Whole Foods Market

I know, I know...Whole Foods = Whole Paycheck, but this store is amazing. I actually live closer to the one in the Hastings Ranch area of East Pasadena, but this one has an amazing BBQ and smoked meat counter that makes it worth the trip across town. The employees who work here are quite helpful, and even took the time to smoke a special order of ribs for me for a holiday meal. I also love the deli counter and the selection of craft and foreign beers that they have here. It may not be practical to do your weekly shopping here, but for those specialty and organic food "must-haves," you have to check out this store.

this is the most amazing store. They have the largest selections of prepared and frozen foods of all of the LA stores. It is two stories, and they lots of food bars and places to eat inside. They also have a small restaurant area, as well as a wine bar. I believe they offer cooking classes, and some other classes as well. The only drawback is that they are more expensive than your average grocery.

I was a little skeptical about visiting this new Whole Foods after hearing how difficult it is to park. Frankly, the Whole Foods in East Pasadena is much closer to my home, but the parking can be horrendous there too, especially around any of the major "food holidays." Still, I decided to brave this new store early on a Saturday afternoon, and not only was the parking easy, there was ample room as well. I approached the store from Del Mar, going south on Arroyo. I turned right on the side street just north of the store (a dead end) and made an immediate left into the underground parking garage. It was that easy. As for the store - all two floors and 75,000 or so square feet of it - I was in awe! There is some kind of specialty bar for nearly every taste - juice bar, salad bar, Asian Food bar, even a Wine and Tapas room. Unbelievable! I was lured by the aroma of the smoked meats, and purchased a few pieces of smoked chicken for lunch. The selection of packaged and dry goods was awesome; everything was well stocked, and nicely presented. Still, admittedly one of the things I regularly visit Whole Foods for is their beer selection, and I have to say I was more than just a bit disappointed by what they have available here, especially since there is a BevMo just south of this location. Maybe that's why the selection here is lacking, but I'd much rather be able to have my choice of craft brews at the same store I'm buying groceries in so I can save a trip and not have to go elsewhere. I'm hoping the empty spaces I saw on the shelves were an indication that more is on the way. In the meantime, this store is nothing short of amazing - a bit pricey, but still amazing. Can't wait to go shop for my holiday meal here!