GrubGrade

Yes, when I was in high school I was one of “those” kids. You know who I’m talking about. The kind of somewhat pretentious but mostly trying to be cool private schooler who passed up the wonders of fast food in exchange for the assumed virtues of the fast casual experience. And while I’m much more likely to visit McDonald’s and grab an order of fries these days, I still enjoy the occasional visit to Panera Bread. Recently the QSR chain announced several new menu items. Have a gander:

Cuban Chicken Panini

All-natural, antibiotic-free chicken, smoked, lean ham, sweet & spicy pickle chips, Swiss, chipotle mayo & sun-dried tomato ale mustard on our Focaccia.

Salmon Club Croissant (no picture available)

Chilled salmon filet, Applewood-smoked bacon, lettuce, tomato and our zesty tomato aioli served on a freshly baked croissant.

Mediterranean Salmon Salad

Chilled salmon filet served on a bed of field greens and romaine, with baby Kalamata olives, feta cheese, Mandarin oranges, sliced almonds and red onions all tossed in our new honey tangerine vinaigrette dressing.

Signature Jalapeño & Cheddar Bagel (Also availible in breakfast sandwich form)

Chopped jalapeños, sharp cheddar cheese and a blend of salsa spices mixed in roasted corn flour dough.

Some enticing options there if you ask me, although I’m not sure I could fully enjoy their Cuban Chicken Panini. At least not after a recent visit to Victoria Gastro Pub, where one of Maryland’s most foodie-friendly kitchen’s churns out a deliciously savory-sweet version of the Miami classic with real pulled pork, fresh mango salsa, and buttery gruyere cheese. Now it’s your chance to sound off. Yea or neigh on Panera, and will you be checking out any of these new menu items?

When you get done reading this post, I want you to do two things.

1. Go outside and smell the beautiful Autumn air.
2. Go to your local Einstein Brothers Bagels and pick up their new Pumpkin Bagel Poppers.

I know what you’re thinking: “Adam, you cheap, lazy college student. I thought you hated Einstein’s line of Bagel Poppers?!? And don’t you live in Utah? For goodness sakes, it snowed there the other day. You don’t even have an Autumn!”  Ok, you got me. I wasn’t the biggest fan of the bagel poppers when QSR chain Einstein/Noah rolled them out this past spring, and it did in fact snow here in Logan the other day, but October technically is in the Fall, and for me that means Pumpkin. And folks, there ain’t nothing better than Fall foods and especially Pumpkin. (more…)

Going in with the goal of improving upon an already successful food business, the idea behind Firehouse Subs was born on a scribbled napkin in a competitors parking lot.  The submarine sandwich shop was a popular concept that was growing but as everyone knows, competition can bring the best out of an already successful idea.  Brothers, Robin and Chris Sorensen founded Firehouse Subs with the passion to provide customers with something a bit better than what they are probably used to. The entrepreneurial spirit of the place has got to be respected when you figure they are going up against Subway and Quiznos.  This place will make it’s mark, trust me.  Slowly but surely, the expansion might show up in your neighborhood so keep a look out for it.

When you walk in you are greeted by a friendly staff yelping, “Welcome to Firehouse Subs”.  It is the basic set up of an old time sub shop with the exception that the theme is that of a firehouse. (more…)

Fresh off President Obama’s trip to Five Guys, let’s show off a couple of their staples.  When it comes to burgers, there are plenty of options.  McDonald’s, Burger King and Wendy’s are the most well known, but for my money none of them can touch the burgers at Five Guys Burgers and Fries.

Five Guys currently offers 4 different burgers, the hamburger, cheeseburger, bacon burger and bacon cheeseburger.  Each of these choices are also offered in a “little” version which has one hamburger patty instead of the two patties found on the standard versions.  Five Guys offers a good number of free toppings for their burgers.  In addition to burgers, Five Guys also serves french fries, hot dogs and grilled cheese sandwiches.

On my latest visit to Five Guys, I ordered the bacon cheeseburger topped with mushrooms, jalapeños and A1 sauce.  The burgers here aren’t those paper thin patties you find at many other fast food burger spots.  You receive 2 rather thick and juicy patties.  The patties are smothered in American cheese and enveloped in a soft  bun.  You would expect such a large burger to fall apart and become sloppy.  Surprisingly the bun stays in tact and keeps the burger manageable.  By the time you unwrap your burger the cheese has melted to perfection, mixing with the other toppings to create a medley of flavor.  The bacon is crisp and tasty, but nothing extra special.  The A1 sauce adds the perfect kick that could not be achieved by plain old ketchup.  The fresh jalapeños add a crunch and a nice amount of spice to the burger.  Five Guys Cheeseburger - GrubGrade: 9.25/10 (Exceptional)

Since the place is called Five Guys Burgers and Fries, I assume you cannot have one without the other.  I decided to go with a regular order of fries.  The size of the order is anything but “regular’.  Any room in the brown paper bag that is not taken up by the burger is filled with fries.  The fries are fresh cut daily.  On the whiteboard next to the register was a sign stating that today’s potatoes were from Teton, Idaho.  The fresh cut  potatoes with the skin on are lightly salted, wonderfully crispy and delicious.  Topped with malt vinegar and a little ketchup these are some of the best fries around.  If you like your spuds with a little kick, you can order cajun fries, which come with seasoning salt.  Five Guys Fries –  GrubGrade: 9.50/10 (GrubGrade Hall of Fame)

Five Guys is one of those places that isn’t shy about what it offers.  Big, thick, greasy burgers.  Every brown paper take-out bag from Five Guys I’ve ever had did little to hide the evidence of grease spots.  This is an award winning burger spot born out of the Washington Metro Area and it’s a growing chain that proves the customers know what they like.

• Pros- I really don’t know where to begin.  The burger is juicy, delicious and perfectly cooked.   Large variety of toppings. Soft bun keeps everything where it’s supposed to be.  The fresh cut fries are crisp and tasty.  When combined with the malt vinegar they provide the perfect complement to the burger.
• Cons- Taste wise there are no cons.  Nutritionally there are plenty, but we won’t talk about those.

Taste: 9.25/10

Value: 7.50/10

Grubbing on the Go: 7.50/10

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Five Guys Cheeseburger – GrubGrade:  9.25/10  (Exceptional)

Five Guys Fries – GrubGrade:  9.50/10 (GrubGrade Hall of Fame)

(Overall GrubGrade is not an average)

Price:  $5.39  (Bacon Cheeseburger)  -  $2.59  (Regular Size Fries)

FiveGuys.com

Nutrition Information:

Bacon Cheeseburger has 920 calories, 62 grams of fat 180 mg of cholesterol, 1310 mg of sodium, 40 grams of carbs 2 grams of dietary fiber and 51 grams of protein.

A regular order of fries has 620 calories, 30 grams of fat, 90 mg of sodium, 78 grams of carbs, 6 grams of dietary fiber and 10 grams of protein.

As we’ve recently told you on, Colorado-based quick service chain Noah/Einstein Bros. Bagels has been rolling out its fair share of new products over the spring, with the French Toast Bagel among the new breakfast menu items.  On Sunday morning I swung by my local Einstein Bros. to check out the new bagel, along with an old standby and a “tempting” seasonal coffee brew.  Here are my thoughts.

Real bagel on the right, semi-sweet circular bagel-like item on left.

French Toast Bagel (Limited Time Only)- Let’s get the good news out in the open first.  Nutritionally speaking, this bagel is not as bad for you as it sounds.  The bad news?   It’s not as bad for you as it sounds, and it’s not a great bagel, period.  Frankly Einstein’s latest, ‘limited-time only’ bagel is the kind of product that gives an otherwise great chain a bad name.  Not only is it EXCEPTIONALLY small (see photo above) but it is lacks the bold, over-the-top decadence of a similar product from your average bagel shop. The product had a hard exterior (even by Einstein Bros. standards) and only had a small smattering of glaze on the bottom.  There was not much bread inside, and while it wasn’t exactly stale it still lacked the warm and soft interior of most Einstein bagels.  The bagel was lackluster in sweetness and mediocre in cinnamon flavor, with a small scattering of “cinnamon chips” providing an artificial buttery sweetness that was average, at best.  I didn’t really understand what made it “French toast,” as it struck me as just an undersized version of a cinnamon swirl type bagel with a little more butter in the dough.  It also had a horrible resemblance to Einstein’s famous “doggie bagels,” which (if you weren’t aware) are intended to be fed to your dog.  Overall it was average in taste, but considering its size I can’t be too generous with the rating, especially given the alternatives. If you’re looking for a bold “dessert” type of bagel I’d suggest going with Panera Bread’s more decadent Cinnamon Crunch or French Toast bagels.  GrubGrade: 4.25/10 (Poor)

Sumatra Roast Coffee- This is one of the chain’s rotating ‘seasonal’ coffees, and is offered along with a House Roast (available in regular and decaf), Vanilla Hazelnut roast, and a Dark European roast on the daily coffee menu.  I really enjoyed the spicy undertones of the Sumatra blend, and despite it being not as bold as I would have liked in flavor, I did pick up the earthy qualities that I enjoy in a coffee.  I took it with half a packet of Splenda and nothing else, and found that just the hint of sweetness worked well in balancing out the otherwise deep flavor.  The best part of this kind of coffee is the value. Einstein Bros is unique among many fast casual cafes in that they not only allow bottomless refills, but they also allow you to dress your own coffee (as opposed to a place like Dunkin Donuts or Starbucks.)  Even better, Einstein Bros. allows frequent visitors to purchase refillable mugs that allow you to buy coffee at $1 per visit, giving coffee addicts like myself the ability to throw back 2-3 mugs of coffee at insanely low prices.  GrubGrade: 8.00/10 (Very Good)

Pumpernickel Bagel- My old standby.  While few, if any, bagel shops and bakeries bake pumpernickel bread in the classic German style, I have found that Einstein’s rendition of the old world classic to be among the best intimidators.  The bagel has a hard, almost crispy exterior that gives way to an incredibly moist and ‘bready’ interior, with a well balanced sweetness that compliments the nuttiness of the flour.  This is a great bagel on its own or, as I like to take it, toasted with cream cheese.  GrubGrade: 9.50/10 (Hall of Fame)

Einstein Bros. is a fantastic quick service café which does “traditional” bagel flavors as good as any chain can, but when it comes to innovations like the French Toast bagel or the ‘Bagel Poppers’ (read our review here) the company seems to be going “a bagel-like product too far.”  Still, with the best value and selection of coffee of any similar fast casual café you can’t go wrong with a stop at Einstein Bros., while the café’s wide selection of bagels at more than reasonable prices keep the Colorado-based chain as my pick for the best bagel chain outside of the Big Apple.

Nutrition:

The French Toast Bagel has 350 calories, 6 grams of fat (2 grams saturated), 55mg Cholesterol, 380mg sodium, 54 grams carbohydrates, 2 grams fiber, 9 grams sugar, and 9 grams protein.

The Pumpernickel Bagel has 250 calories, 1.5 grams fat (0 grams saturated), 0mg cholesterol, 710mg sodium, 55 grams carbohydrates, 3 grams fiber, 4 grams sugar, and 9 grams protein.

EinsteinBros.com

We can’t have Cinco de Mayo without reviewing an often overlooked Mexican food item.  For a limited time, the fast casual Mexican food chain Baja Fresh is serving New! Fire-Grilled Chicken and Steak Tortas.

Simply put, a torta is a Mexican sandwich.  The torta from Baja Fresh is your choice of fire-grilled chicken breast or steak with tomato, sour cream,  fresh avocado, a mild spicy sauce, mayo and crispy lettuce all contained inside a toasted telera roll. I remember years ago Baja had tortas that were on the regular everyday menu.  The grilled chicken torta was my usual order as I’m not the biggest fan of Baja’s burritos.  For some reason, the torta was taken off the regular menu and my regular visits to Baja Fresh became much more infrequent as I would prefer Chipotle, California Tortilla and Moe’s for fast casual Mexican dining options.  The Baja torta had my 6 bucks on a regular basis and since it came off the menu, they haven’t really wowed me with much else to keep me coming back.  I was happy to see the torta make a return and very happy to see it upgraded from what I remembered years back.

When speaking of an “upgraded” Baja Fresh torta, I’m specifically referring to the telera roll (also known as a bolillo roll).  This bread just works exceptionally well for this sandwich.  I remember in the past, the tortas I used to get would suffer from getting a little soggy in some areas.  This new telera bread is crusty, hearty and very reminiscent of a ciabatta roll. It contains the hefty doses of meat and avocado slices and really does a great job at keeping things intact.  Most other breads would cause this sandwich to fall apart.  Another big positive was the generous slices of avocado.  I would guess that there was at least a half of an avocado in the sandwich.  I’m a big fan of fresh avocado and it goes especially well with the grilled chicken torta.  The sandwich had a mild, creamy, spicy sauce which seemed to be a mix of red salsa and sour cream. It could’ve used a little more heat but it comes with an additional side of the sauce that seemed to be hotter than the sauce in the sandwich.

I prefer the grilled chicken torta over the steak version for a few reasons.  First off, the grilled chicken is moist and juicy while I found the steak version to be a little on the dry side.  As is the case with a lot of steak products, if it’s not super thinly sliced, it’s going to be a chewy chore to eat.  The flavor of the steak is very good but did suffer from a couple of these issues that I actually expected.  (note: there is a pork carnitas torta that I haven’t had yet)

Overall I would highly recommend this sandwich.  If anything, it’s a break from the burritos, tacos, quesadillas, nachos, taco salads…I can go on and on.  The Mexican sandwich is definitely an under appreciated item that deserves to have a permanent spot on the Baja Fresh menu.  I’m wondering with all the new innovations at Taco Bell every month, why no torta?

• Pros- Delicious and filling.  Great portion of fresh avocado.  Awesome telera roll.  Comes with a side of sauce to spice things up.  A break from burritos.
• Cons- Steak version was spicy in different areas (uneven).  Steak was expectedly chewy/tough.  Grilled chicken could’ve used a better flavor and is bland without the other ingredients.

Taste:  9.00/10

Value:  7.75/10

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GrubGrade:  9.00/10  Chicken version (Exceptional)

GrubGrade:  8.25/10  Steak version  (Very Good)

(Overall GrubGrade is not an average)

Price:  Chicken or Pork Carnitas $6.25,  Steak $6.85

BajaFresh.com

I typically go to Einstein Bros. Bagels two or three times per week.  With a vast assortment of 99-cent bagels and bottomless refills on five different kinds of coffee brewed daily, you really can’t beat this place in terms of value, selection, or quality.  Yet Einstein’s has ventured out from the world of just bagels and coffee in recent years, and introduced an expanded menu that features all kinds of sandwiches, salads, and non-traditional breakfast treats.  After receiving a free coupon for their new “Bagel Poppers” via their email club I decided to check out the company’s latest innovation, which comes in three flavors; blueberry, cinnamon sugar, and sweet cream cheese.

These “bite sized bagels” actually come in a pre-packaged cup which will set you back $2.99 without the aforementioned coupon.  I went for the blueberry and there were 15 flavored poppers total in my cup, ranging in various sizes.  The first (and most prominent) thing I noticed about the poppers was the glaze.  They had a thick and shiny glaze that you’d expect to find on a donut, not a bagel. It was so thick that many of the poppers were stuck together when I opened the cup.  They were sticky as well, so much so that I found eating these in my car to be problematic, and actually had to wait until I got home to really dissect them.

As for taste these were ok but nothing special.  Yes they were sweet and there was a fair distribution of blueberries amongst the poppers, but the sweetness is really limited to the glaze and comes across as cheap and corn syrupy (although to be fair, that’s not always a bad thing in my mind).  Normally I like my blueberry pieces to compliment the warm and soft interior of the bagel dough, but these just felt like they took a backseat to the sweet exterior. Still, it’s nice to get real blueberry pieces in a product like this, and they had a fair amount of blueberry flavor.  The biggest problem with these is the absence of that signature bready interior I’ve come to expect in Einstein bagels, as the small amount of interior dough takes a definite backseat to the outer glaze.  Also, aside from being too sticky and not very practical as a breakfast item, these “poppers” strike me as being nothing more than a sugar bomb, which is probably the last thing I should be eating in combination with all those bottomless cups of coffee.  A regular bagel may not be a bowl of oatmeal with fresh fruit and flaxseed, but it’s ain’t horrible for you either ya know.

Einstein Bros. Bagels are famous for the hard “crusts” on the outside and for their warm, chewy interior.  Unfortunately these “poppers” do the company’s trademark product an injustice by trying to be a mix between a donut hole and slightly stale bagel from just “any” bagel store. Still, as long as the company continues to offer its normally delectable assortment of bagels (my personal favorite is Pumpernickel) and fantastic seasonal coffee flavors they can count me amongst their loyal patrons, despite a disappointing showing with their latest non-bagel innovation.

• Pros- Good alternative for kids or “non-bagel” patrons.  Put the cup in your cup holder.  Degree of snackability for sweet-tooth minded customers.  Free with coupon, so why the heck not?  Hey, real blueberries!
• Cons- Too sticky.  Sweetness is superficial and limited to glaze.  Doesn’t have the usual Einstein bagel “crust,” nor the pick-me-apart bread “feel” of a fresh bagel.  Would be better if served warm.  Glaze is way too heavy.  Would have liked to see a “Pumpernickel Popper” if for alliterative effect alone.

Taste:  5.50/10

Value:  4.00/10

Grubbing on the Go:  4.75/10

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GrubeGrade:  5.25/10 (Mediocre)

(Overall GrubGrade is not an average)

Price:  $2.99 (Free with drink purchase coupon from  Einstein E-Club)

EinsteinBros.com

No Nutrition Facts Available

When you hear Moby Dick, you mind instantly goes to the big white whale in the book.  Now, when in and around the nation’s capital, Moby Dick conjures up affordable and delicious Middle Eastern food.  There are currently 14 locations in the DC metropolitan area.  “Moby’s” made its debut in Bethesda, Maryland back in 1987 and is still going strong.

When you enter Moby Dick, you can see fresh dough being rolled out and baked in a clay oven.  There is a little viewing area where you can see the work being done.  The flatbread is used for sandwiches an well as a side order with all entrees.  Team the fresh flatbread with Mast-0 kheyar, yogurt mixed with cucumber and fresh herbs, and you’ve got a tasty combination.  While the bread is a tasty treat, the grilled meats are the star of the show.  Whether you opt for the beef, chicken, or lamb you can expect to get tender, well-seasoned meat with the right amount of char on the outside.  Most of the dishes can be ordered as a salad, with the meat served on top of greens with tomato and onion.  As an entree, you’ll be getting your choice of meat served with flatbread and basmati rice.  I usually go the route of getting a sandwich, which looks more like a wrap.  You get two nice sized portions filled with fresh lettuce and tomato your choice of meat.  The gyro sandwich and chicken sandwich can be seen below.  

• Recommendations: Gyro Sandwich, Chicken Sandwich, Basmati Rice

Gyro Sandwich

Chicken Sandwich

Basmati Rice

Prices average at around $6 for a sandwich and a couple bucks for a side of basmati and a drink.  I’m always assured a good meal at Moby’s as they seem to be extremely consistent with their quality and service from restaurant to restaurant.

• Food: 9.00/10
• Menu Variety: 8.50/10
• Atmosphere: Fast Casual/Takeout
• Price: $$-Moderate-$7.01-14

• GrubGrade: 9.00/10 (Exceptional)

Check them out:

Moby Dick House of Kabob