Mary V.
Yelp
I waited for a few days after the Grand Opening to venture to Whole Foods. One would never know that today was not their opening day, however. The parking lot was packed; circling around multiple times finally landed us a spot quite a distance away from the store. As Jamie A. stated in her review, with new stores that have yet to open in this center, I predict that parking is going to become a real issue.
Once inside, though, I was impressed with many of the items Whole Foods had to offer. Everything fresh (veggies, fish, meats) is organic, locally grown if possible, free-range, sans-hormones and wild-caught. Keep this in mind when you look at the prices. Many varieties of fish and meat are offered; I was particularly impressed by the quality of the fish, though. The beef, pork and chicken looked nice, also, but the veal deserved to be passed up at any price: dark red veal is tough and flavorless (and it was no bargain, either). I'm surprised Whole Foods even had this in their display case.
Fresh bagels! And bialys! Now, those I couldn't resist. These looked like the real deal in the self-serve section, so I grabbed about a half dozen in a bag and we'll give them a shot. They sure do smell good. Agree again, though, with Jamie's assessment of the self-serve section: many items are placed at adult waist-level, which is the ideal height for youngsters to poke their hands and faces into as they walk by and around the curve of the bakery section. Whole Foods needs to rethink the display of this section of the store for sanitary reasons, please.
The dairy and grocery sections offered an array of items for people on specialty diets. While that doesn't apply to hubby or me, I kept thinking of our daughter as I roamed around and surveyed their inventory. Whenever our daughter comes to town, I go on a wild hunt for food she can eat: she's completely lactose intolerant and due to medical restrictions is on a very low-fat, low-sodium diet. It's not easy to find a variety of those foods in the local grocery store, but Whole Foods is literally an entire store of food for her! Vegan cheeses, vegan mayo, tofu, low-sodium sauces and condiments, a variety of non-dairy items and frozen treats - this is heaven for those on a restricted diet. Shopping for her when she comes to visit now will be a breeze!
Hubby checked out the beer section briefly. Many craft beers are available, with several of them being locally brewed and on tap. What a treat!
Checkout was quick. Love that paper bags are given, too! Nice to see that Whole Foods doesn't clutter the environment with plastic in case you don't have your own grocery totes.
I will most certainly return, as this store is not a far drive for me. It won't, however, replace my usual store as my grocery "mission control center," but it is a welcome addition to the community and I'm glad they're here.