My wife said oh no, while I was saying Oh Yah!!! Why, because I love cheese, olives, and high end meats & fish. Oh, lets not forget the bakery too and their traditionally cooked Jewish style bagels. What is a Jewish style bagel you ask...it is a bagel that has been boiled prior to baking. It is that process that gives a real bagel its chewy texture. I love Panera and Einsteins (both with great bottomless coffee), but sometimes I just love a bagel like I used to get when I grew up in New Jersey or when I went to my entry Nursing program in Upstate New York. It was during my first nursing job in Syracuse, NY where I first learned about Wegmans and the endlessly seeming bounty of choices they offer.
Cost is the major reason I give them 4 stars!!
My wife and I have eaten at the cook to order Wegmans restaurant and we had a mixed experience. I had the cheeseburger, mm that burger was good, not the best, but by far one of the better in the area. My burger was served with a side of fresh steamed and seasoned greenbeans...very yummy!! My wife had the Naan bread pizza and we found that instead of a savory dinner experience, the pizza was too sweet between the highly caramelized onions and balsamic reduction and would have been better as an appetizer instead of a main course. In addition we ordered a side of onion rings. These rings were fried to a crispy crunch with a very tender onion inside, oh they were YUM!!!
We had pizza by the slice, and it was really good. It had a nice, not great, crust. We liked it and will get the pizza again when in the area. I would not drive to Wegman's for their pizza, like I would for Fortunato Brothers pizza in Edgewood.
We also tried their bountiful food bar ($8.49/lb) and enjoyed a wide variety of foods. What we did not like, was the fried foods sit on a steam table...Okay STEAM and CRUNCH do not work together...as the crust becomes mushy. We noted the same thing with the Honey Dijon Wings, the moist sticky sauce rendered the crispy skin soggy. Now the Old Bay Wings are still crispy, but they needed more Old Bay...not enough bite to them.
What I did not like was the Carolina Ribs. They were tender enough, but the flavor was just lacking to me. I have my own smoker and I expect something that is BBQ'd to have flavor and these did not. Their pulled pork on the other hand was quite delicious.
Deserts... we've enjoyed two of them several times now. The first: their Bread Puddin with Whiskey sauce... OMG the best I have had outside of New Orleans. I hate cooked raisins, and most bread pudding has them, but Wegman's Bread Puddin is without raisins and it is the BOMB!!!!! (yes I know I spelt Puddin wrong...LOL) The second is the Cannoli Cheese Cake... Oh wow, scrumptious and delightfully sinful. This is a new take on cheese cake which just melts in your mouth, just the right amounts of sweet, savory, and creamy texture all rolled up in one. Both of these deserts are worth driving to Wegmans just to get the deserts!!!
Fish: I love fresh, never frozen fish. I also like the fact that the seafood department has knowledgeable staff that can assist you with your needs and give you hints on cooking techniques. The fresh swordfish they had over the last 4 weeks was wonderful. I picked up four 1/2 inch swordfish steaks for pan searing and they were absolutely wonderful.
Cheese: At the specialty cheese department you can taste absolutely anything you want that they have. You can taste and compare the multitude of Bries or any other cheese you have your heart set on to try. Just be forwarned...this department is dangerous...I spent close to $100 on cheese in the last month...LOL!!!
Pharmacy: good service and a great introduction program. You can get up to $20 in bonus coupons (times 5 or upto $100) to be redeemed within 30 days for transfering or bringing in a new Rx. Or like today, my wife got her Flu shot (24.99), and we received our second $20 coupon).
Cost: Yes Wegman's is expensive, but at the same time you are also able to save. I'm a military member and have commissary privileges, and there are things I will only buy there because of cost savings. If you shop their loss-leaders, specials, and for those hard to find anywhere else items you will be fine.
The coffee is decent, and you can get refills for 50 cents. They have free WiFi internet in the Cafe. read more