Katie wrote:Unless the Whole Foods in Deerfield, which is a 25-minute drive from here, has them, none of the places mentioned in that thread are anywhere near me. But I will keep an eye out around here and report back if I see them at the Mariano's in Vernon Hills or Buffalo Grove or at any other stores north of Lake-Cook.

If you call Dorfler's Meats in Buffalo Grove (as I did), they can typically get it for your with 1 day lead time. I didn't ask about pricing or minimum order size.

=R=

1182 McHenry Rd
Buffalo Grove, IL 60089
(847) 459-3060

Thanks for the reminder about Dorfler's, Ronnie. That is probably my best option.

Were they labelled as hanger steaks? I'm curious because I've never seen that in a Chicago-area grocery store.

The Treasure Island in Wilmette always has them. I have to drop by later, so I'll check the price, but I'm thinkin' about $15.99/lb.

UPDATE: They had several small ones on sale for a jaw-dropping $5.99/lb; standard issue was $12.99/lb. I picked up two of the sale ones for weekend fajita-making purposes. TI always carries them (and excellent tri-tip, too, also not always found in Chicagoland supermarkets).

Treasure Island
911 Ridge Road
Wilmette, Illinois 60091
Ph: 847.256.5033

Has Mariano's published an opening time for the new store being built on old skokie in Northbrook? It appears to be a larger store footprint.

lougord99 wrote:Has Mariano's published an opening time for the new store being built on old skokie in Northbrook? It appears to be a larger store footprint.

Not published, but according to reliable sources - end of August.

randy77 wrote:I picked up two really nice little hanger steaks (a little over 1.25 pounds total) at the Ashland/Webster Mariano's on Sunday. They were priced at $8.99/lb, and were terrific marinated and charcoal-grilled later that day. Tender and so flavorful, without breaking the bank.

Was at Marianos in Elmhurst this weekend, and I specifically checked to see if they had these - they did, and at the same $8.99/lb price.

The fact that my Dad expressed pleasure in walking and eating at the new Mariano's in Northbrook had me anxious to visit, both for a meal and a shop. I'll say I liked the shop a lot more than the meal.

I won't go into a lot of detail on the prepared food section; it's spiffy in that Vegas food-court way stores can now buy in a box, but I found the execution low. Upthread there's comments on the service at Mariano's. I did not think the service too bad, but I would say that the prepared foods seemed prepared by people not so well trained in prepared foods, nor should I add, were the underlying ingredients so pristine. The Whole Foods east on Willow, at Waukegan, has, I think, much better prepared foods.

Now, the shopping. Interestingly, it seemed that a bulk of the visitors were there to eat and not shop. When you got to the far corners, near the dairy for instance, it seemed pretty dead. We had in mind two needed things, half n half and soy milk. We spent about $100. All on great deals! Gulf shrimps for $5/lb; WI blue cheese, Coop hot sauces made here in Chicago and cheaper than at the markets; Swiss chocolates. I do not know what else, but like I say, it was all priced very well.

Nearby, I guess I'd say I'm partial to Fresh Farms for the bread, salads, and such, but I would surely shop this place again.

Hi- I purchased a piece of pizza at the Roscoe Village Mariano's over a year ago, and it was not bad for supermarket food. I have a Sister that lives in New Orleans though, and we have hit the hot bar at all three of the Whole Foods down there, and they have all been excellent. They are more expensive than Mariano's, but the food is better too. The last time I was in NO for jazzfest back in April, we hit the hot bar at I believe the Magazine store, and it was fantastic. They used real Yukon gold potatoes in their mashed potatoes. A few days later we hit a local chain which is more upscale than Winn Dixie or most of the other chains down there, and the hot bar was only $6.95 a pound, as opposed to $8.95 a pound for Whole Foods. It was okay, but it was really heavy on chicken dishes, such as BBQ, baked and fried chicken, and it was not nearly as interesting as Whole Foods hot bar.

cito wrote:

lougord99 wrote:Has Mariano's published an opening time for the new store being built on old skokie in Northbrook? It appears to be a larger store footprint.

Not published, but according to reliable sources - end of August.

August 25th - per the postcard from Mariano's in my mail today.

Mariano's is doubling down on in-store dining and prepared foods. The grocer, which will open its 33rd Chicago-area store today in Northbrook, is bringing in acclaimed chef Ryan LaRoche, 37, as its first executive chef and vice president of culinary next month.

http://www.chicagobusiness.com/article/ ... f-top-chef

I didn't spend a lot of time there today, but it seems like a very nice grocery and could become my go to store. The parking lot is enormous and even with opening day crowds, there was no problem finding a spot.

The other day, the Hubby and I were trying to talk our way through where exactly all the new Mariano’s stores are in our area. It is very confusing because what Mariano’s calls one of the two Glenview stores is actually Northbrook, one of the two Northbrook stores. Are you following this? Now neither of the two Northbrook stores (one actually in Glenview) should be confused with the store in Northfield. The store in Northfield is one of two stores “on Willow Road”. Two stores are on Willow Road although one is not actually on Willow but on a smaller street called Orchard Lane. The other store on Willow Road is said to be on something called Capital Drive which is the name of an inner lane to a shopping complex at Sanders and Willow. We finally drew up a map of the four stores on a table napkin and added details. Here are some of the things we pulled together. I am just putting this out there if it is of any help. --Joy

MARIANO’S

GLENVIEW EAST
25 Waukegan Rd., Glenview (847) 724-4685
Corner of Waukegan Rd and Golf Road
Would be more correctly named Glenview South since it is right across Golf Rd. from Morton Grove.

GLENVIEW WEST
2323 Capital Drive, Northbrook
(847) 513-0202
One of two Mariano’s just off of Willow Road. North of Willow. East of Sanders Rd.
Would be more correctly named Northbrook North since it is not in Glenview. Biggest Mariano’s to date at 95K sq. ft. Packed for lunch with office workers from all the large corporate headquarters around there even though most of these office workers have access to cost-subsidized company cafeterias. It will be interesting if lunch traffic stays at this level when winter rolls around. Mariano’s lunches are significantly more expensive than that corporate cafeteria but the ‘wow! new toy!’ factor is very strong at the moment. And you can get your groceries on your lunch hour.

NORTHBROOK
784 Skokie Blvd., Northbrook
(847) 559-1145
A big store – north of Dundee Rd and west of Edens expressway

NORTHFIELD
1822 Willow Road, Northfield
(847) 446-6870
A rehabbed Dominicks store, one of the first to get open in that area. Small compared to other Mariano’s, the theory goes that this store was grabbed to prevent other competition from moving in. One of two Mariano’s “on” Willow Road but it is not really on Willow. Store is west of Happ Road, south of Willow Rd and south of Orchard Lane, east of Northfield Road.

Hi- I just wish they would open one up somewhere in Evanston. They could have moved in where Valli is, but I don't know if that would be the right location for them. If they could find a spot somewhere on Central in Evanston to build, which I know might be unfeasible.

I wonder if the Northfield store will be cannibalized by the new Northbrook store. My office is exactly 5 minutes from both of the two Northbrook Mariano's that opened in the last two months. The newest is on the way home and only about 7-10 minutes from home.

Joy wrote:Mariano’s lunches are significantly more expensive than that corporate cafeteria but the ‘wow! new toy!’ factor is very strong at the moment.

I know what you're getting at here, but I just picked up 5 lbs of real Texas Brisket and 5 slabs of smoked spares for lunch at our Corp Office from the Willow/294 store, and it was definitely nowhere close to significantly more expensive than the corp cafeteria for the quality. And those "all butter" cookies...should be illegal. Mariano's bbq is quickly gaining my trust as a "go to" for any occasion.

NFriday wrote:Hi- I just wish they would open one up somewhere in Evanston. They could have moved in where Valli is, but I don't know if that would be the right location for them. If they could find a spot somewhere on Central in Evanston to build, which I know might be unfeasible.

Amen to that. I imagine, however, that the virtually complete lack of sufficient parking availability anywhere on Central would make that a non-starter. Now Green Bay, say.... Too bad they didn't take the former Dominick's site that Whole Foods grabbed. Although the parking there might not have been sufficient either. Maybe we could convince the Jewel further north on Green Bay to vacate....

Has anyone else besides me thought that Mariano's is simply a continuation of what Dominick's would have been had they not been systematically bought, bastardized and then destroyed by Safeway?

Around 1998, Dominick's opened an absolutely beautiful, spacious store on 176 & Midlothian in Mundelein. Near my house, I was thrilled. The produce department looked like diamonds all the time, meat was decent, periodic sales competitive. And I was doubly happy because my first real job started on my 16th birthday in 1973 at another relatively-new Dominick's, store #24 at Crawford & Oakton in Skokie. Six lanes and an express lane, tiny compared to the present-day monoliths. I had at least 10 of my friends working with me, and we pushed some amazing volume through there, working like maniacs only because we didn't know any better. 'The old man', Dominick DiPiazza, had to be happy, especially because we all were 'forced' to join the Retail Clerks Union at $7.50 a month, a little stiff when I was only making $2.15/hour. I eventually moved from bagging to stock, at $3.50/hour. Oh boy.

Back to the present. Once Safeway took the Mundelein store 8-10 years after the opening, the decline began and the store closed in 2014--it's still vacant. I know the story of Bob Mariano, the Roundy's connection, and continue to wonder whether this was the plan all along, that the branded Dominick's had outlived its usefulness, and had to be morphed into something new & shiny. I do like Mariano's, especially the Vernon Hills store, which is massive & competitively-priced. It just seems like every trip is at least $150, however.

jnm123 wrote:Has anyone else besides me thought that Mariano's is simply a continuation of what Dominick's would have been had they not been systematically bought, bastardized and then destroyed by Safeway?

Well, obviously Bob Mariano played a pivotal role in the "Fresh Store" concept, so it's less a matter of Safeway coming in than Mariano going out.

The new Northbrook store is similar to the one in Glenview on Golf and Waukegan. It's bigger than Vernon Hills and Buffalo Grove, but not over the top like Willow and Sanders. The parking lot is the easiest of any Mariano's to get in and out and find a good spot that I've been to. The one thing missing from it that I would have liked is the spice shop. But it has most everything else (Todd's BBQ, Sweet/popcorn shop, Sushi bar, Oyster bar, Wine bar, etc).

I have posted on Mariano's before. I live within a five-mile radius of four of them and have been to all of them several times, if not many. The employees, save for the oyster shucker and one of the butchers at the Willow/Sanders store, are not well-trained. My husband loves the fried chicken at the hot bar and was told to wait for a new batch, only to be told after 30 minutes that the "fryer was closed." He got a salad instead and thought it was watery and gross. The pulled pork I bought at the new Northbrook store, while tasty, was far from "pulled," mainly giant chunks like a stew. The brisket is excellent. One of the deli kids told me the sausages I wanted had mold on them, but he never removed them from the case. I'm really on the fence when it comes to lining Mr. Mariano's pocket. Living only a few miles from Heinen's in Glenview, I think I'd rather drive a few extra blocks to support them. It's a lovely store with well-trained staff and great produce, meats and seafood. I only hope they don't leave the area because of a Mariano's on every corner.

hazel123 wrote:I'm really on the fence when it comes to lining Mr. Mariano's pocket.

The irony of Mariano's is that Roundy's stock is firmly in the toilet. It's a little over $2, down from a high of $12 at the time shares went on the market a few years ago. I did ride the wave from $3 to $8 a while back but then bailed. Mariano's does phenomenally well on a per-store basis, but Roundy's is so saddled with debt that it doesn't really help much.

Desperately in need of a spin-off.

spinynorman99 wrote:

hazel123 wrote:I'm really on the fence when it comes to lining Mr. Mariano's pocket.

The irony of Mariano's is that Roundy's stock is firmly in the toilet. It's a little over $2, down from a high of $12 at the time shares went on the market a few years ago. I did ride the wave from $3 to $8 a while back but then bailed. Mariano's does phenomenally well on a per-store basis, but Roundy's is so saddled with debt that it doesn't really help much.

Desperately in need of a spin-off.

Roundy's has 2 issues that are effecting the stock price:
1 - All non Mariano's stores which are primarily in the Wisconsin market are doing poorly
2 - lots and lot of debt

I actually think Roundy's is settings themselves up to sell or spin off the Marianos brand within the next year or so.

Hi- Even though I love the new Whole Foods on Green Bay, I would have much preferred a Mariano's there. Somebody that used to work at the Dominick's there, told me that Mariano's looked at that location, but they decided against it because of the parking situation. I was at the Jewel on Green Bay for about a half hour tonight around 7:30, and spent a whole $11 on 24 ounces of organic coffee, a carton of Edy's ice cream, a bottle of shampoo, and two packages of canning lids. There are still plenty of packages of canning lids left marked down to $1.24, but the clearance organic coffee is all gone. Somebody else must have taken the rest of it. The Jewel was moderately busy, but when I stopped in the Whole Foods down the street they were twice as busy as Jewel. That Whole Foods seems to be doing very well. When I drove by there on Saturday afternoon, their parking lot was packed at 4:00. I've noticed that the Jewel down the street has increased their selection of organic and natural items since Whole Foods opened.

Jewel is definitely trying to up their game. I was in the Randhurst one the other day -- never an upscale store -- and they have added house-made fresh mozzarella.

The Marianos on the corner of Dundee and Skokie Blvd. has opened. So many people checking it out I could barely get a parking space. This sucker is huge! First time I've seen an oyster bar in a supermarket.

Jonah wrote:The Marianos on the corner of Dundee and Skokie Blvd. has opened. So many people checking it out I could barely get a parking space. This sucker is huge! First time I've seen an oyster bar in a supermarket.

The one on Halsted also has an oyster bar.

Jonah wrote: So many people checking it out I could barely get a parking space.

I've never seen so many parking spaces for a grocery store. I've been there when most grocery stores are at their most crowded. You seriously had trouble getting a parking space? Even around on the side?

I found a space when I went to an area not in front of the store. I'm not suggesting parking is a problem. I just don't remember a grocery store in the area where I had to hunt around for a space. I also assume this is a burst of interest because it's so newly opened.

Jonah wrote:The Marianos on the corner of Dundee and Skokie Blvd. has opened. So many people checking it out I could barely get a parking space. This sucker is huge! First time I've seen an oyster bar in a supermarket.

Jonah - now go check out the biggest one of all - Willow and Sanders. It's at least 20,000sqft larger. The layout is a little better (oyster bar next to sushi bar and the wine bar is part of the eating area rather than hidden in back). And the parking at Northbrook is not bad at all on a regular day.

Ram4 wrote:Jonah - now go check out the biggest one of all - Willow and Sanders. It's at least 20,000sqft larger. The layout is a little better (oyster bar next to sushi bar and the wine bar is part of the eating area rather than hidden in back). And the parking at Northbrook is not bad at all on a regular day.

Out of curiosity, how does this compare in square footage to the one on Lawrence Ave.? That one is so big it took me two or three visits not to have an anxiety attack inside it.