STEVE'S ALS RESTAURANT REVIEW #10


FRESH TO ORDER
Fresh to Order is located at 8540 Castleton Corner.  That is the small strip center immediately behind the MCL which was the subject of my first review.  We had been there before, but for the life of me I could not remember anything about the restaurant.  For some reason I just kept imagining a place that featured salads—and more salads.
Just goes to show how bad my memory is.
Actually, the restaurant has a pleasingly extensive menu, complete with gluten sensitive dishes.  Oh sure, there are salads if you want them.  But there are soups, small plates, a wide variety of sandwiches (buffalo burger, black bean burger, etc.), a children’s menu, and a dinner menu.  I had some really terrific chicken tenders with garlic mashed potatoes.  My wife had mushroom soup and a chicken panini.  She also was impressed. 
I don’t know where you are in our journey, but I really appreciate a menu with a good variety of finger foods.  Fresh to Order did not let me down.
The restaurant also offers a small beer and wine selection that you access with these nifty machines set in a corner of the main dining room.  Neither of us indulged because we were both driving (she, the car and I, my scooter.)
We left happy with our meals and delighted with the prices.
Now, the really important part.  There was no automatic door opener, nor anyone to assist us with the doors.  My wife held each of the access doors open to allow me into the restaurant.  Once inside, things immediately got better.  The dining room is large and the aisles are spacious.  Transfer to a booth was smooth and my wife found a spot nearby to park my scooter.
You place your order at the counter, and pay for your meals then.  The server gives you a card with a number on it and then brings your meals to the table where you have prominently displayed the card.  This is clearly not a full service restaurant, but the staff was uniformly polite, cheerful, and helpful.
Getting to and in the men’s room was a breeze.  The aisle leading to the bathroom was wide and there were no sharp turns making for a difficult door opening experience.  The door was light and using a combination of hand and scooter, was easy to open.  The handicap stall was just OK.  I had some trouble maneuvering around the toilet paper holder which was a stand placed in the middle of the stall.  I ended up moving it.  Awkward.  I also had some trouble with the grab bars, but that many have just been me.  I had to back out of the stall, but there was room enough in the main area of the bathroom for me to  turn around.  Getting out of the restroom was harder than getting in because I could not get my scooter turned to a 90° angle with the door.
CONCLUSION:  Fresh to Order is a modestly priced, comfortable restaurant with really good food.  Access within the dining area was superb.  Access within the men’s room was manageable but not great.  We will return to this restaurant.  Who knows, if we go often enough, maybe someday there will be an automatic door opener—and pigs will fly.
3 scooters.

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