The Amazing Stew Leonard's

There are supermarkets and then there are supermarkets. Stew Leonard's falls into the last. It's is a mind blowing combo of Disneyland and large grocery/deli. This is a shopping experience for any foodie.

I recently went for the first time at the one located at the Paramus Park Mall, in Paramus, New Jersey.I'm sort of reluctant to head into these super stores, because I've always felt  them to be over hyped. After all, you can easily walk into any averaged sized Acme or Stop & Shop and find what you're looking for. I was wrong about Stew Leonard's. Just walking into their huge liquor section was eye opening. I have never seen that many brands or types of wines and liqueurs. There were even different brands of Prosecco which were selling for a reasonable price of $7.45. Just when I was getting over the awe of that I went into the food section. There were animatronic singing milk cartons above the dairy section. Imagine the Country Bear Jamboree at Disneyland turned dairy. It was wild!!!! Then there 's this duck that pops out of a giant soda can like container. Again, too wild!!!! It is a kid friendly store. Parents can throw their little ones a Stew Leonard birthday party and there are "cooking" classes for kids. They learn to prepare such dishes as mashed potatoes, chicken tenders, and broccoli and cheddar bites.

I had to try their fried chicken which again was mind blowing. As much as I love Popeye's, the Stew Leonard's version was much more flavorful, with potato chip crispy skin. That was the best part of an already delicious dinner. The legs were so huge that I honestly thought I was eating turkey drumsticks a few times.Again, they were downright delicious. I plan on going back for them again as well as trying out the intriguing chicken cordon bleu bites. These are balls of chicken meat stuffed with ham and Swiss cheese, then battered. I also want to try their cold buffet too. As for the products, it really is a home chef's paradise.I bought their vegetarian seven layer dip which was excellent. Again, I'm not one for those layered dips but theirs changed my mind. It was a tasty blend of cheddar, sour cream, guacamole, and different layers of tomatoes and beans. I really enjoyed it with breadsticks and potato chips. The store's produce department is a home chef's fantasy come to life. Stew Leonard's prides itself on buying fresh from local farms as well as family owned farms in Mexico (hence the avocados). There are a wide variety and again the choices are amazing. I plan on getting their giant onions for stuffing on my next trip (which will be very soon).

If you're in the Paramus ,New Jersey area, please stop in and visit Stew Leonard's. It's an amazing blend of entertainment and grocery shopping. You'll leave, not wanting to visit a regular grocery store ever again.