Brian C.
Yelp
So, I've managed to drive past this place thousands of times, no exaggeration, and never stop in. Today, in need of lunch, I broke the habit.
It's very funky. A hodgepodge of consignment-store furniture, old-school video games, a profusion of globes, gas fireplace, exposed brick, black dropped ceiling, cement floors, local art. Fun!
I ordered a salami sandwich and oxtail soup, and was dismayed to see the counter staff pull a plastic container of soup from the fridge, reconstitute it in a glass measure with water, and slap it in the microwave. Ironic, in a place called, "Freshy's", don't you think? One star: gone.
Look, get a small steam table with a soup insert. You can pick one up for a song at any of the used kitchen equipment stores in town. You'll have hot soup on demand for your customers, with a little preparation, which will speed up service AND give the impression you care about your food, which microwaving does NOT provide. Message me if if want help setting this up.
The soup was ok, a beef/barley affair with strong black pepper flavor, parsnip, onion or leek, and mushroom in evidence. Very seasonal and warming. The microwave made the barley more chewy of course, and it was served nearly boiling, a danger with microwave use. The sandwich was tasty and well-made, all ingredients evenly represented and on an excellent-quality bread.
Service was good and friendly, but the counter and open kitchen area needed organization and cleaning, as did the outside of the store, which was piled with dead and trodden leaves that customers were obliged to track into the store. That's the second missing star.
Neat place, but it could use a sprucing and a different approach to their soup program, so that they might live up to their name. A typical response to advice like mine would be, "Why bother? Nobody cares!" I would counter that food lovers DO care, enough in fact to give you advice like this, and when it comes to healthfully and carefully prepared food, it COULD be the only one not caring is...you.
Recommended, with obvious concerns. They do make a decent sandwich.