Today marks the long-awaited (by both owners and curious patrons) opening of a brand new restaurant near Copley Square in Boston called b.good. It's a much-needed alternative to ordinary, gut-punching McFast food joints, serving up healthy menu items for calorie-conscious downtowners and travellers looking for something different.
Their motto is "real.food.fast.", and it's right on. A bunch of us were lucky enough to attend a preview lunch last week, and while they may still have a couple kinks to work out in the prep process (they were a little overwhelmed by the crowd-size... the normal lunch-line may be smaller), the food itself was just ace. We all noted that even though our meal portions weren't massive, we felt surprisingly full post-lunch. It was just enough to satisfy, and helped keep away the afternoon food-coma that can hit after a little too much.
Y'see, b.good is a new beast... you can't go in expecting a four-patty burger, jumbo salad, or super-size fries. Think of a normal size McD's burger and fries, and that's what b.good serves up, but with real ingredients, organic toppings, and special attention to taste. The fries aren't even fried; they're "air-cooked", and just perfect. Crispy, thin-style, tasty, and oil-free.
Just take a look at these numbers...
Big Mac? 33 grams of fat, 600 calories
Whopper? 43 grams of fat, 710 calories
b.good's new "Cousin Oliver" burger? just 14.5 grams of fat and 480 calories.
And check out the french fry comparison...
Mickey D's: 3.7 ounces of fries, 16 grams of fat, 320 calories
Burger King: 2.6 ounces of fries, 11 grams of fat, 230 calories
b.good fries: 3 ounces, only 4.5 grams of fat, and a mere 140 calories.
Not much of a contest, huh?
If we're lucky, owners (and friends since 6th grade) Jon and Anthony will be able to spread b.good beyond the Back Bay. It's a great idea that the ever-widening American waistline has needed for a long time. Check out b.good's
online menu to figure out what you'll be eating this week, and for a laugh, check out their
written history. Jon and Anthony's sense of humor, and their hopes for the future, seem as genuine as the food they're serving up.
The very first b.good is located at
131 Dartmouth Street, next to the Back Bay T Station. Lunchtime's in an hour, see ya over there.
(note: Having returned from lunch, I give a big thumbs up to their honey mustard turkey sandwich, and their caesar salad rocked me. Really excellent homemade, lemon-caesar vinaigrette. Yum. Oh, and whatever kinks they had in the prep line have been flattened right out... that was some fast food.)
