Credit Where Credit Is Due: Charcuterie at Hy Vee

I had to stop by Hy Vee today because I needed a relatively obscure ingredient (for Sioux Falls, anyway) and I sort of had a hunch this particular Hy Vee might have it. The ingredient? I needed some veal for a little cooking project. They had it.

On my way back to the meat department as I was winding through the maze of renovations, I walked by the new Charcuterie counter. And I must say . . . pretty forking impressed! When I heard Hy Vee was doing this, I figured the product would look a lot more like the deli counter and a lot less than the selection at Look's. I took a quick inventory and noticed a fine offering of cured meats, including speck, prosciutto, pancetta, double smoked bacon, mortadella, soprasetta (regular and spicy), and others. Overall, a very respectable offering. I have needs for these sorts of things in my life and I am very glad to have them here. At the Charcuterie, Hy Vee also sells a nice assortment of pickles and other accompaniments. Don't know what you want? They will slice you up a tray. And I bet the helpful smiles slice faster than the artisans at Prairie Berry.

In the future, I am looking forward to the other new features at Hy Vee, especially in the Grille or whatever they are calling it, where beer and wine will be offered. There are a lot of things about Hy Vee that drive me to drink, like their total rip off meat pricing. So, at least when I get pissed off, I can just wheel my cart over there and take a brief pause. Way to gauge consumer demand Hy Vee!

And thanks for the nice selection of tasty salted meats!