I love grocery stores. The Clash's "Lost in the Supermarket" isn't describing some stoner nightmare to me; I could be quite content spending an evening or two wandering around, examining the sheer visual spectacle: the modern orderliness of the shelves packed with items in symmetry; the visual brilliance of the display of products, the people-watching. That's before we get into the free samples. If the store has nice decor and is a pleasant place to shop, so much the better, but I can even make do with linoleum and artificial lighting.

The new Whole Foods on Post Oak certainly doesn't have that latter problem. I was able to take a tour of the store Monday, as well as attend a preview party on Tuesday. It opens Thursday morning, and as far as grocery stores go, it's pretty cool, in terms of both the structure itself and the options offered.

I really liked the decor inside-- a mix of wood, brick, metal, and tile, depending on which section of the store you were in. Each area had a distinctive look; the brick in the seafood section felt like a throwback to an old warehouse, while the tile at the Souvlaki grill was vivid and distinctive. (You can look at some of the photos I took and make up your own mind as to how you feel about it.)

The store will be the largest Whole Foods in Houston, more comparable in size to the Central Market on Westheimer or the central Whole Foods in Austin, at Lamar and 5th, than to any of the other ones in town. As such, the store will offer many more features than at other locations (not the least of which was a seriously expanded beer and wine selection, including a few brews I haven't yet seen anywhere else in Houston). The new store will also have both a bar and a second-story lounging area.

In terms of prepared food, besides the Souvlaki grill mentioned earlier (and from which the food at the dinner I attended two weeks ago was prepared), the store will have a sushi station and a taco and sandwich counter. The butchery will also have its own smokehouse, and we were told that customers would actually be able to pick out a piece of meat and have it smoked on site.

Customer service was an emphasis on the tour; the Whole Foods representative who showed us around told us the store would have a concierge service and planned to open an online shopping and delivery feature similar to Instacart. This story continues on the next page.