Freshii – Grand Rapids
146 Monroe Center NW, Suite 160More and more often, I find myself looking for something that isn’t fast food for dinner. It’s really hard because I’m not a huge Jimmy John’s fans and I really don’t like Subway, so getting something other than a greasy burger on the go is a challenge.
A few weeks ago, a co-worker and I were in downtown Grand Rapids near the McKay Tower for an assignment. As I was walking back to the car, I noticed the storefront that used to be Subs-n-More was something entirely different. We didn’t have time that night, but I did have some free time this past Friday to check it out for dinner.
Freshii touts itself as a “health-casual” restaurant. The menu is all healthier, fresh foods that are assembled quickly.
This store in Grand Rapids is the only one on this side of the state. In total, Freshii has 35 locations in four countries with the original store in Toronto.
The design of the store is typical to a sandwich shop. You order at one end of the counter, your food is put together in the middle, and you pick it up at the other end.
When I first looked up at the menu hanging behind the order counter, I was afraid I was going to have to turn around and walk out. I’m not the most health conscious eater in the world and Freshii’s lack of hamburgers and fries sort of scared.
It took me a few minutes to figure it out, but I finally settled on the Buffalo Wrap with a chicken base. The large whole grain tortilla is packed full of chicken, tomatoes, celery, shredded carrots, jack and cheddar cheeses, romaine, and spinach then topped with blue cheese dressing and buffalo sauce.
It took just a few minutes for the wrap to be assembled and enclosed in a paper wrapper before I was headed out the door. The large wrap cost me just a hair under eight bucks.
The whole ride back to the office, I was wondering if I just wasted my money. There looked to be a lot of veggies put on when the wrap was being made. Not a bad thing…except I’m not a huge veggie guy. Still, I was determined to try it as is before pulling most of the filling off.
When I got to a place where I could sit down and eat, I unwrapped the paper and pulled the wrap in half so I would have two pieces to eat off of. As I assumed, there were a lot of veggies inside, but there was also a pretty good portion of chicken. I took a bite out of one side and was actually pretty surprised. The wrap was good. In one bite, I got pretty much all of the flavors…the crunchy from the celery and carrots, the juicy from the tomato, the tangy from the bleu cheese and the spicy from the hot sauce.
It turns out, I didn’t need to alter the sandwich. It was actually quite delicious. It’s not the kind of dinner I usually go for, but that’s probably not a bad thing.
I don’t think Freshii is for everybody, but check out the menu and see for yourself. Alternatives are great and even though this is kind of hidden in Downtown Grand Rapids, it a spot that you can get something other than the usual fast food.
Buffalo Chicken Wrap
Buffalo Chicken Wrap
SW Michigan Dining 