Sunday, September 28, 2014

Whole Foods Prepared Foods Review


Variety is (supposed to be) the spice of life; so why not try a little bit of everything? Midway through grocery shopping at Whole Foods at Friendship Heights, I got a craving for something hot. Cravings are hard/impossible to ignore here, since Whole Foods' prepared foods are literally only a styrofoam container away... with ample seating in the front of the store/outside. How could any hungry man refuse?

The Global Cuisine hot food bar is $8.99/lb. and my humble plate totaled .63 lb. for a very reasonable $5.66. Mine was a carnivore's special... Chopped and Sliced Garlic Pepper Brisket, Fried Chicken and Garlic Pepper Chicken Wings. All four items had their positives (and negatives.) Let's start with the chopped brisket, which was greasy at the bottom, but quite flavorful. The sliced brisket had quite a bit of fat, although (once again) very flavorful. It was also cold, and needed more marinade/sauce. As far as briskets go, stick with chopped.


Next up, chicken wings which were also cold (a recurring theme?) but very easy to eat, with zero mess: I didn't even need a moist towelette afterwards. Joy! Unfortunately, they had very little flavor (not sure if that had anything to do with their being cold.) Still, no mess = a happy food critic.


Luckily, I saved the best for last. Whole Foods' Fried Chicken is (in a word) delicious. It packs the perfect amount of saltiness, with light yet crispy/crunchy skin. The meat? Moist and tender... So much so, I wrestled with going back for more. The only drawback? A bit cold, but fried chicken is very forgiving in that regard.

Oddly enough, this was the first time I ordered from the hot food bar. I've enjoyed pizza, sandwiches and even a hamburger once; but the food bar offers a wide variety of goodies at a decent price. Not sure how healthy it is; but I like to think Whole Foods thinks enough of itself (and its customers) to supply top ingredients. I'll definitely be back to explore again. I'm actually quite fond of the ability to eat in, after paying for my groceries (or before/in between, for that matter.)