Need a place to relax, test as many wines as you like and have a quiet dinner? At supermarket prices? Check out this place at the Whole Foods in Fair Lakes, Fairfax, Va.
Did you know they have a comfy little spot situated above the main supermarket where there is wine on tap? My daughter discovered this little hideout tucked away way at the back of the store. It’s a neat loft overlooking the supermarket.
You get your dinner, work your way up the stairs, select and drink wine and enjoy dinner and come back downstairs to get your groceries (or not). On a Wednesday evening the market was not crowded and upstairs in the wine room only two tables were taken.
This is a fabulous meeting place without the fuss and muss of servers, crowds and noise. How welcoming is this?
I had just picked up Sue Lee, our friend from San Francisco, at Dulles airport. I wanted–needed–an easy meal and just to relax.
Ted and I have had house guests like we run a B&B. Three people whom Ted and I had never met. And they didn’t know each other either. Like B&B, right? Two film makers, Ken Eng, and Paul Jew, and Emmi Dunn, they came to show and discuss their films at the Chinese American Short Film Seminar organized by Ted’s 1882 Foundation. Between driving our guests to and from the airport and attending the events and my deciding at the last minute to cook dinner for 11 people on Sunday, I was a little tapped out.
So the day after they all left and Sue arrived for another event, all I really wanted was simple food, not too costly, and to just chill. Even B&B hosts and airport drivers need a break.
We’re going to Whole Foods, I told Sue, knowing she’d be game. I love their lamb curry in their food bar. You can have salad, sushi, seafood, or fresh made pizza, I said. We can even sample their breads and herb butter before eating.
And they have this place that no one seems to know that has wine on tap. Now who can refuse?
She walked into Whole Foods and her eyes widen. Sue is director of the Chinese Historical Society of America and works in Chinatown, San Francisco. Compared to the crowd and craziness there, this place must have seemed like a resort. The spaciousness of the place and food offered are impressive. I’d eat here every day, she said.
From a team member on duty Sue put money on to a card, which she inserted into the slot above her wine of choice. You can select from a wide variety of wine, sold by the glass. If you like you can also buy by the bottle. There was a section marked “staff selection.” Two ounces for $1.50, four for $3. After dinner she tried another two ounces. She looked quite content.
Dinner was healthful–we each had grilled salmon and two generous sides. We took our time with the wine, went back downstairs and walked off dinner perusing the shelves. My kind of relaxing.
