I finally went to Eatzi's on Monday at lunchtime and returned again at midday on Tuesday. My impressions:

1. Their cheese selection leaves a lot to be desired, and if they don't bump up the offerings, they'll have a lot of unsold cheese. Everything's packaged and labelled nicely, but there wasn't anything new or unusual, and the selection was quite small compared to the better cheese counters/cheese shops. Binneys is only a few blocks away and blows Eatzi's out of the water. I'm a huge cheese fan and haven't even been to Pastoral on Broadway yet (no excuse for that except I've been busy the last year), but I'm assuming they do cheeses better, too. I also noticed that a lot of their artisanal cheeses were only available in full wheels/blocks/etc. I didn't inquire to find out whether they'd be willing to cut them into smaller portions, like most cheese counters will, but if you're a single cheese lover like me, you don't want to buy a 2 wheels, you want 4 1/2 wheels so you can get a better assortment of cheese that won't go bad before you have a chance to eat it all.

2. Their bread selection, on the other hand, may be among the best in the city. They had 15 to 20 breads available--all baked fresh--on the two days that I was in the store. Many seem to be available both in full loaves (which seem to cost between $3 and $5) and in single servings. They had samples of a few breads (ciabatta, cornbread, a chocolate ???) and all were fantastic. I ended up buying loaves of ciabatta on two consecutive days. (I hadn't planned it...I was at Whole Foods the second day needed another loaf of bread. Eatzi's was out of the way, but I just couldn't bring myself to buy a loaf of Whole Food's ciabatta after savoring Eatzi's ciabatta. So I made another trip.)

3. Their prepared foods look decent, and they seem to have samples of one or two items available at all times (plus will provide samples of anything you'd like to try). The items I tried were all packed with flavor--no bland, chain grocery store stuff here. Prices seem to be on par with Whole Foods, but the selection is smaller.

4. They weren't sampling desserts on the days I was in the store. They looked good, but I wasn't willing to gamble without a sample. Most of the desserts seem to be appropriate for 4-8 servings. If they had more of a selection of items with 1-4 servings, I would have considered buying something. (In their refrigerated case, they had cake slices, etc., but I wanted a dessert that I could serve at a meal for two. While I would fully admit that I didn't cook it, I wanted something with a more attractive presentation...not a slice of cake.)

5. I did buy some ambrosia cookies that are very tasty. One thing that made me laugh...the cookies are all in plastic bakery clamshell containers with labels that say, "XXX cookies, 10 pieces." The first package I picked up looked a little empty, so I counted, and it only had 9 cookies in it. Not sure if someone helped themself to a cookie, or if someone in the bakery department just can't count.

6. Because it wasn't crowded when I went, I didn't have much of a problem with customer service or lines. At one point I was helping myself to a sample of hummus (which was on top of the counter at the prepared foods section) and an employee asked me to move as I was mid-hummus scoop so she could continue Windexing the display window. (I was standing in front of the hummus for 15 seconds or less and she was no where near me when I approached the hummus.) It was a little odd, in my opinion. I could see how the prepared food section could become chaotic when it's busy...I waited a couple minutes to get helped during a non-busy time. The check-out lines are also a bit awkward. They're staggered, so it's not clear if everyone stands in one line, then moves to an available register as it becomes available, or if you form multiple lines. (Further complicating the process, there's a drink cooler past the registers, so some people approach the registers from the direction opposite where lines might naturally form.) They may need ropes or a sign to make things more obvious when it's more crowded.

By all means, do try Pastoral. It is pricey. But, they carry quality and their staff is very knowledgeable.

YourPalWill wrote:The way that they serve customers is purely chaos. There are no numbers, no order to the lines. No sign that says "Order Here".

I was there the other day and it's still chaos, even though they weren't very busy. It's very confusing trying to figure out what's sold where, what all the offerings are, etc. They offer a lot of things but it's tough to figure out what all they have.

We tried some items from the hot food line and they struck me as supermarket quality, but with more selection. The "Peking chicken" and roast pork loin with mustard sauce were fine, but nothing special. The sides were no better than you could find at Boston Market. I did like the dinner roll that came with it, and the breads I saw (but didn't sample) generally looked good, as did the desserts and baked goods.

The room they have for eating in is depressing, probably because the ceiling is so low and the colors are rather hospital-like. If I lived nearby, I'd probably carry out, and I might stop in when I'm in the neighborhood, but it's certainly not a destination.

When I first heard about eatzi's, I thought it would be something like foodlife, or the Marche Movenpick restaurants in Toronto (recently renamed Richtree Market, I believe). This more like a big deli/gourmet shop than anything else. They make a big deal about "chef-crafted" meals, but I notice that the Thanksgiving menu they're offering is identical at all their stores across the country.

eatzi's
773/525-1245
www.eatzis.com
Century Shopping Center
2828 N. Clark St.
Chicago

foodlife
312/335-3663
www.lettuceentertainyou.com
Water Tower Place
835 N. Michigan Ave.
Chicago, IL 60611

Richtree Market Restaurants
http://www.richtree.ca
Canada

YourPalWill wrote: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.

Even though I was there at an off-peak time, and had no real problem getting served, I agree this is an issue they need to solve. That is, even though there was no long wait for me, I was vaguely discomfited as I stood there by the lack of a system. There were other people, and I wondered if I would be taken "in order," and how the staff could possibly do that. I prepared to "assert myself" if necessary. These vague insecure feelings impinged on the enjoyment of the experience.

As I think about it, the takeout counter at Whole Foods (Ashland) also has no obvious "system," but there's never the same problem of insecurity there. I think the reasons for this are: they have enough staff behind the counter, and the counter is a straight line, not "in the round" as at Eatzi's. With a straight-line counter, you feel sure you're going to be seen by the staff (no one has his or her back to you) and by the other customers--the customers are able to determine pretty much for themselves who showed up in what order, and can "police" themselves nicely if necessary. At Eatzi's, the four-sided counter makes this impossible, necessitating some other solution which hasn't been implemented yet.

This isn't enough to make me hate Eatzi's, and I think the food (what we've sampled so far) is good, and I hope they're successful--they're an asset to the neighborhood. But I hate the name. It's crude, and not a good match for the quality of merchandise and quality of experience they're shooting for. It sounds like a hot dog stand, not an upscale foodstuffs purveyor. Maybe it plays better in Dallas.

I noticed that for salads, sandwiches and the hot item area, they have orderly lines. But what would be so hard for the middle area to have a number taking system? Sure, it might not be the most glamorous way, but I think that would solve the problem.

But the checkout system is also a disaster. On both of my visits there, I managed to get in the line where the checkout person decides to claim "I'll be back in a moment" after you're already in line, and only to disappear for 5 minutes. Personally, I prefer a checkout system where there's one line for all registers and they call for the next person in line.

BR wrote: Personally, I prefer a checkout system where there's one line for all registers and they call for the next person in line.

Optimizing the queuing process! I wish every place would convert to this system! I really hate it when there is only one line, but some "I think I'm better than you and smarter than you" stands directly behind a customer at the cash register instead of the rest of the line! I love it when the cashier tells that person that the line is way back over there!

BR wrote:
But the checkout system is also a disaster. On both of my visits there, I managed to get in the line where the checkout person decides to claim "I'll be back in a moment" after you're already in line, and only to disappear for 5 minutes. Personally, I prefer a checkout system where there's one line for all registers and they call for the next person in line.

I haven't been to the Chicago Eatzi's yet, but the one in Dallas that I frequent when I am there has the one line checkout system. It seems to work for them just fine.

But I hate the name. It's crude

And in case you don't get it, the copy on the bag explains "It's no coincidence that it sounds like easy-- because that's what it is."

HEY DUMBO! EATZI'S = EASY! DID YOU GET IT YET? EASY! EEEEEEEEEEEATTTTTT-ZZZZZZZZZZZZZEEEEE!

By an odd coincidence I went there yesterday for lunch after the Sarah Silverman movie.

Plus side: lots of free samples, you could basically eat lunch for free if you tried hard enough, you schnorrer. Some were quite tasty, others too bready. A lot of good specialty market meats, cheeses, etc. If I lived around there, equidistant from various Whole Foodses and Treasure Islandses and such, sure I'd go there (and pay through the nose).

Minus side: service is spotty. I went to the bread counter and waited, and looked right at a woman who looked at me, and walked right by, while eight more people worked behind the counter, nobody helping me. Meanwhile one poor gal hustled to take care of two dessert counter customers AND me. I come from the everyone-drops-everything-till-all-customers-on-the-floor-are-helped school, or at least the man each counter continuously if you don't want customers walking away empty handed school.

Likewise I agree that the checkout system is poorly configured-- I exited, found myself sent straight out to the street, and had to make my way back in with my purchase to find the seating area. Hell, even ENTERING the place was hard, I'm still not sure where the "front" entrance exactly is, from the mall or the street. These are minor quibbles except that, dammit, a well laid out store makes you want to come back and leads you to discover and buy more each time, and a poorly laid out one leads you to get in and get out and buy less. So it doesn't promise well for their future if everyone finds the layout a pain.

But... and this is my main point... my main disappointment is that the bread looks better than it tastes. It felt in texture a lot like the La Brea bread at Jewel which is shipped frozen as dough and baked in store. Not terrible by any means, but definitely a notch below Whole Foods and two below Fox & Obel.

I was vaguely discomfited as I stood there by the lack of a system.

This sums it up exactly! I get that same feeling at the checkout. I've been there maybe 3 times (right in the neighborhood) yet I haven't figured out where to stash the basket or cart, and where to put the merchandise pre-scanning. It's just so weird. Like being in a foreign country. Or like trying to order Mexican food at a Maxwell street stand - that one mystifies me, too.

When they fail--as well they might, for all the reasons talked about here--I hope it won't be taken as a lesson that a business like Eatzi's can't make it in that location. Because I think a business like Eatzi's definitely could--just not Eatzi's (unless they get their act together quickly). It's actually a brilliant combination of concept and location--just being executed haphazardly. I bet an outpost of Fox & Obel could clean up there.

I wish every place would convert to this system! I really hate it when there is only one line, but some "I think I'm better than you and smarter than you" stands directly behind a customer at the cash register instead of the rest of the line!

Here's my Costco secret, by the way (and it's totally legit, involves no being an a-hole at all). All other things being equal, get in the line next to one or more unopened cashier stands. If the lines are long, the odds are extremely good that they will at some point open one of the closed stations and call you or somebody from your line over to that line (either way, of course, you move up). Incidentally, I admire completely the fact that they pick someone who's about to the front of the line to open the line, rather than making it a mad scramble for the newly opened station from the back of the line.

Mike G wrote:
Here's my Costco secret, by the way (and it's totally legit, involves no being an a-hole at all). All other things being equal, get in the line next to one or more unopened cashier stands. If the lines are long, the odds are extremely good that they will at some point open one of the closed stations and call you or somebody from your line over to that line (either way, of course, you move up). Incidentally, I admire completely the fact that they pick someone who's about to the front of the line to open the line, rather than making it a mad scramble for the newly opened station from the back of the line.

That's brillant! Costco is a nightmare on the weekends! Thanks for the tip.

BF and I went to Eatzi's yesterday and thought it was awesome! They have many samples of their various sandwiches, salads, etc. Great stuff. The place reminded me of a gourmet market in Paris. Definitely will go back for takeout.

I dropped by Eatzi's at about 8:00 p.m. last night - looking for nothing in particular, just what looked good. (Although I definitely did not want a salad or sandwich or any of the pre-packaged offerings in the refrigerated case along the wall.)

I thought their cheese offerings were sub-par. While they did have some artisinal offerings such as Borough Market, even the sharper cheeses did not emit any sort of an odor - my guess is that they had sitting around for awhile at a highly refrigerated temp.

The olive bar looked positively neglected.

The hot offerings looked the best but nothing particularly tempting.

The food in the deli-style case did not jump out as interesting and/or appetizing. Mostly bland, boring offerings that you see now at your neighborhood Jewel. I would rate even Whole Foods as having more interesting and varied selections.

Maybe I was in a bad mood, I don't know, but I left with nothing.

Has anyone tried anything there that was a standout?

No way I could eat there. I couldn't actually tell people that I ate at a place called "Eatzi's". It's tough enough typing it, let alone saying it.

I ran through there on their opening week just to see it. Didn't have time to buy or eat. My wife and son were in the other day and FWIW, told me that the lady who waited on them (in the Mac & Cheese sector) seemed to be both very well trained and a born 'people-person' on top of it. Genuinely enjoying the product and the customers and sending people off with good food to eat, like grandma.

I do remember being fairly impressed with the wine selection. The variety was better than avg. for a non-wine store, and the prices were within a buck or two of Binny's in most cases. Unlike the premium one pays for wine at, say, Treasure Island.

All in all it seemed at least promising. But I have yet to stand in a line there.

In a fit of sheer laziness, I ordered my Thanksgiving turkey from eatzi's (seasoned and stuffed with veggies and apples but uncooked). It came all neatly tucked in a cooking bag and double panned in tin foil roasting pans.

The bird itself was very good. The skin massaged with herb butter and the meat fragrant of the fruit and vegetable stuffing. The bread dressing was excellent, moist and full of an unusual tasty mix of fresh veggies. The cranberry orange relish was one of the bet additions to the meal. The pecan pie was uninspired tasting as if it had been baked in a cardboard crust.

Overall, a good experience during a period that I was very short on time.

Keep in mind that some of the more common goods, such as some of the dried pastas and smaller-brand sodas, are available for much less from Cost Plus a short walk away on Broadway.

I think some people who work there go the extra mile to please the customer, and others display attitudes more commonly found in customer service today (in other words, not very customer service oriented). Two Eatzi's examples:
1. I was at the bread counter, buying a loaf of something (can't remember what), and also wanted to buy one sesame semolina roll. They had large sesame semoline loafs, and packages of sesame semolina rolls (with a dozen or so), but no individually packaged rolls, even though this is something they typically offer. The guy at the bread counter opened a package of rolls, took one out and bagged it for me, then told the cashier to let me have it at no charge.

2. I like Eatzi's chicken curry pasta salad, which costs about $8 a pound. The chicken in it usually comes in fairly large cubes. The second to last time I bought it, I got a pound, and there were only a few pieces of chicken--less than 5. For what essentially becomes a vegetarian pasta salad, it becomes a rip off. But I'd bought it a couple times before, and knew it should have had more chicken in it. So the next time I bought it, I said to the woman at the deli counter, "The last time I got this salad, there was almost no chicken in it. As you're scooping it, could you make sure it has some chicken in it?" She threw back at me what I perceived to be an unfriendly response with a bunch of attitude. "Well, I'm not going to pick out chicken pieces for you, so if you're not happy about what you get, you'll have to come back and talk to the manager." Even if she'd said, "I'll do my best, but any time something like that happens, please don't hesitate to talk to the manager next time you're in here. They'll make sure you get a refund," I would have been happy.

There was an inquiry about Eatzi's standouts. This is a place that I would like to love, but I'm just not feeling it based on my actual experience.

I've been there a couple times with my husband and each time we had a variety of stuff. Portions have ranged from enormous to meager. Food that should be hot has been cold. Soup that my hubby loved on his first visit was watered down when I went there and tried it.

Someone made a good observation that this concept should be successful at the location, but not with the way Eatzi's is running it. I have a hard time deciding what I want there because it just doesn't seem that inspiring, and then after eating, I always come to the conclusion that I can "take it or leave it." Not earthshaking. Disappointing. I think most of us around here are willing to pay a premium for quick, tasty fare. The eating area at the restaurant itself is dreary and another challenge that I think they could work on along with the mix and quality of food offered.

It's okay... I'm not overwhelmed by it... but nothing really unpleasant either...

Pretty good pasta bar area... olives and cheeses are pretty good... bakery is quite good, desserts pretty good...

And no real options for finding a similar range of food in the area, so not so bad really, but don't make a mad dash either.

To "assemble" a decent plate of food, not including drinks you're in the 5 to 10 range. You can get quite alot of "stuff" for 7 or so.

kithat wrote: I have a hard time deciding what I want there because it just doesn't seem that inspiring, and then after eating, I always come to the conclusion that I can "take it or leave it." Not earthshaking. Disappointing. I think most of us around here are willing to pay a premium for quick, tasty fare. The eating area at the restaurant itself is dreary and another challenge that I think they could work on along with the mix and quality of food offered.

I think the layout contributes to the difficulty in making decisions. In the hot food line, for example, it's hard to see just what's on offer if there are people in line in front of the counter.

And "dreary" absolutely describes the dining area. I've seen cheerier hospital cafeterias.

. . . And Eatzi's is apparently leaving Chicago. They had a sign up tonight that the Century Mall store is closing and all packaged goods are 30% off.

That was a tough spot to put a grocery store, not surprised.

BR wrote:. . . And Eatzi's is apparently leaving Chicago. They had a sign up tonight that the Century Mall store is closing and all packaged goods are 30% off.

Interesting, I may go by there in the next few days, just to check it out(since I have yet to make it there, and wondered about it, the few times I've seen a movie at the Landmark theater). I've always wondered how good the food was there, but I'll second everyone else that I'm not surprised to hear its about to close, particularly since when you walk by there inside the mall, you never can tell whether they're trying to operate as a quick-service restaurant(a la say, Panera Bread), or a grocery store.

dumpstermcnuggets wrote:Interesting, I may go by there in the next few days, just to check it out

I think tonight was the last night they're open. Might want to call first.

dumpstermcnuggets wrote:I've always wondered how good the food was there

Not very good at all. Add overpriced to that as well. It's a shame, as I really liked the one in Atlanta when I was living there ten or so years ago.

I am very excited about Eatzi's, this is honestly the place that turned me onto food almost 8 years ago when I was in Atlanta. I cannot wait to go to the one here.

Shaggywillis wrote:I am very excited about Eatzi's, this is honestly the place that turned me onto food almost 8 years ago when I was in Atlanta. I cannot wait to go to the one here.

Man, I can't be the one to break this to you. You should re-read this thread from the beginning... or at least the last half-dozen posts.

That's really kinda too bad. I was only there a few times when I was working in the neighborhood, but I found that just by picking and choosing among the antipasti and serve yourself things (as opposed to having a sandwich made, or getting entree things by the pound), I could put together a very tasty little meal for rather less than at Pastoral (whom I have nothing against but the prices.) Eatzi's wine selection was not bad for not being specialists and they seemed to be within a buck or so of comperable bottles at Binny's for those whose prices I was familiar with.
All in all, it would have been a place I'd have been glad to frequent.

mrbarolo wrote:That's really kinda too bad. I was only there a few times when I was working in the neighborhood, but I found that just by picking and choosing among the antipasti and serve yourself things (as opposed to having a sandwich made, or getting entree things by the pound), I could put together a very tasty little meal for rather less than at Pastoral (whom I have nothing against but the prices.) Eatzi's wine selection was not bad for not being specialists and they seemed to be within a buck or so of comperable bottles at Binny's for those whose prices I was familiar with.
All in all, it would have been a place I'd have been glad to frequent.

I have mixed thoughts about Eatzi's. On one hand, I found it a convenient place to have a quick bite before or after a movie. I also found that some of the items were pretty good, and substantially better than similar items found at the average grocery store. Unfortunately, I also found many items to be not so good, either lacking in flavor or just not so fresh -- mac & cheese and fried chicken fell into this category.

I suspect Eatzi's location did not help them either. There are better areas for a take-out grocery. Sure, there are a lot of people living in the general area, but Eatzi's would have been better off being surrounded by large buildings, rather than several blocks away. And given this is their only location in Chicago, it might have helped if they were at street level and people could see the merchandise, rather than having to descend to basement level. And the parking situation is a little difficult to comprehend without some advanced knowledge. It seems like Eatzi's really expected to knock it out of the park with moviegoers and health club patrons, and apparently that did not work.