<p>Rachacha: not to hijack your thread, but jw, which school in Ohio are there such close WF and Trader Joes? My daughter is celiac (requires gluten free food) and having a Whole Foods closeby would be a GREAT plus for her…we are actually starting our college list based on proximity of Wegmans, Whole Foods, trader Joes, and private health food stores that carry what she needs…</p>
<p>Rodney - not a problem - I IM’ed you. You can come to Rochester but we only have Wegmans (boy my D is going to MISS that!!)</p>
<p>I like Whole Food’s brand of almond butter. And while I think their prices are high in general, their own store brand is not bad.</p>
<p>The Whole Foods house brand (365, I think it’s called) is often good value. They may not be the cheapest, but for the quality of what you get it’s a good buy. Their dried pasta and protein bars, in particular. They also sell different flours/grains/dried fruit/nuts in bulk at good prices. I just wish they had a better labelling system than having to write the code and name on the twist tie. </p>
<p>They’re the one place locally where I can get Lake Champlain Chocolates 5-Star Bars, which are quite possibly the best chocolate bars in the world. Definitely not cheap, and not too good for you, either. Whole Foods is supposedly going to go back to basics and purge itself of things that aren’t healthy. I fear for my 5-Star Bars.</p>
<p>Out WF is being overshadowed by the newer Wegman’s. I haven’t been in WF since Wegman’s opened. Wegman’s puts WF to shame on freshness - at least here. There is no comparison in the fish department - the department in which I am most picky. I had some luck at WF but just as often, the fish seemed on the verge of spoiling. My favorite thing in Wegman’s was the yellow fin tuna salad - loved loved loved it.</p>
<p>All Kinds of Fish
Grass Fed Beef
Oikos Greek Yogurt (also available at Walmart a LOT cheaper…lol…but I don;t get there much)
Friendship Cottage Cheese and Sour Cream
Marantha No Stir Organic Peanut Butter
Roasted Red Pepper Salad Dressing
Whole Wheat Pizza Crusts
Nori (I make Sushi once in a while)
Small baguettes of whole grain bread
Organic ice cream </p>
<p>Wegmans is opening nearby pretty soon. Can’t wait. HATE my regular supermarket. Won’t even go anymore.</p>
<p>This Wegman’s sounds pretty special - I’ve read about it ALOT on CC! Are they limited to a certain part of the country?</p>
<p>Wegmans is special! They are based in Rochester NY and have stores throughout western NY but have spread now further afield to PA, NJ, MD and VA. I love grocery stores, as I mentioned in the shopping thread, and Wegmans is my favorite. I wish they’d come to Canada!</p>
<p>I’m a big fan of their 365 brand products-pretty much anything. I really like their 365 fragrance-free body lotion.</p>
<p>Whole Foods here in Maine has excellent homemade chips for salsa… they are fried chips, but have a bit of a chewy texture while also crisp… any time I bring them to a gathering, they get great reviews… their Whole Foods guacamole is also excellent… the stuff that is made daily and fresh in the store… they sell another kind also but it is more industrial strength, IMO…</p>
<p>I find their prices to be excessive for meats/fish… but that is also because we have excellent access to fish at the seafood markets and at Hannaford’s and Shaws… our “traditional” supermarket chains… we can usually get salmon for $5 to $7 a pound… and it might be $18 a pound at WF… or more… </p>
<p>Typically, WF’s has ready made items for dinner or appetizer type purchases… they have a BBQ bar… a sushi bar, a salad and soup bar… we used to have Wild Oats here and that was actually my favorite because they had quality and not sooo much quantity. It was easier to do the outside loop at Wild Oats and get what was needed quickly. WF is bigger and takes longer… and Hannaford and Shaws are also huge… </p>
<p>WF does a magnificent job in displaying their produce… their layouts and colors… second to none here in New England… wish I could be more specific with recommendations for your trip… they do have a restaurant type arrangement inside the store here…perhaps for your first visit you can just graze thru the store… and eat there and make your selections based on your own tastings?? Have a shrimp tempura sushi roll for me!! I am going to be looking for the Tequila Lime Salmon Burger… thanks Blackeyedsusan…</p>
<p>Has anyone mentioned the olive bar? Good selection, especially the Kalamatas.</p>
<p>We are getting a Whole Foods in October. I am looking forward to having another option in town.</p>
<p>The olive bar is awesome.</p>
<p>I bought beef tenderloin at Whole Foods once for a special occasion, and it was the best I have ever had. Absolutely head-and-shoulders above any other cut of meat I’ve ever tasted. There was not a single tendon, membrane, or other spot on it; every morsel was tender, flavorful, and richly-colored.</p>
<p>Oh, and very, very, very expensive. Which is why I had it once.</p>
<p>I just tried the Kashi GoLean Crunch cereal, and it’s delicious. It doesn’t taste like a bowl of tree bark like other health cereals do.</p>
<p>“Oh, and very, very, very expensive. Which is why I had it once.”</p>
<p>I used to buy our meat for special occasions from our WF. Until I found out that our Costco used the same supplier and the same grade. Since then I have had great success with my beef purchases at the Costco butcher.(I am sure this will vary on location)</p>
<p>musica, I don’t know who supplies meats to our Costco, but their meat quality beats anybody else’s in our neck of the woods!</p>
<p>I know lots of people in the upscale restaurant “biz” here in LA. They all swear Costco’s beef is the best.(at least here in So Cal)
I just bought some superb Oxtails for a red wine ragout. They carry some great unusual cuts now and then.</p>
<p>musica, that sounds delicious. No oxtail at our Costco :(</p>
<p>ever since I read those darn Michael Pollan books, I avoid corn-fed beef (“What does what you eat eat?”). Apparently cows aren’t meant to eat corn and they have to feed them antibiotics to get them from being sick.
So grass fed beef is available from WF…although it’s very expensive. Good though as a special treat. I like the taste of Costco meats but won’t buy until they start carrying grass fed.</p>
<p>I visit Whole Paycheck about once every two months just for the joie de vive. But I don’t buy anything unless there’s a discount sale. At times I’ll splurge and get some delicious imported soda, which is about the only reason I go to WF. Yes, their overall selection and variety is great. WF is the only big-store grocer who consistently has duck in the poultry section. But I can barely stand paying 5 bucks a pound for fresh duck at WF when my local Asian market has them for $2.50/ lbs.</p>