Rating : 8
out of 10
May, 2010
Tariff : Dinner for 3
- 1 burrito
- 1 pizza slice
- 1 hot food bar assortment
- 1 salad bar platter
- 1 prepackaged seaweed salad
- 3 bottled drinks
- $35
It seems like years that we’ve been awaiting the
opening of Novato’s own Whole Foods. Now it’s finally here. It is big
and loaded with great produce, bread, all manner of health foods, and a
fantastic selection of ready made foods. For the sake of this page, I
thought I’d list it not so much as a grocery store, but as a place to
catch a bite of lunch or dinner. You can take what purchases you like to
a second floor dining area that overlooks the rest of the store. Very
utilitarian, it is not anything to look at, but it has tables seating
4-6 people and there is a counter area with microwave and as well as
water fountains. Convenient is the best description. In good weather
there is a patio in a sunken courtyard on the De Long Ave side with
numerous umbrella shaded picnic tables. This is a lovely location
for a snack or meal al fresco.
We made selections from the hot food
bar, the salad bar, the pizza bar and the burrito bar!
Pepperoni pizza was fresh out of the
oven and a little burned around the edges, but the man behind the
counter was still learning how to make the pizzas…. The burrito was
large and tasty—just like at a Subway sandwich shop, you make the
selections of filling ingredients and the person behind the counter
assembles it. Salad bar and hot food bar are self serve. I had the
creamiest, cheesiest comfort food mac & cheese ever. (I don’t want
to even think about it in terms of calories or health—but, hey, it was a
treat, right!). The barbequed, shredded pork was tangy and tender. To
balance out those two heavy choice I tried the roasted vegetables.
There were more zucchini and onions than anything else. The veggies
were lightly oiled and cooked, so they were quite healthy I’m sure but
they lacked much flavor. When I do them on the BBQ at home I add
pepper, salt, garlic, oregano, basil and they are much more appetizing.
Asian noodle salad was delish. Prepackaged seaweed salad from the sushi
bar looked a bit murky—not the usual bright green I’ve come to
expect. Another salad was left uneaten due to its weird smell, but in
fairness I think it was from one of the types of beans, not the rest of
the salad.
It's fun to choose between all the
delicious hot and cold selections for a meal or a picnic, but it's a
luxury because the bill is always surprisingly high.
Whole Foods
790 De Long Avenue
Novato, CA 94945
(415) 878-0455 |
