Monday, February 22, 2021
Wednesday, November 30, 2016
VERTS, a New Fast Casual Mediterranean Grill Opens in Downtown Boston
VERTS started in Austin, Texas about five years ago. In that short period of time, this chain of healthy, fast casual Mediterranean grill has grown to 35 locations around Texas and it has now made its way to Boston as its first non-Texas location.
I recently attended the opening party of the Boston location, in the Financial District, to check out the food that makes this chain so fast-growing.
VERTS is a build-your-own concept, and you can choose between rice bowl, quinoa bowl, pita wrap, or salad.
Posted by gourmetpigs at 2:23 PM 0 comments
Labels: build your own, eat verts, falafel, fast food, financial district, healthy, mediterranean, pita, quinoa, rice bowl, verts
Saturday, January 16, 2016
Beta Burger Brings Sous Vide Patties to Fast Food
Using the sous vide method to cook burgers has been done by some higher end restaurants, but at a fast food restaurant? Beta Burger, steps away from the Roxbury Crossing T station, may be the first. While I do think thick patties are the best for sous vide, using this method for the usually thinner fast food style burger still promises a healthier and juicier burger than its counterparts.
The patties have been slow cooked all day, and when you place your order, they will grill it briefly. You can order one of their three burger options, or build your own with a choice of toppings. Their fries (dubbed "skinny fries") are thin fries that come with a packet of seasoning - pour the seasoning in the bag and shake. They had 4-5 seasoning options but everyone opted for the garlic parmesan.
Topping options include the usual like onions (fresh or caramelized), tomato, along with mushroom, bacon, peppers, and perhaps some special ones for the month - we'll get to that later.
Posted by gourmetpigs at 9:04 AM 0 comments
Labels: beta burger, boston, burger, fast food, marshmallow burger, roxbury, roxbury crossing, sous vide, sous vide burger
Friday, April 17, 2015
Fast Casual Lebanese at Urban Garden (Los Angeles, CA)
George Abou-Daoud may be famous for his previous enterprises along the lines of gastropub The Bowery or Delancey, but he's started to bring his Middle Eastern heritage into the LA dining scene.
His latest venture is Urban Garden, a fast casual Lebanese spot in Mid-city that boasts free range chicken shawarma, organic chickpeas in the falafel, and more.
As you'd expect from a Lebanse spot, they have hummus, falafel, shawarma, etc.
They have three types of hummus: Traditional hummus, spicy hummus (with spicy pickled peppers), garlic hummus (with thyme roasted garlic). On top of that you can also get a lebneh made with Mediterranean yogurt, topped with French feta cheease and za'atar. There's also babaganoush with sumac.
Posted by gourmetpigs at 9:15 AM 0 comments
Labels: beverly blvd, falafel, fast casual, fast food, george abou-daoud, lebanese food, mid city, middle eastern, salad, urban garden, vegan friendly, vegetarian friendly, west hollywood
Friday, August 1, 2014
Asian Box: Farm to Table Fast Food. Non-GMO, Non-Boring.
Growing up in Southeast Asia, it’s been my longtime wish to see a finer fast food joint where I can get a bowl of rice with meats that are cooked to order and vegetables fresh out of the wok. I mean this is my very definition of fast food growing up in Asia – street stalls flooded the entire nation while American fast food joints (Mcdonalds, KFC) were few and far between. More importantly, these street stalls’ cooks take their jobs very seriously – competition is stiff and there’s no shortcut – ingredients are always freshly prepared, meats are marinated and cooked thoroughly, and cooking techniques are borderline intricate/ old school. Imagine how much carbon monoxide you’d be inhaling in your lifetime if your job were to grill chicken satay on a charcoal grill for over 30 – 40 years? Yes, those peppery smokes that permeates the streets of Indonesia, Malaysia, and Singapore, burning your eyes and nose, is the doing of a diligent cook fanning smokes off his precious charcoal grill.
Popular Posts
Featured Lists
Archive
About Me
- gourmetpigs
- Questions, comments, feedback? Want to advertise on my site? Contact me at gourmetpigs@gmail.com.
All Rights Reserved.