The food scene in Upper Arlington has improved a lot recently. No place more than in the formerly moribund Kingsdale Shopping Center. Where once the MCL Cafeteria was what passed for fine dining, more options have arrived as the shopping center has managed to avoid the fate of becoming a bingo hall.
The subject of this blog post is the Giant Eagle Market District. Yes, I am going to opine about a grocery store. Not just any grocery store but the center piece of Kingsdale’s phoenix like resurrection. Giant Eagle, based in Pittsburgh, builds these upscale stores in or near affluent neighborhoods. The idea is obvious: provide some competition for Whole Paycheck Market in upscale grocery. Upper Arlington obviously qualifies as a target market. I am guessing with its median income, UA would have a GDP greater than that of Greece and just south of Lane Avenue lives a bunch of folks that wish Warren Buffet would shut the hell up. The store itself has become somewhat of a tourist attraction. I’m not kidding. One day a colleague and I were leaving the place when a bus full of excited folks from a Reynoldsburg senior center pulled up. The bus promptly disgorged them and they all made a beeline to the store. I guess the Metamucil is better from there.
this is only 1/2 of the Cafe
In the center of the store is a food court area with a plethora of offerings. There are way too many to describe in any detail, so I am going to stick to two of my favorites. The Rosti is a potato cake that has been browned crispy on the outside. My favorite version is served with sour cream, onions and capers on top, smoked salmon on the side and a simple salad of mixed greens in vinaigrette.
Smoked Salmon Rosti
The potato cake isn’t like fried mashed potatoes but instead densely packed finely grated hash browns. It’s really good with the browned crust contrasting well with the texture of the potato shreds. The accoutrements on top just add to the flavor.
My other favorite is the smoked meat station. Smoked and meat is right up there with my other favorite word combinations like free and beer or smoking and hot. Pork, chicken, turkey and salmon are all smoked and offered up by the slice. I’ve wanted to try all the offerings but I almost reflexively get the smoked beef brisket every time.
Brisket.... GO MEAT!
You get several generous slices of brisket and if you can choose from a variety of sauces. I have always opted for the beef au jus, which they will pour over the meat or serve in cup on the side. There are two things that distinguish Market District brisket from other excellent brisket I’ve had. One is that they leave a generous part of the fat cap on it. Your slices are bound to have at least a ¼ inch sliver of fat on them. The second is that the texture is firmer than most. Not tough at all but the meat has a chew to it. Over cooked brisket can be mushy or crumbly in texture. Under cooked brisket can be used to catch baseballs. Market District gets it just right. With your meat you can also get two sides, which are usually some kind of grilled veggie or some mashed potatoes. It’s all really good.
The heck of it is that it’s all very affordable. All I described above is right around the Jones line (8 bucks) and with a drink you are right at 10 bucks. Where I have gotten into trouble is getting food from the hot food bar. There is always fried chicken and a variety of meats, veggies, rice and potatoes on it. At 7 bucks a pound you can find yourself at the register with 2 Joneses worth of food if you don’t exercise restraint. Unfortunately restraint is difficult because it all looks hot and fresh and so far it’s been pretty good.
The Market District food court is the trifecta for a couple of guys looking for the 10 buck lunch. It has variety, quality and price. I highly recommend a trip there for some dang good food.
