Despite what Mayor Nickels would have us believe, it isn't a professional sports team that can make or break a city's reputation as "world-class." As anyone who has been to Europe can tell you, it's a full-service grocery store in the heart of downtown that makes a city truly cosmopolitan. And if that grocery store has an escalator? We're talking not just world-class, but head of the class, baby.

Well, here comes Kress, elevating Seattle from pretender to contender in the battle for world-class-city status. The supremely urban grocery store is now under construction in the historic Kress Building at Third and Pike, with an opening planned for early June.

An escalator inside the store will transport shoppers from the Third Avenue entrance to the 18,000-square-foot basement, where more than 40 percent of the space will be devoted to takeout options such as hot food tables, a salad bar, a made-to-order sandwich counter and (hallelujah!) a taquería.

A parking lot will be as absent at the green-minded Kress as the Sonics' defense is at KeyArena. Instead, shoppers will be encouraged to frequent the store on foot and buy only what they can carry. Kress also plans to form partnerships with local purveyors to carry their goods at the store.

Kress will be open daily from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m., and the store promises to give South Lake Union's Whole Foods Market a run for its money when it comes to lunchtime grab-and-go. Stay tuned for more information.

Copyright © 2008 The Seattle Times Company