Fresh To Order was another stop I had in mind for some healthy food while in Nashville. Here’s the breakdown:
ATMOSPHERE
Fresh To Order was much more of a “fast casual” restaurant than I expected, based on the food reviews online. It was very similar to Panera Bread. The inside is modern and clean. You order at the counter, get your own beverage, and your food is brought to you at your table.
The beverage station not only had your typical soda fountain, but also had many other options, such as sweet or unsweet tea, raspberry mojito lemonade, mango orange juice, or cucumber water.
THE MENU
The menu has a wide variety of foods, many healthy options included. There are burgers, veggie burgers, small plates or entrees of different types of seafood, chicken, and veggie dishes. There are many different “paninis” (and they mean “panini”…but I won’t get on that soap box again) and salads and a kids’ menu as well.
THE FOOD
Almond Chicken Skewers (full size), $11.90
Description: Almond-rosemary crust, sweet mashed potatoes, Asian slaw, twin sauces.
I ordered this with grilled vegetables instead of the mashed sweet potatoes. The “twin sauces” included a peanut sauce and an orange ginger (or so it tasted) sauce.
The chicken was delicious! It was tender, perfectly cooked, and the almond crust was flavorful with some crunch. The sauces were tasty, too, though the citrus-y one was more flavorful and paired better with the chicken than the peanut sauce did.
The grilled veggies included corn, bell pepper, zucchini, and mushrooms and were flavored nicely and cooked well.
The Asian slaw was a little lack-luster. I love a good vinegar slaw, but this one tasted mostly of strong ginger and not much else.
Coconut Curry Chicken, $11.50
Description: Fresh coconut curry sauce, tender fire grilled chicken, roasted corn relish, wheat berry rice, baby green.
Drew ordered this with grilled vegetables instead of the wheat berry rice.
This dish surprised us. I expected a bowl of coconut curry sauce with chicken in it. Instead, it was a very thick, slightly overcooked, chicken breast covered with a small amount of coconut curry.
While the sauce was delicious, the dry chicken needed much more of it.
The greens in the middle were lightly covered with a balsamic vinaigrette and were a nice, fresh touch.
The veggies, well, we already went over those in the previous dish.
OVERALL
This very casual restaurant has some impressive menu items and many that are diet-friendly. While I may consider getting the almond chicken again, I would skip the coconut curry dishes to try something different, perhaps a salad?
We were not overly impressed here, but we were not disappointed either. So…meh, it was fine.