My wife and I brought the four kids to Standard Market for dinner one week after they opened. The staff was amazingly helpful and friendly. After dinner, my son and I (self-proclaimed foodies) toured the store with Vince the owner and did some shopping...
At dinner, the first fun option was sampling and selecting the flavored water we were going to drink. It was great for keeping the kids busy! The kids enjoyed sitting by the fireplace and eating their fresh baked pizzas. The kids portion is extremely generous - enough for two or three young children...or half a teenager.
My wife had one of their burgers, loaded, with sweet potato fries and honey mustard dip on the side. The burger was great! It reminded me of the burgers we used to get at Fudruckers....are they still around?
I ordered the Iowa chicken with mashed taters and mushroom medley. Again, generous portion of half of a chicken, plate choke full of potatoes, and killer shrooms. I could have gone for less potatoes and more mushrooms - they were fresh and not your standard button or cremini.
The meal cost just under $40 - tips are NOT accepted. Excellent service, great food, good value. Great family destination.
Now for the market...
I generally shop at Whole Foods Willowbrook or Hinsdale. I am a food snob and prefer organic produce, pastured animals, etc. Standard Market does not offer a ton along those lines. Everything is extremely fresh and homemade, however, which really appeals to the locavore in me.
The first unique offering is the fresh juice bar. Great fruit and veg combos made daily. The strawberry-banana blend was great.
The produce selection is seasonal-focused and has a great mix of whole and prepared options. We grabbed a fresh, in assembled Cesar salad for tomorrow's lunch.
I was amazed at the huge space given to the Dinner Tonight option....that was SOLD OUT! Each night a complete dinner option for grab-and-go. Great, fresh option for busy parents...
After snagging a few unique items mixed in with the produce shelves (Spanish Torta de Aceite and tupelo honey), we moved quickly through the bakery and deli. The Snob avoids processed meats (but the prepared salads looked solid) and getting too old for the sweets...the fresh baked breads smells amazing, though! We learned that everything is baked fresh at the store - from scratch!
We arrived at the main event - butcher and seafood. Again, all of the meats were prepared on-site - smoked bacon, ground sausage, aged beef. I was excited to see fresh packs of bulk Italian and breakfast sausage to freeze for Thanksgiving stuffing. We also grabbed a few slices of fresh bacon and and Andouile links.
The seafood section had numerous options that stimulated the senses - giant King Crab legs, whole fish that looked extremely fresh, plump shrimp... But for me, a Jew in a land of goyem, the most exciting part of the visit was spotting the smoked salmon and smoked white fish. This is not easy to find south of Skokie; and I fear will not be available for long as most non-Jews will surely skip this item and force it out of the cooler. Get it before it is gone!
The bulk foods and dairy sections were fairly standard. There was a great bottle of Scrumptious Pantry olive oil, but not the matching balsamic dressing sauce. :( That is like Kool-Aid, no sugar; ham, no burger... I also would have liked a larger selection of artisan chocolate...I know...Food Snob....
Summary? Definitely worth a visit. If you live in the area, it is a great option for everyday shopping at reasonable prices. If you live further out, make the trip for lunch and then spend some time exploring the market. read more