Daniel B.
Yelp
MetroFresh is a locally owned fast casual restaurant serving mostly soups, salads, and sandwiches. It's located at the Midtown Promenade shopping center, the same one as Trader Joe's, near Piedmont Park. The restaurant has been around for several years now and there's also a location at the Atlanta Botanical Garden. This location underwent a renovation in early 2013.
The new space is open, spacious, and modern. There's a covered outdoor patio decorated with plenty of plant life. Inside, there's a (wine) bar and a glass display case showing off each day's freshly made salads.
The draw for the restaurant is in its name -- fresh ingredients, some of which are locally sourced, with a menu that changes daily. The result is an eatery that feels like a cafe or bistro with gourmet and "farm-to-table" like menu items. I like the concept because it's hard to find fresh, healthy, and affordable, casual dining-out options. This is one of them, though disappointingly, I can't say I've walked away a huge fan of this place.
The best time to visit MetroFresh is for lunch, their busiest time. This is when most everything seems to be at its freshest. While new entrees are cooked up for dinner only, they still serve some of the leftovers for lunch in the evenings and it's not as good (at least, that's been my experience). Expect to spend roughly $5 per salad, soup, or 1/2 sandwich (all day) and about $15 for each dinner entree.
I think salads are what MetroFresh does best. If it's not too busy, ask to sample some. It's a great way to try out the many interesting and unique salads offered. A few examples include marinated kale with roasted beets and peaches, curry potato and roasted corn salad with field peas and yogurt dressing, orzo pasta tuna salad with veggies and white beans, and heirloom tomato panzanella salad with shaved Parmesan and Kalamata olives. One salad I've particularly enjoyed is the roasted watermelon radish and jicama salad with cucumbers and mint.
The fruits and vegetables are indeed fresh and ripe, so salads are definitely the way to go.
Soups typically include chili, gumbo, gazpacho, and lentil soup. Others examples include creamed corn and butternut squash soup and sweet pea and dill soup. The chili or "Mitchili," named after the owner, seems to be one of the staple items. I think it's okay. It's certainly thick and hearty, but the bean-to-meat ratio weighs heavily in favor of beans, giving the chili a noticeably pasty consistency. I prefer meatier chilis.
The sandwiches have generally been underwhelming. They are small, dense, pre-made (presumably early in the day) and pre-wrapped sandwiches, the kind you'd find on display in a cafe's open-air fridge or at an airport kiosk to go. The ingredients are fine, but the sandwiches themselves are cold, hard, and a bit lifeless. I kind of expect a made-to-order sandwich from a place like this.
Dinner entrees are full fledged plates of protein, carbs, and vegetables. I've tried the seared salmon cake with haricot vert and jasmine rice. The dish was okay and I believe it was freshly prepared, though I'm not sure if it was worth the price ($16). Aside from the salmon cakes, which were flavorful thanks to the sweet chili sauce on top, the rest of the plate seemed ordinary. The jasmine rice was hard and somewhat dry, leading me to believe it may have been overcooked.
Service is good. The staff seems cool. You pay upfront, most beverages are self-serve, and orders are brought to your table. The food comes out from the kitchen in a reasonable amount of time.
In the end, I like MetroFresh's concept, ingredients, and service, but I think the actual foods served are hit or miss.
