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Gourmet To Go
Not
many people go by cab to EatZi's, but hey, we're from
Louisiana and we like to eat, so my husband and I jumped
in a cab and away we went. I had heard about EatZi's
Market & Bakery in Dallas and was curious
to see what all the fuss was about. We pulled up to
a parking lot that was absolutely full and for the hour
or so that we were there, it stayed that way, with a
non-stop flow of traffic coming in and out. When we
walked in, the first thing we  noticed
was the opera music playing in the background. Not bad,
I thought as I made my way past the crowds to the Chef's
Case. This was a beautiful, refrigerated display
of meats and seafood, laid out on large platters, with
names like Romano's Crusted Pork Chops, all ready to
be taken home and heated up. If you need something a
little quicker, then walk over to the Chef's Corner,
where they have Poached salmon with julienned vegetables
or King Ranch chicken packaged in microwavable containers
for your convenience. Oh, you said you like breads,
well step over to their bread department and sample
one of their 35 different breads that they bake fresh
daily. Not ready for bread, okay, how about a cup of
joe, oh yes, they have a lovely coffee bar in here too.
Need some wine, got it, need a sandwich to go, got it,
watching the waist line and want a nice salad, got it,
need some gourmet products, i.e., Dijon mustard, Balsamic
vinegar, oh yeah, they got that too. I loved this grocery
store or restaurant or wine shop, coffee bar, seafood/meat
market or whatever else you may want to call it. It's
a visual feast and the food was scrumptious too. EatZi's
was started by Phil Romano in 1996. He is the man who
started Fuddrucker's and is behind Romano's
Macaroni Grill, On the Border and Chili's,
just to name a few. EatZi's is an interesting concept,
which falls into the category of "home meal replacement"
or HMR as they say in NASA speak. They have branches
in Atlanta, Houston and Rockville, MD. When they first
opened in Dallas they were gearing more for the "to-go"
business and had invested in just a few seats for sit
down customers. The demand for in-store dining grew
tremendously and they quickly added more seating. We
enjoyed a nice seat outside with a lovely view of the
parking lot, but hey, life's not perfect, though this
place comes close to food perfection. If you are in
Dallas give EatZi's a try, it's located at 3403 Oak
Lawn Ave., Dallas, TX .
Not
to be outdone by anything related to food, New Orleans
jumped on the "home meal replacement" bandwagon
in the summer of 1999, with Foodies
Kitchen. Located at 720 Veterans Blvd. in Metarie,
LA, Foodies was opened by Ti Martin of the Brennan family.
The 8,200 square foot location is billed as a "world
class market for meals." Employing up to 40 chefs,
each at their own station, Foodies offers in-store dining
or chef prepared meals to be taken home. Like EatZi's,
they have a huge selection of products to  choose
from. It will be interesting to watch the progression
of these new food markets to see if they become a permanent
fixture on the food scene or will they fade away. I
liked both establishments a great deal and think they
offer a nice addition to the present selection of choices
we have in the United States when it comes to food on
the go.
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