Hy-Vee Food Store

I have not been to very many Hy-​Vee stores in my past but this one was very nice for sure! A very nice variety of groceries to pick from, many of the brands though I was not familiar with since a considerable amount of what they have are items based on the region but there is still plenty of the old standards that you do know like Doritos corn chips and the like. They had a great bakery set up at this store location too so definitely worth going to for sure. we had to go here from New Hampton because there is no grocery store in that town that is open on a Sunday so this is by far the next best option.

A lot of the more «cultured» folks around here (okay, okay, my family — all of whom went away for quite awhile and then came back, and so have had more than just a taste of «big city living») swear by Fareway. I didn’t get a chance to shop at Fareway, but I went to Hy-​Vee a few times over my last week’s stay in Bassett, and I have to admit I was impressed.
The Hy-​Vee in Charles City is a pleasant mixture of old timey things and new fangled options. Walk in and glance to your right on any weekend morning, and you’ll see covered dished filled with traditional breakfast items and tables filled with local «blue hairs» (my mother’s term, I swear!) and various sprogs and offspring, all socializing to beat the band. Two steps further, and behind the deli case you may see an Asian guy (I don’t know his name, my family didn’t either, they just knew he was Asian) who can whip you up a fresh, delectable stir-​fry while you wait. You could also get prepared deli foods at this counter, and while I didn’t, I suspect the fare might be good.
Further on, there is an enormous meat case where we picked up some very good house-​made brats. They’re sold by the pound, wrapped in greased brown paper, and could be behind the fresh meat case at any Whole Paycheck. Fresh? OMG. Fresh. And while we didn’t buy beef, I watched as the butcher unloaded a styrofoam box laden with giant, perfect, sweetly bloody steaks from the Amana Colonies, which I’ve never seen at any yupscale Grocerie and Expensive Food Emporium anywhere. We’re talkin’ grass-​fed, baby.
I was also surprised at the cheese selection. While there were wedges that looked slightly past their prime (the market for Asiago and Parmeggiano Reggiano is still under-​developed here), nothing wasn’t saleable, and… whoo. Fresh Maytag Blue! And a random Welsh sharp cheddar that knocked my socks off. A quite big selection. I was impressed.
The rest of the store also yielded surprises. I found not just lemon curd but lime curd, soy milk, tahini, and other things I hadn’t expected to see in a small town Iowa grocery store. And… there was SORGHUM! Sorghum syrup is as old-​timey Iowa as it gets, and I was afraid that all the gourmet modern options would have crowded its earthy, deep-​flavored goodness off the shelves. But no, there it was, right by the pancake syrups. Hooray!
Final note: in Iowa, you can get wine and liquor in a special section of the grocery store. We found lots of good beers and plenty of quite decent wines, including a New Zealand Riesling that was superb — and affordable.
Whoever manages this Hy-​Vee deserves kudos for keeping up-​to-​date AND keeping what’s best of traditional things. That can’t be easy. Very highly recommended.