I have had a pretty good burger and fries from this place in the past, we went back for more. They are a health-conscious versions of fast-food chain restaurant. I like burgers and fries, but I know they are not so healthy… So, I appreciate anyone who is trying to come up with a healthy version of fast food. This one is located in the White City Shopping Center, with a bright red sign and awning (partially covered by snow, making it look like red and white stripe in the photos).

As we enter, a wall of photos greeted us on our way to the ordering counter. They are photos of people who works at farms. They had a sign above the photos that says “Food made by people not factories.” I thought it was a nice touch to have those photos, make sure you feel some kind of closeness to the people behind the food, and also, feel better knowing where the food came from. As we hear more and more about “farm-to-table” concept, the fact that the ingredients come from farms certainly make it more attractive.

Their kitchen is behind the ordering counter, and it is open kitchen so that you can see them preparing your food. I think that makes them more honest, and also make them to keep the kitchen clean. And they were clean and well organized.

 

The inside is nice and roomy, not very large space, but with the furniture placed in the way that allows people to move around easily. With many large windows going from wall to wall, it was really bright, with lots of natural lights coming in. Simple decor with their focus put into a better, healthier food.

Additions to regular kinds of drinks, like soda, tea, etc., they have four kinds of lemonades: Lemon Iced Tea, Strawberry Lemonade, Beet-Ginger Lemonade, and Rosemary Lemonade. We tried the Strawberry Lemonade and Beet-Ginger Lemonade, and they were both super tasty. The Strawberry Lemonade is made with water, lemon juice, strawberries, and pure cane sugar. It was sweet and had really nice strawberry flavor. I liked how it was made with “strawberries” and not some kind of strawberry “flavoring” agent or strawberry juice. Beet-Ginger Lemonade is made with water, lemon juice, beet, ginger, pure cane sugar, and orange peel. It was a surprise hit, had really nice, earthy, deep flavor with a little kick from the ginger. I think the hint of orange worked really well, giving that extra fruity flavor.

On this day, two people ordered salads, while my husband and I ordered burgers. The first salad was Roasted Butternut Salad ($8.49), made with baby spinach, butternut squash, sharp cheddar, apples, tamari almonds, and pomegranates. It comes with maple-mustard vinaigrette. You can have it as is, or add chicken, tofu, or egg to the salad. Grilled chicken ($2.79) was added to the salad.

The second salad was Local Apple & Bacon Bowl ($9.99), which is made with kale, avocado, NH slab bacon, local apples, pomegranates, dried cranberries, sunflower seeds, scallions, red wine vinegar, and olive oil. Grilled chicken ($2.79) was added on this salad also.

Both salad was really huge, super fresh, and looked amazing! They kept saying how good it was, until it was all gone. They raved about the salad for days…

Now, the burgers. Here, they don’t just offer whatever the burgers, but you choose the protein and the style of burgers. I went with Veggie Burger, and Adopted Luke ($7.49). Veggie burger is homemade, which I always prefer, rather than some frozen or pre-packaged stuff. Adopted Luke comes with mushrooms, caramelized onions, smoked gouda, and bbq sauce. I added a side of Sweet Potato Fries ($3.29).

The veggie burger was pretty good, it was not dry, but not too mushy either. The caramelized onion and bbq sauce was great with the veggie patty, and the soft bun was just perfect. The burgers are cooked to order, so it was super fresh. Didn’t really get much of gouda flavor, but overall, it was very tasty. Sweet Potato fries were really nice too, they are NOT fried, but baked, so healthier option here too. It was soft and potato-y, good flavor of the natural sweet potato, without any oily-ness to it.

Second burger was with regular Burger, and El Guapo style ($7.49). The burger is all-natural, came from Pineland Farms. El Guapo comes with bacon, homemade jalapeno slaw, and jalapeno ranch. We also added a side of Sweet Potato Fries ($3.29) to this one as well.

It was a pretty good size burger, perfectly cooked, and with of super fresh slaw. Didn’t really get the jalapeno flavor, but it was refreshing and went really nicely with the burger. It was juicy and packed with flavor. So different from one of those greasy, oily burger you get from some other fast food chains. You can also add other things onto your burger, such as cheese, egg, avocado, etc., at an added cost.

We enjoyed the lunch there so much, we went back a few days later. This time, there were three of us, and we all ordered salads. Two Roasted Butternut Salad ($8.49), one with grilled chicken again ($2.79), and another one with organic tofu ($2.79). They were super fresh as before, bright and beautiful. The organic tofu came with two good-sized, nicely grilled tofu. They were pretty good, but I wish if there were a bit more of tofu than provided.

 

The third salad was Local Apple & Bacon Bowl ($9.99), this time, with no additional topping. And let me tell you, it was great as is, without any chicken, tofu, or egg. It was super fresh, with vibrant colors,and really delicious. All the salads were serious sizes, it was really filling! I am lucky to have my husband to help me finish, I would have been such a waste to not finish these beauties.

We have ordered a side of Real Fries ($2.99), hand-cut & finished in the oven. Yes we are not some health nuts, even though my body would certainly appreciate if I become one…but, at least we just ordered one to share among the three of us. Maybe I ate the most of it, but hey, I loved it! I actually liked it better than their sweet potato fries. They were somehow more flavorful. It was nicely done, again, baked and not fried, soft and potato-y, and not greasy. Really awesome fries!

This was such a great surprise that I was happy to be introduced to. I usually have some doubts when it comes to a chain restaurant, but this one is pretty great. Healthy, delicious, and beautiful food. Perfect combination! And the staffs are pretty nice too, friendly and polite. I would like to go back and see more of their tasty creation, with the side of Real Fries, of course!

b. good – 120 Boston Turnpike, Shrewsbury, MA 01545