Ever been to a Stew Leonard’s Grocery Store? Growing up, my aunt and uncle lived in Weston, Connecticut (a suburb of Westport) and they always shopped at Stew Leonard’s in Norwalk. I remember the sense of wonder I had when they would take me to the store — the sights, the sounds, and the food were just amazing. In later years, I would make a point to stop by the Yonkers store, when I would come home from being in Westchester or points north. I loved bringing my kids there, as it was such a fun (and delicious smelling) store. My kids enjoyed the way the store was decorated and the friendly employees. Recently, I had the chance to check out their Farmingdale, Long Island, NY store. What did I think? Read on….
Stew Leonard’s started as a small dairy store founded in 1969 with seven employees. It’s grown to become a top grocery store, with annual sales of almost $400 million and almost 2,000 Team Members. In addition to the headquarters store in Norwalk, CT, Stew Leonard’s has stores in Danbury and Newington, CT, Yonkers and Farmingdale, Long Island, NY, and has plans for a new location in East Meadow, Long Island, NY. The store was easy to find, it’s right off Route 110 in Farmingdale. There was ample parking – note, this is across the parking lot from the Stew Leonard’s Wine and Spirits store.
It’s a large parking lot, so you may need to drive if you want to go to both places. Once you walk in to Stew Leonard’s, you can pick up coffee or ice cream or frozen yogurt. Or if you prefer, take home some ice cream sandwiches or pints right from their freezer case. If you spend $100 and over, you get a free ice cream cone or a coffee. Spend over $200 and you get two ice cream cones or two coffees. Nice perk, right?
You can also pick up their fresh donuts or popcorn. There were fresh muffins, a bakery section, salads, seafood department, meat department, cheese department, tons of fresh veggies and fruits, and well as a huge prepared foods section (with a Wings Bar, a Meatball Bar, Pizza Oven, Olive Bar and much more).
Check out the rest of my store tour on video and let me know what you think!
Stew Leonards shared their Executive Chef Michael Luboff’s Avocado Fries recipe with me and I made it for my family. It’s perfect for the big game!
Avocado Fries
Silky avocado replaces the tried-and-true potato in these crispy “fries” that are an unexpected addition to your game day menu. Freezing the slices of avocado keeps them firm for frying. Stew Leonard’s Executive Chef Michael Luboff suggests serving Avocado Fries with a side of Stew Leonard’s spicy chipotle dip. I used Stew Leonard’s Mango Salsa and it was so good. My kids devoured these!
Ingredients:
2 large ripe Haas avocados
3-4 cups vegetable oil
1/2 cup all-purpose flour seasoned with salt and pepper
1 large egg, beaten
1 cup Panko bread crumbs
Directions:
Half, seed, scoop and slice the avocado lengthwise into half-inch strips. Put slices on a piece of parchment paper or on a plate and freeze for around 20 minutes.
Remove avocados from freezer and prep bowls with seasoned flour, eggs, and panko.
Dust with seasoned flour.
Heat vegetable oil in a Dutch oven or large pot over medium high heat. I used a saute pan with high edges.
Working one at a time, dip avocado slices into the egg, then dredge in the Panko crumbs, pressing to coat.
Working in batches, add the avocado slices to the Dutch oven, 5 or 6 at a time, and fry until evenly golden brown and crispy, about 1-2 minutes on each side.
Transfer to a paper towel-lined plate.
Serve immediately with Stew Leonard’s spicy chipotle dip or the dip of your choice (I used Stew Leonard’s Mango Salsa and it was perfect).
Touring Stew Leonard's in Farmingdale, NY
Ingredients
- 2 large ripe Haas avocados
- 3-4 cups vegetable oil
- 1/2 cup all-purpose flour seasoned with salt and pepper
- 1 large egg beaten
- 1 cup Panko bread crumbs
Instructions
- Half, seed, scoop and slice the avocado lengthwise into half-inch strips. Put slices on a piece of parchment paper or on a plate and freeze for around 20 minutes.
- Remove avocados from freezer and prep bowls with seasoned flour, eggs, and panko.
- Dust with seasoned flour.
- Heat vegetable oil in a Dutch oven or large pot over medium high heat.
- Working one at a time, dip avocado slices into the egg, then dredge in the Panko crumbs, pressing to coat.
- Working in batches, add the avocado slices to the Dutch oven or high-sided saute or frying pan, 5 or 6 at a time, and fry until evenly golden brown and crispy, about 1-2 minutes on each side. Transfer to a paper towel-lined plate.
- Serve immediately with Stew Leonard’s spicy chipotle dip or the dip of your choice (I used Stew Leonard's Mango Salsa and it was perfect).
Stew Leonard’s is going to be building their second location in East Meadow soon — which is even more convenient for this Queens resident.
Go to StewLeonards.com for more info.
Thank you to Stew Leonard’s for supplying a gift card so I could check out the store – no other compensation was received.
This is intriguing. I like avacado anything, and these look good. I bet I would really love them.