UPDATE: FRESH CHOICE HAS CLOSED. SOME LOCATIONS HAVE REOPENED AS CALIFORNIA FRESH.
Fresh Choice has to be one of the easiest places for a vegan to go with non-vegan dining companions. It has something for everyone, and the prepared dishes, such as salads, soups, and pasta sauces, will have a round yellow sticker with a "V" in the middle posted on the label if the dish is vegan. Some of the vegan options available during my most recent visit to Fresh Choice were Strawberry Fields Spinach Salad, Spicy Chipotle Hummus, and Red Bean Chili.
Fresh Choice appears to be working hard to improve the quality of the items in their already very good salad bar. For example, I actually used to love the canned diced beets they served, and I was sad when they were no longer available. But the last time I went through the salad bar, I was impressed to see chunks of fresh roasted beets. According to the Fresh Choice website, they always offer at least four different vegetables roasted in olive oil, and I guess it must have been my lucky day to be there when roasted red beets were on the menu.
Most of the baked goods are not vegan, so I always just have a slice or two of the sourdough bread with my meal. The desserts aren't vegan either, except for their fresh fruit selection.
Fresh Choice has two locations in Sacramento, one in Citrus Heights, and one in Roseville. More information about their restaurants and their menu items is available on their website at http://www.freshchoice.com/.
Hey Pam, I too enjoy Fresh Choice for their great salad bar -- but I do wish that a few of the baked goods and desserts were vegan! I always want to eat some of the muffins or the brownies but of course I can't, so I usually end up eating the sourdough bread like you.
ReplyDeleteThe beets sound great, though. I'll look for them next time I'm there!
--Ben
P.S. Great job on the blog! I'll try to keep checking it to see the latest updates. Thanks!
ReplyDelete--Ben
Thanks, Ben! I'm glad you like the blog. I agree with you -- I would love it if Fresh Choice offered vegan baked goods or desserts. Maybe I'll suggest that to them in an e-mail. The beets may not be there every day. Their website lists four different columns of roasted vegetables and says that they serve at least one vegetable from each column every day. So you may be there on Roasted Bell Pepper Mix day, for example, instead of Roasted Red/Yellow Beets day.
ReplyDelete