Matt, our grandson, told me about this brand new mega Giant Eagle in the Upper Arlington district of Columbus. Kingsdale Shopping center has an all new glorious look and the star of the center is the New Giant Eagle. Someone said it is the biggest grocery store in Ohio--they also said the nation, but I have yet to see that in print. There is a lot of parking and a lot of people but there are golf carts to take you to and from this market, so the distance is not arduous. I was so impressed not only with the size, but the great prices, so unlike Whole Foods which I once adored until the prices simply made me mad. We could afford the prices, but it just makes me burn to see an Heirloom tomato, ONE, for four dollars. Now that is insane! I didn't need a thing but I wanted to check it out and Matt was eager to go see it too. We were wowed! (I ended up spending a lot because I could not resist the great olive oil section where the different kinds were on tap for tasting and then bottled to your specification for $7. a bottle--for olive oil! They had the same thing for vinegars as well.) I shopped like a crazed woman. Naturally, they had their best staff borrowed from all over Ohio there to start the ball rolling. Everyone was friendly and helpful and I know that won't last once the super staff leaves it to the locals. But enjoy it while you can and early on while the prices are still low. I was stunned by the cheese section, the wine area, the prepared foods departments, the demonstrations of how to cook and what to use, their cooking utensils and tableware, their fabulous meat and fish showcases and deals, like buy one whole chicken and get one free. Their meatball selections were delicious and I bought two different kinds to try on the Thanksgiving crowd. If you are coming to Columbus any time soon, be sure to make a few hours to visit this fantastic store in all of its glory. We are going back as soon as we use up all of the food I have bought this week. I can hardly get the frig door shut and the pantries are groaning and the freezers are full. The picture of the sprouts is because I bought it at the big store and they were showing how to prepare them, although I already knew how to do them because I love this vegetable. When we got home I discover we have these stalks growing like weeds in one of our gardens and we will have to eat brussel sprouts morning noon and night to use them up...or at least I will. Have fun at the store.
Giant Eagle Market District
Columbus, United States Food Specialty Food Health Markets Columbus, United States Food Grocery Health Markets, Grocery
3070 Kingsdale Ctr
Columbus
Here are some on-line comments from shoppers about the new mega Giant Eagle Market District store in Upper Arlington at the old Kingsdale shopping center (which, by the way, has all news stores and a face lift in progress.)
There has been much hub bub about the opening of the new Giant Eagle Market District. Many have said it's like Jungle Jim's in Cincinnati/Whole Foods/Giant Eagle rolled into one. We went about 9pm on a Saturday to check it out. It was still pretty crowded. We perused their produce section and picked up the things we needed to refill for the coming week. We checked out the bakery, sweet section, hot and cold bars, creperie, massive meat and fish section, a cheese section that would clog your bowels for years, the olive oil station, bulk spices, make your own nut butters and even wine section. It was dizzying. However not as dizzying as Jungle Jim's. Jungle Jim's is like 6 football fields, this isn't. It's like they put all the extras of Whole Foods on one side and a regular Giant Eagle on the other. Big? Yes. Gargantuan? No. Just bigger than your used to in a regular grocery store. The only part that slightly resembled Jungle Jim's was the wine section and the shelving in the international section.
Columbus, OH
store on mega steroids. Located in Upper Arlington, OH the public demonstration kitchen has already hosted "Man vs. Food" and my family three times in its' first five days of life. Made to order meal choices include subs, pizza, ribs, sushi, chicken, smoothies, and an endless salad bar- made to order tossed salads are also available. This store includes one of the ten best wine stores I've visited and the number 1 cheese store I have seen. Some 200 yards east of the wine is an Ohio State medical center quick serve location, operated by a nurse practitioner. Parking lot shuttle service is available for those that are forced to park more than a Jack Nicklaus long drive away.
This location is worthy of a married couple date night and perfect to help kill 2 hours of a quiet fall day.
I walked in and kinda had a panic attack. MD is so big, and it was packed with so many people that they actually offered a shuttle service to transport shoppers from far away parking lots. Seriously. But the mister convinced me to stay, and soon I was meandering through the produce section for over an hour. The produce here is effing awesome! I'm totally a produce junkie, and this place was my crack. I've already called Promises and told them to make space for me in Lindsey Lohan's room.
For the rest of my review, I'm going to make three lists: one to show the different areas of MD, one for the things I loved at MD, and one for my wishes at MD.
Layout
* Produce: larger than Whole Foods, some local and some not, some organic and some not
* Bulks: nuts, seeds, rice, candy, spices, etc.
* Ready-mades: amazing-looking dinners, yummy gelato, soups, etc.
* Bakery: omg! delicious-looking pies, pastries, and breads, and everything is made in-house!
* Seafood/Meats: I'm not really a meat person, but it looked like everything you could ever want!
* Ethnics: more than just one aisle! Way to go!
* Dairy: cheese heaven, and they have Snowville Creamery milk!
* Everything else: yep, they have all that other regular stuff too!
My Favs
* Cheap bulk spices
* Produce!!!
* Cheeses
* Fresh cashew butter (and almond and peanut)
* Organics and naturals - they really focused on local Ohio stuff and natural ingredients like Boylan's sodas, agave nectar, and Snoville Creamery!
* Bakery - this was super impressive
10/28/2010 2 Check-ins Here
I'm a deal grabbin', coupon clippin', sale searchin', scratch cookin', vegetarian eatin', spreadsheet lovin' kind of gal with southern values and upscale taste. Yeah, I know! This is precisely why Market District is the one for me!
MD has all the Giant Eagle selection and deals while also providing the specialty items I normally have to go to Whole Foods to find. Whole Foods (aka Whole Paycheck), it was nice knowing ya! I fill my cart with amazing deals (I saved over 50% on my grocery bill in 2009 by shopping sales and clipping coupons!!!), and score on those items that really make a meal special like high quality olive oil and vegetable rennet cheese.
I'll still pop into Rife's and frequent the local farmers' markets in the growing season, but I now have no reason to shop anywhere else for groceries! I am wowed! MD is fabulous!
There were a couple of negative reviews out of ten shown, but I left those out--there are always negatives no matter what anyone tries to acconmplish. This is a great store and we are lucky to have it in Columbus.
