overpriced fancy lunch battle

Lost post from about one month ago...

 

I've been using the smartphone app LevelUp for a while and it's nice to see businesses and eateries where I before I only saw ugly storefronts. It's also nice to try out some of those mystery spots as well as those super-pricey-yuppie lunch places with the help of a $1 or $2 credit that some businesses give you on LevelUp.

 

In the battle of such expensive healthy lunch places (one of which does have a storefront I used to overlook because it was such an unappealing color of Thousand Island dressing,) I first went to Darn Good Food. Enter on Kearny Street for take out. I ordered the un-fried chicken sandwich, which sounds delicious because it is marinated in yogurt and covered in panko bread crumbs... which means that no matter what they do to the chicken, it's going to be juicy and tender.

 

The sandwich was certainly juicy, tender, and delicious. The roasted potatoes and accompanying side salad were nice and fresh, too. It was the size that got me.

 







 



 

My expectations would've been more accurate if they had announced at any time, whether on the online menu or in store, that the sandwich is actually a wrap the length of your biodegradable fork. Maybe I'm asking for too much for $9. Or maybe I just expect to not have to go snack hunting an hour after I eat.

 

Next, I tried Fleur de Sel, a cute little café-type deal that should really reconsider the exterior paint color. Should you want more than just a sandwich, Fleur de Sel offeres customizable boxed lunches for $9.50 (half sandwich) and $13 (full sandwich.) The boxes come with a side and a dessert. Oh, did you say dessert?

 

This boxed lunch is a half-sandwich portion of the tri-tip sandwich, a side of the corn-riddled quinoa salad, and a seasonal fruit cup. The take-out packaging is superior to DGF's... this box has three locks and everything is wrapped up nicely.

 

 

Nice and neat, ready to eat! The sandwich was delicious and bready, but could benefit from a little more heat. The quinoa salad was actually my favorite part, the quinoa and corn and cheese all provided different textures and mixed nicely with the tomatoes... that little Peruvian grain is really growing on me. The fruit cup wasn't anything special, though as you can see they are cut up into little itty-bitty pieces to make you feel babied. And there is a lot of fruit.

 

 

Oh look, everything is kind of small. But that's okay because I was clearly given the option to choose a full-size or half-size sandwich. And now I know that DGF's normal portions are what normal people consider a half-size. And Fleur de Sel's half-size is still larger than DGF's sandwich wrap thing.

 

So... I must admit that DGF had it a little harder because I went there first and I am predisposed to dislike such pretentious "we're so healthy for you" sorts of places. For me, their unfried chicken sandwich tastes better than FDS's trip-tip. But the size is downright disappointing... couldn't you add a little more potatoes or salad to make up for it? Fleur de Sel's sandwiches could use a little more pep but you know what you're paying for over there. And the quinoa salad really takes the cake for me (yes, it just beat DGF's roasted potatoes.)

 

Oh my, if I choose another food over potatoes, maybe the world really is coming to an end.