Whole Foods Half-Assed Bistro
One would think that, with Whole Foods' emphasis on freshness, organics and general wholesomeness, salads served in the downstairs bistro of their Potrero Hill location would be the pinnacle of pristine greenness. One would be wrong.
The California Cobb salad ($9.99) I ordered was made from lettuce that had obviously knife-cut hours (if not days) earlier. Every piece I observed was brown on two edges. It wasn't that it tasted bad — to the contrary, it was pretty good — but visual appeal an important part of eating. I shuttered involuntarily as I watch each forkful approach my mouth. While the flavor pleased my palate, the overall effect was not so much.
Mackie is partial to their BLTA ($6.99), hold the T. I think it's just OK. Where we agree is on the accompanying fries — dreadful. Granted they're (sort of) fresh cut — if you sit at the counter, you can watch them take the sliced potatoes out of the storage water and place them in the fryer — but they suck. Mooshy. Flavorless. Pale. None of the qualities of a good fry. More recently, Mackie discovered that a side salad is an option instead of the fries. She reports it to be a much better chioce.
The iced tea ($2.99) is expensive for a no-refill, pre-filled plastic-looking glass. Instead, I grabbed a large bottle of Tejava from the display case — more than twice the tea at about half the price — and asked for a cup of ice. On a recent visit, I noticed that the Tejava had been removed from that display case. An effort to guide eaters toward the higher-price, lower-value product?
My advice for going to the Whole Foods Bistro is don't. The bakery side of the downstairs is fine but forget about the half-assed bistro.
Whole Foods Market
450 Rhode Island Street
at 17th Street
San Francisco, CA 94107
415-552-1155
Map
Web site
Food inspection score: 96
Symbol of Excellence: No
-Friendly: N/A
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