jersey.

No thanks.

←

When the South Jersey corn is ready of picking, they'll have it. Probably fresh-picked three or four times a day (in other Wegman's stors I've seen "next delivery" clock facades).

←

My point is that it's ready now. I'm having some for dinner tonight. (and tomorrow night.

and the night after that...)

The CH store doesn't have the same items as the Mount Laurel store. That's a bit maddening. For example, I bothered to make gyro meat from scratch and wanted to get some Kronos pita. ML has it but CH doesn't. CH had other Kronos bread products.

ML has Vernor's ginger ale. CH doesn't. If you like spicy ginger ale - but not as spicy as ginger beer try it.

Edited July 6, 2006 by rockhopper (log)

[herbacidal]

ML has Vernor's ginger ale. CH doesn't. If you like spicy ginger ale - but not as spicy as ginger beer try it.

←

How does Vernon's compare to Blenheim as far as spiciness?

[dagordon]

On July 4th they were selling Georgia corn. In New Jersey.

No thanks.

←

When the South Jersey corn is ready of picking, they'll have it. Probably fresh-picked three or four times a day (in other Wegman's stors I've seen "next delivery" clock facades).

←

My point is that it's ready now. I'm having some for dinner tonight. (and tomorrow night.

and the night after that...)

The CH store doesn't have the same items as the Mount Laurel store. That's a bit maddening. For example, I bothered to make gyro meat from scratch and wanted to get some Kronos pita. ML has it but CH doesn't. CH had other Kronos bread products.

ML has Vernor's ginger ale. CH doesn't. If you like spicy ginger ale - but not as spicy as ginger beer try it.

←

Did you mention to anyone at Wegmans that you were interested in these items that the Mt Laurel store stocks? Wegmans is pretty well-known for their customer responsiveness, and several people at the CH store in particular told us that they're taking suggestions about what items they should be stocking. In particular, someone behind the fish counter actually wrote down our suggestions for fish that they should carry.

[etalanian]

I asked for Cotswold cheese and Delice de Borgogne in the cheese department. They carry neither, but someone wrote the names down (even asked the spelling of the Delice to be sure he had it right) and said he would give the information to the cheese manager. He also said someone else that day asked for Cotswold, so he's been paying attention to what people want. I think you just have to let them know you want it.

That store may be dealing with particular farms in the area, and maybe the corn at their supplier isn't ready yet. But I'm certain they will have jersey corn and tomatoes.

Eileen

[TarteTatin]

Sorry to dissapoint y'all, but we are underwhelmed by Wegman's.

Went today to the Cherry Hill store.

Have been twice previously to the other one in South Jersey.

The only thing we remotely like is the real Rotisserie's they have there. Similar to the one's you find on the street in Paris. In Paris, the fat drips off the Rotisserie's, onto potatoes at the bottom. Delicious. Americans wouldn't go for that, the Exec told us. Nor for Rotisserie Ducks. Hmmm.

No potato fat here... The Chicken we bought tonight was $4.99. Cheaper than any fast food restaurant. No added ingredients, that's good. But, no taste, either. Not local, nor free range...No taste. We added homemade Peach BBQ sauce that we had just made, which helped. Granted, for that price, we'll go back again, since we don't eat any other fast food.

But nothing else there really rocks our boat!

Oh, wrong...they have a good supply of Indian and other ethnic foods there. We bought some Poppodoms, some Gooseberry chutney, some Basmati rice. All stuff we get at the Indian store at 40th and Chestnut. It looks like they have a good British supply, Thai, etc.

Reading Terminal is still the bees knees for us.

Wegman's doesn't even have good Recycled trash bags, napkins, etc.

Or, a good Olive Oil department that I used to go to Shoprite for.

The same D'artagnan products I can get at Superfresh on Delaware Ave.

Otherwise, Cheese, Meat, Produce, prepared foods, we'll stick with Reading Terminal.

[rockhopper]

On July 4th they were selling Georgia corn. In New Jersey.

No thanks.

←

When the South Jersey corn is ready of picking, they'll have it. Probably fresh-picked three or four times a day (in other Wegman's stors I've seen "next delivery" clock facades).

←

My point is that it's ready now. I'm having some for dinner tonight. (and tomorrow night.

and the night after that...)

The CH store doesn't have the same items as the Mount Laurel store. That's a bit maddening. For example, I bothered to make gyro meat from scratch and wanted to get some Kronos pita. ML has it but CH doesn't. CH had other Kronos bread products.

ML has Vernor's ginger ale. CH doesn't. If you like spicy ginger ale - but not as spicy as ginger beer try it.

←

Did you mention to anyone at Wegmans that you were interested in these items that the Mt Laurel store stocks? Wegmans is pretty well-known for their customer responsiveness, and several people at the CH store in particular told us that they're taking suggestions about what items they should be stocking. In particular, someone behind the fish counter actually wrote down our suggestions for fish that they should carry.

←

I leave notes in the suggestion box near the door each trip.

[rlibkind]

Sorry to dissapoint y'all, but we are underwhelmed by Wegman's....

Reading Terminal is still the bees knees for us.

←

When you've got the RTM, Wegman's is hardly necessary. But lots of folks don't have the RTM or easy access to it. Let's face it, if you are used to the suburban life it's a pain to drive into the city and look for parking (even if the RTM does have a good $2 for two hour deal).

When She Who Must Be Obeyed was running a small company in Ithaca and I was working in Philadelphia, Wegman's was a life-saver for her. And at the time (1998-01) I could find some items at Wegmans that were not carried by the RTM: dry scallops being a primary example. (Thankfully they are usually available at Golden Seafood now.)

Although I'm about as committed an RTM shopper as you can find, I see myself making forays to Wegman's on a semi-regular basis. Where else can I get upstate NY style pork hot dogs around here?

[TarteTatin]

Yes, you're right, Rlibkind.

Absolutely. I'm spoiled.

Wegman's is good, especially in the Suburbs.

[rlibkind]

But nothing else there really rocks our boat!

Oh, wrong...they have a good supply of Indian and other ethnic foods there. We bought some Poppodoms, some Gooseberry chutney, some Basmati rice. All stuff we get at the Indian store at 40th and Chestnut. It looks like they have a good British supply, Thai, etc.

←

There are a couple of very good South Asian food stores near Penn.

The same D'artagnan products I can get at Superfresh on Delaware Ave.

←

Yup. And you can get Branston pickles there, too.

[MarketStEl]

The same D'artagnan products I can get at Superfresh on Delaware Ave.

←

Yup. And you can get Branston pickles there, too.

←

Guess I need to either

a) vary my routine and head to the Uberfresh instead of the Super Cruise just to check it out, or

b) see if any of this stuff can be found at 56th and Chestnut, though something tells me that that Freshgrocer location might have a great selection of Indian spices but very little in the way of Franco-British delicacies.

[dagordon]

Just a warning... Lately the vacuum sealed lamb racks from the Cherry Hill Wegmans have had a funky, unpleasant odor and taste. We've been getting these for a while from the Princeton Wegmans and they've never had this property.

Luckily, the lamb racks in the meat case are as good as ever.

Stick to the ones in the case. i've always suspicious of the obscenely long claimed shelf-lives of the vacuum sealed stuff...

[TarteTatin]

Every time we go they have less and less d'Artagnan products. We love the Magret, today they had none. Last time there was one almost outdated.

We have tried to go every few weeks, thinking we're missing something. But today's visit will probably be one of our last.

Like I said, we've got Reading Terminal, Superfresh on Delaware Ave for d'Artagnan, and Essene for health food items, as well as Trader Joe's and Whole Foods.

It would have been nice to find it all in one place, but we prefer to go to the individual places for what we need, and they are closer, to boot.

They don't have recycled trash bags or paper towels. Not in the "regular" store, nor in the "organic" section.

In addition, we'd rather support the smaller guys, Reading Terminal and Essene.

[davidbdesilva]

Just wanted everyone who lives in the 'burbs to know that there is a Wegman's opening in Warminster, on Rte 611, near Street Rd. From what I've read here, I can't wait to try it!

[mrbigjas]

Every time we go they have less and less d'Artagnan products. We love the Magret, today they had none. Last time there was one almost outdated.

maybe no one's buying it. or, not no one, but very few.

[etalanian]

What mrbigjas said.

Eileen

[MarketStEl]

Like I said, we've got Reading Terminal, Superfresh on Delaware Ave for d'Artagnan, and Essene for health food items, as well as Trader Joe's and Whole Foods.

It would have been nice to find it all in one place, but we prefer to go to the individual places for what we need, and they are closer, to boot.

←

The Überfresh carries D'Artagnan?

What do they charge for a 7-ounce tub of duck fat?

I went down there for the first time ever the Sunday after Labor Day to pick up some last-minute items for a cookout and was completely disoriented.

I felt as if I had wandered into Cherry Hill by mistake. Supermarkets that large have to be alien invaders from the planet Suburbia.

However, if I can get specialty foods there and have what I spend count towards this year's free Thanksgiving turkey, I'd willingly go back, even though it requires two buses to get there.

[mrbigjas]

The Überfresh carries D'Artagnan?

dude the superfresh at 10th & south carries d'artagnan products. they're in the fridge at the back left, by the door to the back.

[GlorifiedRice]

I never have liked the Wegmans in Downingtown, Pa.

A whole lot of fluff and pomp to me.

My sons fettucine alfredo was made fresh for him that first day but had NO CREAM! Just cheese and chicken stock.

The only thing I cant get anywhere else is truffles and I dont care for them anyway.

JMO

[dagordon]

The Cherry Hill Wegmans fish counter has been pretty impressive lately. They've had fresh, wild King salmon for the past two weeks at least. Obviously they're not running anymore, but according to the fish guy if you find one in your net, you're allowed to keep it. The stuff they have is overnighted from Anchorage. We had some last week and it was awesome, as good as anything we had over the summer. We got some more tonight, and it looked even fattier than last time. The #1 yellowfin has also looked great. And they have various fresh wild shrimp that has been quite tasty. Also, it's a company-wide policy that they only sell dry scallops. Good for them.

Also, their deli counter sells Snake River Farms Kurobuta ham. I don't know if this is a standard thing at nice supermarkets these days, but it's very good. $11/pound. The deli counter also has various Columbus Salame Company products, which is good stuff.

Oh, and, I may get abused for saying this, but they make a pretty decent baguette that, I think, far outshines Metropolitan's, about which I've never understood the fuss.

[dagordon]

OK, the fresh King salmon purchased from Wegmans yesterday just made the single greatest piece of fish I have ever cooked. Mind-numbingly luxurious.

Also, brussel sprouts purchased from Wegmans yesterday were unusually terrific.

[dagordon]

Picked up perhaps the prettiest piece of yellowfin I've ever seen at the Cherry Hill Wegmans yesterday... picture doesn't do it justice