After mingling with my fellow bloggers a bit, I poured myself a beverage - The brand was "12". The flavor: Pomegranate Black Currant. Smooth, slightly sweet. Interestingly reminiscent of red wine (or perhaps that's what my brain wanted it to be after a long week!). The other flavor choice at the table was Citrus Ginger, which I tried later on and was quite refreshing. Pumpkin bread was also served and I devoured it without hesitation. I have been impartial to pumpkin raisin bread that I get from another local grocery store but this one definitely gave it a run for its money.
The appetizers came out one by one: The Brie en Croute was quite delicious. Warm brie wrapped in puffed pastry with apple spice. YUM. This appetizer is available in two other flavors: Fig with Apricot Glaze and Chery with Rosemary. The second appetizer we tried was the Crab Cakes. These were very good! Lots of fresh crab meat with classic herbs and spices. If you order the crab cakes, note that they will come raw but oven-ready. Lastly we tried the Tornado Shrimp with Sweet Chili Sauce. I'm not a shrimp fan so I took just one bite. If you are a fan, you will likely enjoy the combination of the crunchy coating and sweet sauce. I could have finished the meal right then and there and gone home happy and full!
Before the main course, Chef Adam demonstrated How to Carve a Turkey. He also explained how to brine a turkey. One thing I noted was NOT to use an electric knife because the fast speed releases too much moisture. Who knew?!? I'm not hosting Thanksgiving this year, but I definitely tucked these tips away for when I do because the turkey that I had was absolutely amazing. In addition to the traditional turkey, we tried a Vegan, Gardein Stuffed Turk'y. This meat-free option was roasted and stuffed with vegetables including kale, wild and brown rice and dried cranberries. This was suprisingly very good! If they didn't tell me it wasn't turkey, I would have never guessed.
I don't know about you, but every Thanksgiving I look forward to the side dishes just as much if not more than I do the turkey. We were able to try traditional Green beans with almonds, mashed potatoes, mashed sweet potatoes and stuffing. All were as good as homemade - if you ordered one of these no one would ever guess you didn't make it yourself! The gravy was particularly good - so good that I'm planning on ordering some to bring to my family's Thanksgiving dinner this year (we have such a large extended family that everyone brings a dish or two - it makes it less stressful on all that way). Gravy is one of those things that can make or break a Thanksgiving meal, especially for those of us that like to cover everything with it! (Ever have GRAY Gravy? I have. And it nearly ruined our Thanksgiving meal. That's a story for another time!). Another yummy side that we were treated to was the Cranberry Orange Relish. This was very good! I'm spoiled because each year my Aunt Mirabai brings a few of her homemade cranberry sauces (she makes a couple of flavors) to dinner. She's actually not going to be able to make it to Thanksgiving this year, so I'm seriously considering picking up a batch of this, too!
Last but certainly not least, dessert! Wow. We were able to taste Apple Crumb Pie, Apple Pie and Pumpkin Pie. All three were very good! The crusts were flaky just like my Grandma's recipe. Having a hard time deciding which pie to serve? Don't fret! Whole Foods Market has a special Thanksgiving Pie Deal available now through Thanksgiving Day on their pies that are baked in-house: $19.99 for three (3) 9-inch pies (Apple, Blueberry, Cherry).
This was just a sampling of the many, many Thanksgiving menu options that Whole Foods Market has available. See here to view the full menu and to order online. You can also pick up a copy along with their Holiday Guide in the store.
Whole Foods Market Danbury provided the Editor/Publisher of Macaroni Kid with a complimentary Thanksgiving Dinner for which this review has been written. Macaroni Kid was not compensated in any other way to provide this review. The opinions expressed within are solely those of the Macaroni Kid Editor/Publisher.
