By Leslie Albrecht
DNAinfo Reporter/Producer
UPPER WEST SIDE — You forgot the bagels, Whole Foods.
That's the message Upper West Siders sent to the gourmet grocer Thursday when DNAinfo interviewed them about Whole Foods' attempts to honor their neighborhood with local culinary delights.
Whole Foods' Upper West Side location on Columbus Avenue and West 97th Street celebrated its first anniversary Friday with a community party featuring "the flavors of the Upper West Side."
On the menu: African peanut soup, Dominican rice and beans, kosher cheese and wine pairings and Sugar Hill beer.
Locals gave the selection mixed reviews.
Some said they thought the foods represented the neighborhood's diversity well.
But when asked which food they thought best represented the Upper West Side, the stand out answer was bagels, cream cheese and lox.
Whole Foods didn't include the bready treat on its list of local favorites.
"Bagels is the one food that defines the Upper West Side," said Jill Ocean.
"Everybody has to have a bagel every day to wake up to, to have coffee with. It gives you lots of energy to run in the park. It's fabulous."
