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If you have never been to the Whole Foods Cooperative at 1341 West 26th Street, you really should check it out. This member-owned and controlled business is a lot more than just an all-natural grocery store, they also have a deli that is responsible for some seriously delicious homemade food. Amanda and I met for lunch today to try a few of their sandwiches. We checked out the menu before we arrived, so we had a few ideas of what we wanted. Chris, who took our order at the counter, also recommended a few of his favorites. We ended up choosing three different sandwiches to try a good variety of what the café has to offer. Amanda ordered the Mediterranean Wrap and I chose the Santa Fe Melt and the Grilled Bundled Bella Wrap. While we waited for our sandwiches to be made, we browsed the store to see if there was anything else we wanted.
Our food was ready in just a few minutes. I started with the Santa Fe Melt. The sandwich was made on sourdough bread which was smothered in an avocado spread, large slices of green chilies and tomatoes, topped with pepper jack cheese, and finished with chipotle lime mayonnaise. This was a messy sandwich to eat. The pairing of the green chilies with the cheese/mayo combination really made this sandwich. The bread got soft after it sat for a few minutes which made it even tougher to pick up. It was a little on the bland side and could have used some salt, but overall it was tasty.
The Grilled Bundled Bella Wrap was much larger than I anticipated. The entire thing easily weighed in at over a pound. I chose a whole wheat wrap to be filled with grilled portabellas and zucchini, roasted asparagus, balsamic marinated spinach and red onion, and Chèvre goat cheese. The wrap was packed full of flavor. The veggies were very well seasoned and delicious. The asparagus was still bright green and crisp and added great texture to the wrap. The goat cheese was wonderfully creamy and gave a slightly tart, tangy bite to the vegetables.
Amanda’s Mediterranean Wrap started with a whole wheat wrap that was spread with hummus and filled with quinoa tabouli, cucumbers, feta cheese, olives, and a spring mix of greens. We both agreed that this was the best sandwich of the three we sampled. The hummus and quinoa tabouli were fantastic. The cool spring mixed greens were perfectly fresh and the crisp cucumbers added great crunch. The hummus was a fantastic contrasting texture to the greens. The feta cheese was tough to find so I’m not sure if it was left off by mistake or maybe they just ran out, but the wrap was just as awesome without it.
All of the lunch choices also come with pickle slices, blue corn chips, and fresh salsa. Thank you to Chris for the suggestions and the wonderful lunch. We will be back to try a lot more from the newly updated menu. The store is open Monday – Saturday from 9 A.M. – 9 P.M. and Sunday from 9 A.M. – 7 P.M. The phone number to place an order is 814-456-0282.
Keep sending me your recommendations for sandwich stops to akochirka@goerie.com or to the Beard Vs. Food Facebook. Remember to come back and vote as well.
Until next time,
Andrew — Beard vs. Food
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