Columbus Monthly / August 2012 / Gourmet Grocery Guide: Prepared

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Gourmet Grocery Guide: Prepared

The best meat, produce and more inside the city’s top grocery stores

Upper Crust

Whole foods, 1649 W. Lane Ave., Upper Arlington; 3670 W. Dublin-Granville Rd., Dublin

Whole Foods isn’t just a shrine to the salad bar. While they’ve got an exemplary array of seasonal salads, they’re also home to crispy wood-fired pizzas and fresh-made sushi. Though the chain’s new Lane Avenue store is still under construction (a temporary space is open), there’s plenty to enjoy at the Dublin location, the second-biggest store in the entire chain when it opened in 2005. Special to the store on Sawmill Road: the 161 Diner, serving up gourmet greasy-spoon food like gravlax benedict with fish cured in-house, Ohio grass-fed beef burgers and hand-dipped Snowville Creamery milkshakes. There’s something for everyone; that is, if you don’t fill up on samples by the time you finish your shopping.

Don’t miss: The Dublin location has an in-house nut roaster, and their honey-roasted peanuts are an ideal snack for the drive home.

Market Model

The North Market, 59 Spruce St., Arena District

Everyone knows the North Market as a hookup for fresh, local produce and meats. But anywhere you can grab pre-stuffed ravioli (Pastaria, pictured here), shots of wheatgrass juice (Bubbles) and a Liege waffle crackling with sugar (Taste of Belgium) under the same roof is playing the grocery-shopping game on another level. Your only real issue is stomach space: It’s borderline impossible to settle on what to eat when you’re debating between a slice of Clever Crow pizza, a Brezel pretzel or some Lan Viet pho. (There’s always the option of “all of the above.” We won’t judge.) Don’t miss: We’ve got a sugar-rush soft spot for Omega Artisan Baking’s cinnamon rolls, with a spicy, yeasty aroma that puts their shopping-mall brethren to shame.

Let’s Lunch

Hills Market, 95 N. Grant Ave., Downtown

Downtown shoppers rejoice: This fall you’ll have a new option for grab-and-go grub during the work week (and weekend, too).

Construction on the long-awaited Hills Market Downtown is scheduled to be completed in the next few months, and store manager Matt Brown says the place will be packed with lunching options in addition to more standard grocery fare.

Earlier this year, the Hills posted an online survey for future customers of the market’s second location, asking what types of foods the area was missing and what was most important in a grocery-shopping experience. “We’re trying to cater to what people Downtown want,” Brown says.

That survey showed them that customers were practically begging for more greens to munch on mid-day. The Hills will have a 16-foot salad bar, with tons of local veggies to enjoy in the store’s café or patio.

Expect plenty of the Hills’ famous deli offerings, like their array of chicken salads made with local Gerber chickens. Plus, a 24-foot case will feature hot items in microwaveable containers, so harried foodies can pick up something to snack on at their desks. (Yes, they’re bringing their customer-favorite meatloaf, as well as twice-baked potatoes, salmon and herb-grilled chicken.)

“I’m going Downtown and trying to learn future customers’ names and remember their faces,” Brown says. “I’m just ready for opening day.”

Table for Ate

Gourmet dining choices abound in some of Columbus’ best Markets

Picking up dinner at the grocery store no longer conjures images of questionable egg-salad sandwiches in an abandoned deli case. With neighborhood markets adding some delightful dining options, running out for a carton of milk has become the perfect excuse to run out for a gourmet meal, too.

Earth Fare: From the parking lot, you can smell Earth Fare’s Sunday burger cookouts—and that’s enticement enough. Plus, when it’s just $2 to tack on a side like creamy, church-

potluck-approved coleslaw, there’s no need to resist. 1440 Gemini Place, Polaris

Darista Café: This pop-up café at the Hills Market is currently only open for lunch on Fridays, but the seasonal menu with a Spanish lilt makes it worth taking the afternoon off to visit. Pray for the cilantro-and-avocado-laden Patacon Maracucho to be on it. 7860 Olentangy River Rd., Worthington

Tensuke Express: Real, not-from-a-plastic-packet ramen is still rare in Columbus, which

makes Tensuke’s rich, porky chasu ramen taste even more special. They’ve even got the octopus-filled batter balls called takoyaki during daylight hours. 1167 Old Henderson Rd., Upper Arlington

Apna Bazaar: There’s a counter and a couple tables tucked in the back of this Pakistani/northern Indian grocery. We’re a little obsessed with their pillowy, fluffy naan and tandoori chicken, both with plenty of char from the store’s tandoori ovens. 810 Bethel Rd., Northwest Side

Illustrations by Paige Vickers