It's the Whole Foods Countdown

So it's really happening - in two days the Capital Region will get its first Whole Foods. Now I say first, because the word is out they are planning on opening more in the area. Where, I don't know... but if they think it'll work, more power to them.

Turns out today is the media day/sneak peek. I don't know... I think my invite got lost in the mail.

I kid.

Kind of. Maybe.

Whatever. It opens on Wednesday and you betcha I'll brave the traffic and head there. Possibly after work. Or after I work out. Either way, I am so there.

If you've been to Colonie Center in recent weeks, you would have seen glimpses of what awaits. The shelves have been stocked for some time, and the banners for the different sections are up. The tables for the food court area are assembled and have been used by staff as they do their team meetings (that's what it looks like through the windows). The distressed displays are in the main entrance, waiting to be stocked with weekly sales items. And hey... it even looks like the lights in one of the signs is starting to go out!

If you haven't been there, or have never stepped foot in a WF before, worry not. I went out and checked some of the nearby locations to give you an idea of what to expect.

 

 

Whole Foods Market (Hadley, MA)

 

I thought I took more pictures of this place, but I guess not. While it may look like the store is big on the outside, the inside is cramped. At 43,000 sq ft it shouldn't feel so crowded. But I suppose since the next store is in , they have to pack in as much as possible. And on my visit, it seemed like that. A maze of sorts to get through all the different departments. The only areas where there was breathing room were at the ends. And the eating area. Everywhere else seemed too close together. But it could have been crowded. It was later in the evening... who knows.

I remember a wine section. I really liked that. I really want ours to have one (damn New York and their archaic laws... let me have my wine!!!) but watch it just be beer. Healthy Living Market has the wine shop attached... BJ's has the liquor shop. So it is doable. I'm hoping for the best.

 

Whole Foods Market (Paramus, NJ)

 

This WFM is attached to Bergen Town Center, a mall I love to shop in (outlet stores!!). The layout of this store is what I envision the Albany location to be like, although it's more than twice the size (77,000 sq ft). You can enter from inside the mall (can't at the Albany location... unless they were hiding it), or from the parking lot. So both the mall shoppers and people from the surrounding offices can run in and quickly grab something. 

I remember checking it out when it first opened (so much closer than Edgewater, and bigger than Ridgewood) with Mags and it was... wow. Nothing along the lines of the clouds parting, rays of sunshine beaming down, and a choir of angels singing as we walked in. It was just... big. If you enter from the parking lot, you walk in to the produce area. This is a large area, and spaced out. Lots of organic produce, local produce, conventional produce. Local organic, local conventional. Organic local, organic conventional... wait... scratch that last part.

Ha ha? Ha ha!

If you come in from the mall, you walk in to their prepared food area. You have to walk past a makeshift wine wall to get to the food, but ooh... wine. This area is spacious - more than enough room for people and carts to go around and pack up foods in their madefromrecycledmaterialsandheyyoucancompostitwhenyouredone take out containers. It's not bad though... how can a dedicated dessert bar ever be bad?!? And looking at Pinterest, some WFs have Paleo bars. Must be major cities...

This location is the only one I recall in New Jersey that has a wine section. And it is a very nice section indeed. The don't have two buck chuck like Trader Joes, but they do have $2.99, $3.99, $4.99, and $5.99 wine deals. Their own label, 365 was pricer than these... and despite the low prices they were quite drinkable. And the wine chiller... That swirling vortex of ice cold water to chill your wines. Makes no sense really - they warm up when you get back to your car anyways.

This is probably one of the more spacious WFs, and hopefully the Albany location follows suit.

Whole Foods Market (Edgewater, NJ)

Before the Paramus location opened up, this was my go-to Whole Foods. Sure, the one in Ridgewood was closer, but it was small and cramped. not to mention getting there was annoying. Same goes with their parking lot. But the Edgewater one, it has a lot going for it: right up the road from Mitsuwa and other shopping strips; and they have a Jamba Juice in store. Say what you want about JJ, but smoothies are my jam. I am hoping that the Albany location would have one, but they have fallen out of style.

It has the space, but the store feels cramped. You constantly have to weave in and out down the aisles to pass. The seafood counter? Consistent bottleneck. But hey, when in Jersey...

I made a funny. Ha ha!

It's right off of River Road, which is a high traffic area. There is a parking lot, but they share with the other stores in the strip. Normally I dint have a problem parking, but peak hours you're looking at a trek from the far corner spots. You just have to keep thinking you're pre-emptively burning calories for the treats that await inside.

And there are other store I can mention, but they pretty much fall into that same category of packed full of items in a small space. They are all about good practice when it comes to the foods they sell, so you can't fault them for that. And they really do push local items in their stores, but based on the posts on Facebook, they really seem to be pushing the local angle for the Albany store.

I really hope the Albany location resembles that of the Paramus location, but I am sure it will be more like the Edgewater/Hadley ones. Of my concerns, parking may be an issue. Especially since it is in a mall and mall goers need to spots too. Cost isn't as shocking as it once was, and spending a little more for better quality is worth it.

And for those of you bemoaning this arrival, move along. Yes, I support local businesses. Hell, it's going on almost a decade of being a member at Honest Weight. Do I shop there exclusively? No, that isn't practical. And this does not mean I will shop only at Whole Foods. I shop at many store because each has (stating the obvious) its own niche. And like any other shopper, I compare prices. If it's a good deal, it's a good deal. No matter what the store is.  

Lemondrop (Colonie,NY)

Trader Joe'd

I was going to wait a little longer than I did, but I got back from the city Sunday at a decent time so I figured a drive down Wolf Road wouldn't hurt. But not before shopping at another store first. Which store? You'll see soon enough. 

I didn't take any pictures of the store itself, but they almost all look the same. I was worried the place would be a driving nightmare, but it wasn't bad at all. The police directing traffic really helped things run smoothly and I was lucky to find a spot quite easily. I left through the back and saw that people had parked over behind Panera and there was a road that connected the TJ parking lot to the Colonie Center loop. So, if you want to avoid the traffic, turn into the mall and head for the far Macy's parking lot. If you're on Wolf Road you can turn onto Sand Creek Road and enter the mall that way, avoiding the headache inducing left turn.

It wasn't the madhouse I had imagined it to be, but the empty shelves I thought I would see were there. Some of the sold out food items included soft white bread and tortilla chips... possibly all varieties. The store wasn't mobbed, but there were people standing around and staring. Understandable when it's your first visit, but it was burdensome as I had to do some dodge and weave exercises to get some items. Had I known I would have stretched first.

Checkout was quick but a little confusing. So you drop your cart off on one side and then stand on the other.  I don't remember doing that at other stores, but then again, I also remember someone taking my things when I got to the front of the line. The lady in front of me had mentioned that she was just there the day before and just had to come back. Looks like TJ's found themselves a new fan.

Lucky for me their opening coincided with my upcoming vacation. So while I'm off in the great outdoors, you'll have some TJ related posts to keep you busy. Just some mini-reviews... nothing fancy.

CiCi’s Pizza – Free Meal Month #1

We stood on line long enough for the card, might as well use it… right? We didn’t have to wait on line to get in like last time, but the place was packed. People were still stacking their plates sky high with food, even though it is a buffet.

I had one slice of cheese pizza and a whole lot of dessert. I got some salad, only to find out there were no more forks. Luckily I grabbed a spoon before they were gone.

CiCi’s Pizza (Colonie, NY)

Today was the official opening of Cici’s Pizza in Colonie. I wouldn’t have known about it had I not looked at Steve Barnes’ Table Hopping blog and his brief mention of it.

One free pizza buffet a month for a whole year to the first hundred people to show up at their grand opening? Okay, I’m game. M too.



We made it over to Wolf Road just after 10:30, thinking that half an hour before opening wouldn’t be too early, and hopefully the line wouldn’t be impossible (the line we saw the day before  wasn’t too bad… and that was the pre-opening opening). And we were right- no crazy crowds, just order and what could only be some very tired people. By the time we joined, the line had reached the entrance to Outback Steakhouse.



I’m not sure when the first person on line got there, but it was pretty early. A woman ahead of us told M and I that her daughter got there at six in the morning so she could be one of the first to get in. Sounds crazy, but eh… it’s summer Gives you something to do, and a story to tell when you’re older.

People at the front of the line made their wait as comfortable as possible by bringing folding chairs and blankets. Many of the groups waiting to enter were families with young children (from the looks of it, the demographic CiCi’s may be aiming for).



If you were one of the first hundred, you were given a “token” as seen on the left. As you walked in, you handed your “token” to the owner, who in return handed over the free meal card.

Inside was bright, cheery, and very chain-like. After entering you are steered straight to the register where they do their hellos and explain how the buffet works. The $4.99 covers just the food, and it’s another $1.6(5/9) for a regular sized drink. Throw in another .75 cents and you get a large take out cup (which has some tab thing where you can win more free stuff).



I figured I’d whip up a layout of the place so you get a better idea of what’s going on. This could be their generic layout for all I know, but it’s very different from most buffets.



Salad Bar – There were two options available, although they looked exactly alike. Both were iceberg mixes, one just looked shinier than the other (pre-dressed salad I guess). There were some chopped vegetables you could add to your salad, and a few different types of dressing. I especially liked the large slices of mushrooms. No skimping out there.



Soup/Pasta/Garlic Bread – Both the soup and pasta tasted like they came from a can. I didn’t try the pasta, but M said it reminded him of Chef Boyardee. Funny, because the soup almost instantly made me think of Campbell’s soup. Little salty, little sweet, but good enough. Did not necessarily like the bits of “chicken.” As for the garlic bread… I might be rushing judgment here, but don’t eat it. I tried to look up the ingredients for what they put on it, but it’s nowhere to be found on their website. The garlic bread is one of their zero trans fat items, so I’m pretty sure it’s chock full of artificial ingredients. A good thing to know is that the marinara sauce they will offer you to accompany the garlic bread will absolutely cover that chemical taste.

 

Pizza – The customers at the opening today seemed to like the pasta topped pizzas. I didn’t have any, but I saw quite a few people going for the macaroni & cheese pizza. And for a second I swore I saw a Hamburger Helper topped pizza, but it was probably the Italian style sausage or beef pizzas. I helped myself to the Pepperoni flip, regular pepperoni, and thin crust Italiano. The pepperoni pizza was okay, but the dough was a little chewy. The thin crust was not as crisp as I thought it would be, and it was a tad too salty (but corrected with a dip in that tomato sauce). The flip I did not like at all- it was salty and oddly runny. I don’t know if that was from the oil that cooked out of the pepperoni or the cheese they used. But like the Italiano, a dunk in that tomato sauce made it much more tolerable.



Dessert – The apple pizza and the cinnamon rolls were pretty good. I’d actually consider ordering a whole apple pizza pie.

Lunch for two was just under 15 bucks. Not too bad, considering what I ate wasn’t the greatest stuff. Will I be going here often? No, but I will stop by at least once a month. And the prices on their take out pizzas (I think I saw $4.99 for a medium and $5.99 for a large 1-topping) are very budget friendly. We’ll see if M and I ever check it out.

CiCi's Pizza
145 Wolf Road
Colonie, NY 12205
518-482-2424

Su - Th 11:00A - 10:00P
Fri - Sa 11:00A - 11:00P