Whole Foods @ The District now open

NEW -> Contingent Buyer Assistance Program
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<p> </p>

<p>I went at lunch time and the place was c r o w d e d, it was a zoo!





Very hard to find parking space, I parked my car in other store's parking lot and walked through a busy parking lot, cars going in and out.</p>

<p>The design and the floor plan makes it a unique place here in Irvine.</p>

<p>The food section is wide: churrascaria, asian, smoked house (bbq), italian, bakery, ice cream, chocolate fountain, needless to say, my favorite area. </p>

<p>You can drink alcoholic beverages inside the store, but other than red/white wine, I didn't see beer or something else...but I'll find out. ;-p</p>

<p>They say that you can get a sample of anything that you want...I'll exercize this profusely.





They even have free Wi-Fi!...that's a very hard thing to resist: coffee + food + free Wi-Fi...hmm...I can use it as my telecommute base away from home...the only missing thing are books...what about this combination: new whole foods + barnes and noble + free Wi-Fi...that will be an overkill!...never mind.





They have seating booths, tables and coffee tables.</p>

<p>Working hours: 7a-10pm


7 days a week.


</p>
 
<p>I went for the first time today.</p>

<p>Oh my! </p>

<p>You have to see it for yourself.</p>

<p>It made me swoon!</p>

<p>You will not believe your eyes.</p>

<p>No, you really must see it.</p>

<p>Did I say you should see it?</p>

<p> </p>
 
I heard on NPR a while ago that the CEO of Whole Foods was trash talking Wild Oats online under an anonymous handle.





Very unethical if you ask me. It's hard for me to get over stuff like that.
 
Definitely Nice... although it's more like 1/2 MRE (meals, ready to eat) take-out / dine-in foods and 1/2 actual grocery. For such a huge place, the grocery aisles were very narrow, and were curved by the front of the store. You could barely get 2 carts through one aisle!! I actually didn't like the layout of the grocery section..

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The expanded meat and seafood sections are great! A lot more choices than before in all areas. They a have a micro-coffee roaster in there, but don't know how knowledgeable the roaster is at roasting and blending coffee. I guess I'll continue to order through Caffe d'arte and Intelligentsia until i have a chance to taste their beans.

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Overall it's an eye-opener, a completely different class from Trader joes, but I'll still do most shopping at TJ's, while buying fresh meats, seafood, and produce at WF.
 
<p>Funny observation:</p>

<p>I bought both peaches and plums from there yesterday.</p>

<p>I swear they taste completely different than any I've ever had before!</p>

<p>I would not have believed that possible.</p>

<p>Maybe it's just a higher level of farming produces a superior product.</p>
 
<p>Bubblegum,</p>

<p>You sound like a coffee expert!</p>

<p>Can I pick your brain?</p>

<p>We put a Miele (built-in) whole bean system into our home.</p>

<p>We absolutely LOVE it! Makes a perfect cappucino every time.</p>

<p>I, however, have no expertise in picking great beans.</p>

<p>My husband always just wants Columbian, so that's pretty much what I buy.</p>

<p>I don't love flavored coffees.</p>

<p>I would like to experiement more.</p>

<p>Any suggestions?</p>

<p> </p>
 
<p>From <em>AP</em>, 7/18/07</p>



<p>"Whole Foods Market said Tuesday that federal regulators and its own board were investigating online postings by the chief executive, who apologized for his actions. </p>

<p>The chairman and chief executive, John P. Mackey, using the name ''Rahodeb,'' boasted about Whole Foods and attacked its rival Wild Oats Markets on Internet sites. </p>

<p> </p>

<p>''I sincerely apologize to all Whole Foods Market stakeholders for my error in judgment in anonymously participating on online financial message boards,'' Mr. Mackey said Tuesday in a statement. ''I am very sorry and I ask our stakeholders to please forgive me.'' </p>

<p>Some of Mr. Mackey's postings from 1999 to 2006 claimed that Wild Oats was overvalued and poorly run. This year, Whole Foods announced it would buy its rival for about $565 million, but federal antitrust regulators won an injunction temporarily blocking the deal. </p>

<p>Whole Foods said it had been contacted late Monday by staff members of the Securities and Exchange Commission. The company said it planned to cooperate with the investigation. </p>

<p>The company also said its board formed a special committee to investigate Mr. Mackey's postings. "</p>



<p></p>
 
<p>More details...</p>

<p>Using the pseudonym Rahodeb — a variation of Deborah, his wife’s name — Mr. Mackey typed out more than 1,100 entries on Yahoo Finance’s bulletin board over a seven-year period.</p>

<p>Examples:</p>

<p> Rahodeb wrote: “OATS has lost their way and no longer has a sense of mission or even a well-thought-out theory of the business. They lack a viable business model that they can replicate. They are floundering around hoping to find a viable strategy that may stop their erosion. Problem is that they lack the time and the capital now.”</p>

<p>Participants on the forum tried to out Rahodeb. In one instance, he responded by saying that he was in fact George W. Bush.</p>

<p>His postings included: “Would Whole Foods buy OATS? Almost surely not at current prices…What would they gain? OATS locations are too small.” Rahodeb also said Wild Oats’ management “clearly doesn’t know what it is doing.” The company, he wrote, “has no value and no future.”</p>
 
I was traumatized the first time I went into a whole foods. I went in trying to buy some Doritos and an iced tea but got lost in the bags of organically raised, free-range, pesticide free, biodegradable, child-labor free veggie chips. All I remember was walking into store, going into the chips aisle and then being outside the next minute. . .
 
<p>The SEC should take him down, if the shareholders don't.</p>

<p>Not cool at all.</p>
 
<p>Yes, TJs still has its place, because they provide good value, I get a shock at the register when they tell me the total is $X and I'm like "all that stuff for such a low price!...where do I pay!? where do I pay!!?"


</p>
 
Thanks profette.





I'll be sticking with Trader Joe's, the farmer's market, and 99 Ranch.





A new health food store in the location where Vons is leaving over on Irvine Blvd. would be nice too (it's close to me).
 
<p>Janet,</p>

<p>For espresso, I prefer a slightly stronger blend to "cut" through the milk that is usually added to espresso drinks. I usually order from a few select small roasters <a href="http://www.caffedarte.com/page.aspx?navid=1494">Caffe D'arte</a> in Seattle and <a href="http://www.intelligentsiacoffee.com/store/coffee/blends">Intelligentsia Coffee</a> in Chicago. </p>

<p>I like Firenze beans for espresso and drip coffee from D'Arte as well as the Black Cat blend at Intelligentsia. For drip, the alderwood roasted blends at Caffe Darte and the House Blend at Intellegentsia are good.. Actually most of the blends are good, just matter of personal taste! </p>

<p>If you do buy from Whole foods beans, which have the "roasted on" date, keep in mind, most coffee's don't taste their best until at least two days after being roasted.</p>
 
<p>Thanks Bubblegum!</p>

<p>I will experiment with both of those sources.</p>

<p>Questions: </p>

<p>What kind of quantities do you generally order at a time?</p>

<p>Are your choices sent periodically, or do you have to remember to order?</p>

<p>Also, do you store them in the freezer?</p>
 
I order no more than 2lbs per order, unless I'm having a party then I order more and some decaf. I'd recommend just storing your beans in a nice ceramic or glass airtight container, somewhere in your kitchen counter or cupboard, and never the freezer / refrigerator. I usually grind right before I make coffee or espresso, the whole beans will stay fresher than coffee that's already been ground.





I'm on the Home Re-order program at D'arte which sends me beans to fufill my addiction every month. I order from Intellgentsia when I start to run low from the D'arte.
 
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