Whole Foods Market
By Michael Pleasants

While the Boystown neighborhood was blessed with the opening of the new Center On Halsted in the spring, the summer brought an equally exciting development in the same complex at the corner of Halsted Street and Waveland Avenue: the opening of the Whole Foods Market - Northalsted! As one of my friends said to me recently: "With my new iPhone and a brand new Whole Foods in the neighborhood, my life has changed dramatically for the better." While I can't really relate to the beneficial aspects of the iPhone - my basic Motorola flip phone serves me just fine - I can fully appreciate the wonderfulness that is Whole Foods Northalsted.

Unlike normal grocery stores that help provide a person with basic needs and some wants, the Whole Foods chain is obviously dedicated to the nourishment of its customers, offering the highest quality, least processed, most flavorful and naturally preserved foods it can get its hands on. The extensive offering of organic and natural products at Whole Foods is really quite impressive and meets the needs of those trying to live healthier lives. Also impressive and unique about Whole Foods is its commitment to support local farmers (local = within a day's drive) in every community where they do business. This means that much of the available summer produce in their Chicago stores was just picked within the past day or two on farms in Illinois, Iowa, and Michigan, not in California or Florida one or two weeks ago.

When I first walked into Whole Foods Northalsted, I was initially awed by the spaciousness of the store, it being some much bigger and more comfortable than the Whole Foods on Ashland Avenue. The Northalsted outpost has wide aisles and roomy counter service areas, and thus even during peak times shopping is an enjoyable experience.

While the produce department is an expected delight and the seafood section offers too many varieties and variations of shrimp to count, it's the Whole Foods meat case that brings the widest brightest smile to my carnivorous face. The presentation of Prime and Choice quality cuts of beef and the wide selection of freshly made pork and turkey sausages is absolutely masterful, as if the steaks and links are calling out: "Hey, pick me. Buy me. Cook me. Then eat me!" I usually oblige.

The other aspects of Whole Foods Northalsted that I find quite appealing are the phenomenal cheese counter with more than 200 types of natural and organic cheeses; the prepared food section where the fresh salads steal the show; and the three double-sided buffet food & salad bars that include several soup options and items such as tandoori chicken and cooked collard greens. Yum! This store even has a brick oven for freshly made pizzas. And if you need a place to eat your prepared food right then and there, there are two options: limited counter seating in the front windows of Whole Foods or the lobby area of the Center On Halsted where table and chairs are comfortably set up.

Whole Foods Market - Northalsted
3640 N Halsted St
Chicago, IL 60613
Phone: 773.472.0400