Freshii

In a sea of sandwich and burrito joints and chili parlors, I'm always hoping for healthier downtown dining options at lunchtime.  On paper, Freshii, a chain that originated in Toronto, ought to totally fit the bill.  And the "paper" I'm referring to is Freshii's menu, which lists an international smorgasbord of nutritious eating: a variety of salads, bowls, and burritos drawn from different cuisines and featuring lots of dark baby greens, fresh veggies, brown rice, black beans, and mostly leaner proteins.

So Freshii's all right.  Veggies, and the salads, seem very fresh, and that's probably the main reason you come here.  But the salads, if decent enough, are kinda small and just thrown-together.  The other stuff is probably less enticing.  The "bowl" I tried--a Thai noodle knock-off of some sort--seemed about two notches above a Lean Cuisine entree in quality and interest.  A burrito seemed healthier than those offered by say, Chipotle or Currito, but also considerably less tasty. And the pre-prepped proteins seem warmed-over and blah, virtually unseasoned and barely detectable as flavors in the items in which they appear.  

One problem is that Ingredients is just a bowling ball's roll down the way inside the U.S. Bank/Westin building.  Ingredients's salads are at least as palatable as Freshiii's, and you get quite a bit more bang for your buck, and more options.

No complaints about the way this location is operated.  Staff has been more friendly and efficient than you can generally expect in a take-out place this casual.  But despite Freshii's slick and ultra-modern appearabnce, the place gives off a kind of mall-food-court or airport dining ambience, and there's a been-there, done-that feel to the whole enterprise.  That's just Freshii, the brand...

Freshii's a nice option to have downtown, but Dan M. has it right in saying that it's not much to get excited about.

Freshii is sort of like a Chipotle without a Mexican identity.  Choose whatever ingredients you want and they assemble it for you.  It's not really anything to get excited about though.

Bottom Line: I could take it or leave it.

Freshii has a lot of downtown competition for lunchtime dining dollars, but if it keeps doing what it is doing it will hopefully see off quite a few of its opponents.

Located on the Walnut Street side of the US Bank Tower it is admittedly not a huge dining space but we all know sometimes the best things come in small packages! It offers up *gasp, shock, horror* healthy eating options ... and plenty of them.

Rice, beans, protein, greens, cheeses and lots of fruits, nuts and veggies (a.k.a. 'proper food' as my Mum called it) can all be combined into either pre-designed choices or something your own taste buds have a hankering for.

What's more is that you can have that choice in the form of a salad, a wrap, a burrito or a bowl. Soups and (absolutely delicious) frozen yogurt can complete what will become a three course meal - for lunch!

Since their opening I have worked through several of their designed options and can safely state that none disappointed. The most impressive of the bunch - for me - was the Teriyaki Twist (brown rice topped with broccoli, carrots, edamame, cucumber, green onions, sesame, crispy wontons and teriyaki sauce), served in a bowl with chicken and (on the day of my visit) offered for a bargain $6. A fantastic mélange of taste and far more filling than initially imagined.

Its rather siilly name asiide I have no reason than to enthusiiastiically recommend Freshii to all of Ciinciinnatii's whiite-collared cube dwellers and offiice drones.