Also see a Washington Post review of Fresh Fields' Rockville location.

Fresh Fields Comes Downtown
By Walter Nicholls
Washington Post Staff Writer
Wednesday, January 10, 2001

The wait has ended for the District's Dupont Circle and Shaw residents. The new Fresh Fields Whole Foods Market, its interior sporting extra-wide aisles and an extensive wine and beer department, with ample parking above and below ground for 150 cars, opened Dec. 14 with Hollywoodlike hoopla. Beyond the klieg lights, 10 Elvis impersonators welcomed shoppers to the displays of fresh vegetables and fish and specialty meats that the Fresh Fields chain is known for.

On a recent visit we paid special attention to the prepared food section, which features a copious salad bar, sushi by Sushi-Ko, a pasta station, deli counter, Jamba Juice bar and ready-to-serve foods with flavors from around the globe. Overall, the prepared foods we liked best were the dishes that were the least fussed with.

Let's start with a standout. Eggplant Parmesan ($8.99 per pound) -- two stacked, perfectly cooked slices of tender eggplant, with just enough cheese and tangy tomato sauce -- was pretty enough for a dinner party.

No one had to pressure us to eat our greens. Spinach with Garlic Cream ($5.99 per pound) consisted of fresh, young, blanched spinach leaves lightly combined with just enough cream. We enjoyed Garlicky Greens ($4.99 per pound), a medley of escarole, chard and spinach, because it was neither oily nor too salty, just right.

Strict vegetarians will feel at home with Vegan Chicken Salad ($6.99 per pound), a surprisingly tasty combo of diced tofu, scallions, celery and almonds moistened with a vegan "mayo." Nice job. Soy lovers will appreciate Javanese Tofu ($5.99 per pound), large cubes of tofu and slivers of bell pepper, carrot, scallion and pea pod in a lemony, light peanut sauce.

Look no further for a hearty veggie dish. Roasted Harvest Vegetables ($6.99 per pound) filled the bill with a lovely combination of sliced potatoes, carrots, butternut squash, parsnips and pumpkin flavored with orange zest and a little thyme. Country Mashed Potatoes ($3.99 per pound) looked dry and pasty in the display case. But once heated, these creamy spuds came to life with the flavor of plenty of butter and cream.

Some dishes still need work, or in some cases, a rethinking. Take, for example, Apple-Layered Salmon ($14.99). We thought it unnecessary to fan thin slices of Granny Smith apple atop a moist fillet of fish, faintly flavored with chive and mint. Then, a lovely roll of medium rare beef – London Roulade ($11.99 per pound) -- was unfortunately stuffed with heavily herbed bread crumbs.

Someone needs to keep an eye on the spice cabinet. Two Mexican-inspired dishes -- Casamientos ($4.99 per pound), a nice rice and bean number, and a crisp and appealing Adobo Black Bean Quesadilla ($2.49 each) -- were ruined by entirely too much chili powder. Too much sage spoiled the flavor of the stuffing in the Cranberry Pecan Pork Loin ($11.99 per pound). In addition, the meat was overcooked.

There were additional dishes, in the starch category, that were less appealing. We love the versatile orzo pasta shape, but Spinach Orzo ($5.49 per pound) was overcooked and exceedingly oily. Pasta Pomodoro ($5.99 per pound) was dry, lifeless, almost mealy, with burned tube-shaped ziti keeping company with enormous chunks of onion. An also-ran called Fragrant Wild Rice Pilaf ($6.99 per pound) needed help in the worst way. Both the wild and basmati rices, which were undercooked, were tossed with a dried yellow thing (an apricot, perhaps?), a few raisins and entirely too much parsley. Stuffed Portobello ($8.99 per pound) was a so-so mix of cracker crumbs combined with diced celery and herbs atop a soggy, musty mushroom.

A gleaming pastry case filled with attractive tarts and cakes is difficult to pass by. Best of all, this bakery makes small, grab-and-go desserts that are perfect for singles or a couple. But how did they taste? We tried six. None were memorable. Regardless, the new year is a noted time to begin that diet. Here's a good place to resist temptation.