There aren’t a lot of gimmicks left in the restaurant industry that haven’t been played out ad nauseam in both independent and chain spots, even here in the often behind-the-times Bay area dining scene. I’m talking novelty that’s not just for novelty’s sake, and innovation that appeals to the needs of the customers. But that kind of innovation is exactly what new downtown Tampa restaurant Fresh has to offer, thanks to a devotion to breakfast cereal.
A coffee shop/cereal bar concept made a go of it in downtown St. Pete a few years back, but never caught on, perhaps because the potential of the genre wasn’t pushed to its limit and the non-cereal options were extremely limited. Not so at Fresh. Here, cereal is just one part of a greater formula involving sandwiches and salads, featuring an overwhelming multitude of choices, along with pre-set dishes that remove stress for the chronically indecisive.
Save the cereal for dessert, if you can, and start with the basics. Sandwiches are pressed like panini and assembled from dozens of potential ingredients, from grilled chicken or sliced meat to the usual veggies and cheeses, along with more esoteric add-ons like bacon-infused Russian dressing or thinly sliced granny smith apples. Although Fresh prides itself on making everything possible in-house like roast turkey or corned beef, and all the sauces and dressings none of the ingredients shine like they could, and the sandwiches are hampered by the very basic sliced wheat and white that are the only bread options.
This article appears in Dec 2-8, 2010.
