Hi- I had to go to Glenview today, and so I decided to check out Heinen's, and the latest Mariano's. I have also been to the Roscoe Village and the Northfield <ariano's. The Glenview store is my favorite one. It was super busy when I got there around 5:30, and they were way busier than Heinen's. It seems to be really congested at Golf and Waukegan where the new Mariano's store is., and I had problems figuring out where the entrance to the parking lot was, but if I would have gone there during the day, it probably would have been easier to figure it out. The staff there seemed super friendly, and when I walked in the store, there was an employee there trying to dry off the wet carts. You would never see that at Jewel. I only ended up getting one thing there, because I am going to Jewel in a few days to get some Edy's ice cream that is on sale, and a bunch of $.29 a pound sweet potatoes. I considered getting some smoked turkey drumsticks at Mariano's, but I wasn't sure if they were any better than what I can get at Jewel.

My new Mariano's opened. Westchester. 31st and Wolf road.
It has a "Todd's BBQ" counter.
I'm almost afraid to admit I think it's fantastic. I'm scared the quality will start to falter. The brisket is 13 bux a pound, and I've had WAAAAAAY worse brisket from free standing bbq places that any self respecting pitmaster would be ashamed to serve. Both times I've had it at this Mariano's it was smoky, juicy, fatty, and pretty much on point. Real deal, no sauce needed, smoked brisket. NO thin cuts trying to mask the lack of a quality product, either. They were hacking off thick ol' slabs and it was tender as it should be.

I had the pulled pork once, and it was obviously cooked at a higher temp than would be ideal. It was juicy, but not pullable, more "chunkable,"

They are selling St Louis spares for 12 bucks a slab. It's almost like you're losing money if you don't get them. I bought one slab. Decent for the price, but again, cooked at too high a heat, imo. Still decent, mind you. I've had WAAAAAY worse for more money.

They sell smoked birds and half birds. Half birds are 5 bucks, and damn decent.

I sent a coworker over there (he knows his way around a smoker and a brisket) to see if I was "off" in my assessment. He concurred. They know what they are doing with brisket.

I'm hoping they get the pork on point as well, but for now, brisket and chicken are real deal, imo.

The first time I went just before noon, and I was pretty much blown away by the brisket. Second time I went, it was at about 3pm, and I noticed that it was a little bit drier, but still easily worth the price and still very decent. They hacked off the meat slabs to order for each customer's order both times I visited.

Pro tip:
At this store, there is a "sweets counter" with popcorn. The obligatory "Chicago Mix" (cleverly dubbed 'Mariano's Mix') caught my eye - as it should, I mean, come on. Had to buy a little bit. It was nothing you would hope it would be unless you're a really good dietician. IMO, I'm better off buying the blue and white bag from Costco (which I indeed subsequently purchased for therapy's sake.)

I tried some samples of Todd's in the Glenview location - I was impressed. I'm looking forward to it in Northbrook. My uncle who loves to smoke his meats at home pretty much stopped because he thinks Todd's (Lake Zurich store) does it just as good and he doesn't have to do any work.

I think the cheese popcorn at some of the Mariano's is great. The GH Creators bag seebee mentioned at Costco (which I used to love) is a great deal there, but if you want to indulge big time, Mariano's is the way to go.

I'll have to try the popcorn again. The stuff I had was about as indulgent and decadent as shredded wheat.

Although as recently as last month friends of mine who work for Astellas said that there wasn't going to be a Mariano's at Sanders and Willow, there is now a sign saying there is.

The Mariano's in Elmhurst has had some great deals on prime beef the last couple of weeks - last weekend they had prime NY Strip (and Ribeye, I think) for $9.99 a pound - I wasn't in the market for any that particular time but a week or so before that I picked up a beautiful prime NY strip for $19.99 a pound and it was one of the best steaks I've ever cooked myself. I haven't been keeping a really close eye on Mariano's meat department there, as I shop more often at Pete's Fresh Market, but I may have to make it my go-to place for meat. Between Mariano's, Mike's Market, and the (hopefully soon-to-open) Whole Foods on 83, I have pretty good options.

I saw this at the Mariano's in Libertyville too, this past weekend, and kick myself now for not stopping for some. USDA prime NY steaks and prime rib steaks, one $8.99/lb and one $9.99/lb, can't remember which was which, a terrific deal. Ah well, next time, I will slow down and pick up a few.

the prime NY strips were $9.99, I bought 4 and cyrovaced them for later.

In case you were looking, the Mariano's at Ashland/Webster has Purdue chicken liver buckets in the poultry section. I have not asked for livers at the meat service counter.

leek wrote:In case you were looking, the Mariano's at Ashland/Webster has Purdue chicken liver buckets in the poultry section. I have not asked for livers at the meat service counter.

I've noticed this same product @ the Jewel @ Western/Roscoe pretty regularly. Before I buy any I'm sure to check the expiration date.

ronnie_suburban wrote:House-made sausages (available at the meat counter) are solid and many of the available varieties are tasty novelties, like giardiniera sausage and philly cheesesteak sausage. Respectable, good flavor, nice bind but a few other varieties that were available just a few weeks ago no longer are. I was unable to fully understand if they're no longer made at all, not made in this store or are rotated in and out on various days. I'm not sure the person I asked knew the answer. But the varieties we did buy - brats, spicy Italian, aforementioned giardiniera were good.

Marianos' sausages are dead to me. Picked up a few today at the Northfield store and grilled them tonight - positively disgusting. So much so that I felt the need to come here immediately and revoke my recommendation because I'd feel terrible if someone went and bought them on my say-so. What used to be well-made sausages are now nothing more than tubes of improperly-bound, dry and crumbly meat stuffed inside casings. Even the flavor components have been changed. For example, the giardiniera sausage, which used to contain actual pieces of firm and crispy giardiniera, held nothing more than bits of soft, green bell pepper. No heat, no flavor and certainly no giardiniera. 3 other varieties were all equally weak. But the bottom line is that whoever made (or superivsed the making of) these sausages had no idea what they were doing.

Maybe this was just a bad run, and they're not always this horrible but the fact that these sausages made it into the case at all has put them on my 'never buy again' list.

=R=

I regularly buy their breakfast sausages, and haven't seen any changes... But I'll keep my eyes (tongue?) out for any variation.

ronnie_suburban wrote:Marianos' sausages are dead to me. Picked up a few today at the Northfield store

I feel compelled to ask: How long before closing did you arrive?

JoelF wrote:I regularly buy their breakfast sausages, and haven't seen any changes... But I'll keep my eyes (tongue?) out for any variation.

Your experience makes me wonder if they're made at each store or more centrally. Maybe I'll try some from another store.

=R=

JoelF wrote:Although as recently as last month friends of mine who work for Astellas said that there wasn't going to be a Mariano's at Sanders and Willow, there is now a sign saying there is.

As if the traffic at that intersection isn't bad enough already....

ronnie_suburban wrote:

JoelF wrote:I regularly buy their breakfast sausages, and haven't seen any changes... But I'll keep my eyes (tongue?) out for any variation.

Your experience makes me wonder if they're made at each store or more centrally. Maybe I'll try some from another store.

=R=

I understand that each store makes sausages in house, and I've had pretty good sausages from both the Northfield and Glenview stores. I suspect that your experience is more a failure of execution than a change in company policy or recipe. Time will tell though.
--Rich

The new West Glenview (Willow and Sanders) Mariano's opens Tuesday June 30th. Looks like it will have almost all the available Mariano's add-ons (Todd's BBQ, Spice Shop, Sweet Shop, Wine Bar, Grilling Station, etc) that many stores like Northfield and Vernon Hills (does have grilling station) do not have. I wonder what will happen with the smaller Northfield store once the big Northbrook one on Dundee and Skokie Blvd opens. I guess it will remain for those who want a less crowded experience.

Ram4 wrote:The new West Glenview (Willow and Sanders) Mariano's opens Tuesday June 30th. Looks like it will have almost all the available Mariano's add-ons (Todd's BBQ, Spice Shop, Sweet Shop, Wine Bar, Grilling Station, etc) that many stores like Northfield and Vernon Hills (does have grilling station) do not have. I wonder what will happen with the smaller Northfield store once the big Northbrook one on Dundee and Skokie Blvd opens. I guess it will remain for those who want a less crowded experience.

Marriano's is placing its biggest bet yet on the appetite for its upscale treats and traditional groceries with a 90,602-square-foot supermarket set to open Tuesday. It is the chain's largest store to date and is bigger than any it currently plans to open. It's nearly double the median size for U.S. groceries.

http://www.chicagotribune.com/business/ ... story.html

Ram4 wrote:The new West Glenview (Willow and Sanders) Mariano's opens Tuesday June 30th. Looks like it will have almost all the available Mariano's add-ons (Todd's BBQ, Spice Shop, Sweet Shop, Wine Bar, Grilling Station, etc) that many stores like Northfield and Vernon Hills (does have grilling station) do not have. I wonder what will happen with the smaller Northfield store once the big Northbrook one on Dundee and Skokie Blvd opens. I guess it will remain for those who want a less crowded experience.

I'm looking forward to that opening -- it's a mile closer than the AH vanguard store, and although it's still a mile further than the Jewel at Randhurst, I anticipate it will become my most frequently-visited supermarket.

I just ran over to the new location. Wow, it's definitely the biggest one yet. It felt like a food court. Everything is bigger. The cheese area has it's own huge room. The soup bar has at least 13 choices (though it looks like they combined the 3 seafood soups with the rest). They had a Mexican taco and tamale bar on the hot bar. The sweet shop was loaded with cupcakes, chocolates, popcorn and that wasn't even the bakery. Much bigger and more impressive sweets area than the Buffalo Grove store. I even saw a Trail Mix bar. I didn't have time to soak it all in or look at everything, but it sure was crowded and the place was hopping. I got a soup (love the Cream of Chicken Wild Rice) and the kid at the register was brand spanking new. No one had shown him how to wrap a soup, so I showed him how. Parking lot seems tight, not as easy to get in and out as say - the Highland Park Jewel. It's the classic, over the top Mariano's grand opening.

Definitely huge. Bargain of the evening was gulf shrimp at $5/lb. They were only 31-40s, made a nice etouffee.

I visited the new Marianos on Sanders and Willow yesterday alone and back tonight with my spouse at his request. Yesterday, I looked around the massive 90,000 sf and then indulged in a dozen delicious oysters at the bar and a glass of white. The oysters were pristine and the shucker did a wonderful job. It set me back $30, but on Tuesdays 'tween 2-4 you can have a half-dozen and a glass of wine for $10. Good deal. Having just returned from the Pacific NW, these oysters were as good, if not better, than our eats in Seattle.

Now, on to the rest. Marianos doesn't seem to invest in employee training. Most of the staff was high school age and had not a clue as to what they were doing. At the BBQ stand, they didn't know anything about the greens, couldn't slice or wrap the brisket correctly, nor could they ring up the order. We waited an unduly long time with a good attitude for the hapless kids to find their bearings. My husband tried to exchange one unopened beer for a six-pack and that took over an hour. I know it's all new and shaky, but it was rocky going.

I've experienced this at other Marianos. No one seems to know what they are doing. I've seen employee fights break out in front of customers, checkers ringing up the wrong prices or not ringing up at all if they can't figure out the codes, 30- minute waits for fresh squeezed lime juice, and more. I don't get it.

Does Mr. Mariano have something to prove to the world? If so, it's not backed by service or know-how on the part of employees. Maybe too much, too soon? I think they are over extended.

I've been shopping at the stores on and off since they've opened on the North Shore (ish). They are just OK. Nothing to crow about after adjusting to the sheer size and theater of it all. Including the jazz band. Everything these days is an "experience."

I'm over it. But I'll be back for the $10 oyster happy hour.

There's a Mariano's in a converted Dominick's on Chicago Ave. in Chicago's Ukranian Village,
that was "tired" as a Dominicks- and is equally as "tired" as a Marianos.

Not only are they constantly out of items (Pete's Major Dickinson Roast Whole Bean Coffee)
they had in the weeks past-
not only
do they place popular items like a Store Brand (Roundy's) Half-and-Half on a top shelf
in the cooler- and then not "refresh" the selection- so that maybe-
one or two cartons of said leche exist-
but at a height (and depth) that only a 7'tall long-armed-freak-of-nature could reach.

In the bakery- the selection is less-than-half of the Western Ave. Store-
where the clever concept of selling
"artisianal" bread(s) by the slice- doesn't exist there. ( So much for a Walnut-Raisin Bread French Toast today)

In the Salad bar- a tasty lunch treat I enjoy- are several of their Tofu(s)-
marinated in an Asian sorta-spicy-marinade,
and another Sesame Oil + Tamari-flavored one, that tasted so great at The Madison + Halsted Store-
but doesn't exist on Chicago Ave. nor in other (Rt.83) locations-I've popped into for a lunch-to-go-salad.

Consistency- is NOT- their strong suit.

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.

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

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

Yes, they are labeled 'hanger steaks' and are near the skirt and flank steak in the meat case at the Ashland/Webster location. They seem to have them at all times at this particular Mariano's, but the size of the individual steaks vary quite a bit based upon my visits. I ordered two a couple weeks ago and it only ended up coming out to a half pound, so I asked them to throw a few more little ones in. I've never seen anyone else ask for them at the meat counter, which is too bad.

randy77 wrote:

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

Yes, they are labeled 'hanger steaks' and are near the skirt and flank steak in the meat case at the Ashland/Webster location. They seem to have them at all times at this particular Mariano's, but the size of the individual steaks vary quite a bit based upon my visits. I ordered two a couple weeks ago and it only ended up coming out to a half pound, so I asked them to throw a few more little ones in. I've never seen anyone else ask for them at the meat counter, which is too bad.

I went to the new "Jewish" Mariano's on McCormick and Touhy last Saturday to buy a chicken. I noticed hanger steaks in the meat case at that location, too.

I have purchased hanger steaks at the Webster/Ashland Mariano's

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

Plenty of places have them: see Where to buy hanger steaks

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.