By Timothy Guy
Sushi is one of the many grab-and-go lunch options Vons offers.
By Timothy Guy
This isn’t your father’s supermarket.
In fact, this is an entirely new kind of shopping experience for Riverside. The new Vons located in the “new” Riverside Plaza area off Central Avenue opened earlier this month to residents looking for a change of pace. Being touted as a “lifestyle concept” this Vons is unique to the city as it brings the conventional idea of a supermarket together with a gourmet food shop. The final product is akin to Albertsons mixed with Trader Joes with a few extras thrown in.
The differences between this store and other typical supermarkets are evident as you walk through the doors. Right away one will notice that the lights are not glaring down on you. It seems as if the lights are focused on the right areas, like cash registers and the beginnings of aisles, to make these things stand out more.
Another thing that stands out is the inclusion of everyone’s favorite coffee chain, Starbucks. Now, it’s not a full sized Starbucks like you would find on every other block, but more like the one that resides in the Galleria at Tyler, small but still functional.
The one thing that the community of Riverside Community College will appreciate is the inclusion of interesting food that, in most cases, is ready for you to swing by and pick up between classes or on a break. It’s not just typical “fast food;” remember this isn’t a typical store.
Right near one of the entrances is the deli area.
At first glance it might remind shoppers of a Subway restaurant. This is where Vons makes Its “Signature Sandwiches” fresh. A few choices from the many available are a breakfast panini sandwich (with eggs, bacon and cheese) turkey and hauarti cheese panini, veggie focaccia and the California Dreamin’ (turkey, avocado, bacon, ranch dressing, lettuce, tomato on rustic Italian bread).
Vons also has a handful of interesting pre-made salads (to go along with the regular salad choices like Cesar and chef). These range from seafood salad, Asian chicken salad and Mexican bean salad.
For those chilly days Signature Soups are also offered (although you could eat them on hot days I suppose) that are offered both hot and cold. The fresh hot soups are offered on a day of the week system. Mondays are fajita chicken or Friday’s pacific clam chowder. They offer bowls in small, medium and large sizes depending on the customer’s level of hunger.
Each soup is also offered in a refrigerated container to take home and eat later.
In a small section of the deli, fresh sushi is also offered. Different packs are offered with choices like eel rolls, spicy tuna rolls and orange rolls.
For students and staff at RCC who are in a rush or just want a good selection of food, Vons is perfect. The prices are not cheap, (helps to have their club card) but it could be a nice way to treat yourself or others to lunch every now and then.
SPICE UP YOUR LUNCH
THIS IS NO BURGER
