(multiple area locations; wholefoodsmarket.com). “So many choices, so little time” might be the mantra here. All stores have traiteur cases of main dishes, salads, gourmet sandwiches, and sides as well as salad bars that go way beyond garbanzos and greens. Some branches have made-to-order pizzas ($14.99 a pie, $3.29 a slice) and sushi offerings from DC’s Sushi-Ko. And there are rotisserie chickens, soups, quiches, casseroles, and seafood packaged in-house—surprisingly, the seared salmon cakes here are better than the uncooked ones from the fish counter.

New at some outposts are “bistro” meals: a main course and two sides to go ($8.99 to $10.99). We like the coffee-braised short ribs, spinach-and-roasted-pepper-stuffed salmon, Brussels sprouts, and crusty mac ’n’ cheese.

Smart picks from the traiteur case include tangy balsamic-marinated chicken breasts, green rice with bits of cilantro and jalapeño, and black-bean quesadillas. Salad-bar favorites range from nutty quinoa salad to chicken Caesar salad with bow-tie pasta ($8.99 a pound). Always reliable are soups and stews such as triple squash and turkey chili ($4.99 to $7.99 a container). Add a loaf of ciabatta from the bakery, olives from the olive bar, and cheese from the well-edited cheese section, and you have a fine dinner.

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