‘Restaurant’ review: Marketside

March 17th, 2009, 4:40 pm · 3 Comments · posted by Jess Harter

Last week I reviewed several heat-and-eat entrees from Fresh & Easy Neighborhood Markets (read review), a British-owned chain of small supermarkets that debuted in Arizona, California and Nevada 18 months ago. This week I look at several entrees from Marketside, a similar concept introduced by Wal-Mart last year. The first four Marketsides opened in Mesa, Chandler, Gilbert and Tempe.

Turkey breast
What: Classic-style turkey breast with Yukon Gold mashed potatoes, cranberry sauce and turkey giblet gravy.
Cost: $6.
Notes: The turkey slices look and taste like processed turkey roll, but they’re moist and the flavor is OK, if a little salty. The mashed potatoes are surprisingly good. I deduct a full grade for the watery gravy.
Nutrition: 620 calories, 40g protein, 58g carbs, 27g fat, 2,610mg salt.
Grade: C+

Meat lasagna
What: Classic-style meat lasagna with ground beef, plus ricotta, mozzarella and Parmesan cheeses.
Cost: $6.
Notes: There’s no shortage of cheese, although one side is mostly ricotta and the other mostly mozzarella. A lackluster tomato sauce keeps this two-person meal from getting an A.
Nutrition (per container): 1,260 calories, 78g protein, 90g carbs, 66g fat, 4,380mg sodium.
Grade: B-

Barbecue beef
What: Barbecue beef brisket with mashed, red-skin garlic potatoes.
Cost: $6.
Notes: The dozen thin slices of beef are unmistakably smoky, and the Kansas City-style sauce is flavorful (although I would have liked more than a small spoonful). The garlicky potatoes, a plentiful helping, taste much better than they look.
Nutrition: 910 calories, 49g protein, 57g carbs, 53g fat, 1,220mg sodium.
Grade: B-

Spinach salad
What: Cranberry-pecan spinach salad with raspberry vinaigrette.
Cost: $4.
Notes: Two days after its made-on date, the spinach is a little wilted. Otherwise, there are plentiful portions of cranberries, blue cheese crumbles and candied pecans, and the vinaigrette is delicious. But couldn’t they include a full-size fork?
Nutrition: 380 calories, 22g protein, 20g carbs, 26g fat, 700mg sodium.
Grade: A-

Meatloaf
What: Homestyle meatloaf with Yukon Gold mashed potatoes and mushroom gravy.
Cost: $6.
Notes: Finally, a decent gravy/sauce and more than a spoonful. The little pieces of mushroom are a nice touch. The two thick slices of meatloaf have a smooth, almost bread-like texture, but are well-seasoned.
Nutrition: 790 calories, 37g protein, 63g carbs, 44g fat, 1,980mg sodium.
Grade: B-

Pepperoni pizza
What: Pepperoni flatbread pizza.
Cost: $4.
Notes: The 7-inch-by-9-inch pizza is adequate if unremarkable, somewhere between grocery store frozen varieties and restaurant versions. My biggest complaint is that there are no cooking instructions; I have to call Marketside, where the pizza person recommends I bake it 10-12 minutes at 400 degrees.
Nutrition: Not disclosed.
Grade: B

Steak fajitas
What: Marinated beef steak fajitas with grilled onions, bell peppers and Spanish-style rice.
Cost: $6.
Notes: The steak pieces are slightly rubbery, and the rice is watery. The produce is limp and doesn’t have much taste, except for a lime slice. These may pass as fajitas in, say, Iowa, but not in the Valley.
Nutrition: 410 calories, 27g protein, 59g carbs, 7g fat, 1,990mg sodium.
Grade: C-

Roast beef sandwich
What: Roast beef and cheddar sandwich on ciabatta bread.
Cost: $4.
Notes: According to the label, the sandwich was made three days prior but could be “enjoyed” for two more days. The bread was a bit stale, the meat and cheese a bit dry and the lettuce a bit wilted. Subway has no worries here.
Nutrition: 440 calories, 29g protein, 35g carbs, 20g fat, 1,290mg sodium.
Grade: C

Some final thoughts
Unlike Fresh & Easy, Marketside’s entrees are mostly limited to familiar comfort foods. There’s nothing too adventurous. I thought Marketside’s packaging was a bit sturdier, and I had no problems removing the plastic wrap from hot items, as I did with some Fresh & Easy entrees.

Generally speaking, Marketside’s individual-size entrees are a little more expensive for about the same amount of food. Nutrition-wise, both stores’ entrees contain a lot of sodium — in many cases, roughly an entire day’s recommended allowance.

The bottom line for me, however, is taste. On that criterion alone, I give a slight edge to Marketside. But I came away from these past two weeks very disappointed with both stores. I love their low prices on things like cereal and milk, but I’ll be looking elsewhere when I feel like grabbing a quick, convenient meal.

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