Before I go into this blog, I’d like to say that I’m really enjoying the Wet-hopped IPA that I put together based on a slightly modified Dechutes Fresh Slice All-grain clone where I opted for a quarter pound of wet cascade hops (due to availability) instead of the lemon peel. Some of the grain/hop bill was changed as well due to availability of ingredients, but I’m thrilled with the way this turned out. By far my most successful IPA to date:

Sorry that picture is pretty out of focus, not much I could do there. Tried to lock focus and everything, that’s the best it’s going to get – sorry. Here’s a couple pics from the kegging: Flawless execution!

Yes I have random chunks of butter laying around on my counters..  who doesn’t.

Also, one last thing before I get into the blog – I have added a couple more peppers to my mashes – Thanks to Jessie & Joe for contributing some mega-hot peppers to the cause – a few ghost peppers, additional habaneros, and a carolina reaper! I could actually smell the aggressive heat coming off of that thing… scary.

Ok – now…

Buffalo got a Whole Foods market.

Perceived as the ultimate in Foodie supermarkets, heavily promoted on the Food Network,  there was definitely a buzz around Buffalo when we heard we were getting one. What felt like years – plural – of waiting has passed, and it’s finally open. We went and checked it out opening weekend, and of course – it was filled with rubbernecking people who had no idea where anything was, but wanted to look at everything. Good to see the excitement. I have been to the flagship store in Austin Texas, and I’m going to say right now that our store currently lacks the charm and unique use of space that I anticipated. I guess there’s just room on the walls for unique stimuli that hasn’t been used up. Maybe they’re working on it, but it just felt a little too ‘sterile’ to me.

For those that don’t know by now, our Whole Foods is located in the Northtown Plaza – near the Asian market (Hoowah) and failing strip mall, which I can only guess will start to flourish with this new attraction.

One of the things that seems to be a common conversation between WNY foodies is – “Why do we need a Whole Foods? We have Wegmans, Wegmans is awesome”. So that was my goal, to check this place out and see why it was better than Wegmans. And if you’re a Tops rep, and happen upon this blog, don’t worry – I use you guys more often than Wegmans, because I prefer the way your store is laid out – I can find everything quickly. Once I get past the produce, prepared meals and meat/cheese at Wegmans, I’m lost. It’s the Mrs. that prefers Wegmans.

So boom- walking into Whole Foods – they’ve got a whole – nose on – sword fish all laid out, and they’re grilling it up on the sidewalk. Pretty F-ing cool, but it was opening weekend – I doubt in a month they’ll be grilling up and handing out $100 worth of swordfish – but I could be wrong.

Walking into the store you’re greeted with this cute shit:

Some friends of mine took offense to this sign, saying ‘you’re welcoming us to our own city? wtf?’  I read the sign as ‘Welcome to Buffalo New York Whole Foods’ and not just ‘Welcome to Buffalo’ (you know who you are… and you need to relax.)

Walking in felt like a less colorful Wegmans…

I’m going to give this a chance, I promise:

The fish section was really dialed in, I thought I took a picture of it, but I guess not – big whole fish for some reason look more impressive than already broken down fish. According to Food Network, all fish seem to come whole, so now I can practice breaking one down if I want, I guess.

Meat section was impressive – with a dry-aged meat cooler and signs promoting how natural and great their meat is.

Then there was this coffee setup that was impressive. I’m not sure if that thing in the middle does anything, or if it’s just for show, or if they roast beans daily and put them in the barrels – I was just trying to stay the F- out of people’s way. When you’re a huge bastard like me, you find yourself in everyone’s way. It kind of sucks. I’m starting to get into that ‘I don’t care’ phase of my life though, so I’ve been putting on the act of being dumb and just standing in people’s way now when I’m trying to handle my own agenda – I’m trying to get better at it, but it’s hard not to feel in the way and problematic. I have this issue everytime I go into Trader Joe’s too.

Cheese is pretty tight looking too – but I know Wegman’s cheese game is dialed in too.

Then there was this fresh pasta section that I hope to utilize some day in the near future – pretty cool:

I really thought I took more pictures, but maybe I was trying to, but felt in the way, I don’t know. Going on opening weekend was probably not a good idea and certainly not a good way to get in there and see everything they had to offer. I couldn’t get near the Bakery area that had huge artisan bread lounging out, ready to go. I didn’t get to check out a lot of the aisles, as they too were out of control… We ended up just leaving empty handed because we just couldn’t find one place to stop and take a breath.

One thing that was cool was the fact that they had some local businesses represented: Bogavia, while more of a national brand, is actually based in Buffalo (Williamsville). I know that Alpine Made also had a spot at Whole Foods-  I love their beard oil, and their soaps smell awesome.

So I don’t know if I have a final opinion about whether Whole Foods is “Better” than Wegmans, but I will probably go back once all the dust clears and try to dig deeper into why it’s one of the best supermarkets in the nation. I look forward to buying a whole fish and some fresh pasta, as I think those were the only ‘wow’ factors I had in the store that day. I guess I’ll probably blog more about it in the future too, it’s what I do!