Recently, Staff Writer Cash Durbin and I headed to the newly opened Whole Foods on 119th Street to try different items from the 365 brand, which is exclusive to Whole Foods stores. We tasted 6 items and rated them out of five quinoa.
Chips and Salsa: The chips and salsa were an instant favorite for both of us. We refrigerated the salsa prior to the tasting, and it was much better than it would have been. We got the mild salsa because Cash is not a fan of spice. It was smoky, but there was still an obvious tomato taste, which was refreshing. The chips were more basic, but overall, they were a very solid chip. The salsa was the best part of the combo, and we agreed that we would both go back to Whole Foods just to purchase more Salsa.
Overall Rating: Paul: 3.5/5 Quinoa
Cash: 4/5 Quinoa
Lemon Wafer Bites: The Lemon Bites were very surprising. I am not generally a lemon person, but I found that these wafer bites were very tasty, and the citrus taste was not overwhelming. They would make a great summer snack, and they refreshed me after a long afternoon of watching Cash lose to my brother at basketball. The wafer was crunchy and thankfully not stale. Cash also liked them, although he did not find them as refreshing as I did. However, overall he thought they were very good, and gave them a higher rating than I did.
Overall Rating: Paul: 4/5 Quinoa
Cash: 4.5/5 Quinoa
Berry Sports Drink: The 365 Sports Drink was very divisive. I thought it was fine, an acceptable, more healthy alternative to Gatorade. It was refreshing enough, and the berry flavor was pleasant enough. However, Cash thought the drink was awful and talked about it for a solid five minutes. Thinking that he was just being dramatic, I grabbed my brother and asked him to try it, but Tommy expressed the same sentiment, that it was very bad. However, they both thought that the health benefits were nice. Cash liked the berry pink color, and for only $1.99 we were not expecting something life-changing.
Overall Rating: Paul: 3/5 Quinoa
Cash: 1.5/5 Quinoa
Tommy: 1/5 Quinoa
Pasta: I was not sure that we would be able to pull off cooking something, but the 365 Basil Pesto Plin was easy to cook and came out hot and fresh, and was enjoyable. After bringing the water to a boil, it only took four minutes to cook the entire package of pasta. We ended up eating the whole package, which contained over 30 grams of protein. The pasta was only $5.99 and contained enough for me and cash to have a bowl and a few left over for my brother. The actual dish ended up tasting a lot better than I anticipated with the pesto and pasta blending very well and creating something full of taste, even without any sauce. The basil flavor was strong but not overpowering and mixed with some type of cheese or garlic sauce, this would be a filling meal.
Overall Rating: Paul: 3.5/5 Quinoa
Cash: 3/5 Quinoa
Cookies and Cream: As someone with a great appreciation of Ice Cream, I was skeptical, to say the least, when I saw that Whole Foods was selling organic ice cream. At first glance, we agreed it looked more like “Cream with a few Cookies.” After tasting it, Cash felt that overall, it was mediocre as an ice cream but still enjoyable and that the cookies used in it reminded him of Oreos. I agreed with the sentiment that it was just alright, and I wish there would have been many more cookies. Neither of us would go out of our way to purchase this again, but we would not decline it if offered.
Overall Rating: Paul: 2.5/5 Quinoa
Cash: 3/5 Quinoa
Overall, Cash and I enjoyed this experience, and it allowed us to explore more of what Whole Foods has to offer. The store itself is beautiful, as far as grocery stores go, and I will definitely be heading back soon to pick up some of my new favorites.
