Learning a thing or two at Whole Foods

I went to Whole Foods in Paramus to shop the meat sale today and discovered it stocks 100% grass-fed beef from New Jersey and it is a great alternative to South Paterson for a quick Middle Eastern lunch.

After I picked up drug- and hormone-free sirloin steak ($7.99 a pound) and bone-in pork chops ($4.99 a pound), I looked over the other items in the butcher's case, likely the widest selection in North Jersey of meat from animals raised on vegetarian feed and without antibiotics and growth hormones. I was surprised to see 100% grass-fed sirloin from Skillman, N.J., for only a couple of dollars more than the sale steak.

The store was fairly empty so I also was able to look more closely at the lunch fare offered by the food stands, including Shish! My mouth started to water. The falafel platter, with bread and two side dishes, was only $7.99. The man behind the counter offered me a freshly fried falafel with tahini. It was terrific. The stand has shawarma, salads and dips (today, I saw vegan hummus).

Now that I've sworn off the all-you-can-eat lunch at Angelina's in Hackensack -- even if I have a two-for-one coupon -- a lunch of falafel or turkey shawarma is very appealing.