Oakdale Adventure #2 - HyVee

HyVee Oakdale

We thought the huge crowds had probably subsided, so it was time to venture out to the new HyVee in Oakdale (of course John grew up in Albert Lea, so his family talked about getting 'three things' from the hot food section of HyVee for years).   Well, things have changed at HyVee since then!

Now, onto the main event.....the tour of HyVee. 

It's a little overwhelming from the minute you walk in.  A series of food stations on the left, with produce, bulk foods, and charcuterie sort of straight ahead.  John wanted to go left.  So we checked out all of the food stations, except we didn't go into the grille.  Asian hot foods and sushi, pizza, "American" like meatloaf and mashed potatoes (the HyVee of John's memory), plus a chef's creation station.

After strolling the whole row twice, we thought the Asian selection looked the freshest and most appealing.  The chef section was chaotic and was next to the 'prepared food case' where everything always tastes like the prepared food case : (  The ready to eat pizzas didn't look that appealing (but Minnesotans eat such lousy 'pizza' - it didn't look much different than the national chains).  The take and bake pizza and flatbreads actually looked a lot more interesting and maybe worth a try. 

Then we wandered to bulk foods.  DeLizious Food Communications said it was overwhelming....and it was.  I think they have everything that Bergin Fruit and Nut (a St. Paul institution) carries (if you haven't been there, check out Bergin's outlet room).   Chocolate nuts, dried fruits, mixes, and more.....it would take a while to look at everything.  I appreciated that they had a staff person working there who could 1) answer questions and 2) keep people's hands out of the bins (a pet peeve).  May have to check out this section in more detail on my next visit.

Then we wandered to the regular grocery and frozen/refrig aisles.  This became a much more typical grocery store experience.  They have a nice section of frozen organic and gluten free.  But we noticed that most people had carts filled with typical corporate products--stuff we don't eat (we don't have a death wish).   So it will be interesting to see if the more unique selections remain over time or if the assortment starts to look like any other corporate grocery dump.

We found the meat counter interesting...nice looking kabobs and some more unique selections.  The staff was pretty knowledgeable.  The cheese selection was interesting, too, and the person admitted she was in training, but did her best to help us find the Sartori Montemore and looked up the Milton Prairie Breeze to verify they stocked it, though none of us could actually find it in the cheese display.  But she was very helpful.   I'll be back there to check out other selections.

But, now, my favorite.  The charcuterie counter.  I died and went to heaven (not from the corporate food described earlier).  This counter had the largest, most beautiful selection of LaQuercia products I have ever seen in one place.  I was drooling on the counter (okay, I kept my drool to myself).  The staff member in charge could tell me about the different products based on the pig (Berkshire, Tamworth, etc) and what the pigs were fed...a veritable shopping dream experience.  LaQuercia pork is raised by family farmers without the use of non-therapeutic antibiotics, hormones, etc, don't use CAFO animals, and don't use animals who are fed other animals' body parts.  I just wanted to buy a little of everything.  Oh the beautiful pork.......

Many delightful products at this counter from other providers, too....plus, samples of soppressata and bacon...quite delish.  I'll be back here just to gawk at the case.

A final tour of the bakery area (way too much of the same junky bakery you find at every grocery store) with a few interesting looking items in the display case.  No time to try them on this trip--we'll give 'em a taste next time.

All in all, worth the trip.  The Asian food station looked a lot better than the local corporate option (although we're big fans of the small local China Express and of course, our all-time north suburban fave---Pink Flower).   The charcuterie case was a dream.  The fact that you could eat a quick meal before or after shopping, with a range of dining choices is a plus.  Eat first, spend less as you shop : )

...and, this was not John's mom's HyVee.  Lots to see and try.  We thought there were some hits and some misses.  But we own a business and we have our own hits and misses.  Overall, a fun little evening excursion.  I love food....eating it, looking at it, talking about it......ummmm....food.