One of the blogs I really enjoy reading on a daily basis is HowChow. I don’t say this lightly. I’m finding with my new schedule that my internet time has decreased rapidly, and coupled with the state of, shall we say, the “lack” of good feelings online these days, I’m no longer so interested in perusing blogs mindlessly (with the notable exception of Jason Fry’s Dorkery, whose endnotes to the Star Wars Essential Guide to Warefare have been a Monday morning treat.) When it does come to food blogs though, one I always check daily is HowChow.
HowChow earned my respect years ago for many of his reviews, but also for being the first, and perhaps most vocal, champion of the recently completed Wegmans grocery store in Columbia, Maryland. Currently the largest Wegmans in the country, I stopped by the new store the other day, absolutely smitten that my favorite grocery chain (my family is from Western New York, after all) had finally come within a half hour of where I live.
There are a few things you’ll likely eventually learn about me and Wegmans. For starters, I love Wegmans’ rolls. The Pretzel rolls, HowChow’s favorite and soon to be cult bakery icon, are great, but there are so many other great options. Try the Weck rolls. With thick, crunchy sea salt and nutty carraway seeds, they’re the perfect vehicle for some rare roast beef and au jus (or in Buffalo, Beef on Weck!). My favorite? I know ‘Multigrain’ is a buzz word we see on every food product these days, but there’s just something about Wegmans’ Multigrain rolls which is simply irresistible to me. Hearty. Chewy. Slightly sweet and malty, always nutty and full of flavor. They’re the kind of roll I like to nibble on — plain, untoasted, uncut. Better than a bagel, they’re the kind of bakery product which really makes you question if “bread alone” isn’t so far-fetched.
It helps, I should say, when you can wash one down with a custom mix from their in-house Coke Freestyle machine.
