Fresh Millions~ I am Bowl-ed Over!

I begin in the middle. I want to stop before I have started this month to acknowledge my time here with you. This marks the 13^th month that I have been writing for Alive. I am not one to acknowledge a milestone on credit, so hence the 13 months as opposed to the more popular one year mark.

My time with you has been spent well. I have continued to hone my writing craft and used my time with you as a Swiffer to my experiences in the restaurant game. So much so that I turned the Buson Burner up under my manuscript on the topic and have been fortunate enough to partner up with Eric and Alive Book Publishing to make the book dream a reality. Stay tuned for release dates and availability.

Okay, down to business.

I walked into Fresh Millions in San Ramon exactly ten days and two dining experiences after my co-worker. Twice she came back into the office saying, “Toby, you have no idea how right in your wheel house this place is!” As usual (except with wagers on The Bachelorette) she was correct.

So I went, and immediately felt that I had seen this place before. After the necessary research needed to order at the counter flawlessly, and after my selections were mentally ticked, I allowed my thoughts to wander back to where I had seen this healthy oasis. It had to be on one of those food network shows. The type of competitions that have entrepreneurs appeasing to the generosity of the food moguls that have come before them, in the hopes of securing the start-up capital to their dreams; the next “Chipotle” that will have mini-mall shoppers lining up. I was so convinced of this, that by the time I ordered from the jovial young lady at the counter, I was sure that she was the owner and I had seen her pleading with Gordon Ramsey….Suffice to say, I was wrong.

This is a pop-up (true to the definition). It wasn’t there yesterday, I swear, but now the second one is open in Dublin, and this is a franchise. “Join our team,” is not an invitation to work the wok.  This is the answer to the question that has loomed over so many of us: “Isn’t there something besides McDonalds?”

Here’s the deal: It’s fast, cheap, healthy and good.

If you recall, I am the, “let’s slow down at all costs,” guy, but mostly because quality seems to suffer, the faster we go. In relationships, business, technology, food…I digress. But not here.

Fresh Millions refers to the endless possibilities of the create-your-own menu and it does not disappoint. For the person whose tie is already flying behind them in an extra hurry to get through life, there are pre-set menu items, but for my under $10 you can’t beat the make your own salad or bowls.

Bowls: Start with your base: Noodles, Brown Rice, White Rice or Spinach. Add you sauce: Teriyaki, Sweet and Sour, Spicy, etc. Add your protein: Chicken, Beef, Shrimp, Bacon or Eggs. Then dive into their “mix-ins”! Over 40 prepared fresh, some organic, additions they throw into your bowl by the handful…not pinch. Then simply take a number. I have deduced that your raw bowl goes back to the kitchen in the searing hot wok waiting to blend your textures and flavors. Is there really a faster, fresher way to cook than by wok…NOPE! Help yourself to a complimentary glass of fruit infused water and wait the meager four minutes (give or take) for your creation to arrive at your table piping hot and mounded over the bowls edge.

Substitute “bowl” with “salad” and add dressing choice.

I think “millions” refers to the people and money that will flock to this place.

 

San Ramon: 2550 San Ramon Valley Boulevard, Suite #B2, San Ramon, CA

Dublin: 6599 Dublin Blvd, Suite F, Dublin, CA 94568