Wholesome Wholy Grain - Boston

You’ve had a long day. You’ve spent this long day eating what can only be politely described as fried crap. You just don’t have it in you to make anything, your fridge is empty, but you crave a healthy-tasting crispy-fresh meal to balance out your daily intake of crap. Las Ventas and Blunch are closed, South End Buttery isn’t growing on you, and you’ve had your fill of Flour. If this is you, Wholy Grain just might be your wholy grail.

If you’re craving seafood that doesn’t taste like catfood, the Wasabi Tuna sandwich is a fabulous choice. I don’t want to know how much mayo was in the tuna due to the slightly amorphously liquid texture, but the kick of wasabi is great. Props for mastering the culinary “kick”; the wasabi is just enough to taste the sharp flavor, not enough to burn, and not quite enough to cure choanal atresia. For those who are not medical nerds and/or do not live in hospitals, the wasabi doesn’t feel like a sinus enema. For those who worship the wasabi god, please don’t smite me for my most un-wholy jab…

The turkey was a bit rubbery, but wholy moly, they didn’t skimp on the brie. The turkey, cranberry and brie sandwich contained an excellent combination, but it was the cranberry sauce that completed the triumvirate and provided the fancy-French-relatives-visiting-for-Thanksgiving theme. I do wonder if fresh cranberries would be even better than the sauce, but that’s purely a matter of opinion that you should feel free to disregard.   

Forgive me Wholy Father, I have sinned…(last “wholy” joke, I swear). I intended to write that the sandwich ingredients were just too simple to warrant the $8 they charged, but upon logical reasoning (and a few more bites), I realized that the money went toward the intangible quality of freshness – it’s rare that tuna doesn’t taste like cat food, and brie just isn’t cheap. So hopefully my favorable review will atone for my though-crime, despite my one true gripe…

Both the ciabatta and baguette were disappointing bread choices. I wish they had asked if I wanted them toasted since both were a bit too hard and chewy. The incompressibility of the ciabatta made it impossible to actually fit my mouth around the sandwich, and baguettes should have a crispy crust and be chewy inside instead of being uniformly sinewy, just ask Las Ventas how they make theirs. I didn’t even finish my last half-sandwich because I got tired of chewing. However, the bread IS fresh, and I will simply opt for the less crusty next time.

The question is, will there be a next time? Do I plan to write an update on Wholy Grain? I’ll answer my own question with a question: Would I really pass up the chance to formulate a final verdict on the bread? Would I really deny you details on the decadent desserts? (If you really don’t know the answer to these questions, have we met?!?)