Eatzi's Is Coming To Chicago

I was walking through the Century City Mall yesterday at Diversey and Clark. I noticed signs announcing the arrival of the Atlanta based chain gourmet market Eatzi's.

In my opinion, this iwll be a great addition to a neighborhhod that is missing good options for a quick takeout dinner that can be eaten at home.

Eatzi's combines a gourmet market with a strong emphasis on takeout options of very well prepared high quality meals. They have an outstanding selection of great breads, entrees and desserts.

Here's a link to their daily bread options:

http://www.eatzis.com/breads/breadlist.htm


I spent a month living in one of those god forsaken studio suite places in Houston a couple of years ago where the local dining options were really limited. I was working a lot of long hours, so dining out wasn't always preferable. Eatzi's gave me some great dinner options that I could eat in my studio suite. I imagine I'll be taking advantage of Eatzi's the same way in my home.

I know that some will lash out at Eatzi's because it is a chain. But, I, for one, am happy to have it available.

www.eatzis.com

This is really good news! Like Will, I spent a long time on a project in Dallas where Eatzi's weas my go to place when I didn't feel like a full blown restaurnat dinner. Theiur prepared foods are great and encompass a much wider variety of dishes that the typical supermarket deli.

This is good news, and something I greet with as much curiosity as enthusiasm. I liked eatZi's a lot, when I lived in Dallas, but the things that it offered--fancy prepared foods, artisanal breads, etc.--were so much harder-to-find five years ago in Dallas than here and now in Chicago. It will be interesting to see how it holds up, but my hopes are high.

As far as I know, Eatzi's failed miserably when they tried to come to New York about five years ago. They were overlooked in a city whose takeout options are, well, vast. In Houston, Dallas, and Rockville (more suburban places where takeout options are pretty much limited to the big chains and the upscale local minichains) Eatzi's flourishes. Chicago's situation, where, especially on the North Side, takeout options are plentiful and don't often involve getting in a car, is more like New York's. Eatzi's would probably stand a fair chance in a North Shore suburb like Evanston, Northbrook, or Highland Park, or in a boomburb like Naperville. Yeah, Naperville. However, Chicago is probably pretty likely not to notice them.

Anomaly: About five years ago, Memphis had its own equivalent of Eatzi's, called Cheffie's, in a well-off part of East Memphis similar to Dallas' Oak Lawn or Houston's River Oaks. Cheffie's lasted about a year before tanking, despite the lack of takeout options beyond barbecue, pizza, barbecue pizza, or mediocre Chinese in the area.

Now if anyone knows Pete & Sam's Italian Restaurant, on Park at Getwell in Memphis, THAT's something I wouldn't mind seeing here in Chicago--it would make out gangbusters on the Southwest Side or in the near southwest suburbs. Funeral-parlor decor, waitstaff older than dirt, killer steak sandwiches, well-done thin-crust pizza (including that Memphis favorite, barbecue pizza), and toasted ravioli to rival St. Louis... can't you just see it somewhere around 95th and Pulaski (although I think it's called Crawford over there)?

The only thing that I can think of Chicago, especially in Lincoln Park and Lakeview that compares to Eatzi's would be Trotters to Go. Even then, Eatzi's is like TTG cubed because it has such a great selection. To be fair the quality of selections at TTG is probably a bit higher.

I can certainly see why Eatzi's didn't make it in New York given the fact that there is a Jefferson Market style place on nearly every other block.

There was a place that opened on Lincoln near Diverseyearlier this year called Urban Fridge. A good idea except that the food they sold was absolutely dreadful. Everything tasted the same...bad.

In a neighborhood full of bad takeout, Eatzi's may strike onto something with the locals.

It's yuppified. No doubt. But, so is the neighborhood.

I'll still eat my fair share of dinners at Oaxequena and other such place on the way home. But, I'll probably make my fair share of stops at eatzi's too.

For those who haven't been to Texas and Eatzi's, I think of it as Fox & Obel Lite in Chicago terms.

Eatzi's is the brainchild of Phil Romano, who also created Fuddrucker's and Macaroni Grill. They began in Dallas, then spread to Houston, NYC (in Macy's flagship store), etc...

The flagship store in Dallas, at the corner of Oak Lawn and Lemmon Avenues, has a really outstanding cheese/deli area and bakery.

I believe that it is now a joint venture between Romano and the Brinker folks (Chili's, etc...)

great news! I loved the one in Atlanta when I lived there. Fantastic sandwiches and salads.

Anyone been here yet?

I think it finally opened this week.

Can't really get excited about this one. Maybe I spent too much time in Dallas last year for work; maybe the constant burrowing through the subterranean tunnels that link the downtown office buildings left me in a foul mood, but I didn't like this place. Overpriced blah food of a quality along the lines of Corner Bakery after--surprise--Brinker got ahold of it.

FWIW, Eatzi's also failed in it's NY suburban location on Long Island, an area somewhat similar to the North Shore.

I believe they actually open to the public today.

I was consistently underwhelmed when it was in NYC.

How much would an average dinner set you back?

Just stopped by Eatzi's ... they're opening up middle of next week.

I would have been consistently underwhelmed by it in NYC too given that town's abundance of great takeout and places to buy prepared meals. Eatzi's is good for me because at the end of a 12 hour day, what they serve is infinitely better and better for me than the two Whoppers I'd wolf down for dinner in the car on the way home.

The Lakeview/LP Neighborhood is severly lacking in a quality, reasonably priced take out joint. I thank god for the quick closure brought to the diabolical culinary experiment known as Urban Fridge. If you think Eatzi's doesn't overwhelm, UF was simply offensive.

I really like and prefer Trotters to Go. But, it's awfully expensive for daily consumption, and , frankly, I get bored with the selection there.

According to Metromix, it has finally opened. I might check it out tonight (and also see if I can get an appointment with someone about getting my SoyBlendz smoothies into that chain).

Fujisan wrote:According to Metromix, it has finally opened. I might check it out tonight (and also see if I can get an appointment with someone about getting my SoyBlendz smoothies into that chain).

If it has, it must have been in the last two days. I was in the neighborhood on Tuesday and walked by to check it out. It was not yet open.

When I went last Friday, an employee said 'middle of next week' which could be Wednesday or Thursday.

I stopped in today to get a sandwich. It opened up yesterday.

I've heard at other Eatzi's that at 9 PM, some of their prepackaged foods become buy one get one free. Does anyone know if that is true for this location?

Han wrote:I stopped in today to get a sandwich.

How was it?

I got some kind of chicken salad w/slaw sandwich for $5.99. It was pretty good. I also sampled a smoothie, some chocolates, and some cheese.
The lady who made my sandwich was very friendly and enthusiastic.

I went to the opening of eatZi's about a week ago, and it was quite the event. Everything that was on the shelves was available to guests for FREE. So if you wanted the macaroni and cheese or the shrimp to take home to your Uncle Joe, you could just take it. They also had bands and men on stilts.

While I don't anticipate going that often as we rarely do takeout, I think it could be a good thing for the neighborhood. I wasn't impressed with the breads, but they did have a mean red velvet cake. Other food offerings seemed good, not excellent, but good.

MAG wrote:So if you wanted the macaroni and cheese or the shrimp to take home to your Uncle Joe, you could just take it.

MAG,

But my Uncle Joe is allergic to shrimp, I guess mac and cheese would have been ok.

Enjoy,
Gary

I went to Eatzi's last night to explore and pick up dinner.

I wound up picking up some pre-prepared hot foods. I got a combo of meatloaf with 2 sides (I went for the spinach with 3 types of cheese and the steamed broccoli). The combo was an insanely large amount of food that only cost me $7.99.

The container they used managed to keep my food hot on my 10 minute walk home. The meatloaf was pretty good, although the tomato sauce/crust tasted a bit too much like ketchup for my tatses. The spinach was ok, but the broccoli was outstanding. Steamed perfectly, still very firm, and with just enough slice to punch it up. All in all, a pretty good dinner.

They also carry some pre-preared stuff that you can heat up when you get home. There's also a pretty good selection of cheese, packaged meats, pate (picked up some duck liver, mmmm....duck liver), and deli-counter type salads and prepared foods. One item that I thought was a nice touch was pre-marinated fish and steaks that you can bring home to cook.

I have confirmed that, after 9 pm, all of the prepackaged dinners are buy one get one free.

I bought a little curried pasta and chicken salad from there last night. Nothing earth shattering. But, a simple, tatsy convenint dinner for a little over $5.

I went to Eatzi's to grab some quick takeout tonight. Let me say that these folks need to get their customer service act together if they're going to succeed here in Chicago.

The way that they serve customers is purely chaos. There are no numbers, no order to the lines. No sign that says "Order Here". Customers attack the statuion from all different directions and the cook servers there seem to have no idea how to deal with it.

Tonight, I stood in the chef's station line for about 25 minutes trying to figure out the method to Eatzi's madness, only to have the cook/servers there pass me by in the line for those who were behind me in it, even after hearing my objections several times. I finally just walked out.

It will probably be a while before I go back if I do at all. They really weren't busy enough to justify the confusion going on among their cook/servers.

Trotters to Go is a proven takeout entity for me. I'll stick with it exclusively in the immediate future.

Will,

I guessing Cafe Marianao's Secret to Quick Service would apply at Eatzi's.

Enjoy,
Gary

I'm still going to give Eatzi's a shot, but don't live nearby. Knowing what a nightmare it can be to park on the street in the neighborhood, did anyone notice whether they are validating to park in the Century Mall?

chgoeditor wrote:I'm still going to give Eatzi's a shot, but don't live nearby. Knowing what a nightmare it can be to park on the street in the neighborhood, did anyone notice whether they are validating to park in the Century Mall?

Yes, it's $1 for 30 minutes. I think I was there for like 40-45 minutes, and with validation it cost me $3. I guess that's still cheaper than the CTA for two people.