New Whole Foods in Washington, DC

Please be sure to read the italicized updates as the selection of raw juices and items has really changed.  While I am disappointed with that aspect of the store, I have been really impressed with their customer service overall.

Last weekend, I checked out the new Whole Foods in Foggy Bottom in Washington, DC, the same neighborhood where I went to law school.  I would have loved to have this down the street from where I spent three years, but alas, too late. Still, this Whole Foods is only a mile from where I live, and, since Whole Foods basically replaced Starbucks as my happy place when I had to stop drinking coffee and my beloved sugary chai lattes, I was pretty excited to check it out. In fact, I managed to go there twice last weekend. The best part of this Whole Foods is the fact they have a real juice bar:

A few notes – the apple juice is not fresh-pressed and this is part of a coffee bar upfront (which has great options like almond milk for your latte), but hey, I always get excited when I purchase something like the HSH juice without having to make it myself (I asked them to add carrots to it too). 

Update July 2012 – sadly, the juice bar has turned into a disappointment.  Most of the juices have become juice smoothie blends (i.e. half the ingredients are freshly pressed before being put in a blender with the greens such as spinach and kale). I personally find juice smoothie blends unpalatable, so am disappointed with the outcome.  Also, the juice you see on the picture looks nothing like the juices available now, which look like frothy green smoothies as a result of being juice blends.  I no longer go to the juice bar at Whole Foods, though if you end up at the store looking for green juice, they do carry the BP juices.  Really, though, I suggest you go to SweetPress instead.

The prepared food sections  also has some nice raw options like raw lasagna and things like brown rice sushi:

Raw tiramisu too! That totally hit the spot for my latest craving which was chocolate and coffee.  Also, with regards to prepared foods, if you have Celiac or food intolerances or allergies, be aware that there is always the possibility of cross-contamination at the salad bar or their prepared foods counter (which includes a design-your-own grain or greens bowl or your own sushi or sandwich).  I opted for some of the raw options from Zia’s as those were clearly marked gluten-free, and was very strategic about picking out my salad bar items – anything that had kamut or wheat berries near-by becomes a non-option even if the item itself is naturally gluten-free.  The kale salad was near only other greens, which is why it was a good option, and the black beans were near brown rice, also making it a good option.  Update July 2012: the Zia’s items are no longer available, and nothing similar has replaced them.

Because this was a newly opened Whole Foods, I was able to find some items on deep sale, such as chia seeds, curried sunflower seeds, strawberry Amande yogurt (see past review here) which was 3 for $2(!), and a new to me tart from Hail Merry (I love their macaroons as a once-in-a-great-while snack). 

The strawberry yogurt is completely coming in handy for this weekend’s road trip, so I am glad I bought it last weekend.  The Hail Merry tart, unlike the Hail Merry macaroons, is made with low-glycemic sweeteners such as coconut sugar and agave instead of maple syrup, which is the main source of sweetness for the macaroons:

I also picked up some skincare (majorly on sale!), as I am trying to find face skincare that is fragrance-free as well as paraben-free and all the other good all-natural stuff:

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