Nice-n-easy

I just got back from checking out Fresh & Easy, which just opened up in Mesa.

I liked it! The produce was really nice, especially in comparison to the other stores here. When I lived in CA, I really took for granted how wonderful the produce was. After moving to AZ I discovered that the produce here was smaller, not as fresh, and sometimes rotting on the shelves. I saw this in Whole Foods, Trader Joe's, and Safeway. Out of all three, Safeway had the best produce.

But Fresh & Easy had cheap, fresh, large, & ripe produce! They also have a ton of pre-packaged foods, I guess something they are known for. I got a salad of spinach, cranberries, feta, and walnuts - really similar to something Trader Joe's offers (around the same price too) and larger than what you get at TJs.

Their cheese section it is not varied as Whole Foods (but few things are). It was a great selection though. When I saw they had drunken goat my heart leapt! I hadn't seen that stuff since my last visit to Andronico's, which was ages ago. They also had fig spread and quince paste - I couldn't believe it. I haven't seen any of those lovely Bay Area grocery store staples in so long.

The experience overall was nice; they just opened up and so staff were waaay helpful, trying to make a good impression (and they did). The space is nicely laid-out and the shelves are not very high - so everything is organized well and easy to access. It's like shopping at an upscale Trader Joe's, but the store brand items are nicer and you can still buy national brand products if you want.