Eating Out by Eating In
by Chris Becicka

 

Years ago at a dinner party to which several of us were to bring various dishes, I asked one guest if he had made the luscious- looking cheesecake himself. Clever Dan’s smug response: “I made it happen.”

 

I’ve used that perfect line several times myself, and I realize that this habit has become a trend. Many of us find gourmet foods in markets, which we replate, rearrange and reheat, if needed. Every grocery store offers pre-pared foods, but some have expanded the boundaries to truly gourmet, and their growth demonstrates a solid trend.

Josh Hodapp, manager at Dean and DeLuca at Town Center, says the trend is helping to fuel the store’s move next year to larger quarters the other side of 119th Street. Hodapp says his customers expect much higher quality of food for their dollars as they replace restaurant dollars with gourmet carryout. A book club friend just calls the store every time it’s her turn to furnish the meal for eight, which works for all of us.

Whether shopping for a group or a twosome, stepping into this store is a taste sensation. As you walk past the foie gras ($85 a pound—but who needs a pound?) past the cheeses and salamis to the prepared food, wonders await. The crab bites come with a fabulous sauce. Those and a spicy lobster dip ($15 a pound) and chips could start the party, a chicken pasta salad ($8 a pound) or grilled beef filet ($35 a pound) and a dessert (from $2 up) could finish it—and you have a meal to serve company. Why in the world would you grill the asparagus yourself when you can buy it here for $12 a pound?

Gourmet-to-go is increasingly a reflection of people’s lack of time, says John Cosentino, president of Cosentino’s 24 stores, including the specialized Brookside Market, soon to be joined by The Market at 13th and Main Downtown. People want to “eat healthy and eat well, but they don’t have the time,” he said. As I sampled beautiful foods— including three special entrees and all kinds of party food like Italian shrimp salad at $10 a pound, or seared ribeye at $15, or a chicken ravioli with portabella mushrooms at $8—I thought there really is no reason to ever cook again.

Cosentino loves the idea of the concept store he is planning for Downtown’s Power and Light District, but adds, “Everybody calls it a gourmet market, but you can
still buy your ketchup there.” The new store will have a pizza shop with a wood-burning pizza oven, calzones, gelato, sushi, and a large café area. The Market will also include the ubiquitous rotisserie chicken, which is a must at any store, since it’s usually a top-seller. Green Acres Market at Briarcliff has a smaller gourmet offering, but still select. This store emphasizes organic and healthy—and delicious. Green Acres offers a Campo Lindo chicken at $9 a pound, and a lasagna made with buffalo meat sauce at $9 a pound. David Paschke, store manager, said his store’s “grab-n-go” is one of its most popular areas because people want something fast but still want to be healthy, which helps explains the store’s “Eat Your Veggies” salad and its “Tofu with Fearsome Sauce,” which will convert even the most avid tofu hater to aficionado.

Whether you’re planning a party or just a culinary tête à tête, gourmet-to-go may very well be the answer because it’s eating out when you’re eating in. And the price of wine is definitely better, even if the sommelier may lack some skills.

 

Return to Ingram's May 2008